Combination catalytic converter and heat exchanger that maintains a catalyst substrate within an efficient operating temperature range for emmisions reduction

A catalytic converter comprising:

• an exhaust emission inlet port allowing exhaust emissions to enter the catalytic converter;
• an exhaust emissions outlet port allowing the exhaust emissions to exit the catalytic converter;
• and
• a plurality of tubes aligned with the inlet port and the outlet port, each of the plurality of tubes being spaced from each other so that they are not in contact, each tube including a catalyst material formed on a catalyst substrate, wherein the plurality of tubes includes a plurality of different catalyst materials where at least two of the catalyst materials have different effective operating temperatures.

A method of converting exhaust emissions in a catalytic converter, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of tubes including a catalyst material formed on a substrate, each of said tubes being spaced apart from each other, wherein the step of providing the plurality of tubes includes providing the plurality of tubes with more than one catalyst material where each catalyst material includes a different effective operating temperature;
• directing the exhaust emissions into the catalytic converter and through the plurality of tubes;
• and
• directing a cooling fluid around the plurality of tubes within the catalytic converter to cool the catalyst material within the plurality of tubes.

A catalytic conversion system for removing pollutants from exhaust emissions generated by an engine, said conversion system comprising:

• a plurality of catalytic converters, each of the catalytic converters including
• an exhaust emissions inlet port allowing exhaust emissions to enter the catalytic converter;
• an exhaust emissions outlet port allowing the exhaust emissions to exit the catalytic converter;
• a plurality of tubes aligned with the inlet port and the outlet port, each of said tubes including a catalyst material formed on a substrate such that the exhaust emissions pass through the tubes and contact the catalyst material when travelling from the inlet port to the outlet port;
• and
• a heat exchange system, said heat exchange system causing a cooling fluid to flow around the plurality of tubes so as to cool the catalyst material within the tubes.

A catalytic conversion system for removing pollutants from exhaust emissions generated by an engine, said conversion system including a catalytic converter, said system comprising:

• an exhaust emissions inlet port allowing exhaust emissions to enter the catalytic converter;
• an exhaust emissions outlet port allowing the exhaust emissions to exit the catalytic converter;
• a plurality of tubes aligned with the inlet port and the outlet port, each of said tubes including a catalyst material formed on a substrate such that the exhaust emissions pass through the tubes and contact the catalyst material when travelling from the inlet port to the outlet port;
• and
• a heat exchange system, said heat exchange system causing a cooling fluid to flow around the plurality of tubes so as to cool the catalyst material within the tubes, said heat exchange system including a heating element to heat the exhaust emissions within the catalytic converter.

A catalytic converter comprising:

• an exhaust emission inlet port allowing exhaust emissions to enter the catalytic converter;
• an exhaust emissions outlet port allowing the exhaust emissions to exit the catalytic converter;
• and
• a plurality of tubes aligned with the inlet port and the outlet port, each of the plurality of tubes being spaced from each other so that they are not in contact, each tube including a catalyst material formed on a catalyst substrate, wherein a first group of the plurality of tubes includes a first catalyst material and a second group of the plurality of tubes includes a second catalyst material.

A catalytic converter comprising:

• an exhaust emission inlet port allowing exhaust emissions to enter the catalytic converter;
• an exhaust emissions outlet port allowing the exhaust emissions to exit the catalytic converter;
• and
• a plurality of tubes aligned with the inlet port and the outlet port, each of the plurality of tubes being spaced from each other so that they are not in contact, each tube including a catalyst material formed on a catalyst substrate, wherein some of the plurality of tubes includes a first catalyst material for a predetermined length of the tube nearest the inlet port and a second catalyst material for the remaining length of the tube nearest the outlet port.