Catalyst Ageing

CATALYST AGEING

CATALYST AGEING AT CATAGEN

CATAGEN is a specialist in delivering aftertreatment testing and reproducible data to leading automotive brands. We have a proven track record of delivering Catalyst Ageing to over 20 leading auto manufacturers to help them reduce development time, costs, and emissions compliance.

Our unique OMEGA technology can reproducibly replicate engine flow rates, temperatures and gas compositions for the following configurations: Standard gasoline or diesel; Hybrid powertrains; E-Fuels, hydrogen combustion, biofuels, ethanol engines or natural gas engines.

TESTING AT CATAGEN

CATAGEN provides a range of tests including catalyst ageing for European, US and rest of world markets, industry leading characterisation performance tests and a knowledgebase advanced offering. We can tailor our services to your requirements and act as a partner to solve problems.

CATAGEN's OMEGA TECHNOLOGY

Replicating real world exhaust conditions in a patented recirculating gas reactor, CATAGEN translate vehicle to virtual providing full scale independent automotive emissions solutions through advanced physical and virtual simulation. CATAGEN is powered by 100% renewable energy. Using its sustainable OMEGA technology for catalyst ageing, displaces carbon from the atmosphere, compared with other catalyst ageing tests using fuel and emitting high levels of CO2.

WHY PARTNER WITH CATAGEN?

Our technology is unique because it allows us to test full aftertreatment systems with high levels of accuracy, repeatability and sub 2% reproducibility variance on thermal ageing catalyst to catalyst. Helping our partners meet emissions targets faster with higher accuracy and flexibility.

STANDARD BENCH CYCLE (SBC)

CATAGEN use the Standard Road Cycle (SRC) data that our partners supply to calculate the Bench Ageing Time (BAT) or we conduct the SBC at a prescribed time and temperature criteria on request of our partners.

Bench ageing carried out as per SBC specification:

40 second with stoichiometric bulk flow
5 second with rich bulk flow
10 second rich bulk flow with secondary air injection
5 second stoichiometric with secondary air injection
Flow rate at catalyst of 40g/s

SBC Gas Mix: CO, HC, O2, H2O, N2 used for inert balance

CATAGEN has developed its own precision diagnostic embedded in our test software, the CATAGEN Ageing Metric. It allows real time second tracking and monitoring of temperature, gas composition and flow rate throughout an ageing cycle giving us results that are repeatable to within 0.5%.

FUEL CUT (LEAN SPIKE) AGEING

Fuel cut ageing uses a combination of high temperature and lean conditions to age aftertreatment systems.

Catalyst temperature, fuel cut duration and frequency can be altered to match individual customer requirements.

The example below shows bench ageing carried out following lean spike protocol:

180 second stoichiometric – 10 second fuel cut

Flow Rate at catalyst of 40g/s

OBD (THRESHOLD) LIMIT

Current emissions legalisation requires OEMs to have fully tested On Board Diagnostic (OBD) systems. To test these systems OBD aged catalysts and sensors are essential.

CATAGEN uses a series of high temperature ageing techniques to age components to meet a customer’s individual OBD requirements across all sectors.

CUSTOM OEM CYCLES

With patented technology CATAGEN can use a series of control techniques to create new aftertreatment ageing cycles to match individual customer requirements.

Our technology allows accurate control of catalyst temperature, gas injection and flow rates to create a full range of custom transients. These control mechanisms allow for accurate, repeatable and reproducible ageing cycles.

R&D AGEING

Our aftertreatment ageing experience and toolset can be used to help customers develop and test new aftertreatment systems for a range of applications.

CATAGEN’s extensive toolset including the use of full-scale characterisation, ageing, poisoning and modelling capabilities alongside the ability to create a full range of transients makes us the ideal partner to help develop new products or product applications.

This paper will consider:

With developing motorcycle emissions legislation, OEMs are required to produce representative catalyst samples to test OBD system operation.
CATAGEN have developed a new method to age catalysts to required OBD limits.
The method uses a combination of kinetic modelling and different ageing techniques to age different samples to the required emissions level.
The paper outlines the steps of the process, highlighting several case studies.

Written by Liam McGrane, Senior Engineer