Patents by Inventor Joshua L Ratts

Joshua L Ratts has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20250043711
    Abstract: Apparatus, devices and methods including apparatus for aftertreatment for a diesel engine, optionally including: a housing having an inlet, an outlet and defining a cavity therein; a plurality of tubes mounted within the cavity and arranged to define a multi-flow split arrangement to pass an exhaust flow of the diesel engine through each of the plurality of tubes; and a plurality of treatment units configured to treat the exhaust flow within the housing, wherein each of the plurality of treatment units is coupled within a corresponding one of the plurality of tubes to receive a portion of the exhaust flow. A number of the plurality of treatment units utilized to treat the exhaust flow within the housing is less than a number of the plurality of tubes such that at least one of the plurality of tubes does not contain one of the plurality of treatment units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2023
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Robert D. Clayton
  • Patent number: 12071876
    Abstract: An aftertreatment system for an engine on a work machine may include a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system configured for arrangement downstream of the engine and having a dosing system for dosing the SCR system with treatment fluid. The aftertreatment system may also include a NOxin sensor arranged at or near the inlet of the SCR system, a NOxout sensor arranged at or near the outlet of the SCR system, and an SCR catalyst monitoring module configured to periodically establish a maximum NOx conversion capacity of an SCR catalyst in the SCR system. A method for determining a maximum conversion capacity at a selected number or working hours and/or determining a remaining useful life of the SCR catalyst is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Hrishi Lalit Shah, Deepashri Phatak
  • Patent number: 11725555
    Abstract: An aftertreatment system for a diesel engine may include a diesel particulate filter configured for placement in fluid communication with the diesel engine to receive an exhaust flow. The system may also include a selective catalytic reduction system configured for arrangement downstream of the diesel particulate filter and a NOx sensor configured to measure a NOx concentration in the exhaust flow entering the selective catalytic reduction system. The system may also include a controller configured to estimate a ratio of NO2 to NOx downstream of the diesel particulate filter and based on a factor affecting the generation of NO2 upstream of the selective catalytic reduction system. The controller may also be configured to adjust the measured NOx concentration based on the ratio to provide an estimated actual NOx concentration and dose diesel exhaust fuel into the exhaust flow based on the estimated actual NOx concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Hrishi Lalit Shah, Tyler V. Richards, Matthew Colin Mowers, Sowmya Nagesh
  • Publication number: 20230250744
    Abstract: An aftertreatment system for a diesel engine may include a diesel particulate filter configured for placement in fluid communication with the diesel engine to receive an exhaust flow. The system may also include a selective catalytic reduction system configured for arrangement downstream of the diesel particulate filter and a NOx sensor configured to measure a NOx concentration in the exhaust flow entering the selective catalytic reduction system. The system may also include a controller configured to estimate a ratio of NO2 to NOx downstream of the diesel particulate filter and based on a factor affecting the generation of NO2 upstream of the selective catalytic reduction system. The controller may also be configured to adjust the measured NOx concentration based on the ratio to provide an estimated actual NOx concentration and dose diesel exhaust fuel into the exhaust flow based on the estimated actual NOx concentration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Hrishi Lalit Shah, Tyler V. Richards, Matthew Colin Mowers, Sowmya Nagesh
  • Patent number: 11566554
    Abstract: Systems, methods, assemblies, and components for aftertreatment of an engine can comprise an aftertreatment module including an exhaust enclosure with at least one inlet port to receive exhaust gas, an outlet port to output exhaust gas, a first compartment, and a second compartment; a plurality of particulate filters extending in parallel with each other within the exhaust enclosure such that, for each of the particulate filters, an inlet of the particulate filter is in the first compartment and an outlet of the particulate filter is in the second compartment; and at least one radio frequency (RF) sensor set including an RF transmitter assembly and an RF receiver assembly. The RF transmitter assembly can be provided in the first compartment at the inlet of one of the particulate filters, and the RF receiver assembly can be provided at the outlet of said one particulate filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Tyler V. Richards
  • Patent number: 11549418
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system for monitoring the performance of an aftertreatment component in an exhaust system of a power generation system utilizes a remaining useful life (RUL) algorithm to predict its remaining operational life until it must be regenerated by a desulfation process. The RUL algorithm can utilize values such as a current sulfur accumulation value representing the quantity of sulfur currently accumulated in the aftertreatment component, a sulfur accumulation threshold representing the quantity sulfur the aftertreatment component can operationally retain, and an instantaneous sulfur accumulation rate of change representing the current rate at which the aftertreatment component retains sulfur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Julia H. Jenks
  • Patent number: 10989654
    Abstract: An aftertreatment system for an engine system is disclosed. The aftertreatment system may comprise an optical sensor mounted on the aftertreatment catalyst. The optical sensor may include a light source configured to illuminate the aftertreatment catalyst with light and a detector configured to measure an amount of the light absorbed by the aftertreatment catalyst upon illumination with the light. The measured amount of the light absorbed by the aftertreament catalyst may correlate with a condition parameter (e.g., hydrocarbon loading, oxidation state, etc.) of the aftertreatment catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Wilce Damion Williams
  • Publication number: 20200319094
    Abstract: An aftertreatment system for an engine system is disclosed. The aftertreatment system may comprise an optical sensor mounted on the aftertreatment catalyst. The optical sensor may include a light source configured to illuminate the aftertreatment catalyst with light and a detector configured to measure an amount of the light absorbed by the aftertreatment catalyst upon illumination with the light. The measured amount of the light absorbed by the aftertreament catalyst may correlate with a condition parameter (e.g., hydrocarbon loading, oxidation state, etc.) of the aftertreatment catalyst.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L. Ratts, Wilce Damion Williams
  • Patent number: 8992869
    Abstract: A treatment device configured to receive a flow of exhaust from a power source is disclosed. The treatment device may have a first layer, a second layer, and a substrate layer. The first layer may include a selective catalytic reduction layer, and the second layer may be disposed downstream of the first layer and include an oxidation catalyst support. The substrate layer may be disposed adjacent to the second layer. Additionally, an additive may be disposed downstream of the first layer. The additive may be operative to substantially prohibit migration of a component of the second layer to the first layer upon treatment of the flow of exhaust by the oxidation catalyst support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L Ratts, Ronald Graham Silver
  • Publication number: 20140178273
    Abstract: A treatment device configured to receive a flow of exhaust from a power source is disclosed. The treatment device may have a first layer, a second layer, and a substrate layer. The first layer may include a selective catalytic reduction layer, and the second layer may be disposed downstream of the first layer and include an oxidation catalyst support. The substrate layer may be disposed adjacent to the second layer. Additionally, an additive may be disposed downstream of the first layer. The additive may be operative to substantially prohibit migration of a component of the second layer to the first layer upon treatment of the flow of exhaust by the oxidation catalyst support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua L Ratts, Ronald Graham Silver