The drastic tightening of regulations regarding emission limits of motor vehicles demands for an efficient exhaust gas treatment of diesel motor engines. One potential concept is an integrated diesel soot filter within the exhaust gas system. Basic requirement for a safe filter system operation is a fundamental comprehension of all involved individual processes. In this paper an experimentally validated CFD-model describing the life cycle of a diesel root filter is presented. Its results can be used to fully exploit the potential of such filter systems and provide a basis for a variety of applications in the field of gas filtration.