Grant: Automotive Partnership Canada Project

Treatment of exhaust gas from automotive sources is required to meet government mandated limits on the emission of specified pollutants, primarily hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX). Recent government initiatives are targeting the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse gas. The first three pollutants can be eliminated through the use of a catalytic after treatment system (catalytic converter), whilst the reduction of carbon dioxide can only be achieved by a reduction in fuel consumption, which in practice translates into a need for better fuel economy. The purpose of this research is to conduct a three year development program using a mixture of experimental and computational methods to yield a rigorous demonstration of the benefits of the Multi Chamber Catalytic Converter (MCCC) in Diesel engine (lean burn) exhaust gas after treatment systems. The demonstration project must be acceptable to OEM and vehicle manufacturers. The MCCC design is a concept pioneered by Vida Holdings. The project is a collaborative venture between the University of Alberta (Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Vida Holdings. Preliminary investigations have demonstrated the MCCC offers the potential to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy compared to a conventional converter, when tested for systems designed for stoichiometric gasoline fuelled engines. The exhaust system for the Diesel engine (lean burn) is substantially more complicated. It is intended to use the knowledge generated in the earlier study to develop the MCCC into a viable concept for this complex exhaust gas after treatment system. The main objectives of this project are to define the parameters that could lead to either reduced emissions, reduced need for precious metals, or enhance the vehicle fuel economy.