Impact of Biodiesel on Advanced Aftertreatment Systems

Aaron  Williams, NREL

The impact of biodiesel blended fuels on the short term performance of advanced aftertreatment systems, including Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems, is explored.  Engine testing with DPFs shows filter regeneration occuring at a lower temperature and faster rate with the use of biodiesel.  Subsequent soot characterization work explains the difference in the soot particles which lead to this result.  Further testing of a vehicle equiped with a DPF confirms that improvements are maintained under real world operating conditions.  Engine testing with SCR systems explores the relative importance of catalyst temperature, exhaust chemistry and space velocity on overall NOx reduction efficiencies.

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