Technical Paper
Deterioration of Three-Way Automotive Catalysts, Part I - Steady State and Transient Emission of Aged Catalyst
1993-03-01
930937
Five field-aged catalysts with different mileages were analysed with respect to emission performance and structural changes. The FTP-75 emission results were compared to synthetic exhaust gas tests including: i) light-off, ii) lambda screening at stationary and oscillating stoichiometry, iii) space velocity variation. Several samples from different positions of one catalyst were used to achieve the spatially resolved activity profile for that catalyst. Surface characterisation was used to characterise accumulated catalyst poison. Laboratory space velocity test was concluded to be a sensitive probe for catalyst performance: good correlation to vehicle emission data was found. An analysis of the influence of temperature and λ oscillation on the catalyst conversion performance was made, with particular emphasis on the ageing effects.