Motorcycle and Small
Engine Applications
High Conversion Efficiency per Unit of Catalyst
for Reduced Costs
To meet ever tightening emissions regulations worldwide,
small engine manufacturers 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. The physical properties
of the GEO2 substrate allows for a decrease in the
loading of precious metal, the size of substrate and
the packaging necessary for an engine. 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 once the temperature of the exhaust gas is approximately 350 degrees F, compared
to 700 degrees F for our competitors’ products.
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 GEO2 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.
Thermal Management
GEO2’s Random Matrix Filtration system is an
excellent insulator. Hot catalytic activity can be
isolated to the interior of the system with the exterior
surface staying relatively cooler.
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%.
More Flexible Exhaust 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.
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