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A Numerical Study of Catalytic Light-Off Response

Jia, Wenbo
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461256363

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Mechanical Engineering.
The performance of a three-way catalytic converter is studied numerically using commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software FluentTM 15.0 and MATLAB/Simulink programs. At first a cold flow simulation is performed to study the effects of converter geometric parameters on flow distributions at the monolith inlet. The effectiveness of the heat transfer from exhaust gases to the monolith through convective heat transfer is then investigated without consideration of the chemical reactions. The kinetics model proposed by Holder et al. is implemented into the 1D channel model and a 2D axisymmetric model is developed combining 2D axisymmetric heat conduction with the 1D channel model. The effects of cell density, catalyst loading, flow and temperature distributions at the monolith inlet on conversion efficiencies are examined. The results show that the flow and temperature distribution and the pressure drop across the monolith are strongly affected by converter geometric parameters such as the pipe/diffuser angle, the substrate length to diameter ratio L/D, and the inlet gas temperature and mass flow rate. The flow at the monolith inlet becomes more non-uniform with increasing of the angle ¿, the mass flow rate, and the inlet gas temperature and decreasing of the ratio L/D. The temperature at the monolith inlet becomes more uniform with increasing of the mass flow rate and decreasing of the inlet gas temperature. The pressure drop across the monolith increases with increasing of the mass flow rate, the inlet gas temperature, the angle, and the ratio L/D. The results also suggest that a substrate with a larger cell density and heavier loaded catalyst in the front gives better conversion efficiencies. The conversion efficiencies are not affected much by a change of thermal conductivity of the converter insulation mat up to 10%. Furthermore uniform flow and temperature distributions at the monolith inlet give rise to the best conversion efficiencies for a converter with a given flow condition. For a given temperature distribution at the monolith inlet, the effects of the flow distribution at the inlet on the conversions are negligible. The conversion efficiencies decrease as the temperature distribution at the monolith inlet becomes more non-uniform.
Mei Zhuang, Dr. (Advisor)
Xiaodong Sun, Dr. (Committee Member)
183 p.
Mechanical Engineering
catalytic converter, CFD, chemical kinetics, light-off response

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Jia, W. (2016). A Numerical Study of Catalytic Light-Off Response [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461256363

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jia, Wenbo. A Numerical Study of Catalytic Light-Off Response. 2016. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461256363.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jia, Wenbo. "A Numerical Study of Catalytic Light-Off Response." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461256363

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1461256363
1,185
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.