Detection of diesel exhaust fluid contamination
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorAmiyo Kumar BASU
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for detecting contamination in diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) used in a selective catalytic reduction process is disclosed. The method may include providing a plurality of temperature sensors arranged along a fluid column within a tank containing the DEF to be tested. The method may further include detecting a temperature of the fluid at each of the plurality of temperature sensors along the fluid column, determining temperature gradients along the fluid column from the temperatures detected by the plurality of temperature sensors, and comparing the temperature gradients along the fluid column with a set of reference temperature gradients.
Claims20
A method of detecting contamination in Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) contained within a tank including a plurality of temperature sensors arranged along a fluid column defined within the tank, the method comprising:
- detecting a temperature of the fluid at each of the plurality of temperature sensors along the fluid column;
- determining temperature gradients along the fluid column from the temperatures detected by the plurality of temperature sensors;
- and
- comparing the temperature gradients along the fluid column with a set of reference temperature gradients.
An apparatus for detecting contamination in a tank of DEF containing reductant used in a selective catalytic reduction process, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of temperature sensors arranged along a fluid column within the tank, each of the temperature sensors configured to detect a temperature of the fluid at the position of each of the plurality of temperature sensors along the fluid column;
- and
- a controller configured to determine temperature gradients along the fluid column from the temperatures detected by the plurality of temperature sensors.
A method of detecting contamination in Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) contained within a tank including a plurality of temperature sensors arranged along a fluid column defined within the tank, the method comprising:
- detecting a temperature of the fluid at each of the plurality of temperature sensors along the fluid column;
- determining temperature gradients along the fluid column from the temperatures detected by the plurality of temperature sensors;
- detecting changes in the temperature of the fluid at each of the plurality of temperature sensors along the fluid column as a function of time as the DEF in the tank undergoes a phase change;
- determining a trend in the temperature of the fluid from at least one of the temperature gradients along the fluid column and the changes in the temperature of the fluid as a function of time;
- comparing the trend in the temperature of the fluid with data from a reference sample of DEF;
- and
- taking action that includes one or more of adding a chemical to contaminated DEF, diluting contaminated DEF, and replacing contaminated DEF.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.