Patent ID: 7347086
Filing Date: 2008-03-25
Classification: B01D,F01N,F23C,F23D,F23N,G01M,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A method for simulating the aging of an emissions control device in the exhaust line of an internal combustion engine, comprising: providing a burner for receiving air and fuel and for combusting a fuel feedstream to produce simulated engine exhaust; providing an exhaust line for carrying the exhaust from the burner to the emissions control device; providing a cooling device for cooling the exhaust gas downstream the burner; providing an oil injector for injecting oil into the exhaust line between the burner and the emissions control device; placing an emissions control device on the exhaust line downstream the oil injector; providing a blower for directly cooling the emissions control device; using a control system to simulate a number of engine cycles, each cycle having a succession of engine operating modes, by controlling at least the following engine operating parameters: the on/off operation of the blower, the on/off operation of the burner, the ratio of air and fuel received by the burner, the rate of flow of exhaust from the burner; the temperature of the exhaust gas at the point of injection of the oil, the distance between the oil injection and the inlet of the emissions control device, the temperature of the exhaust gas at the inlet to the emissions control device, and the rate of oil injection; wherein the simulated operating modes are at least the following modes: cold start, rich warm up, at least one thermal excursion, and steady state stoichiometric; wherein the control system simulates a number of engine cycles such that the emissions control device is artificially aged to at least 50,000 miles; and evaluating the emissions control device after a number of engine cycles.