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Active regeneration of diesel particulate filters is becoming essential for performance longevity given the diversity of duty cycles and engines' operating behaviors for existing and newer engines. The Syngas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide from diesel fuel and air produced by the non-catalytic Syngas Generator is potential candidate to actively enhance the regeneration efficiency of diesel particulate filters. The Syngas is utilized to create an exothermic condition over a pre-catalyst to the DPF to bring exhaust gas temperature from as low as 200°C to 650°C to enable a sustained DPF regeneration process. The Syngas is introduced to an inlet assembly which is divided into 4 quadrants so the full Syngas is mixing with a quarter of the exhaust flow and regenerating one DPF quadrant at a time. The Syngas DPF system is designed to operate seamlessly and is transparent to the vehicle operator.

Alternatives to UREA Selective Catalytic Reduction are being investigated by most engine manufacturers. A non-catalytic syngas generator allows production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide without the need to modify engine operating conditions. Durability of the syngas generator is enhanced due to the fact that it does not contain any catalyst. The syngas can be used for both active regeneration of Diesel Particulate Filters and Lean NOx Traps.

Previous research has shown that hydrogen and carbon monoxide are superior agents for the regeneration and de-sulfation of Lean NOX Traps (LNT). It has also been proposed that a syngas stream could be useful for active regeneration of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF). The challenge of supplying syngas on-board a vehicle has always been the design and control of an inexpensive and simplistic fuel processor. This technical paper presents the operating results for a non-catalytic, auto-thermal syngas generator, that converts diesel fuel and a small portion of an engine's exhaust stream, into a syngas stream. Also described, is the general control scheme used to operate the syngas generator.