Introduction: General Description
A catalytic converter is an exhaust component used in modern automobiles to decrease the emission of toxic gasses. The average catalytic converter is capable of converting around 98% of these harmful emissions into relatively benign byproducts (UC Davis). It does this through the use of a catalyzing agent, that when combined with heat and oxygen produces a chemical reaction that is capable of converting various gasses such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydra carbons (HC), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) into less harmful carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2), and water (H2O) (Wiki).
The catalytic converter was first introduced back in the mid 1970’s, but didn’t see widespread adoption until new emissions regulations mandated the removal of the fuel additive “tetraethyl lead” from gasoline. This was because, the burned of tetraethyl lead in an internal combustion engine produced toxic byproducts capable of neutralizing the catalyzing agents in the catalytic converter rendering it ineffective (Wiki). Catalytic converters are split up into two basic types: two-way and three-way. The two-way catalytic converter only performs the oxidation reaction (the addition of oxygen), converting carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and converting hydro carbons into carbon dioxide and water. In contrast, the three-way catalytic converter not only performs the oxidation reaction but also performs a reduction reaction (the removal of oxygen), converting nitrogen oxides (such as nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and nitric oxide) into nitrogen and oxygen (SmogTips). The two-way catalytic converter was quite common tell about 1981 when the three-way catalytic converter replaced it in most automotive applications (Wiki)....
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This process uses gases from the industrial exhaust which is let out into the atmosphere, which in turn makes profits out of pollution (NAIR & (IN), 2012).
The catalytic converter is a simple yet fascinating invention that uses precious metals such as platinum palladium, and rhodium as catalyst to cause reduction and oxidation reactions that can reduce dangerous gasses produced by combustion engines by over 95% converting them into less harmful gasses. Even though catalytic converters are quite simple they are still extremely expensive, this is due to the precious metals that are used as catalysts.
Burning fossil fuels like gasoline, diesel and coal releases carbon into the atmosphere. Every time you drive your gas...
Ideally an engine takes in Air (Oxygen and Nitrogen) and fuel (hydrocarbons) and produces CO2, H2O, and the N2 just passes through. However under normal driving conditions an engine will encounter lean conditions when cruising on the highway (better mileage) and rich conditions when accelerating (better power). The lean condition results in oxide and harmful nitrogen production. Rich conditions result in carbon monoxide production. For this reason catalytic converters are used on an engine’s exhaust.
The tradeoffs of using gasoline for cars are large emission of carbon dioxide and required large amount of chemical t...
Air pollution can be decreased by lessening the amount of tailpipe emissions, which refers to the pollution which is created as a by-product of the engine combustion process and from the evaporation of the fuel itself, as stated on the web-site of the United States E.P.A (10/4, http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/whycare.html). This refers to the actual fue...
A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction. It does not change the equilibrium but instead provides a different pathway. Catalysts usually lower the activation energy. For the cracking process, most of the people in this production utilize alumina (aluminum oxide, AL203) as a catalyst. It functions by decreasing the energy essential to reduce C-C bonds when the larger hydrocarbon molecules are absorbed on the outside of the alumina particles. Catalytic cracking breaks down complex hydrocarbons into simpler molecules in order to boost the quality and quantity of lighter, more desirable products and lessen the amount of residuals. This procedure rearranges the molecular construction of hydrocarbon compounds.
In the future the automotive industries will need alternative fuel sources, in turn that means they will need alternative engines in their automobiles. The engines found in their cars will have to be changed to fit the new fuels being made. They have many directions in which they can go concerning engine types and fuel types.
Before we look at some alternative process' to help reduce or eliminate automobile pollution, we should try to understand how this occurs. This form of pollution is a direct result of the combustion process, also known as exhaust, and from fuel being evaporated into the atmosphere. The next step is to get a better understanding of the combustion process. The gasoline that we use to put into our cars are made of a mixture of hydrocarbons, hydrogen and carbon atoms. When we put the gasoline into our car, what is supposed ...
Gasoline fueled cars produce a number of pollutants. The most damaging pollutants that come from gasoline fueled cars are particulate matter. Particulate matter is a sequence of organic materials and inorganic substances. It includes ingredients such as lint and minerals. Nitrogen dioxide, produced when fuel is burned at high temperatures, can cause damage to the lungs and cause chest pains. One might ask, “Why are Americans still driving gasoline cars?” knowing the damage that they are subject to cause. I personally maintain that the government should push people to p...
There are millions of cars on the road in the United States, and each one is a source of air pollution. Especially in large cities, the amount of pollution cars produce everyday is a lot. To solve those problems, many laws have been enacted restricting the amount of pollution that cars can produce. To make their cars as pollution-free as possible, automakers have made many refinements to car engines and fuel systems and have developed the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter treats the exhaust before it leaves the car, and removes a lot of the pollution.
A turbocharger is device as important part of all multicylinder diesel engines. Turbocharger is an exhaust gas driven induction device used in I.C. Engine to improve engine performance. This is done by forcing compressed air into the combustion chamber allowing more fuel to be burned resulting in a large air fuel ratio, large power & the method is called turbo charging. These devices use the energy of exhaust gases out from engine to run the turbine that in turns the air-compressor that provides. Now a day’s Waste gate operated turbocharger are also becoming popular now a days. Waste gate valve bypasses the flow that is coming from exhaust so that we can vary speed of turbine. It has certain effect of emissions that is being
The invention of internal combustion engines in the early 19th century has led to the discovery of utilisation of cheap energy that is petroleum and this enabled the world to develop and progress into the modern world today. Humans were able to accomplish more work done with little manual labour, using internal combustion engines powered by fossil fuels. Internal combustion engine are mechanical power devices that convert heat energy to mechanical energy with the combustion process taking place in a system boundary (Rolle, 2005). Among the internal combustion engine invented in the 19th century were the Otto engine, Diesel engine and gas turbine engine. Gas turbine engine is one of the popular engines used today due to its high torque per weight ratio relative to other types of internal combustion engines. As explained by Cengel and Boles (2011), the gas turbine engine works on a 6 stages process, namely air intake, compression, fuel injection, combustion, expansion and exhaust (refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
Many hazardous pollutants escape from the internal combustion of the engine. Conventional gas powered vehicles use irreplaceable fossil fuels to run. When burned, these fossil fuels create numerous toxins like carbon dioxide (Larminie 246). Carbon dioxide is considered the main greenhouse gas that creates the foundation for global warming (hybridcars.com, pollutants). This harmful pollutant may not have a serious effect on people at first, but it does have consequential effects on the environment that in turn put people in danger (Nutramed.com). The major consequence caused by global warming is the rise in average temperature. This results in a domino...