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Exhaust emissions are well known to have adverse impacts on human health. Studies have demonstrated that there is an association between ambient particulate matter (PM) levels and various harmful cardiopulmonary conditions. Soot exhaust from diesel engines can be a significant contributor to airborne pollutants. A key component in PM level control for a diesel engine is a diesel particulate filter (DPF). This device traps soot while allowing other exhaust gases to pass unhindered. However, the performance of diesel particulate filters can change with increasing soot loadings and thus may require regeneration or replacement. Improved understanding of diesel particulate filters is dependent upon the knowledge of the actual soot loading and the soot distribution within the DPF. Neutron radiography (NR) has been identified as an effective means of non-destructively identifying hydrogen or carbon adsorbed in PM.

A key component in pollution control for a diesel engine is a diesel particulate filter (DPF). However, the performance of a diesel particulate filter will change with increasing soot loadings and thus may require regeneration. Improved understanding of diesel particulate filters is dependent upon knowledge of the local soot deposition distribution within the DPF. Neutron radiography (NR) has been identified as an effective means of non-destructively identifying hydrogen or carbon based components of particulate matter (PM). In this work, neutron radiography is used to measure multi-dimension soot deposition profiles of DPFs containing diesel soot loadings of 1g to 5g. The results show non-uniform axial, radial, and azimuthal soot distributions. The non-uniformity also increases with soot loading. The capability of neutron radiography to visualize soot multi-dimension distribution measurements has been demonstrated.