Variable capacity catalytic converter
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorMelvin H. Wagner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A variable capacity catalytic converter for control of noxious exhaust emissions from combustion engines consists of a plurality of interchangeable parts or modules each having a male portion and a female portion, which can be assembled in an additive way to provide the capability of producing a range of sizes of catalytic converters having varying volumes of catalyst while utilizing identical sets of components. Depending upon the engine requirements with which the converter is to be used, different numbers of modules can be assembled by stacking. An inward projection on an end cap of each module helps maintain a turbulent flow of gases through the device to produce uniform flow through all of the catalyst beds.
Claims11
A catalytic converter comprising a housing inlet and outlet tubes attached to said housing, and a plurality of identical, radial flow catalyst containing modules positioned axially within said housing, each of said modules having inner and outer perforated catalyst retaining screen portions and complementary, male and female, upstream and downstream end cap portions connecting said screen portions and serving to retain a stack of said modules in axial alignment when pressure is applied by said housing to the ends of the stack;
- spacer means carried by said housing for supporting said stack of modules against radial movement toward the side wall portions of the housing while permitting axial movement;
- turbulence inducing means extending radially from at least one of said screen portions on each of said modules into an axially extending inlet gas chamber which is closed at its downstream end while being defined along the major portion of its length by a screen portion on each of said modules;
- and releasable fastening means for holding at least two axially adjacent portions of said housing in sealed relationship with each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.