Production of three-way catalytic converter (50 units

per day) for the reduction of pollutants generated from

internal combustion engines

Group Members:
Fahad Jamil (14PWCHE 0949)
Muhammad Bilal (14PWCHE 0916)
Basit Ali Khan (14PWCHE 0974)

Project advisor :
Dr. Naseer Ahmed Khan
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar
THREE WAY CATALYTIC
CONVERTER

2
 THE GENERAL BALANCE EQUATION

• A Balance on a conserved quantity may be written in the following general way:

Input – output + Generation – Consumption = Accumulation

• When the balance is on total mass balance, non-reactive system and steady state Process,

terms Generation = 0, Consumption = 0, and Accumulation = 0

• So the general balance can be modified and stated as only

3
Input = Output
 Water
tank

Water

Raw Hammer
Blender Dryer
Materials Crusher

Calcination
Unit Extrusion Washcoat
OVERALL
Fine Crusher
(Producing
Honey
Comb
Shape)
(sintering of
Washcoat) PROCESS
Screen Wet Cutting
Catalyst Metal
(sintering of
DIAGRAM:
Catalyst
metal)

Assembling Air Blown

Three-Way Cooler
Catalytic
Converter
4
 CRUSHER:

Basis 50 kg
Kaolin 10.87 kg Kaolin 10.87 kg
Talc 19.62 kg Talc 19.62 kg
Alumina 05.62 kg Alumina 05.62 kg
Al(OH)3 08.90 kg Al(OH)3 08.90 kg
Silica 04.99 kg Silica 04.99 kg

Raw Material =Amount in composition (wt%)

Kaolin, Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 = 21.74
Talc, raw, Mg3(Si2O5)2(OH)2 = 39.24 Size Range
Alumina, Al2O3 = 11.23 reduced by Hammer mill
Aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3 = 17.80 0.8mm – 3mm
Silica, SiO2 = 09.99

Ref: [Lachman, I., Bagley, R., & Lewis, R. (1981). Thermal expansion of extruded cordierite ceramics. Ceramic Bulletin, 60(2), 202-205.] 5
 CALCINATION UNIT:
• Heating and cooling cycles in the furnace were set at 5°C/ min before and after a 2-h dwell time.
• Reaction: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 + Mg3(Si2O5)2(OH)2 + Al2O3 + Al(OH)3 + SiO2→ Cordierite + Water↑

MgO 06.245 kg
crushed powder Calcined mixture
Al2O3 15.735 kg
50 kg 44.51 kg
SiO2 22.53 kg
H20 05.49 L

Raw Material =Amount in composition (wt%) Product of

Kaolin, Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 = 21.74 Stoichiometric composition
Talc, raw, Mg3(Si2O5)2(OH)2 = 39.24 MgO 12.49 %,
Temperature 1300-1350 °C
Alumina, Al2O3 = 11.23 Al2O3 31.47 %,
Aluminum hydroxide, Al(OH)3 = 17.80 SiO2 45.06 % 6
Silica, SiO2 = 09.99 H20 10.98 %

Ref: Gonzalez-Velasco,J.R., Gutierrez-Ortiz, M.A., Ferret, R.;Aranzabal, A., and Botas, J.A. Synthesis of cordierite monolithic honeycomb by solid state reaction of precursor oxides. Journal of Material. Science,34 (9), 1999.
 FINE GRINDING:
The calcined mixture is then comminuted to a fine particle size by any
conventional means, to further reduced to fine powder.
Milled with ceramic balls (Ø10 mm) in a ball mill for 60 minutes.

Size Reduced by
Calcined mixture Fine Powder
44.51 kg 44.51 kg
Ball Mill
75µm (200 mesh)

MgO 06.245 kg
Al2O3 15.735 kg
SiO2 22.530 kg

Ref: Awano, M., Takagi, H., Kuwahara, Y.,(1992) “Grinding Effects on the Synthesis and Sintering of Cordierite”, Journal of the American. Ceramic Society.75 [9], 2535-40.
 SCREENING:

Particle size of greater

and less than 75µm
(200 mesh) Particle size of 75µm
(200 mesh) and less than
75µm

Mixed size Uniform size

Calcined powder Calcined powder
44.51 kg 44.51 kg
8
 BLENDER:

Polyvinyl alcohol solution • Volume of PVA solution=5 L

5 liter PVOH = 0.25 kg
water = 4.75 Liter
• Density of PVOH solution=
1009.5 kg/m3
• m=ρV
• m= 1009.5*0.005
Calcined powder cordierite • m= 5.047kg
44.51 kg 49.56 kg

9
 EXTRUSION:

Honeycomb shape
Ceramic cordierite 49.56 kg/day
49.56 kg/day

Pressure 10,000 psi

10

Ref: U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,239 “Process for manufacturing Cordierite compositions”
 WET CUTTING:

Honeycomb shape
49.56 kg/day

0.4956 kg/unit *100 units/day

Diameter = 17mm
Length = 55mm

11
 DRYER:

0.045 L (Water)

0.4956 kg/unit 0.4506 kg/unit

Time 1 hr
Temperature 105°C

12
 SINTERING OF WASHCOAT:
The wash coat is 28.25% by weight alumina and 1.12% by weight cerium oxide are suspended in
70.63% by weight of water. The wash coat is 25% by weight of the cordierite substrate.

0.4506 kg/unit

Temperature 1200 °C 0.1126 kg/unit

0.5632 kg/unit 13

Ref:
 SINTERING OF CATALYST:

0.5632 kg/unit

Catalyst metal
Pt= 02*02 g
Temperature 1200 °C
Pd= 04.00 g
Rh= 03.70 g

0.5692 kg/unit (pt/pd)

0.5689 kg/unit (pt/rh) 14

Ref:
 AIR BLOWN COOLER:

0.5692 kg/unit (pt/pd) 0.5692 kg/unit (pt/pd)

0.5689 kg/unit (pt/rh) 0.5689 kg/unit (pt/rh)

Temperature 25°C

15
 METAL CASING & ASSEMBLING:

3.8650 kg (steel)
0.5692 kg (pt/pd) 5.0031 kg/cat
0.5689 kg (pt/rh)

16

Ref:
 OVERALL MATERIAL BALANCE:
Washcoat=0.1126*50 g
. Pt= 02*100 g
Pd= 04* 50 g Steel
Rh= 3.7*50 g 3.865 kg/unit* 50 unit/day

Raw material
50 kg Catalytic converter
50 units/day
Poly Vinyl alcohol
5 liter

Steam
{5.49 + (0.045*100)} L
17
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