Exhaust Gas Purification Catalyst With Segmented Pore Volumes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional exhaust gas purification catalysts face issues with sintering of catalytically active components at high temperatures in gasoline direct injection engines, leading to poor CO adsorption and oxygen storage performance, and insufficient exhaust gas purification when different components are used in upstream and downstream catalyst layers, especially at high space velocities.

Innovation Solution

A wall flow structure exhaust gas purification catalyst with a first catalyst layer and a second catalyst layer containing different catalytically active components, where the first catalyst layer extends from the upstream end and the second from the downstream end, and the pore volumes are optimized to ensure efficient exhaust gas flow and contact with catalytically active components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a plurality of catalytically active components are used in a single catalyst layer, then exhaust gas purification performance is improved, but sintering occurs at high temperatures causing poor CO adsorption and oxygen storage performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveexhaust gas purification performanceVSAvoiddispersiveness of catalytically active components
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The catalyst is divided into two separate catalyst layers: a first catalyst layer containing a first catalytically active component and a second catalyst layer containing a second catalytically active component. This segmentation prevents sintering by isolating different components while maintaining their individual functions, thereby preserving CO adsorption and oxygen storage performance even at high temperatures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the catalyst substrate are assigned different catalytic functions. The first catalyst layer is positioned to handle specific exhaust components while the second catalyst layer handles others, with each layer optimized for its local function. This local differentiation allows each component to operate at optimal dispersion without interfering with the other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Stability of the object's composition

If different catalytically active components are used in upstream and downstream catalyst layers, then thermal endurance is improved, but exhaust gas purification performance becomes insufficient at high space velocities

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal enduranceVSAvoidexhaust gas purification performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The pore volume of the catalyst substrate is optimized to 0.4 cm³/cm³ or more, creating sufficient void space that allows exhaust gas to flow freely at high space velocities while still maintaining effective contact with both catalytically active components. This parameter optimization ensures that thermal endurance and high-speed purification performance are both achieved.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If catalyst layers are positioned to maximize contact with exhaust gas, then purification performance is improved, but pressure loss increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveexhaust gas purification performanceVSAvoidpressure loss
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The catalyst substrate utilizes a porous structure with optimized pore volume (0.4 cm³/cm³ or more) that provides extensive surface area for catalytic reactions while maintaining low flow resistance. This porous architecture allows exhaust gas to penetrate deeply into the catalyst layers for maximum contact without creating excessive pressure drop across the system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous 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 configuration achieves excellent CO adsorption and oxygen storage performance after thermal endurance and maintains good exhaust gas purification performance even under high space velocity conditions during high-speed driving.

Implementation Method 1

CO adsorption performance... oxygen storage performance (OSC) after thermal endurance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdsorption: Adsorption

Implementation Method 2

catalytically active components... efficiently removed by using a plurality of catalytically active components... purifies nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCatalysis: Catalysis

Data Source

PatentEP3778018B1Exhaust gas purification device
Publication Date: 2023.04.26 MITSUI MINING & SMELTING CO LTD
  • EP3778018B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3778018B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

A substrate (11) includes an inflow-side cell (21), an outflow-side cell (22), and a porous, gas-permeable partition wall (23) that separates the inflow-side cell (21) and the outflow-side cell (22) from each other, and also includes a first catalyst portion (14) that is provided on a side of the partition wall (23) that faces the inflow-side cell (21) at least at a portion in upstream side in an exhaust gas flow direction, and a second catalyst portion (15) that is provided on a side of the partition wall that faces the outflow-side cell at least at a portion in downstream side.With respect to a pore volume of pores with a pore size of 10 to 18 µm, when a measured value of the pore volume in the first catalyst portion (14) and the partition wall (23) within a region where the first catalyst portion (14) is provided is defined as a first pore volume, and a measured value of the pore volume in the second catalyst portion (15) and the partition wall (23) within a region where the second catalyst portion (15) is provided is defined as a second pore volume, the first pore volume is greater than the second pore volume.A catalytically active component contained in the first catalyst portion (14) and a catalytically active component contained in the second catalyst portion (15) are of different types.