A Next Generation Cordierite Diesel Particle Filter with Significantly Reduced Pressure Drop Thorsten Boger, Suhao He, Thomas Collins, Achim Heibel, Douglas Beall and Christophe Remy Corning Inc. ABSTRACT Diesel particle filters (DPF) have become a standard after treatment component for all current and future on-road diesel engines used in the US. In Europe the introduction of EUVI is expected to also result in the broad implementation of DPF’s. The anticipated general trend in engine technology towards higher engine out NOx/PM ratios results in a somewhat changing set of boundary conditions for the DPF predominantly enabling passive regeneration of the DPF. This enables the design of a novel filter concept optimized for low pressure drop, low thermal mass for optimized regeneration and fast heat-up of a downstream SCR system, therefore reducing CO 2 implications for the DPF operation. In this paper we will discuss results from a next generation cordierite DPF designed to address these future needs. The new materials are based on a thinwall design with optimized material and microstructure, resulting in an almost linear pressure drop response with soot loading in the bare and catalyzed state. A significant reduction in soot loaded pressure drop for uncoated and coated filters is demonstrated of the new filter design vs. current EPA 2010 filter technologies. The optimized microstructure also enables high filtration efficiency for mass and number. Results from a wide range of regeneration experiments will be used to discuss the thermal operating window of the new material and the thermal response during normal operation and active regeneration. A uniform temperature distribution and the fast thermal response of the low mass filter minimize implications on fuel consumption. INTRODUCTION Diesel particulate filters have been used for several decades in retrofit and certain particulate emissions focused applications. With the introduction of EPA 2007 regulations, diesel particulate filters became the standard choice of technology for meeting emissions requirements for on-road vehicles in the US and Canada. These systems were implemented with a combination of active and passive regeneration, where the lack of DeNOx aftertreatment resulted in a reduced range for optimum passive regeneration operation. To comply with the strict NOx emissions limits (0.2 g/(hp·hr)) in EPA 2010 many systems implemented SCR based DeNOx technology (Figure 1). This also enabled engine makers to take advantage of lower fuel consumption by calibrating for lower engine out PM and higher NOx emissions and furthermore widened the window for passive regeneration operation. A similar direction is anticipated for systems complying with EUVI regulations, as the regulated tailpipe NOx emissions levels are significantly higher allowing higher engine-out NOx emissions at similar DeNOx efficiencies. With higher engine-out NOx/PM ratios the filter requirements change as the hydrodynamic, filtration and thermal aspects gain importance with predominantly passive regeneration operation focused systems. It is anticipated that next generation DPF designs need to be as fuel consumption neutral as possible by providing ultra low restriction and supporting engine thermal management needs in cold start and regeneration operations. Copyright © 2011 SAE International doi: 10.4271/2011-01-0813 2011-01-0813 Published 04/12/2011 Future directions to reduce fuel consumption to meet anticipated CO 2 or GHG emissions limits and also reduce operating cost for the end user, especially given the potential for higher fuel prices, support this direction. PRODUCT CONCEPT As outlined in the previous section, new designs and products are based on the assumption of a need for 1) reduced pressure drop with improved deep bed filtration impact related to the soot loaded pressure drop, 2) reduced thermal mass for optimized regeneration and fast heat-up of a downstream SCR system, and 3) decreased soot mass limit requirements due to the expected trend towards engines operating at higher