EXHAUST TREATMENT SYSTEM
An exhaust treatment system for a power system is disclosed. The exhaust treatment system includes an exhaust conduit directing exhaust gas produced by the power system towards at least one exhaust treatment device. The exhaust treatment system may also include a substrate positioned within an enclosure of the at least one exhaust treatment device. The exhaust conduit may be configured to preheat the substrate with the exhaust gas prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure.
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The present disclosure relates generally to an exhaust treatment system for a power system, and more particularly, to an exhaust treatment system to reduce phosphorous aging.
BACKGROUNDThe composition of exhaust produced by the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels includes a mixture of particulate matter (soot), oxide gases (such as, for example, NOX, SOX, etc.), and unburned hydrocarbons. To comply with emission standards, engine manufactures have developed and implemented a variety of exhaust treatment devices to reduce pollutants in exhaust gas prior to the exhaust gas being released into the atmosphere. These exhaust treatment devices may include, for example, a diesel particulate filter (DPF), a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) device, a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), an ammonia oxidation catalyst (AMOX) and other similar components. These devices capture or convert undesirable constituents in exhaust gas into less harmful products as the exhaust gas flows therethrough.
The long-term durability of the exhaust treatment devices is essential for efficient emission control. The durability of these devices can be affected by a variety of factors including engine lubricating oil consumption. During normal engine operation, some of the lubricating oil is combusted. The deposition of combustion products from phosphorus containing lubricant additives can adversely affect the durability of exhaust treatment devices (called “phosphorous aging” or “phosphorous poisoning”). To minimize this adverse impact, engines are designed to reduce lubricant consumption, and lubricants are formulated with lower concentrations of phosphorus containing compounds. However, phosphorus containing lubricant additives (such as, ZDDP—Zinc Dialkyl Dithiophosphate) protect the engine from excessive wear and assist in increasing engine durability. Historically, techniques such as oversizing an exhaust treatment device, and regenerating an exhaust treatment device with the addition of a scavenging additives have been used to account for phosphorous aging of exhaust treatments devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,447 issued to Guinther et al. (the '447 patent) discloses the inclusion of manganese in a lubricant to improve the durability of a catalytic converter. In the '447 patent, the manganese acts as a scavenging agent to interact with and remove the phosphorous deposited in the catalytic converter. While the method of the '447 patent may improve the durability of a catalytic converter, it may have drawbacks. For instance, inclusion of manganese may increase cost.
The disclosed exhaust treatment systems are directed at overcoming these and/or other shortcomings in existing technology.
SUMMARYIn one aspect, an exhaust treatment system for a power system is disclosed. The exhaust treatment system includes an exhaust conduit directing exhaust gas produced by the power system towards at least one exhaust treatment device. The exhaust treatment system may also include a substrate positioned within an enclosure of the at least one exhaust treatment device. The exhaust conduit may be configured to preheat the substrate with the exhaust gas prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure.
In another aspect, a method of operating an exhaust treatment device of an engine is disclosed. The method includes directing exhaust gas produced by the engine towards the exhaust treatment device. The exhaust treatment device including a substrate positioned within an enclosure. The method also includes heating the substrate to a temperature higher than a temperature of the exhaust gas prior to directing the exhaust gas past the substrate. The method further includes directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure and past the substrate after the heating.
In yet another aspect, a method of reducing phosphorous aging of an exhaust treatment device of an engine is disclosed. The method includes directing exhaust gas produced by the engine into an enclosure of the exhaust treatment device. The exhaust treatment device may include a substrate positioned within the enclosure. The method may also include transferring heat from the exhaust gas to the substrate prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure. The method may further include directing the exhaust gas in the enclosure past the substrate.
The exhaust treatment system 14 includes an exhaust conduit 18 fluidly coupled to a can 20 that includes one or more exhaust treatment devices 30 positioned therein. These exhaust treatment devices 30 may include a DOC 32, a DPF 34, an SCR device (SCR 36), and an AMOX device (AMOX 38). Can 20 includes an inner chamber 22 that encloses the exhaust treatment devices 30 and an outer chamber 24 that is disposed around the inner chamber 22 to define an annular space 26 between the inner and outer chambers 22, 24. A conduit 28 fluidly couples an outlet 4 at the downstream end 8 of the outer chamber 24 to an inlet 2 at the upstream end 6 of the inner chamber 22. Conduit 18 directs the exhaust stream 16 through the annular space 26 along the length of can 20 before directing the exhaust stream 16 through conduit 28, and into the inner chamber 22 through inlet 2. Within the inner chamber 22, the exhaust stream 16 flows through the exhaust treatment devices 30 before exiting can 20. That is, as illustrated in
As the exhaust stream 16 flows through the exhaust treatment devices 30, one or more constituents in the exhaust may be separated and/or be converted into more benign compounds. The relatively cleaner exhaust stream 16 may then be directed out of can 20. Although
It should be noted that the exhaust treatment devices 30 illustrated in
Since exhaust treatment devices 30, such as DOC 32, DPF 34, SCR 36, and an AMOX 38 are well known in the art, these devices will only be briefly described herein. DOC 32 may include a flow-through substrate having, for example, a honey comb structure with many parallel channels for the exhaust stream 16 to flow through. A catalytic coating (for example, of a platinum group metal) may be applied to the surface of the substrate to promote oxidation of some constituents (such as, for example, hydrocarbons, oxides of sulphur, etc.) of the exhaust stream 16 as it flows therethrough. The honeycomb structure of the substrate increases the contact area of the substrate to the exhaust stream 16 and therefore allows more of the undesirable constituents in the exhaust stream 16 to be oxidized as it flows therethrough.
