I was wondering how electrically charging the NOX reducing and CO/HC monoliths of a 3-way catalytic converter would affect its efficiency.

First, electrically insulate the monoliths from each other and the rest of the car/truck/etc.

Second, put a negative charge to the reducing cat and a positive charge to the oxidizine cat (or is it the other way around? )

I figure, this would also act as an electrostatic precipitator, pulling soot out of the exhaust.

Don't use dead dinos for fuel:
let 'em rest in peace!

If you were to take anything out of the gas that is going thru the tail pipe and didn't have anywhere for it to go. It would buildup and then you would plug the pipe. Wouldn't you? Carbon in itself can't be made a gas at a low temp. I don't know anything about this to know for sure. Hence the questions. I guess I will have to look into it and find out as well.

Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?

I was hoping that the soot particles would adhere to the oxidizing monolith, which would instantly convert the particles into carbon dioxide.

Don't use dead dinos for fuel:
let 'em rest in peace!

Enola Straight, Haflok.
Couldn't you use a cyclone on the exhaust pipe to collect the carbon particulates. This system works very well at the other end of the engine. Cyclone dust extractors befor the air filter are commonplace on trucks. They only requier periodic emptying.
regards
dva

P.S. that should read DVA Member. I forgot to enter my password.

Yeah, but a catcon/electrostatic precipitator would be totally maintainence free...a completely transparent technology you don't even think about.

Don't use dead dinos for fuel:
let 'em rest in peace!

I suspect that the exhaust catalyst would not get hot enough to burn off the carbon build-up.

The guy who invented the cyclone vacuum cleaner came up with an exhaust particle trap for diesels. Apparently it worked fine, but the motor manufacturers ignored him.

VW and Peugeot are working on exhaust filters. Peugeot's design is used on some HDi engines. Every now and then the soot build-up is burnt off.

They dont use electrostatic precipitation, maybe because the conductive carbon particles would short out the high voltage charge. Also burning off the carbon from the precipitator plates/wires would probably burn the wires off.

Traps

I think I read somewhere that particulate filters deliberately trap the particles to obstruct exhaust gas flow. The idea being that the restriction increases the temp near the particles until they burn off.


Air Filters

quote:

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This system works very well at the other end of the engine. Cyclone dust extractors before the air filter are commonplace on trucks. They only require periodic emptying.

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Why do they need to collect the dust? Why not just dump it through an exhaust tube? Why are they uncommon on cars - induction noise? Or would it be because the carmakers want to sell air filter elements. I heard that they had problems with air filters clogging with sand on Challenger tanks, I wonder if they solved it by moving to Cyclone air filters.

Phill