Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) for Optimization of Catalytic Converter Design to Improve Under-hood Thermal Management 2019-01-1263

The Catalytic Converter is part of the exhaust system that emits significant heat to the surrounding components. With increasing need for tight under-hood spaces it is very critical to manage the heat emitted by the catalytic converter and exhaust pipes in order to provide adequate thermal protection to surrounding components. The exhaust surface temperature is simulated as a function of time to account for transient effect. The simulation also considers various duty cycles such as road load, city traffic and grade driving conditions. To control the heat output of the exhaust system to the surrounding components, different heat shields and insulation materials have been considered. In this paper, analysis approach using Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) has been applied in order to determine a robust design that meets all objectives of under-hood thermal protection. This paper addresses the development of transient simulation of catalytic converter surface temperature and the implementation of the DFSS approach. The combination of control factors and noise factors are used to develop a set of simulation runs that are used to determine a robust design which is insensitive to variations at the least possible cost.