DPF & DOC Cleaning

A DPF can reach a point where commanding another regeneration is not the answer.

The filter may be heavily soot-loaded. It may have accumulated ash over thousands of hours or miles. The DOC may be contaminated. Or the filter may keep plugging because something upstream is creating more soot than the system can manage.

We clean what can be cleaned, and look for the reason it needed cleaning in the first place.

Mondak has the full Diesel Force equipment system, including:

• Diesel Force B1400
• Diesel Force B1500
• Diesel Force B1500-X
• Electronic Component Controller
• Engine-specific intake adapters
• Exhaust adapters
• DPF / DOC adapters
• Additional Diesel Force application tooling

Diesel Force currently offers equipment for engines ranging from smaller displacement applications through engines up to 18 liters and severe-duty large-engine applications.

That gives us the ability to address more than the filter sitting at the back of the exhaust system.

This is one of the most important distinctions in DPF service.

Soot can be burned. Ash cannot.

Regeneration oxidizes combustible soot trapped in the filter.

Ash is the noncombustible material left behind over time from sources such as lubricant additives and engine wear. It gradually takes up space in the filter and increases restriction.

So the right answer depends on what is loading the filter.

Another regen does not remove accumulated ash.

DPF restriction is commonly monitored by measuring pressure before and after the filter.

But a high-pressure reading does not automatically prove the filter itself is the only problem.

We also look at:

• Differential-pressure sensor
• Pressure tubes and ports
• Wiring
• Sensor plausibility
• Exhaust leaks
• Soot-loading information
• Regeneration history

Diesel Force specifically includes cleaning of differential-pressure sensor ports as part of its emissions-system process.

Carbon buildup upstream can contribute to repeated emissions problems.

With the Diesel Force Electronic Component Controller, applicable EGR valves and variable-geometry turbo actuators can be cycled through their operating range during cleaning rather than remaining in the limited positions they normally occupy at idle.

That gives the cleaning process better access to areas where carbon can interfere with:

• EGR movement
• Airflow
• Turbo vane movement
• Boost
• Exhaust temperature
• Regeneration performance

Not every DPF should be cleaned and put back into service.

A filter may have physical damage such as:

• Cracked substrate
• Melted substrate
• Severe thermal damage
• Internal deterioration
• Oil or coolant contamination
• Damage from excessive soot loading

High soot loads and uncontrolled regeneration temperatures can create thermal stress capable of cracking or melting filter material.

There is a point where cleaning a damaged filter is spending money on the wrong part.

DPF and emissions-system cleaning does not have to wait until the machine is derated.

Certain applications naturally create more soot and carbon buildup:

• High idle hours
• Low average speed
• Short duty cycles
• Light engine loading
• Stop-and-go operation
• Equipment that rarely stays hot for long periods

Diesel Force specifically designed the B1500-X for larger engines and severe-duty applications where those operating conditions contribute to heavy carbon buildup.

For the right fleet or equipment application, scheduled cleaning can become part of preventive maintenance rather than an emergency repair.