Power plants – Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of... – By sorber or mechanical separator
Patent
1981-02-05
1982-11-23
Hart, Douglas
Power plants
Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of...
By sorber or mechanical separator
55272, 55283, 55DIG30, B01D 3920, F01N 302
Patent
active
043598641
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a device for cleaning particulates from a filter which removes them from exhaust gases of engines, such as diesel engines, by burning out the collected particulates.
2. Background Art
Internal combustion engines, and particularly diesel engines, emit exhaust gases that carry substantial amounts of particulate material. Such material adds to the air pollution produced by internal combustion engines which lack an effective particulate filter.
A problem with most particulate filters is that they gradually become clogged with particulates in operation which causes excessive back pressure resulting in poor engine performance or damage to the engine or the filter.
Sometimes when an internal combustion engine is operating under heavy load, the exhaust gases enter the particulate filter at a high enough temperature to burn out particulates collected by it; but when an engine is operated for protracted periods of time at, or close to its idling speed, particulate buildup may be so heavy as to impede engine operation.
An engine exhaust particulate filter structure heretofore developed by applicant relieves part of the problem of particulate collection by permitting opposed filter elements to move apart sufficiently to eliminate excessive back pressure. However, even a particulate filter of the structure there described may require a supplemental means for heating the engine exhaust gases sufficiently to ignite and burn out particulates collected by the filter.
The foregoing illustrates limitations of the known prior art. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. The only system of which applicant is aware which is intended to perform the foregoing operation utilizes two particulate filters which are used alternately. When one filter is blocked, flow is switched to the other filter and a heater is energized to burn out the first filter. Upon excessive blockage of the second filter, flow is returned to the first filter and a second heating element goes into operation to burn out the second filter.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, burnout type cleaning means is provided for an engine exhaust particulate filter which has filter means of a material capable of operating at a temperature range above about 1000.degree. F. through which exhaust gases pass from an inlet surface through an opposite surface so the filter means traps particulates in the gases. The cleaning means includes an electric resistance heating element which is constructed and arranged to confront only a small part of the one surface of the filter means, drive means for moving the heating element so that it confronts all parts of the one surface of the filter means in a regular cycle, and means for energizing the heating element to raise the temperature of gases passing over it to a level at which the gases ignite particulates trapped in the filter. This permits the cleaning means to cyclically burn particulates out of the entire filter means by igniting the particulates at and directly inward from the part of the filter means surface which is confronted by the heating element from time to time.
THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal, central sectional view of a cleaning means embodying the present invention, as applied to a particulate filter heretofore developed by applicant;
FIG. 2 is an electrical circuit diagram of a control circuit for the cleaning means illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a central sectional view of a cleaning means embodying the invention, as applied to a particulate filter of another type; and
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially as indicated along the line IV--IV of FIG. 3.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings in detail, and referring first to FIG. 1, a housing, indicated generally at 10, has an inlet end wall 11 provided with an inlet opening 12 through whi
REFERENCES:
patent: 2495635 (1950-01-01), Hersey
patent: 3957639 (1976-05-01), Schoen
patent: 4167852 (1979-09-01), Ludecke
patent: 4270936 (1981-06-01), Mann
patent: 4276066 (1981-06-01), Bly
Caterpillar Tractor Co.
Hart Douglas
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