Catalytic Converters :: essays research papers fc

IntroductionCatalytic converters are an integral get off the ground of converting much of the pollution that comes out of a cars play out. around every car since the year 1970 has come with a catalytic converter in order to reduce harmful emissions. I chose to explain the use and chemistry behind the catalytic converter because I have an kindle in cars and I wanted to know more than about them. oscilloscopeIn order to go through how catalytic converters work, one must understand that air and fuel burn in a cars engine best at a specific ratio. The ratio for gas burning vehicles is approximately 14.7 pounds of air to one pound of gasoline. When there is more than 14.7 pounds of air for each pound of gas, the mixture is running lean. When the opposite occurs, pith less that 14.7 pounds of air for each pound of gas, the mixture is rich.The exhaust from the fire in a cars engine is comprised of six main ingredients. normality gas, degree centigrade dioxide, and water vapor a re three of the main emissions. These gases do non cause damage to the atmosphere like the separate gases do. Carbon Monoxide, other hydrocarbons, and Nitrogen Oxides result in a majority of the pollution caused by cars. Carbon Monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can cleanup you if too much is inhaled. Hydrocarbons come out of an engines exhaust from unburned fuel. These hydrocarbons can be broken down by the sun, creating ground direct ozone, also known as smog. Nitrogen oxides can cause deadly rain. Catalytic converters are designed to reduce these last three emissions. How it workingMost new cars are equipped with what is called a three-way catalytic converter. They are called this because they try to cut down on the Carbon Monoxide, hydrocarbons, and Nitrogen Oxides. There are two main parts to the catalytic converter. They two function in the same way but remove opposite pollutants. The structure inside the catalytic converter is a honeycomb to yield for a ma ximum surface area for the reactions to occur while requiring negligible amounts of the catalysts required for the reactions to take place because these catalysts are expensive. Reduction CatalystThe simplification catalyst is the first step that the exhaust goes through in the catalytic converter. The catalysts used in this part are platinum and rhodium to buffer now NO and NO2 molecules in to N2 and O2 gases which are non-polluting.