An overview of lubricant-derived ash characteristics and interactions with diesel engine aftertreatment components, specifically in the diesel particulate filter (DPF)

Carl  Kamp, MIT

Inorganic additives in engine lubricant result in ionic crystalline solids (ash) which exit the engine together with soot and become trapped within the diesel particulate filter (DPF). While the soot particles are oxidized, the ash particles enter the DPF as nm-sized particles and form larger micron-sized particles which remain indefinitely (or until cleaning) and interact with the filter substrate, ultimately increasing filter pressure drop. This talk will summarize observed characteristics of ash-substrate interactions and discuss the implications of these interactions. Data will be presented from a large set of both field- and lab-aged DPFs showing variations in both the type and severity of ash-substrate interactions.