Microscale Computational and Experimental Investigation of the Behaviour of Partially Failed Particulate Filters

This was a 2-year long project funded by a life-long national program for new researchers (EDBM34). The research team included:

• Assoc. Prof. Onoufrios Haralampous – Principal investigator
• Dr Chris Dritselis – Senior researcher
• Dr Marios Mastrokalos – New researcher
• Dr Fotini Tzorbatzoglou – New researcher

The project dealt with with the performance of partially Failed Particulate Filters, often found in older vehicles due to inadequate maintenance or tampering of the exhaust system. Experimental and computational methods were applied at the smallest relevant scale to clarify the necessary flow and filtration phenomena and furthermore to quantify the effects in terms of diminished filtration efficiency. Interestingly additional filtration phenomena were identified in the intact and damaged DPFs, besides the prevailing deep-bed and surface filtration mechanism due to wall flow, while it was shown that prediction of pressure drop and filtration efficiency in an intact/damaged DPF under real-driving conditions is possible despite the difficulties.

The findings of the project are available in the following publications:

• Filtration efficiency and pressure drop modelling of particulate filters with rear plug damage, 2021 (sagepub.com)
• Numerical Study of Flow and Particle Deposition in Wall-Flow Filters with Intact or Damaged Exit, 2019 (mdpi.com)
• Experimental and Computational Investigation of Particle Filtration Mechanisms in Partially Damaged DPFs, 2019 (SAE MOBILUS)