Honeycomb Catalyst Body Thin Partition Wall Pressure Loss

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing honeycomb catalyst bodies face challenges in achieving a balance between reducing pressure loss and maintaining sufficient strength while ensuring high particulate matter collection efficiency and exhaust gas purification efficiency, particularly due to limitations in cell density and partition wall thickness.

Innovation Solution

A method of producing a honeycomb structure with a thin partition wall by filling large pores with a slurry containing filling particles and adjusting the pore size and porosity, followed by plugging cells to achieve a specific cell density and permeability, which supports a catalyst layer for enhanced purification efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the cell density is increased to improve purification efficiency, then the transfer rate of purification target components increases, but the pressure loss increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepurification efficiencyVSAvoidpressure loss
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The partition wall is designed with a porous structure containing numerous pores (average pore size 100-300 μm) that enable exhaust gas to pass through the wall. This porous configuration allows the honeycomb structure to achieve high cell density while maintaining low pressure loss, as the pores provide multiple flow paths through the partition wall, reducing resistance to gas flow while preserving purification efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The invention optimizes specific parameters including pore size (100-300 μm), porosity (30-70%), and partition wall thickness (0.5-2.0 mm) to achieve the desired balance. By carefully controlling these parameters, the structure achieves high cell density for improved purification while the optimized porosity and pore dimensions maintain low pressure loss characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of energy

If the partition wall thickness is reduced to decrease pressure loss, then the pressure loss decreases, but the strength of the partition wall decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepressure lossVSAvoidpartition wall strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The partition wall employs a porous structure with controlled porosity (30-70%) and pore size (100-300 μm) that enables the wall to maintain sufficient mechanical strength even at reduced thickness (0.5-2.0 mm). The porous network provides structural integrity while the interconnected pores facilitate gas flow, achieving both low pressure loss and adequate strength simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The honeycomb structure combines the porous partition wall material with a catalyst layer formed on its surface. This composite configuration enhances the functional performance of the thin partition wall, where the catalyst layer provides purification functionality while the porous substrate maintains structural strength, enabling the overall system to achieve both reduced pressure loss and sufficient strength.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Productivity

If the cell density is increased to improve purification efficiency, then the surface area of the partition wall increases, but the thickness of the partition wall must be reduced which weakens the structure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepurification efficiencyVSAvoidpartition wall strength
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The porous partition wall structure with optimized porosity (30-70%) and pore size (100-300 μm) enables the wall to achieve high surface area for catalytic reactions while maintaining mechanical strength at thin dimensions (0.5-2.0 mm). The porous network distributes mechanical stresses effectively, allowing the thin wall to support high cell density configurations without compromising structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The combination of the porous partition wall substrate with the catalyst layer creates a composite structure where the thin partition wall (0.5-2.0 mm) achieves both high surface area for purification and sufficient strength. The catalyst layer adheres to the porous surface, providing the necessary purification function while the porous substrate maintains structural support, enabling high cell density without requiring thicker walls.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The method results in a honeycomb structure with reduced pressure loss, sufficient strength, and high particulate matter collection and exhaust gas purification efficiency, effectively addressing the limitations of previous technologies.

Implementation Method 1

a porous partition wall that has a number of large pores having an average pore size of 100 to 300 μm... firing the primary fired body to obtain a secondary fired body that includes a porous partition wall that has a number of pores having an average pore size smaller than that of the large pores

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPorosity: Porosity

Implementation Method 2

the partition wall having a thickness of 76.2 to 177.8 μm, an average pore size of 8 to 30 μm, and a porosity of 10 to 35%

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPermeation: Permeation

Data Source

PatentEP2239037B1Method of producing honeycomb structure and method of producing honeycomb catalyst body
Publication Date: 2013.06.19 NGK INSULATORS LTD
  • EP2239037B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2239037B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2239037B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A method of producing a honeycomb structure includes a first step that includes filling large pores formed in a primary fired body with a filling slurry that contains filling particles having an average particle size of 5 to 50 µm, the primary fired body including a partition wall that has a number of large pores having an average pore size of 100 to 300 µm, and firing the primary fired body to obtain a secondary fired body that includes a porous partition wall that has a number of pores having an average pore size smaller than that of the large pores, and a plurality of cells that are defined by the partition wall and extend between two end faces of the secondary fired body, and a second step that includes plugging the plurality of cells of the secondary fired body on either of the end faces or inside the plurality of cells to form plugging sections to obtain a honeycomb structure (100) that includes the partition wall (4) and the plugging sections (10), the partition wall (4) having a thickness of 76.2 to 177.8 µm, an average pore size of 8 to 30 µm, and a porosity of 10 to 35%.