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US 5,174,968 AGranted
Structure for electrically heatable catalytic core
AssigneeW. R. Grace & Co.-Conn.
InventorWilliam A. Whittenberger
Life of this patent
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AssigneeW. R. Grace & Co.-Conn.
InventorWilliam A. Whittenberger
Estimating the term…
There is provided an improved electrically heatable core for an electrically heatable catalytic converter. The core is characterized by corrugated thin metal strips and flat thin metal strips in alternating relation with each other and secured to an electrically conductive central core or tube. Alternating with the corrugated thin metal strips and the flat thin metal strips are areas of brazing metal in an axially staggered pattern. These strips are spirally wound and fused to braze them together in a unified monolith. A retainer shell is supplied to hold the monolith together. The core is placed in a housing fitted with insulated means for conducting electric current to the monolith to effect heating. The housing is then inserted in an exhaust line where it is effective to control start-up pollution, and where the monolith is constrained against telescoping.
An electrically heatable core for an electrically heatable catalytic comprising (a) a central electrically conductive post, (b) a monolith spirally wound about said central post including (1) a plurality of corrugated thin metal strips of substantially equal length secured to said central electrically conductive post, (2) a plurality of flat thin metal strips of substantially equal length and width to said corrugated thin metal strips also secured to said central electrically conductive post and being in alternating relation with said corrugated thin metal strips and (3) a plurality of fusible brazing areas, each said brazing areas being defined by a fusible brazing alloy strip having a width of from about 174 to 1/100 of the width of said corrugated and flat thin metal strips and a length substantially equal to the length of said corrugated and flat thin metals strips, said brazing areas being in alternating relation with said corrugated thin metal strips and said flat thin metal strips and in staggered relation with respect to a centrally located plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said central core, each of said fusible brazing strips begin thermally fused to a contiguous corrugated thin metal strip, and to a contiguous flat thin metal strips, respectively, and (c) a metallic retaining shell surrounding said spirally wound monolith.
An electrically heatable catalytic converter comprising (a) a housing, (b) an end cap at each end of said housing including a nipple adapted to accommodate an exhaust pipe, (c) an electrically heatable core comprising (I) a central electrically conductive post, (II) a monolith spirally wound about said central post including (1) a plurality of corrugated thin metal strips of substantially equal length secured to said central electrically conductive post, (2) a plurality of flat thin metal strips of substantially equal length and width to said corrugated thin metal strips also secured to said central electrically conductive post, said flat thin metal strips being in alternating relation with said corrugated thin metal strips and (3) a plurality of fusible brazing strips, having a width of from about 174 to 1/100 of the width of said corrugated and flat thin metal strips and a length substantially equal to the length of said corrugated and flat thin metal strips, said brazing areas being in alternating relation with said corrugated thin metal strips and said flat thin metal strips, respectively, and in staggered relation with respect to a centrally located plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said central electrically conductive core, said brazing strips being fused to the adjacent corrugated thin metal strips and to the alternate flat thin metals strips, (4) a refractory metal oxide coating on at least one surface of each of said corrugated thin metal strips and said flat thin metal strips, (5) a noble metal catalyst supported on said refractory metal oxide coating, and (III) a metal retaining shell surrounding said spirally wound monolith, (d) means for electrically insulating said electrically heatable core from said housing, and (e) means for supplying electrical power from a voltage source to said electrically heatable core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.