Gasoline Engine Applications
High Conversion Efficiency per Unit of Catalyst
for Reduced Costs
To meet the ever tightening emissions regulations
worldwide, auto makers are spending more and more
on exhaust systems. The cost of the exhaust system
includes costs for the substrate, the washcoat, the
precious metal loading, the packaging, the muffling
system and exhaust pipes. Catalytic converter systems
for a new vehicle can cost OEMs between $50 to $300/system
depending on the size of the engine and the regulatory
environment. Without a change in technology, these
costs are likely to increase in order to meet stricter
environmental regulations. The GEO2 substrate
can help to reduce auto makers’ costs for
a catalytic system in a vehicle by up to 30% -
up to
$100 per
vehicle for a large vehicle.
A patent-pending GEO2 design of the catalytic host
dramatically affects the gas flow characteristics
leading to vastly improved chemical conversion kinetics.
The physical properties of the GEO2 substrate allow
for a decrease in the loading of precious metal, and
the number/size of substrates and the packaging necessary
for a vehicle. When loaded with the same mass of catalyst,
the GEO2 substrate has more catalytic power per square
inch than the most widely used catalytic converter
material. Generally, the more surface area on a catalytic
converter with which pollutants can interact, the
more effective the emissions control. The GEO2 substrate
is highly porous and permeable, with more surface
area available for catalytic reaction than other catalytic
converters. The greater surface area per unit volume
and use of the surface area allows for more efficient
use of expensive catalyst material.
Faster Light Off
In new gasoline engines, nearly 50% of all pollution
occurs during the first 20-25 seconds of engine ignition,
which is the time it takes for the catalyst on the
most advanced product to become sufficiently hot to
reach full effectiveness. This is called “light
off”. Until light off occurs, exhaust gases
move through the device without being fully treated
by the catalysts. Independent tests prove that the
GEO2 substrate has a significantly
faster light off time. There are two primary reasons
for the GEO2 substrate’s
superior light off time results: Due to its lower thermal mass,
catalyst placed on the GEO2 substrate
reaches 98% efficiency by the time exhaust gas reaches
approximately 350 degrees F. The GEO2 substrate’s
high emissivity complements its low thermal mass,
which results in faster light off times and higher
conversion efficiencies. These data come from tests
conducted at independent laboratories using a typical
aftermarket 3-way catalyst coating.
High Operating Temperature
The GEO2 substrate has excellent thermal shock and
melting point characteristics. The substrate’s
melting point is >1550 degrees C. These thermal
properties allow the GEO2 substrate to be placed closer
to the engine without risk of damage, thus enabling
the substrate to reach light off temperature even
more rapidly.
Reduced Weight
In the pursuit of greater fuel efficiency and power, vehicle manufacturers continually seek to reduce the
weight of their vehicles. The GEO2 substrate is much
lighter than the current leading products. Due to
a combination of features such as reduced unit weight,
greater packaging flexibility and more catalyzing
power per volume, the GEO2 substrate may cut the weight
of the entire catalytic system by up to 40%. This
weight reduction equates to a savings of up to 25
pounds for a large vehicle such as a large SUV.
More Flexible Automotive Design
The GEO2 substrate can be configured into a wide
variety of shapes and sizes, enabling flexibility
in the creation of channel sizes and shapes and wall
thicknesses. This allows vehicle manufacturers flexibility
in their emissions control designs as well as overall
vehicle design.
Enhanced Sound Muffling
In addition to its catalytic abilities, the GEO2
substrate can serve as a sound muffling device. Vehicle
powertrain noise can be significantly attenuated as
sound waves travel through the substrate’s three
dimensional matrix architecture.
The Aftermarket
In the United States, three million catalytic converters
are replaced each year. Worldwide, the catalytic converter
aftermarket is estimated to be nearly nine million
units. The GEO2 substrate is ideally suited for the
retrofit aftermarket.
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