DPF 34 is a device used to physically separate soot or particulate matter from exhaust stream 16. DPF 34 may include a wall flow substrate. The exhaust stream 16 passes through the walls of the wall flow substrate leaving the larger particulate matter accumulated on the walls. As is known in the art, DPF 34 may be regenerated periodically to clear the accumulated particulate matter. In some embodiments, regeneration of DPF 34 may be accomplished by heating the exhaust stream 16 to a regeneration temperature upstream of the DPF 34. Although not depicted in
SCR 36 may include one or more catalyzed substrates that convert oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in exhaust stream 16 into relatively benign components, such as, nitrogen gas and water. A reagent (such as, for example, urea, AdBlue®, etc.) may be injected into the exhaust stream 16 to enable the oxidation reaction in SCR 36. Although not illustrated in
In the exhaust stream 16, phosphorous may exist in an oxide or an acid form (collectively referred to herein as “phosphorous”). These phosphorous containing compounds in the exhaust stream 16 may deposit on the exhaust treatment devices 30, as they flow through the device. Over time, this deposited phosphorous may negatively affect the performance of the exhaust treatment devices 30. Although the phosphorous in the exhaust stream 16 may deposit on, and affect the performance of, all the exhaust treatment devices of
As the exhaust stream 16 flows through channel 44 of substrate 42, phosphorous in the exhaust stream 16 proximate surface 46 (such as, for example, region marked “b” in
In addition to the diffusion forces Fd, thermophoresis forces Ft resulting from temperature gradients in the exhaust stream 16 act on phosphorous particles in the exhaust stream 16. Thermophoresis force is a force resulting from a temperature gradient in a gas medium. Due to the temperature gradient, fine suspended particles (such as phosphorous) in the gas experience thermophoresis forces in the direction of decreasing temperature. Because of the heat transfer from the exhaust stream 16 to the DOC 32 prior to the exhaust stream 16 entering the DOC 32, the substrate 42 temperature (T1) will be higher than the temperature (T2) of the exhaust stream 16 flowing through channel 44. Due to physical contact, heat transfer will occur between the relatively hotter substrate surface 46 and the relatively cooler exhaust stream 16 proximate this surface 46 (region b). Because of this heat transfer with surface 46, the peripheral regions (region b) of the exhaust stream 16 will be hotter than the center regions (region a). This temperature differential across the width of the exhaust stream 16 introduces thermophoresis forces Ft directed from the peripheral regions towards the center regions (from a to b). These thermophoresis forces Ft tend to push phosphorous away from the surface 46. Therefore, while the diffusion forces Fd tend to push phosphorous in the exhaust stream 16 towards surface 46, the thermophoresis forces Ft tend to push the phosphorous away from the surface 46. The net effect of both these forces will be to reduce the amount of phosphorous deposited on the surface 46.
In typical exhaust treatment systems of the prior art, the temperature of the exhaust is higher than the temperature of the after treatment devices. Therefore, as illustrated in
In preferred embodiments of the exhaust treatment system, the substrate 42 will be at a higher temperature than the exhaust stream 16 flowing through it, since such a temperature differential will induce thermophoresis forces that tends to push phosphorous away from surface 46. However, such a temperature differential is not a requirement. In general, the temperature differential between the substrate 42 and the exhaust stream 16 may be such that the forces that tend to deposit phosphorous on surface 46 (that is, a force towards surface 46) is lower than that in the prior art. For instance, in some embodiments, the substrate 42 may have substantially the same temperature as the exhaust stream 16. In these embodiments, thermophoresis forces may be substantially eliminated. In these embodiments, only the diffusion forces will drive the phosphorous towards the surface 46. Thus, elimination of the thermophoresis forces decreases the forces that tend to deposit phosphorous on surface 46 as compared to a prior art system where both diffusion and thermophoresis forces act towards the surface 46. It is also contemplated that, in some embodiments, the temperature of the substrate 42 may in fact be lower than the exhaust stream 16. In these embodiments, the temperature differential between the substrate 42 and the exhaust stream 16 may be minimized to decrease the thermophoresis forces acting towards the substrate 42.
