Soot-capturing diesel filter due in U.S. in Sept.
Energy & Environment
Soot-capturing diesel filter due in U.S. in Sept.
Corning Inc.’s new DuraTrap AT filter – made from an aluminum titanate ceramic catalyst substrate said to remove 99 percent of excess carbon soot from diesel exhaust systems – is coming to the U.S. in September in 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDIs.
“This new filter enables clean diesel. It has a membrane that traps soot. When soot accumulates and reaches a certain level, it is basically burned off,” said Thomas Appelt, vice president and general manager of Corning’s Automotive Technologies Division.
Appelt explained the DuraTrap AT works something like a self-cleaning oven, collecting and burning carbon particulates inside the filter at exhaust temperatures produced in a normal driving cycle – around 250 to 900°C.
The stabilized aluminum titanate provides low thermal expansion, allowing a durable, monolithic construction and high volumetric heat capacity. The filter’s pressure drop performance is comparable to that of silicon carbide filters, helping to minimize the aftertreatment system’s impact on engine power output, Appelt said.
“Volkswagen is only the start,” said Appelt, who indicated that the new filter would also soon be available in Hyundai diesel sedans and SUVs, plus vehicles built by four other manufacturers whose names were not disclosed.
