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Control of N2O emissions is a significant challenge for manufacturers of HDD On-Road engines and vehicles due to requirements for NOx control and Green House Gas (GHG) Phases I & II requirements. OEMs continually strive to improve BSFE which often results in increased engine out NOx (EO NOx) emissions. Consequently, the necessity for higher NOx conversions results in increased N2O emissions over traditional SCR and SCR+ASC catalysts systems [1]. This study explores methods to improve NOx conversion while reducing the SCR contribution of N2O across the exhaust after treatment systems. For example, combinations of two traditional SCR catalysts, one Iron based and another Copper based, can be utilized at various proportions by volume to optimize their SCR efficiency while minimizing the N2O emissions. Results show that a proper combination of catalysts volume can significantly reduce N2O levels while simultaneously reaching the highest levels of NOx performance achieved in the study.

A production calibrated GTDI 1.6L Ford Fusion was used to demonstrate low HC, CO, NOx, PM (particulate mass), and PN (particulate number) emissions using advanced catalyst technologies with newly developed high porosity substrates and coated GPFs (gasoline particulate filters). The exhaust system consisted of 1.2 liters of TWC (three way catalyst) in the close-coupled position, and 1.6L of coated GPF in the underfloor position. The catalysts were engine-aged on a dynamometer to simulate 150K miles of road aging. Results indicate that ULEV70 emissions can be achieved at ∼$40 of PGM, while also demonstrating PM tailpipe performance far below the proposed California Air Resources Board (CARB) LEV III limit of 1 mg/mi. Along with PM and PN analysis, exhaust system backpressure is also presented with various GPF designs.

Proposed LEV-III emission level will require improvements in NMOG, CO and NOx emissions as measured over FTP and US06 emission cycles. Incremental improvements in washcoat technologies, cold start calibration and catalyst system design are required to develop a cost effective solution set. New catalyst technologies demonstrated both lower HC and NOx emissions with 25% less platinum group metals (PGM). FTP and US06 emissions were measured on a 4-cylinder 2.4L application which compares a close-coupled converter and close-coupled + underfloor converter systems. A PGM placement study was performed with the close-coupled converter system employing these new catalyst technologies. Emissions results suggest that the placement of PGM is critical in minimizing emissions and PGM costs.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have finalized regulation that will reduce greenhouse gases and increase fuel economy for model year (MY) 2012-2016 light-duty vehicles. This ruling not only includes a CO₂ standard that will require vehicles to achieve fleet average 35 mpg by MY 2016, but will apply a cap on nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane emissions to 10 and 30 mg/mile, respectively, however CO₂ emission reductions can be exchanged for either N₂O or methane credit. The work outlined investigates the N₂O emissions of a variety of low emission vehicles per the Federal Test Procedure (FTP). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to measure both bag and modal N₂O emissions. N₂O emissions were less than 1 mg/mile for three SULEV vehicles with 6,400 km-aged catalysts.

Future LEV-III tailpipe (TP) emission regulations pose an enormous challenge forcing the fleet average of light-duty vehicles produced in the 2025 model year to perform at the super ultralow emission vehicle (SULEV-30) certification levels (versus less than 20% produced today). To achieve SULEV-30, regulated TP emissions of non-methane organic gas (NMOG) hydrocarbons (HCs) and oxygenates plus oxides of nitrogen (NOx) must be below a combined 30 mg/mi (18.6 mg/km) standard as measured on the federal emissions certification cycle (FTP-75). However, when flex-fuel vehicles use E85 fuel instead of gasoline, NMOG emissions at cold start are nearly doubled, before the catalytic converter is active. Passive HC traps (HCTs) are a potential solution to reduce TP NMOG emissions. The conventional HCT design was modified by changing the zeolite chemistry so as to improve HC retention coupled with more efficient combustion during the desorption phase.

In the development of HC traps (HCT) for reducing vehicle cold start hydrocarbon (HC)/nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, zeolite-based adsorbent materials were studied as key components for the capture and release of the main gasoline-type HC/NOx species in the vehicle exhaust gas. Typical zeolite materials capture and release certain HC and NOx species at low temperatures (<200°C), which is lower than the light-off temperature of a typical three-way catalyst (TWC) (≥250°C). Therefore, a zeolite alone is not effective in enhancing cold start HC/NOx emission control. We have found that a small amount of Pd (<0.5 wt%) dispersed in the zeolite (i.e., BEA) can significantly increase the conversion efficiency of certain HC/NOx species by increasing their release temperature. Pd was also found to modify the adsorption process from pure physisorption to chemisorption and may have played a role in the transformation of the adsorbed HCs to higher molecular weight species.

Passive in-line catalyzed hydrocarbon (HC) traps have been used by some manufacturers in the automotive industry to reduce regulated tailpipe (TP) emissions of non-methane organic gas (NMOG) during engine cold-start conditions. However, most NMOG molecules produced during gasoline combustion are only weakly adsorbed via physisorption onto the zeolites typically used in a HC trap. As a consequence, NMOG desorption occurs at low temperatures resulting in the use of very high platinum group metal (PGM) loadings in an effort to combust NMOG before it escapes from a HC trap. In the current study, a 2.0 L direct-injection (DI) Ford Focus running on gasoline fuel was evaluated with full useful life aftertreatment where the underbody converter was either a three-way catalyst (TWC) or a HC trap. A new HC trap technology developed by Ford and Umicore demonstrated reduced TP NMOG emissions of 50% over the TWC-only system without any increase in oxides of oxygen (NOx) emissions.

