Method to detect fuel vaporizer coking
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDon McAlpine Lawrence, Scott Donald Cooper, David T. Zultowski, Michiel J. Van Nieuwstadt, Roberto Teran, Jr., Emile Wheeler, III
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Abstract
A method of supplying fuel vapor to an exhaust aftertreatment device of a motor vehicle is provided. The method includes evaporating fuel on a voltage-biased, resistive heating element, the element set in an enclosure configured to release fuel vapor to the exhaust-aftertreatment device, and indicating that the element is degraded if a current flowing through the element is less than a threshold current. In some embodiments, the threshold current is based on the ambient temperature and/or the amount of fuel in the enclosure.
Claims14
A method of supplying a reductant vapor to an exhaust aftertreatment device, comprising:
- evaporating a reductant on a voltage-biased, resistive heating element, the element disposed in an enclosure configured to release the reductant vapor to the exhaust-aftertreatment device;
- and
- indicating the element is degraded if a current flowing through the element is less than a threshold current, the current measured only when an ambient temperature is above a threshold temperature.
A method of supplying a reductant vapor to an exhaust-aftertreatment device, comprising:
- evaporating a reductant on a voltage-biased, resistive heating element, the element disposed in an enclosure configured to release the reductant vapor to the exhaust-aftertreatment device;
- and
- indicating the element is degraded if a current flowing through the element is less than a threshold current, the current measured only when a coolant temperature is above a threshold temperature.
A diagnostic method comprising:
- evaporating a hydrocarbon-containing fuel on a voltage-biased glow plug disposed in an enclosure configured to release fuel vapor to an exhaust-aftertreatment device;
- and
- indicating the glow plug is degraded due to coking if a current flowing through the glow plug is greater than zero but less than a threshold current while metering a predetermined fuel amount to the glow plug and applying a predetermined voltage to the glow plug.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.