Air filter diagnostics & prognostics in naturally aspired engines

Air filter diagnostics/prognostics are needed to determine the condition of the intake air filter in internal combustion engines and to indicate the need for maintenance. Monitoring air filter health helps saving on operational costs, maintaining optimal fuel economy, and planning for service/maintenance before failure. In the present paper, we propose an air filter diagnostics/prognostics method that relies on air flow models and control volume approach to assess filter health and estimate downstream pressure. The development is needed for non-boosted applications where a pressure sensor is generally not present downstream the air filter. Real data validation is conducted using engine data from an experimental vehicle. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach to monitor air filter health.