Apparatus and methods are disclosed for cleaning diesel particulate filters (DPFs) or similar items. Various combinations of features include: a multi-cell cleaning head; contemporaneous/simultaneous cleaning from both directions through the DPF (controlled so that no cell is simultaneously pressured from both ends); rotary or other movement of the heads across a static DPF, or a combination of movements of the DPF and the head(s); controlled positioning of the DPF with respect to the heads; gravity collection of removed ash/debris, separate from internal filtering of air within a cleaning cabinet; and others.

A process is provided for regenerating an exhaust gas after-treatment device in an exhaust line of an internal combustion engine arrangement, the exhaust line including a particle filter. The process includes identifying when soot loading of the particle filter exceeds a predetermined level. After that, temperature of exhaust gases at the particle filter is maintained within a first temperature range until at least one of a predetermined period of time has lapsed or a determination is made that soot loading of the particle filter is below the predetermined level. After that, the temperature of the exhaust gases at the particle filter is increased to within a second temperature range above the first temperature range. An internal combustion engine arrangement is also disclosed.

A structure of a metal fiber constituting a filter is set to a structure in which a cross-sectional shape of the metal fiber is a curved or bent shape and an outer member and an inner member having a linear expansion coefficient greater than that of the outer member are bonded to each other. Accordingly, the metal fiber is deformed to warp to the outer member side in the length direction thereof when the temperature of the metal fiber increases. When a amount of deformation per unit temperature of the metal fiber is defined as a deformation rate, a amount of change of the deformation rate per unit time changes at a predetermined deformation temperature with the increase in temperature. The deformation temperature is set to a temperature higher than a target temperature of a filter regenerating process.

A particulate filter for trapping the particulate matter which is contained in the exhaust gas is provided inside an engine exhaust passage. Additional fuel is secondarily injected from a fuel injector in an engine expansion stroke or exhaust stroke or hydrocarbons are secondarily added from an addition valve which is provided upstream of the particulate filter in the exhaust pipe. An amount of hydrocarbons which come from the fuel injector or addition valve and then adhere in the form of a liquid to the inflow end of the particulate filter, and an amount of particulate matter which reaches the inflow end of the particulate filter are respectively estimated. A degree of clogging at the inflow end of the particulate filter is estimated based on the amount of hydrocarbons and the amount of particulate matter.

Methods and systems are provided for opportunistic regeneration of a diesel particulate filter based on cloud based traffic information and navigation information. In one example, a method may include determining initiation of regeneration, termination of regeneration and a degree of regeneration based on information from a lead vehicular network and navigation information in order to reduce a regeneration fuel penalty.

An exhaust system includes at least one exhaust gas purification component, at least one exhaust line, at least one connecting device for connecting the exhaust system to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle and at least one fastening element for additionally fastening the exhaust system to the motor vehicle. The purification component can oscillate at a first resonance frequency range of less than 150 Hz in a fastened state. The purification component can oscillate due to vibrations of the engine at least when the engine is started or switched off. This, in particular, allows ash residues to be removed from a purification component during starting of the motor vehicle, so that maintenance expense for the purification component is reduced and effective operation thereof is possible over the long term. A motor vehicle having an exhaust system and a method for operating the motor vehicle are also provided.

Systems and methods are described for coordinating the regeneration of a gasoline particulate filter to a time duration when engine output falls below a predetermined load threshold selected to indicate a low power state of the engine. In one particular example, the engine is configured to adjust engine operations to regenerate the particulate filter responsive to engine output falling below a predetermined low power threshold, the regeneration further based on an estimated duration that the output falls continuously below the low power threshold. The system and methods described advantageously allow for either full or partial regeneration events to be performed based on the estimated duration of the engine output below the low power threshold.

The present disclosure relates to a method of compacting an ash deposited in a particulate filter for a vehicle exhaust gas system, the method includes the steps of: a) providing a low-temperature melting salt to the particulate filter, thereby forming a mixture of the ash and the low-temperature melting salt: and b) heating the particulate filter to a compaction temperature, thereby compacting the mixture of the ash and the low-temperature melting salt. The disclosure further relates to engine oils, dosage products, engine systems and vehicles for implementing such a method.

A method for operating a particle filter of a vehicle includes creating an ash to be introduced into a filter body of the particle filter by arranging a carrier material of an ash former on an input side of an end face of the filter body, as viewed in a flow direction of an exhaust gas through the particle filter, and combusting the carrier material, where a non-combustible constituent of the ash former is arranged on the carrier material. The created ash is then introduced into the filter body of the particle filter.

A control device for the internal combustion engine is provided with a carbon dioxide concentration control part configured to cause a concentration of carbon dioxide in exhaust flowing into the filter to decrease when the temperature of the filter becomes a predetermined first temperature setting or more and less than a predetermined second temperature setting. The first temperature setting is made a temperature selected from a temperature band at which ash deposited on the filter can be made to be separate from the filter when the inside of the filter is in an atmosphere where the concentration of carbon dioxide is lower than when it is in an exhaust atmosphere. The second temperature setting is made a temperature set so as to prevent excessive temperature rise of the catalyst device.