The regeneration process cleanly burns off the excess soot deposited in the DPF, reducing the harmful exhaust emission and helps to prevent the tell-tale black smoke you used to see from diesel vehicles, particularly when accelerating. The best way to maintain a DPF is to make sure it’s fully able to regenerate itself when it’s full of soot (when the warning light appears).
There are two types of regeneration: passive and active.
Passive regeneration occurs when the car is running at speed on long motorway journeys which allows the exhaust temperature to increase to a higher level and cleanly burn off the excess soot in the filter. So it is advised that drivers regularly give their diesel vehicle a good 30 to 50 minute run at sustained speed on a motorway or A-road to help clear the DPF.
However, not all drivers do this type of driving regularly – which is why manufacturers have designed an alternative form of regeneration.
Active regeneration means extra fuel is injected automatically, as part of the vehicle's ECU, when a filter reaches a predetermined limit (normally about 45%) to raise the temperature of the exhaust and burn off the stored soot. Problems can occur, however, if the journey is too short, as the regeneration process may not complete fully. If this is the case the warning light will continue to show the filter is still partially blocked and continue to cause issues. Thats where DPF Cleaning Birmingham can help clean the DPF upto 100%.
