On a Novel Diffuser for Efficient Automotive Catalytic Converters

In automobile-exhaust systems, catalytic converters are main components and produce substantial pressure drops, which induce engine-power loss and fuel-consumption rise. On the other hand, catalytic converters are required for the uniformity of flow through a catalytic substrate, which causes uniformity of thermal distribution and high catalytic-conversion efficiency. The purpose of this study is to reduce the pressure losses and to improve the flow distribution simultaneously, under spatial constraints. The authors propose a new type of device and show its performance experimentally. Namely, the authors place a dome as a flow deflector inside the diffuser in front of a catalyst in order to suppress flow separation. The converter tested in the present study has a standard cylindrical ceramic substrate with a circular cross section. As a result, we present the optimum dome geometry that can reduce the pressure loss by 22% as compared to a no-dome converter.