Exhaust gas purifying apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to an exhaust gas purifying apparatus comprising; a plasma-assist PM purifying reactor; a detecting device for detecting an amount of PM accumulated in the PM purifying reactor; a power supply for the PM purifying reactor; and a controlling device for controlling the power supply on the basis of signals from the detecting device. The controlling device controls the power supply to start supplying the electric power to the PM purifying reactor, or to increase the amount of electric power which is supplied to the PM purifying reactor, when the amount of accumulated PM detected by the detecting device exceeds a predetermined amount.

1 . An exhaust gas purifying apparatus comprising; 
 a plasma-assist PM purifying reactor;    a detecting device for detecting an amount of PM accumulated in said PM purifying reactor;    a power supply for said PM purifying reactor; and    a controlling device for controlling said power supply on the basis of signals from said detecting device,    said controlling device controls said power supply to start supplying the electric power to said PM purifying reactor, or to increase the amount of electric power which is supplied to said PM purifying reactor, when the amount of accumulated PM detected by said detecting device exceeds a predetermined amount.    
   
   
       2 . The exhaust gas purifying apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the detecting device comprises a differential pressure gauge which detects a differential pressure across the PM purifying reactor.  
   
   
       3 . The exhaust gas purifying apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said PM purifying reactor comprises electrodes and an insulative honeycomb structure having a number of cell passages.  
   
   
       4 . The exhaust gas purifying apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the electrodes generate an electric field which is not parallel to the direction of the cell passages of said honeycomb structure.  
   
   
       5 . The exhaust gas purifying apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the electrodes comprises a center electrode and an outer electrode surrounding the center electrode, and the honeycomb structure is positioned between the center and the outer electrodes.  
   
   
       6 . The exhaust gas purifying apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said honeycomb structure has opposite outer surfaces, and said electrodes comprise a pair of plate electrodes respectively placed on the opposite outer surfaces of said honeycomb structure, and sets of said honeycomb structure and said pair of plate electrodes are aligned in parallel to each other.