Method and arrangement for cleaning a particle filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9422845-B2
Application number	US-201214367975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2012
Priority date	Jan 3, 2012
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

A method and an arrangement for cleaning a particulate filter in a vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine is provided. The particulate filter is mounted in an operative position inside an exhaust muffler under normal operation of the engine. The method involves performing a cleaning process including disassembling and removing the particulate filter from a first end of the muffler; reversing and reassembling the particulate filter a cleaning position at the first end of the muffler; starting and operating the engine by controlling the engine speed according to a predefined cycle until a predetermined condition is fulfilled; and stopping the engine and returning the particulate filter to its operative position inside the exhaust muffler.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for cleaning a particulate filter in a vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine, which particulate filter is mounted in an operative position inside an exhaust muffler under normal operation of the engine, comprising performing a cleaning process involving:
disassembling and removing the particulate filter from a first end of the muffler;
reversing and reassembling the particulate filter in a cleaning position, the cleaning position being different from the operative position, at the first end of the muffler;
starting and operating the engine by controlling the engine speed according to a predefined cycle until a predetermined condition is fulfilled; and
stopping the engine and returning the particulate filter to its operative position inside the exhaust muffler.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising varying the engine speed between an upper and a lower limit for a set number times during at least one cycle and measuring a value representing the predetermined condition at the end of the at least one cycle.

3. The method according to claim 2 , comprising increasing the engine speed to a stabilized value during a set time period at the end of the at least one cycle and measuring a value representing the predetermined condition.

4. The method according to claim 3 , comprising stabilizing the engine speed to a value equal to or above the upper limit during a set time period at the end of the at least one cycle and measuring a value representing the predetermined condition.

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising repeating the cycle until the predetermined condition is fulfilled or until a maximum number of cycles have been performed.

6. The method according to claim 1 , comprising measuring a value for the exhaust back pressure to determine if the predetermined condition is fulfilled.

7. The method according to claim 1 , comprising measuring a value for the pressure drop across the particulate filter to determine if the predetermined condition is fulfilled.

8. The method according to claim 1 , comprising controlling the engine speed during the cleaning process using an electronic engine control unit.

9. The method according to claim 1 , comprising controlling the engine speed during the cleaning process using an external electronic control unit.

10. The method according to claim 8 , comprising storing measurements of the value from a previous cleaning process in the electronic control unit to set the predetermined condition.

11. The method according to claim 8 , comprising storing measurements of at least one value relating to the operation of the engine since the previous cleaning process in the electronic control unit to set the predetermined condition.

12. The method according to claim 1 , comprising varying the engine speed between an upper and a lower limit manually and measuring the time from the start of the first cycle.

13. Arrangement comprising a vehicle muffler and a particulate filter mounted in an operative position inside the exhaust muffler under normal operation of an engine connected to the muffler, wherein the particulate filter has a first contact surface facing a first end of the muffler, which first contact surface is in sealing contact with a cooperating surface at a first end of the muffler when the particulate filter is in an operative position of the particulate filter, and
the particulate filter has a second contact surface, which second contact surface is in sealing contact with the cooperating surface at the first end of the muffler when the particulate filter is in a filter cleaning position that is different from the operative position, wherein the particulate filter is located inside the muffler in its operative position, and the particulate filter is reversed and located at least partially outside the first end of the muffler in the filter cleaning position.

14. The arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein the first and second contact surfaces are arranged on opposite sides of a flange around the outer periphery at one end of the particulate filter.

15. The arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein each of the first and second contact surfaces comprises an annular contact surface that is identical and mirrored relative to a plane through the flange at right angles to the central axis of the particulate filter.

16. The arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein an ash collecting device is attached to the end of the particulate filter remote from the muffler, when the particulate filter is in a filter cleaning position.

17. The arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein an ash collecting device is attached to the annular sealing surface of the particulate filter remote from the muffler, when the particulate filter is in a filter cleaning position.

18. The arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein the muffler containing the particulate filter also contains at least one SCR-catalyst.

19. A non-transitory computer program product comprising program code for performing all the steps of claim 1 when the program is run on a computer.

20. A non-transitory computer program product comprising program code stored on a computer readable medium for performing all steps of claim 1 when the program product is run on a computer.

21. A computer system for implementing a method of cleaning a particulate filter in a vehicle comprising a memory for storing program code and a processor operable to run the program code for performing all the steps of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Wahlström Gert-Ove
• Volvo Lastvagnar Ab

Inventors

• Wahlström Gert-Ove

Classifications

• B01D2255/00

  Catalysts · CPC title

• F01N3/035

  with catalytic reactors · CPC title

• B01D2258/012

  Diesel engines and lean burn gasoline engines · CPC title

• F01N3/0237

  for regenerating ex situ · CPC title

• F01N3/0232 Primary

  removing incombustible material from a particle filter, e.g. ash · CPC title