Scorching the soot

Paul Boughton

The Lubricants and Fuel Additives Platform of water, energy and maintenance solutions provider NCH Europe has launched DPF Protect, a soot burn (SB) fuel additive designed to reduce the temperature at which soot burns off in diesel particulate filters (DPFs) used in heavy duty diesel trucks, buses, light commercial vehicles and cars.

DPF Protect pre-empts the growth in demand expected for DPF servicing in light of new Euro VI emissions legislation designed to improve air quality. The new range is ideal for commercial vehicle fleet owners, leasing companies and operators.

Achieving EU air quality and pollution objectives has driven manufacturers to reduce vehicle emissions. The new Euro VI legislation regulates new-vehicle emissions, in particular, the levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) otherwise known as soot, from engines in all new diesel vehicles.

Previously, typical solutions used by manufacturers have included pollution control devices such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems. However, stricter limits on Euro VI vehicles target ultrafine particulate matter. At just 0.1 microns, 50 times smaller than the width of a human hair, PM emissions have been responsible for widespread health problems and pollution, especially in densely populated cities.

"From September 2015, new trucks will need to be equipped with diesel particulate filters (DPFs) to meet Euro VI regulations," explained Mark Burnett, VP of the Lubricants and Fuel Additives Innovation Platform of NCH Europe. "DPFs are capable or removing up to 95% of harmful PM emissions by trapping soot particles and burning them off in a regeneration process, with temperatures over 550˚C.

"However, problems arise in slow moving, stop-and-go traffic where the DPF cannot achieve the sufficient temperatures required for regeneration. This is why we've developed DPF Protect. A one litre bottle added to the fuel tank every six months is all that's needed for heavy duty diesel applications and half a litre for light commercial vehicles and cars. The soot burn technology in DPF Protect reduces the regeneration temperature from 550 to just 400˚C.

"As a result, because the DPF will use less active regeneration, it will take longer for dirt to build up and its service life will be increased, vehicle fuel consumption will decrease and generally drivers will see improvements to vehicle torque and power delivery, as well as lower risks of fuel blow by and a reduced overall system pressure."

DPF Protect is designed to improve operational efficiency for vehicle fleet owners, leasing companies and operators. Because the use of DPF Protect can be tracked over time rather than using the mileage, each vehicle only needs to be treated every six months.

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