Higher fuel costs and lower greenhouse gas standards, especially CO2, have compelled vehicle manufacturers to downsize engines while simultaneously using turbochargers on more of their applications. The application of turbochargers improves fuel economy as well as torque and power. However, this also results in lower exhaust temperatures which can challenge the ability of three-way catalysts to achieve low emission levels. This work investigates and compares the catalyst heat-up strategies, hardware, and catalyst architecture of four turbocharged 4-cylinder vehicles: a 2010 VW 2.0L DI, a 2013 Chevy Malibu 2.0L DI, a 2013 Ford Fusion 1.6L DI, and a 2013 Dodge Dart 1.4L Multi-Air. In addition, three emission studies are presented. One study will show a strategy to reduce PGM concentrations in a close-coupled (CC) catalyst.

Significant reduction in Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions will be required to meet LEV III Emissions Standards for Light Duty Diesel passenger vehicles (LDD). As such, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are exploring all possible aftertreatment options to find the best balance between performance, robustness and cost. The primary technology adopted by OEMs in North America to achieve low NOx levels is Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst. The critical parameters needed for SCR to work properly are: an appropriate reductant such as ammonia (NH3) typically provided as urea, adequate operating temperatures, and optimum Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) to NOx ratios (NO2/NOx). The NO2/NOx ratio is mostly influenced by Precious Group Metals (PGM) containing catalysts located upstream of the SCR catalyst. Different versions of zeolite based SCR technologies are available on the market today and these vary in their active metal type (iron, copper, vanadium), and/or zeolite type.

Federal Test Procedure (FTP) emissions were measured on a 2009 4 cylinder 2.4L Malibu PZEV vehicle with 10 and 30ppm sulfur fuel while varying the PGM (Platinum Group Metals) of the close-coupled and underfloor converters. Base CARB PH-III certification fuel was used. Three consecutive FTPs were used to measure the impact of fuel sulfur and catalyst PGM loading combinations. In general, reducing fuel sulfur and increasing catalyst PGM loadings, decrease FTP emissions. Increasing Pd concentrations can mitigate the impact of higher fuel sulfur concentrations. The results also suggest that a 50% reduction in PGM can be achieved with a reduction in fuel sulfur from 30 to 10 ppm. On average, NMHC, CO and NOx emissions were reduced by 12, 49 and 64%, respectively with the 10 ppm sulfur fuel. In addition, HC and NOx vehicle emission variability were reduced by 74 and 57% with the 10 ppm sulfur fuel.

To enable better matching of Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) properties to aftertreatment system and application requirements, a systematic evaluation of the effects of sulfur poisoning and desulfation was undertaken on a number of Heavy Duty DOC formulations at representative Platinum Group Metal (PGM) loadings. Uniformly coated DOCs having PGM ratios from 1/0 Pt/Pd to 0/1 Pt/Pd with commercial HDD DOC washcoats were evaluated on a Tier 3 Non-Road engine. In addition, a new DOC formulation intended for reduced sulfur sensitivity, a DOC containing zeolite for hydrocarbon (HC) adsorption, and a layered DOC containing both high and low Pt/Pd ratio layers were compared. Two levels of PGM loading were included for three of the uniform sample formulations.

The ceramic wall-flow filter has now been globally commercialized for aftertreatment systems in light-duty gasoline engine powered vehicles. This technology, known as the gasoline particulate filter (GPF), represents a durable solution for particulate emissions control. The goal of this study was to track the evolution of tailpipe particulate and gaseous emissions of a 4-cylinder gasoline turbocharged direct injected (GTDI) 2018 North American (NA) mild-hybrid light-duty SUV, from a fresh state to the 4,000-mile, EPA certification mileage level. For this purpose, a production TWC + GPF aftertreatment system designed for a China 6b-compliant variant of this test vehicle was retrofitted in place of the North American Tier 3 Bin 85 TWC-only system. Chassis dyno emissions testing was performed at predetermined mileage points with real-world, on-road driving conducted for the necessary mileage accumulation.

A 1.0 L underfloor converter of a 1.4 L PZEV calibrated vehicle was replaced with a 1.26 L HC trap and a 1.26 L SCR catalyst. The HC trap consisted of a zeolitic storage layer beneath a three-way catalyst layer. A newly developed catalyzed HC trap technology containing Pd/Rh was used in the current study. Increased trapping efficiency and conversion was assigned to rapid and efficient polymerization of small alkenes and aromatics coupled with more efficient combustion before release. The new trap features include the presence of strong Brønsted acidity, precious metals such as Pd and a base Mn+ redox active metal. The HC trap was followed by an SCR catalyst for NOx clean-up. The production close-coupled catalyst and replacement underfloor catalysts (HC trap and SCR) were aged on a combination of rural and highway roads for 150,000 miles. Peak bed temperatures during road aging of the HC Trap and SCR catalyst were approximately 600 °C.