Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Justin Anthony Ura

Joseph Robert Theis

Christian Thomas Goralski, Jr

Gopichandra Surnilla

Christine Kay Lambert

Giovanni Cavataio

Hungwen Jen

Shane Elwart

Jeffrey Scott Hepburn

Robert Walter McCabe

Douglas Allen Dobson

Lifeng Xu

Gang Guo

A hydrocarbon and NOx catalyst trap includes a three-way catalyst, and a zeolite layer adjacent to the three-way catalyst and including alumina and silica arranged to form a repeating skeletal frame that defines cavities including active metal active sites for hydrocarbon and NOx trapping such that individual atoms of the active metal are bound to the frame within the cavities via oxygen atoms.

Hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxides catalyst trap

Methods and systems are provided for reducing engine cold-start emissions. An exhaust system having a passive NOx adsorber (PNA) may store NOx during an engine cold-start until conditions are optimal for release of the stored NOx to a downstream SCR catalyst. Based on PNA conditions, including a NOx load and a PNA bed temperature, adjustments to EGR rate and/or injection timing may be made to achieve a catalytically favorable ratio of NOx species upstream of the SCR catalyst, after the SCR catalyst has reached its light-off temperature.

Method of controlling NOx by PNA

A selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst includes a support layer. A copper-loaded chabazite (Cu/CHA) layer is supported on the support layer. A copper-loaded beta zeolite (Cu/beta) is supported on the Cu/CHA layer. The Cu/beta may be hydrothermally pre-aged prior to use of the SCR catalyst in a vehicle. The pre-aged Cu/beta is essentially free of phosphorous (P), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), CaSO, CaZn(PO), CaZn(PO), ash, and/or soot.

Selective catalytic reduction catalyst

An emission control system is provided. The emission control system includes an oxidation catalyst having a precious metal loading of less than 100 grams (g)/cubic foot (ft) and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) component positioned downstream of the oxidation catalyst operated between 150&#xb0; C. and 300&#xb0; C. during engine operation to reduce the formation of NO in the selective-catalytic reduction component.

Emission control system including an oxidation catalyst and selective catalytic reduction catalyst

The present invention provides a thermally stable catalyst for treating automobile exhaust by-products is provided. The catalyst of the invention comprises a first section that includes a precious metal present in a first concentration and a second section that includes a precious metal present in a second concentration. The catalyst of the invention is characterized by a unique precious metal concentration profile in which the first concentration of the precious metal is lower than the second concentration of the precious metal. When placed with an automobile exhaust system, the second section is positioned downstream of the first section. The present invention also provides a lean NOtrap utilizing the unique precious metal concentration profile. The NOtrap is found to possess improved NOconversion performance relative to a NOtrap with the same total amount of precious metal deposited uniformly over the volume of the trap.

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The invention, in at least one embodiment, relates to a reverse platinum group metal zoned lean NOtrap system included in a vehicle and its method of use. One embodiment of the trap system is in a vehicle exhaust system operable during lean and rich periods. The trap system may include a first trap having a first substrate supporting a quantity of platinum and a second trap, positioned downstream of the first trap, and having a second substrate supporting a quantity of platinum and a quantity of rhodium. The total loading of platinum plus rhodium on the second trap is greater than or equal to the platinum on the first trap. In at least one embodiment, the second trap has a higher overall NOconversion at a low temperature and the first trap has a higher overall NOconversion at a high temperature.

A mechanical apparatus including a combustion engine, a conduit for transporting an exhaust stream away from the engine, a first catalytic NOstorage and conversion region disposed along the conduit, and a second catalytic NOstorage and conversion region disposed along the conduit at a location downstream from the first catalytic NOstorage and conversion region is disclosed. Each of the first catalytic NOstorage and conversion region and the second catalytic NOstorage and conversion region includes at least one catalytic metal configured to convert NOto NOwhen the engine is supplied a lean air/fuel mixture, and at least one NOadsorbing compound configured to adsorb NOfor storage when the engine is supplied a lean air/fuel mixture, and wherein the one of the first and the second catalytic NOstorage and conversion regions has a lower concentration of catalytic metal than the other of the first and second catalytic NOstorage and conversion regions.

A method of desulfating a catalytic NOstorage and conversion device is disclosed, wherein the method includes determining an amount of sulfur stored in the catalytic NOstorage and conversion device; determining an interval for exposing the catalytic NOstorage and conversion device to a rich exhaust stream based upon the determined amount of sulfur stored, wherein the interval is longer for lower amounts of sulfur stored and shorter for higher amounts of sulfur stored; and exposing the catalytic NOstorage and conversion device to the rich exhaust stream for the determined interval.

The present invention provides a catalyst for use in a NOtrap that has reduced NOrelease during rich purges, increased NO conversion efficiency under stoichiometric conditions, and improved sulfur tolerance. The catalyst of this embodiment includes a precious metal, an oxygen storage component in contact with the precious metal, and a NOstorage material. The oxygen storage component in contact with the precious metal is present in an amount that provides sufficient oxygen storage capacity to reduce the NOrelease from the NOtrap during rich purges to less than 20% of the NOthat is stored in the NOtrap across the operating temperature window of the NOtrap, increase the NOconversion efficiency under stoichiometric conditions to a value greater than 70%, and increase the sulfur tolerance of the NOtrap.

A method is described for controlling lean and rich operation of an internal combustion engine coupled to a lean NOx trap. In one example, the termination of the lean air-fuel mixture is based on an oxygen storage capacity and temperature of the NOx trap. In another example, the level and duration of rich air-fuel ratio purging operation is also controlled based on the oxygen storage capacity of the NOx trap.

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Livonia, MI, United States of America

Justin Anthony Ura