Cleaire to distribute Lubrizol’s Combifilter

17 July 2003

Cleaire Advanced Emission Controls, a San Leandro, CA-based division of Cummins West Inc., announced it will sell Combifilter™, a diesel particulate filter (DPF) produced by Lubrizol’s Engine Control Systems (ECS) division.

Under the arrangement between Cleaire and The Lubrizol Corporation, ECS will be the sole supplier to Cleaire for this type of exhaust aftertreatment device. Cleaire and ECS anticipate that the deal may be worth up to $1 million in the first year. In some instances, Cleaire will incorporate Combifilter components into its BUGtrap brand product, an exhaust filtration system offered for the back-up generator market; in others, Cleaire will handle distribution of the ECS Combifilter as-is. In either case, the exhaust aftertreatment devices will be marketed for diesel powered back-up generators which need emission controls to comply with air emissions mandates set by the California ARB and/or by the US EPA. Both companies are seeking EPA/ARB emission verification for the products.

The Combifilter technology is comprised of an integrated DPF and an electric regeneration system which connects to a shore power source. In an alternate configuration, it may include a silencer-DPF assembly and a separate regeneration station. The filtered particles are stored in the filter until it is regenerated, which is typically required on a daily basis. The Combifilter can also be used in combination with passive DPFs from ECS (including the Cattrap and PuriFilter) to facilitate regeneration of filters in cases when the engine exhaust gas temperatures are insufficient to sustain fully passive regeneration.

The Combifilter product has been sold by ECS in Europe for over two decades and is now being introduced to North America.

Source: Cleaire