Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Catalytic Converter Components
The catalytic converter in your auto exhaust system is a pollution control device designed to stop smog by turning unburned hydrocarbons and combustion byproducts of engines into normal atmospheric gases, said the PollutionIssues.com website. This device, which became mandatory in the 1980s, turns the carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and hydrocarbons of engine exhaust into carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas and water vapor. Catalytic converters have 3 main components: Catalysts, substrate and outer can.
Catalytic Elements
In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that triggers chemical reactions without itself being consumed by those reactions. Catalytic converters use platinum, rhodium and cerium as the catalysts that clean up exhaust gases. As exhaust gases pass through the converter, these materials get extremely hot, about 750 degrees Fahrenheit, and trigger oxidation reactions that break down passing exhaust gases into normal atmospheric gases.
Ceramic Substrate
Inside the converter is a honeycomb-like ceramic substrate that has been coated inside and out with the catalytic elements. This structure provides a huge surface area for the oxidation reactions to occur, said PollutionIssues.com. Tetraethyl lead, once widely used as a gasoline octane booster, was removed from gasoline in the early 1980s because it would coat the substrate, blocking the catalytic reactions. In effect, lead poisoned the converter.
Outer Can
The outer metal can holds the interior components in place. It typically is a steel cylinder with fittings to connect to the exhaust manifold at one end and the exhaust pipe at the other. The can is lined with an insulating mat to help hold in the heat that ensures efficient operation.
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