Effect of Oil Consumption over an Innovative Exhaust After-Treatment System Suitable For Cogeneration Plants

In the following Paper, the behaviour of an innovative exhaust after-treatment system, suitable for internal combustion engines (ICE) powerplants working at stoichiometric conditions, is discussed in respect to its resistance to oil and ash contamination. This system is based on an unconventional double-stage system made up of a first oxidative filter followed by a three-way catalyst, which has been constructed, developed and tested at STEMS-CNR (the Italian National Research Council). The prototype has shown very interesting performances in terms of overall reduction of exhaust emissions even after a long exposure to lubricant contamination, maintaining a high efficiency during all its lifetime. Moreover, the effective service of this solution resulted prolonged if compared to standard after-treatment systems such a conventional three-way catalyst, as the latter greatly suffers the presence of partially burned oil produced by engines at the escape, especially after a very long running period. Catalyst failure is very common in ICE cogenerative and distributed plants making this prototype an important means to reduce emissions during the entire lifespan of cogenerative and distributed generation systems, which will be soon applied into smartgrids as energetic support of residential units and as recharger for electric vehicles