What is runaway regeneration and how can it be avoided?
Runaway regeneration, uncontrolled regeneration, and thermal runaway, all refer to uncontrolled burning of a large quantity of soot accumulated in the filter media of a diesel particulate filter. It is caused by a series of events starting with overloading the DPF with soot at exhaust temperatures not sufficient to cause regeneration, followed by a period of high exhaust temperature that ignites the soot, and followed finally by low power or idle operation of the diesel which raises the oxygen level of the exhaust. The overloading of the DPF can be easily detected by back pressure monitoring. Thermal runaway can easily cause filter temperatures that will melt the filter media or cause thermal stresses (high localized temperatures surrounded by cool temperatures) that crack the filter, or both.
