Diesel particulate filter pressure drop Part 1: Modelling and experimental validation

Abstract

Pressure drop modelling is a subject of special interest for the design and control of diesel particulate filters. Based on previous experience, an improved pressure drop model is presented. Special emphasis is given on the soot permeability properties and its dependence on temperature and pressure. With the assumption of uniform wall flow distribution throughout the channel length, it is possible to derive an analytic expression for pressure drop calculation. The main difference with previously proposed analytic expressions lies in the inclusion of gas density dependence on local pressure, which necessitates an iterative calculation procedure. The importance of this improvement is illustrated parametrically. The new model is validated against experimental data on an engine bench, using a double filter configuration to ensure constant filter soot loading throughout the test.