Catalytic afterburner

Claim 1

AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, A COMBINED MUFFLER AND CATALYTIC AFTERBURNER FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION , A BODY SHELL HAVING AN EXHAUST GAS INLET ADAPTED TO RECEIVE EXHAUST GASES FROM AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, A PLURALITY OF CATALYST CHAMBERS DEFINED BY SEPTA WITHIN SAID BODY SHELL HAVING INLET AND EXIT PLENUMS CONNECTED FOR SEQUENTIAL FLOW OF EXHAUST GASES THERETHROUGH, THE FIRST SAID CHAMBER BEING CONNECTED TO SAID EXHAUST GAS INLET, AN EQUAL PLURALITY OF CERAMIC CATALYST SUPPORTS PROVIDED WITH A MULTIPLICITY OF PARALLEL GAS PASSSAGEWAYS AND HAVING OXIDIZING CATALYST ON THEIR SURFACES, SAID CERAMIC CATALYST SUPPORTS BEING DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY WITHIN AND SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING SAID CATALYST CHAMBERS, AND AN OUTLET ADAPTED TO DISCHARGE EXHAUSE GASES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE FROM SAID BODY SHELL CONNECTED WITH THE EXIT PLENUM OF THE LAST CATALYST CHAMBER IN SEQUENCE; THE SAID CATALYST CHAMBERS, CATALYST SUPPORTS AND INLET AND EXIT PLENUMS BEING DISPOSED SO AS TO REQUIRE CHANGE IN DIRECTION OF THE FLOW OF EXHAUST GASES IN EACH SUCCESSIVE CATALYST CHAMBER; THE EXIT PLENUM FROM EACH CATALYST CHAMBER EXCEPT THE LAST BEING CONTINUOUS WITH THE INLET PLENUM FOR THE NEXT CATALYST CHAMBER IN SEQUENCE AND BEING COOLED BY MEANS COEXTENSIVE WITH ITS EXTERNAL WALL.