Exhaust system and components thereof
A method for improving an exhaust system including: receiving, at a heater, a current in response to a signal from a controller; generating heat, via the heater, inside a component of the exhaust system; injecting, via a dosing solution injector, a dosing solution into the heater; generating, by the heater, a vapor comprising the dosing solution; directing, by the heater, the vapor into the component; generating, by a magnet, a magnetic field inside the component; disrupting and slowing, by the magnet and magnetic field, an exhaust gas flow in the component.
1 . A dosing solution heater assembly comprising:
an external heater unit positioned outside an exhaust system, the external heater unit including a housing, one or more heating elements disposed within the housing, and an exit port, the external heater unit configured to be mounted external to the exhaust system and vaporize a dosing solution;
a connection pipe having a first end coupled to the exit port and a second end configured to be coupled directly to the exhaust system and
a dosing solution injector mounted to the external heater unit and configured to spray the dosing solution into the housing along a flow path that intersects the one or more heating elements, such that the dosing solution contacts the one or more heating elements and is vaporized within the external heater unit to form steam that exits the exit port as steam and travels through the connection pipe toward the second end for delivery into the exhaust system.
2 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the dosing solution is vaporized entirely by the one or more heating elements.
3 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 wherein exit port is configured to be coupled to one or more of the following components of an exhaust system: a catalytic converter, a diesel particulate filter (DPF), and a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR).
4 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a dosing solution distributor positioned downstream of the dosing solution injector to distribute the dosing solution sprayed by the dosing solution injector.
5 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 4 wherein the dosing solution distributor comprises:
a plurality of wings or plates at a predetermined distance from each other;
a plurality of openings between the plurality of wings or plates; and
a circular aperture at a center of the dosing solution distributor.
6 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature inside the housing of the external heater unit;
a controller communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor and the dosing solution injector, the controller configured to:
receive the temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and
cause the dosing solution injector to spray the dosing solution through the one or more heating elements based at least in part on the received temperature.
7 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more heating elements comprises a plurality of heating elements.
8 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more heating elements have a spiral or zig-zag shape.
9 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more heating elements comprise a chrome-nickel material.
10 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more heating elements is a heating wire.
11 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the dosing solution heater assembly is configured to be a component of a vehicle exhaust system.
12 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the dosing solution heater assembly is configured to be a component of an exhaust system of an industrial power plant.
13 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust system coupled to the second end of the connection pipe, wherein the steam travels through the connection pipe and into the exhaust system to contact exhaust therein.
14 . The dosing solution heater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the exit port is open to and in continuous fluid communication with the first end of the connection pipe such that steam exits the exit port and enters the connection pipe without passage through a pressure-activated outlet valve.