Patent US5146743A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5146743A
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Process for accelerating the response of an exhaust gas catalyst, and apparatus and electrically heatable carrier bodies for performing the method
Assignee: Vitesco Technologies Lohmar Verwaltungs GmbH
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Filing: 1990-10-25
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Granted: 1992-09-15
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Expires: 2010-10-25
Abstract
Abstract A method of accelerating the response of an exhaust gas catalyst downstream of an internal combustion engine, the exhaust gas catalyst having at least one metal catalyst carrier body coated with ceramic and catalytically active material having a given response temperature, and the carrier body having at least one subzone, the method includes supplying electric power to the metal catalyst carrier body for direct heating at least in subzones thereof, switching on the current for a period of time at least as early as immediately after the onset of engine operation, and dimensioning the current such that at least subzones of the metal carrier body are heated to the given response temperature at least as early as the exhaust gas reaches the given response temperature. The apparatus for performing the above method includes a main catalyst and an electrically heatable precatalyst disposed upstream of the main catalyst as seen in the flow direction of the exhaust gas. The electrically heated precatalyst carrier body comprises layered metal sheets forming a stack with a plurality of channels through which a fluid can flow, the metal sheets having a thickness of substantially 0.03 to 0.06 mm, insulators for electrically subdividing the catalyst carrier body for forming at least one electric current path through the metal sheets, the current path having an electric resistance of substantially between 0.2 and 2Ω.
Inventors
- 👤 Wolfgang Maus
- 👤 Helmut Swars
- 👤 Hans-Jurgen Breuer
- 👤 Theodor Cyron
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 23:05
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01N; F01N3/00; F01N3/08; F01N3/10; F01N3/18; F01N3/20; F01N3/24; F01N3/28; F01N3/2803; F01N3/2807; F01N3/281; F01N3/2006; F01N3/2013; F01N3/2026; F01N9/00; F01N2330/00; F01N2330/02; F01N2330/30; F01N2330/44; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A50/00; Y02A50/20; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12; Y02T10/40; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24149
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
137 words
A method of accelerating the response of an exhaust gas catalyst system downstream of an internal combustion engine, the exhaust gas catalyst system including a main catalytic converter and at least one precatalyst with a catalyst carrier body formed of sheet metal layers coated with ceramic and catalytically active material and defining a multiplicity of channels through which a fluid can flow, the catalytically active material having a given response temperature, the method which comprises: supplying an electric current of at least 300 amperes to the metal catalyst carrier body for direct heating of the at least one precatalyst, switching on the current for a given period of time at least as early as immediately after the onset of engine operation for raising the temperature of the at least one precatalyst to above the given response temperature.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
137 words
A method of accelerating the response of an exhaust gas catalyst system downstream of an internal combustion engine, the exhaust gas catalyst system including a main catalytic converter and at least one precatalyst with a catalyst carrier body formed of sheet metal layers coated with ceramic and catalytically active material and defining a multiplicity of channels through which a fluid can flow, the catalytically active material having a given response temperature, the method which comprises: supplying an electric current of at least 300 amperes to the metal catalyst carrier body for direct heating of the at least one precatalyst, switching on the current for a given period of time at least as early as immediately after the onset of engine operation for raising the temperature of the at least one precatalyst to above the given response temperature.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein the given period of time is less than 10 seconds.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of said precatalyst is initially increased, and, after the heated precatalyst responds catalytically, the temperatures of the main catalytic convertor may also be supplied with electric current.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein the precatalyst has an axial length of substantially between 3.5 and 6.0 cm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing a timing relay for controlling the heating of the catalyst carrier body and initiating the heating of the catalyst carrier body after the engine is started and terminating the heating after a given period of time.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
109 words
An apparatus for accelerating the response of an exhaust gas catalyst system downstream of an internal combustion engine, comprising a main catalytic converter and at least one electrically heatable precatalyst disposed upstream of said main catalytic converter as seen in the flow direction of the exhaust gas, said precatalyst including sheet-metal layers forming a plurality of channels through which the exhaust gas can flow, said sheet-metal layers having a thickness of substantially 0.03 to 0.06 mm, and electrical insulating means for electrically dividing said precatalyst and for forming at least one electric current path through said sheet-metal layers having an electric resistance of substantially between 0.2 and 2 Ω.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
109 words