Although
The exhaust treatment system of the current disclosure may be applied to any application where it is desired to decrease phosphorous aging of exhaust treatment devices. In an exemplary embodiment, the exhaust treatment system of the current disclosure may be used in a power system. To illustrate some exemplary features of the disclosed exhaust treatment system, an exemplary application will now be described.
With reference to
Since deposition of phosphorous on the substrate 42 is decreased, phosphorous aging of the DOC 32 is mitigated. Thus, the durability of DOC 32 is increased. Since this durability increase is accomplished without the addition of chemical compounds (such as, scavenging agents), cost is decreased. Further, since no scavenging agents are added, any undesirable effects of these scavenging agents on components of the power system is eliminated.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed exhaust treatment system. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed exhaust treatment system. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. An exhaust treatment system for a power system, comprising:
- an exhaust conduit directing exhaust gas produced by the power system towards at least one exhaust treatment device; and
- a substrate positioned within an enclosure of the at least one exhaust treatment device, wherein the exhaust conduit is configured to preheat the substrate with the exhaust gas prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure.
2. The exhaust treatment system of claim 1, wherein the exhaust conduit is configured to preheat the substrate such that a temperature of a surface of the substrate that contacts the exhaust gas is higher than a temperature of the exhaust gas within the enclosure.
3. The exhaust treatment system of claim 1, wherein the exhaust conduit is configured to preheat the substrate such that a temperature of a surface of the substrate that contacts the exhaust gas is substantially the same as a temperature of the exhaust gas within the enclosure.
4. The exhaust treatment system of claim 1, wherein the enclosure includes an inner chamber which encloses the substrate, and an outer chamber positioned around the inner chamber with an annular space defined therebetween, the exhaust conduit being configured to direct the exhaust gas through the annular space prior to directing the exhaust gas into the inner chamber.
5. The exhaust treatment system of claim 4, further including a fluid flow passage that fluidly couples a downstream end of the annular space to an inlet positioned at an upstream end of the inner chamber.
6. The exhaust treatment system of claim 5, wherein the inner chamber includes an outlet positioned at a downstream end.
7. The exhaust treatment system of claim 4, wherein the enclosure includes features that are configured to increase a transfer of heat from the exhaust gas to substrate positioned within the inner chamber.
8. The exhaust treatment system of claim 1, wherein the at least one exhaust treatment device includes a first exhaust treatment device positioned upstream of a second exhaust treatment device.
9. The exhaust treatment system of claim 8, wherein said substrate is a first substrate of the first exhaust treatment device and the second exhaust treatment device includes a second substrate positioned within the enclosure and the exhaust conduit is configured to preheat both the first and the second substrate with the exhaust gas prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure.
10. A method of operating an exhaust treatment device of an engine, comprising:
- directing exhaust gas produced by the engine towards the exhaust treatment device, the exhaust treatment device including a substrate positioned within an enclosure;
- heating the substrate to a temperature higher than a temperature of the exhaust gas prior to directing the exhaust gas past the substrate; and
- directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure and past the substrate after the heating.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the heating includes heating the substrate using the exhaust gas prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein heating the substrate includes passing the exhaust gas from the engine along an external surface of the enclosure.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure includes directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure after passing the exhaust gas along the external surface of the enclosure.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein heating the substrate includes heating the substrate using an electric heater.
15. The method of claim 10, further including directing the exhaust gas around the enclosure prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure.
16. A method of reducing phosphorous aging of an exhaust treatment device of an engine, comprising:
- directing exhaust gas produced by the engine into an enclosure of the exhaust treatment device, the exhaust treatment device including a substrate positioned within the enclosure;
- transferring heat from the exhaust gas to the substrate prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure; and
- directing the exhaust gas in the enclosure past the substrate.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transferring of heat includes directing the exhaust gas from the engine around an external surface of the enclosure prior to directing the exhaust gas into the enclosure.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the transferring of heat includes heating the substrate and cooling the exhaust gas such that a temperature of the exhaust gas within the enclosure is below a temperature of the substrate.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein directing the exhaust gas past the substrate includes decreasing a deposition of phosphorous containing compounds in the exhaust gas on the substrate.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein transferring heat from the exhaust gas to the substrate includes heating the substrate to reduce a temperature differential between the substrate and the exhaust gas in the enclosure.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 19, 2011
Publication Date: Oct 25, 2012
Applicant:
Inventor: Praveen Shivshankar Chavannavar
Application Number: 13/089,498
International Classification: F01N 3/18 (20060101);