Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
5
6
4
3
2
The Oxygen sensor plug is a system device that sends information to the
computer engine about how much oxygen had left the combustion engine
and the amount of oxygen exiting from the catalytic converter (K. Nice
and C. Bryant, page.4)
II.
Image (3): Stages of gases travelling from combustion chamber to the exhaust
system.
http://www.daviddarling.info/images2/catalytic_converter.jpg
1. Reduction catalyst:
(See image 2.A)
The first phase that the toxic gases encounter is the reduction catalyst. It is
composed of platinum and rhodium (precious metals) that reacts to and
reduces the nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2) at high temperatures, producing
oxygen gas (O2) and nitrogen (N2) gas.
The mentioned reactions are:
2NO (g) N2 (g) + O2 (g)
2NO2 (g) N2 (g) + 2O2 (g)
(K. Nice and C. Bryant, page.3)
2. Oxidization catalyst:
(See image 2.B)
The gases will flow to the next stage where they encounter the oxidization
catalyst. It is composed of platinum and palladium (precious metals) that
reacts to and oxidizes hydrocarbons gases (HC) and carbon monoxide gas
(CO) at high temperatures, producing water vapor (H2O) and carbon
dioxide gas (CO2).
The mentioned reactions are:
2CO (g) + O2 (g) 2CO2 (g)
CxHx (g) + xO2(g) xCO2 (g) + XH2O(g)
(K. Nice and C. Bryant, page.3)
III.
Conclusion:
The catalytic converter is composed of multiple parts that operate in a uniform manner.
Utilizing the design of the catalytic converter by using catalysts and precious metals to
easily convert lethal gases into less harmful gases in milliseconds. Undeniably, the
catalytic converter is a vital component in every combustion vehicle, preventing
hazardous toxic gases from polluting the air we breathe.
Reference
Csere, C. (January 1988). 10 Best Engineering Breakthroughs. Car and Driver 33 (7): 63.
Nice, K. & Bryant, C. (November 2000). How Catalytic Converters Work.
HowStuffWorks. Retrieved from:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-converter2.htm
Petrucci, R. H., Harwood W. S., & Herring G. E. (2006) General Chemistry: Principles
and Modern Applications. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.