# US 10,865,683 B2 · Aftertreatment module > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,683 B2 - Document ID: US10865683B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/359,678 - Filed: 2019-03-20 - Published: 2020-09-24 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-20 - Assignees: Caterpillar Inc. - Applicants: Caterpillar Inc. - Inventors: Kurtis Chenoweth; Mohamed Daoud - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865683B2 ## CPC - F01N 3/2839: {Arrangements for mounting catalyst support in housing, e.g. with means for compensating thermal expansion or vibration} - B01D 53/9431: {Processes characterised by a specific device} - F01N 3/2066: {Selective catalytic reduction [SCR]} - F01N 3/2892: {Exhaust flow directors or the like, e.g. upstream of catalytic device} - F01N 11/002: {the diagnostic devices measuring or estimating temperature or pressure in, or downstream of the exhaust apparatus} - F01N 11/007: {the diagnostic devices measuring oxygen or air concentration downstream of the exhaust apparatus} - F01N 13/017: {the purifying devices are arranged in a single housing} - F01N 13/082: {of tailpipe, e.g. with means for mixing air with exhaust for exhaust cooling, dilution or evacuation (F01N13/20 takes precedence)} - B01D 2251/206: Ammonium compounds - B01D 2255/9045: in parallel - F01N 2330/02: Metallic plates or honeycombs, e.g. superposed or rolled-up corrugated or otherwise deformed sheet metal - F01N 2450/30: Removable or rechangeable blocks or cartridges, e.g. for filters - F01N 2470/02: Tubes being perforated - F01N 2590/08: for heavy duty applications, e.g. trucks, buses, tractors, locomotives - F01N 2610/02: the substance being ammonia or urea - F01N 2610/1453: Sprayers or atomisers; Arrangement thereof in the exhaust apparatus - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract An aftertreatment module is disclosed. The aftertreatment module may include a housing. The aftertreatment module may include a mounting plate within the housing that forms an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. The aftertreatment module may include an inlet for exhaust gas from a combustion engine to flow into to the inlet chamber. The aftertreatment module may include an outlet through a top plate of the housing. The inlet and the outlet may be located on opposite sides of the housing and at opposite ends of the housing from each other. The aftertreatment module may include a set of catalysts mounted to the mounting plate. The aftertreatment module may include a diffuser plate within the inlet chamber that forms a lower portion of the inlet chamber and an upper portion of the inlet chamber. The diffuser plate may diffuse the exhaust gas through the lower portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An aftertreatment module, comprising: a housing; a mounting plate within the housing that forms an inlet chamber on a bottom side of the mounting plate and an outlet chamber on a top side of the mounting plate; an inlet through a bottom plate of the housing for exhaust gas from a combustion engine to flow into the inlet chamber, wherein the inlet chamber is between the mounting plate and the inlet; an outlet through a top plate of the housing for the exhaust gas to flow from the outlet chamber, wherein the inlet and the outlet are located on opposite sides of the housing and at opposite ends of the housing from each other; a set of catalysts mounted to the mounting plate to facilitate flow of the exhaust gas from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber; and a diffuser plate within the inlet chamber that forms a lower portion of the inlet chamber and an upper portion of the inlet chamber, wherein the diffuser plate is to diffuse the exhaust gas through the lower portion of the inlet chamber from a first end of the housing at which the inlet is located toward a second end of the housing at which the outlet is located. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The aftertreatment module of claim 1, wherein the aftertreatment module is connected to the combustion engine via an inlet module. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The aftertreatment module of claim 1, wherein the diffuser plate includes a plurality of holes across the diffuser plate, wherein diameters of the plurality of holes vary across the diffuser plate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The aftertreatment module of claim 3, wherein the diameters of the plurality of holes have a decreasing resistance pattern from the first end of the housing toward the second end of the housing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The aftertreatment module of claim 3, wherein a subset of the plurality of holes is aligned with each of the set of catalysts. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The aftertreatment module of claim 1, wherein the outlet is a tailpipe that includes a plurality of holes for sound attenuation and to facilitate flow of the exhaust gas from the outlet chamber. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The aftertreatment module of claim 1, wherein the aftertreatment module has at least two flow paths for the exhaust gas through the aftertreatment module based on the set of catalysts including at least two catalysts. ### Claim 8 A machine, comprising: a combustion engine; and an aftertreatment module connected to the combustion engine, the aftertreatment module comprising: a housing; an inlet chamber into which exhaust gas from the combustion engine is to flow into the housing via an inlet; an outlet chamber from which the exhaust gas is to flow from the housing via an outlet; wherein the inlet and the outlet are located on opposite sides of the housing and at opposite ends of the housing from each other; a set of catalysts via which the exhaust gas is to flow from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber, wherein the set of catalysts is mounted to a mounting plate within the housing that separates the inlet chamber from the outlet chamber, and wherein the inlet chamber is between the mounting plate and the inlet; and a diffuser plate within the inlet chamber that forms a lower portion of the inlet chamber and an upper portion of the inlet chamber, wherein the diffuser plate is to diffuse the exhaust gas through the lower portion of the inlet chamber from a first end of the housing at which the inlet is located toward a second end of the housing at which the outlet is located. