Method and apparatus for monitoring ash accumulation in a particulate filter of an emission abatement assembly

#The present disclosure relates generally to diesel emission abatement devices.

#Untreated internal combustion engine emissions (e.g., diesel emissions) include various effluents such as NOx, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, for example. Moreover, the untreated emissions from certain types of internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines, also include particulate carbon-based matter or “soot”. Federal regulations relating to soot emission standards are becoming more and more rigid thereby furthering the need for devices and/or methods which remove soot from engine emissions.

#The amount of soot released by an engine system can be reduced by the use of an emission abatement device such as a filter or trap. Such a filter or trap is periodically regenerated in order to remove the soot therefrom. The filter or trap may be regenerated by use of a burner or electric heater to burn the soot trapped in the filter.

#FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of an on-highway truck with an emission abatement assembly installed thereon;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the soot abatement assemblies of the emission abatement assembly of FIG. 1;

#FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the end of the soot abatement assembly as viewed in the direction of the arrows of line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

#As will herein be described in more detail, an emission abatement assembly 10 for use with an internal combustion engine, such as the diesel engine of an on-highway truck 12, includes a pair of soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 under the control of a control unit 18. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 has a fuel-fired burner 20, 22 and a particulate filter 24, 26, respectively. The fuel-fired burners 20, 22 are positioned upstream (relative to exhaust gas flow from the engine) from the respective particulate filters 24, 26. During operation of the engine, exhaust gas flows through the particulate filters 24, 26 thereby trapping soot in the filters. Treated exhaust gas is released into the atmosphere through exhaust pipes 28, 30. From time to time during operation of the engine, the control unit 18 selectively operates the fuel-fired burner 20 to regenerate the particulate filter 24 and the fuel-fired burner 22 to regenerate the particulate filter 26.

#Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the soot abatement assembly 14 is shown in greater detail. It should be appreciated that the soot abatement assembly 14 is substantially identical to the soot abatement assembly 16. As such, the discussion relating to the soot abatement assembly 14 of FIGS. 2-5 is relevant to the soot abatement assembly 16.

#As shown in FIG. 5, the fuel-fired burner 20 of the soot abatement assembly 14 includes a housing 32 having a combustion chamber 34 positioned therein. The housing 32 includes an exhaust gas inlet port 36. As shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust gas inlet port 36 is secured to a T-shaped exhaust pipe 38 which conducts exhaust gas from the diesel engine of the truck 12 to both soot abatement assemblies 14, 16.