An apparatus for accelerating the response of an exhaust gas catalyst system downstream of an internal combustion engine, comprising a main catalytic converter and at least one electrically heatable precatalyst disposed upstream of said main catalytic converter as seen in the flow direction of the exhaust gas, said precatalyst including sheet-metal layers forming a plurality of channels through which the exhaust gas can flow, said sheet-metal layers having a thickness of substantially 0.03 to 0.06 mm, and electrical insulating means for electrically dividing said precatalyst and for forming at least one electric current path through said sheet-metal layers having an electric resistance of substantially between 0.2 and 2 Ω.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said at least one electrically heatable precatalyst is disposed immediately upstream of said main catalyst.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the engine includes an exhaust gas outlet and said precatalyst is disposed immediately downstream of the exhaust gas outlet of the engine.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said at least one heatable precatalyst is in the form of a plurality of catalysts electrically connected in series.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said at least one heatable precatalyst is in the form of a plurality of catalysts electrically connected in parallel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the engine is provided with a special means for generating alternating current and wherein said at least one electrically heatable precatalyst is electrically connected to the generating means and is heated with alternating current.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said sheet-metal layers are formed of structured, high-temperature corrosion-proof sheet-metal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said means are in the form of electrically insulating intermediate layers disposed between of said sheet-metal layers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, including disks being mutually spaced apart defining gaps therebetween along the axial length of the catalyst carrier body, said gaps providing said dividing means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein precatalyst is formed of wound sheet-metal layers are.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said precatalyst formed of stacked sheet-metal layers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said sheet-metal layers are substantially smooth or corrugated and said precatalyst is formed of alternating smooth and corrugated layers of sheet-metal.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said electric resistance is substantially between 0.4 and 1 Ω.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 18, wherein said electric resistance is substantially 0.6 Ω.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
48 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said means further subdivide the catalyst carrier body into subzones being at least partly insulated from one another electrically, said subzones forming groups of at least one, and including electrical connecting bridges for electrically connecting said groups in series.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, including stacks of at least four adjacent layers of said sheet-metal through which current flows parallel.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 21, wherein said stack include approximately 8 to 12 of said sheet-metal layers.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
47 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 21, wherein said at least four adjacent sheet-metal layers are layered in meandering loops having reversing points and forming a body, and wherein said means are in the form of intermediate layers electrically insulating said meandering loops from one another.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
35 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 23, wherein said stack is crimped in the regions of said reversing points such that said at least four layers of said sheet-metal rest flat against one another.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
69 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 21, wherein said stacks form substantially U-shaped layers having ends and being electrically insulated from one another by said means, including a supporting wall to which said ends are attached, said supporting wall including a plurality of electrically conductive segments insulated from one another for electrically connecting at least two of said layers and for forming a series circuit through said layers.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
84 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 21, wherein said stacks are disposed in the form of contrarily entwined layers to form a body, said stack having a top, a bottom and two ends, and being provided with electrically insulating layers on said bottom and on said top, and wherein said sheet-metal layers are mutually electrically conductive at least in the region of said ends of said stacks, and including connecting means for connecting said ends to the two poles of a current source.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
39 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 26, wherein the catalyst carrier body has a substantially circular cross-section with a given diameter, the height of said stack is at least as small as one-third the diameter of the cross-section.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, including a plurality of catalyst carrier bodies in the form of disks disposed in line with one another, said disks being electrically connected in parallel.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
33 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, including a plurality of catalyst carrier bodies in the form of disks disposed in line with one another, said disks being electrically connected in series.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
19 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said means are in the form of granular ceramic material.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
29 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 30, wherein said granular, ceramic material is applied to adjacent surfaces of at least some of said sheet-metal layers by flame spraying.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
18 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said means are in the form of ceramic parts.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
19 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein said means are in the form of ceramic fiber mats.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
37 words
The catalyst carrier body according to claim 6, wherein the carrier body is disposed in a metal jacket tube, including ceramic plates brazed to the metal jacket tube for insulating said sheet-metal layers from the jacket tube.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-09-15 | 1996-03-16 | 1996-09-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-09-15 | 2000-03-16 | 2000-09-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-09-15 | 2004-03-16 | 2004-09-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |