Radio-Frequency-Controlled Urea Dosing for NH₃-SCR Catalysts: NH₃ Storage Influence to Catalyst Performance under Transient Conditions

Modelling the Influence of Different Soot Types on the Radio-Frequency-Based Load Detection of Gasoline Particulate Filters

Gasoline particulate filters (GPFs) are an appropriate means to meet today's emission standards. As for diesel applications, GPFs can be monitored via differential pressure sensors or using a radio-frequency approach (RF sensor). Due to largely differing soot properties and engine operating modes of gasoline compared to diesel engines (e.g., the possibility of incomplete regenerations), the behavior of both sensor systems must be investigated in detail. For this purpose, extensive measurements on engine test benches are usually required. To simplify the sensor development, a simulation model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics^® that not only allowed for calculating the loading and regeneration process of GPFs under different engine operating conditions but also determined the impact on both sensor systems. To simulate the regeneration behavior of gasoline soot accurately, an oxidation model was developed. To identify the influence of different engine operating points on the sensor behavior, various samples generated at an engine test bench were examined regarding their kinetic parameters using thermogravimetric analysis. Thus, this compared the accuracy of soot mass determination using the RF sensor with the differential pressure method. By simulating a typical driving condition with incomplete regenerations, the effects of the soot kinetics on sensor accuracy was demonstrated exemplarily. Thereby, the RF sensor showed an overall smaller mass determination error, as well as a lower dependence on the soot kinetics.

Operando Determination of the Thermal Decomposition of Supported Ionic Liquids by a Radio-Frequency-Based Method

The analysis of the thermal stability of supported ionic liquids (ILs) is of great interest for their application in catalysis. However, thermogravimetric (TG) measurements are very time-consuming, destructive, and cannot be conducted operando. Therefore, a new radio-frequency (RF)-based method is presented that analyzes the electrical properties of supported ILs in the microwave range and can detect a possible IL mass loss caused by evaporation or decomposition. In this study, the decomposition of supported 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate ([BMIM][DMP]) with and without palladium (as an active metal) is investigated operando during the selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene. In addition to volatile decomposition products, solid products are formed, which remain on the carrier. These solid products impair the activity of the Pd catalyst. Using the RF-based method, a distinction can be made between "intact" IL and the solid decomposition products because the electrical properties of both substances differ substantially. In contrast, the destructive TG analysis only measures the mass loss by the formation of gaseous decomposition products and thus cannot distinguish between "intact" IL and the solid decomposition products of [BMIM][DMP]. In addition, a model of the thermal decomposition which depicts the measured mass losses well is presented.