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The machine of claim 8, further comprising: an inlet module between the combustion engine and the aftertreatment module, wherein the aftertreatment module is to receive the exhaust gas from the combustion engine via the inlet module, wherein the inlet module is associated with mixing a reductant with the exhaust gas. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The machine of claim 8, wherein two respective coefficients of pressure loss of two different flow paths through the aftertreatment module are approximately equal to each other. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The machine of claim 8, wherein the exhaust gas is to flow: from the combustion engine into the lower portion of the inlet chamber via the inlet, across the diffuser plate after entering the lower portion of the inlet chamber, from the lower portion of the inlet chamber into the upper portion of the inlet chamber via the diffuser plate, from the upper portion of the inlet chamber into the set of catalysts through bottom openings of the set of catalysts, from the set of catalysts into the outlet chamber through top openings of the set of catalysts, and from the outlet chamber through the outlet to be output from the aftertreatment module. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The machine of claim 8, wherein two respective lengths of two different flow paths through the aftertreatment module are approximately equal two each other. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The machine of claim 8, wherein the aftertreatment module further comprises: an outlet sensor mounted on the outlet, wherein the outlet sensor is to: obtain information relating to an amount of nitrogen oxide in the exhaust gas, a temperature of the exhaust gas, or a pressure associated with the exhaust gas; and cause a modification in operation of the machine based on the information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The machine of claim 8, wherein the machine is a locomotive. ### Claim 15 An exhaust gas aftertreatment system, comprising: an inlet module mechanically connected to a combustion engine of a machine to receive exhaust gas from the combustion engine; and an aftertreatment module mechanically connected to the inlet module to receive the exhaust gas from the inlet module, the aftertreatment module comprising: a housing; a mounting plate within the housing that forms an inlet chamber on a bottom side of the mounting plate and an outlet chamber on a top side of the mounting plate; an inlet through a bottom plate of the housing for exhaust gas to flow to the inlet chamber from the inlet module, wherein the inlet chamber is between the mounting plate and the inlet; an outlet through a top plate of the housing for the exhaust gas to flow from the outlet chamber, wherein the inlet and the outlet are located on opposite sides of the housing and at opposite ends of the housing from each other; a set of catalysts mounted to the mounting plate to facilitate flow of the exhaust gas from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber; and a diffuser plate within the inlet chamber that forms a lower portion of the inlet chamber and an upper portion of the inlet chamber, wherein the diffuser plate is to diffuse the exhaust gas through the lower portion of the inlet chamber to diffuse the exhaust gas across an area of the set of catalysts. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The exhaust gas aftertreatment system of claim 15, wherein the lower portion of the inlet chamber is formed with the top plate of the housing. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The exhaust gas aftertreatment system of claim 15, wherein the diffuser plate includes a plurality of holes to facilitate flow of the exhaust gas from the lower portion of the inlet chamber to the upper portion of the inlet chamber. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The exhaust gas aftertreatment system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of holes has a pattern of increasing diameter from a first end of the diffuser plate associated with the inlet to a second end of the diffuser plate associated with the outlet. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The exhaust gas aftertreatment system of claim 15, wherein the exhaust gas is to flow: from the combustion engine into the lower portion of the inlet chamber via the inlet, across the diffuser plate after entering the lower portion of the inlet chamber, from the lower portion of the inlet chamber into the upper portion of the inlet chamber via the diffuser plate, from the upper portion of the inlet chamber into the set of catalysts through bottom openings of the set of catalysts, from the set of catalysts into the outlet chamber through top openings of the set of catalysts, and from the outlet chamber through the outlet to be output from the aftertreatment module. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The exhaust gas aftertreatment system of claim 15, wherein the inlet module comprises: an inlet pipe to receive the exhaust gas from the combustion engine, a mixing tube connected to the inlet pipe to mix the exhaust gas with a reductant from a reductant injector, a flow diverter connected to the mixing tube to modify a flow direction of the exhaust gas, and a first outlet from the flow diverter to provide the exhaust gas to the aftertreatment module.