Andrea Orellana

Sample Solution

pulation is projected to grow close to 1300 million by the year 2030. Due to incomplete combustion in the engine, there are a number of incomplete combustion products CO, HC, NOx, particulate matters etc. The pollutants have undesirable effect on air quality, environment and human health that tips in stringent norms of pollutant emission. As the technology keep on evolving and emerging, it carries along undesirable effects apart from its broad application and use. One of the main contributors is said to be the emission of harmful gases produced by vehicle exhaust lines. The number of vehicles miles travels per year continues to increase as a result of higher demand and needs. Consequently, an increase in the number led to the increase of the content of pollutants in air. Most vehicular transportation relies on combustion of gasoline, diesel and jet fuels with large amount of emission of carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates matter (PM) are especially concern. HC and CO occur because the combustion efficiency is less than 100%. The NOx is formed during the very high temperatures (>1500 0C) of the combustion process resulting in thermal fixation of the nitrogen in the air which forms NOx. Typical exhaust gas composition at the normal engine operating conditions are: carbon monoxide (CO, 0.5 vol.%), unburned hydrocarbons (HC, 350 vppm),nitrogen oxides (NOx, 900 vppm) hydrogen (H2, 0.17 vol.%), water (H2O, 10 vol.%), carbon dioxide (CO2, 10 vol.%), oxygen (O2, 0.5 vol.%). Carbon monoxide is a noted poison that has an affinity for hemoglobin in the blood 210 times greater than the oxygen affinity prolonged exposure to levels above 9 ppm can lead to reduce mental acuity for some individuals. HC and NOx lead to photochemical smog in presences of sunlight give secondary pollutant ozone, nitro dioxide & peroxyacyl nitrate which cause also global environmental problems. A catalytic converter is placed inside the tailpipe through which deadly exhaust gases containing HC, CO, NOx are emitted. The function of the catalytic convertor is to convert these gases into CO2, H2O, N2 and O2 and currently, it is necessary for all automobiles pursuing on roads. As primary measures many different possibilities and technical methods of reducing exhaust gas emission are used e.g. combustion of lean air fuel mixture, multistage injection fuel, exhaust gas recirculation, fuel gas after burning, loading of additional water into cylinder volume.

2. HISTORY

NOx gas coming out from the commercial vehicle should be vanished. Now a days catalytic converter are used. The catalytic converter was invented by Eugene Houdry, a French mechanical engineer and expert in catalytic oil refining who lived in the U.S. around 1950. When the results of early studies of smog in Los Angeles were published, Houdry became concerned about the role of smoke stack exhaust and automobile exhaust in air pollution and founded a company, Oxy-Catalyst. Houdry first developed catalytic converters for smoke stacks called cats for short. Then he developed catalytic converters for warehouse fork lifts that used low grade non-leaded gasoline. Then in the mid 1950s he began research to develop catalytic converters for gasoline engines used on cars. Widespread adoption of catalytic converters didn’t occur until more stringent emission control regulations forced the removal of the anti-knock agent, tetraethyllead, from most gasoline, because lead was a ‘catalyst poison’ and would inactivate the converter by forming a coating on the catalyst’s surface, effectively disabling it. Catalytic converters were further developed by a series of engineers including John J. Mooney and Carl D. Keith at the Engelhard Corporation, creating the first production catalytic converter in 1973.Dr. William C. Pfefferle developed a catalytic combustor for gas turbines in the early 1970s, allowing combustion without significant formation of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Fig.2.1. catalytic convertor

3.CATALYTIC COVERTOR

A catalytic converter (CC) is placed inside the tailpipe through which deadly exhaust gases containing unburnt fuel, CO, NOx are emitted. The function of the catalytic convertor is to convert these gases into CO2, water, N2 and O2 and currently, it is compulsory for all automobiles plying on roads in US and Japan to have catalytic converters as they use unleaded petrol. In India the government has made catalytic converters mandatory for registration of new cars. A washcoat is a carrier for the catalytic materials and is used to disperse the materials over a large surface area. Aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, or a mixture of silica and alumina can be used. The catalytic materials are suspended in the washcoat prior to applying to the core. Washcoat materials are selected to form a rough, irregular surface, which greatly increases the surface area compared to the smooth surface of the bare substrate. This in turn maximizes the catalytically active surface available to react with the engine exhaust. The coat must retain its surface area and prevent sintering of the catalytic metal particles even at high temperatures (1000 °C).