Exhaust Gas Treatment System for an Internal Combustion Engine

An exhaust gas treatment system for an internal combustion engine comprising:

• an exhaust gas conduit in fluid communication with, and configured to receive an exhaust gas from, the internal combustion engine and to conduct the exhaust gas between a plurality of devices of the exhaust gas treatment system;
• an oxidation catalyst device disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust gas conduit and configured to oxidize hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas;
• a first temperature sensor located downstream of the oxidation catalyst device having a temperature probe that is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas flow exiting the oxidation catalyst device;
• a second temperature sensor located downstream of the oxidation catalyst device having a temperature probe that is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas flow exiting the oxidation catalyst device, the temperature probe including a catalyst compound coating disposed thereon and operable to catalyze the oxidation of CO and HC, or a combination thereof, that exits the oxidation catalyst device;
• and
• a controller in signal communication with the first and the second temperature sensors and configured to monitor signals from the first and second temperature sensors and determine if a temperature differential exceeds a predetermined threshold.

A method for monitoring the performance of an exhaust gas treatment system comprising an exhaust gas conduit in fluid communication with, and configured to receive an exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine and to conduct the exhaust gas between a plurality of devices of the exhaust gas treatment system, an oxidation catalyst device disposed in fluid communication with the exhaust gas conduit and configured to oxidize the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas, a first temperature sensor located downstream of the oxidation catalyst device having a temperature probe that is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas flow exiting the oxidation catalyst device, a second temperature sensor located downstream of the oxidation catalyst device having a temperature probe that is in fluid communication with the exhaust gas flow exiting the oxidation catalyst device, the temperature probe including a catalyst compound coating disposed thereon and operable to catalyze the oxidation of CO and HC, or a combination thereof, that exits the oxidation catalyst device and a controller in signal communication with the first and the second temperature sensors and configured to monitor signals from the first and second temperature sensors, comprising:

• monitoring signals from the first and second temperature sensors to determine if a temperature differential exceeds a predetermined threshold.