What is light-off time in a catalytic converter?
The time period at which the catalyst becomes active is referred to as light-off time. The catalyst is said to be active for a particular volume emission when the conversion efficiency reaches 50%. At low temperatures, the efficiency of conventional catalytic converters declines very steeply.
What temperature do catalytic converters run at?
Typically, converter temperatures will not exceed 1200°F on a properly running engine. Periodic operation above 1600°F can negatively affect the precious metals coating on the substrate, reducing its efficiency.
Why is there a catalyst light-off strategy?
The strategy adopted in this work is to retard the ignition timing, so the exhaust gases leave the engine hotter, reducing the time to increase the catalyst temperature and, as a consequence, reducing the time to attain the light-off temperature.
What are the symptoms of a damaged catalytic converter?
Among the symptoms of a bad catalytic converter are:
- Sluggish engine performance.
- Reduced acceleration.
- Dark exhaust smoke.
- The smell of sulfur or rotten eggs from the exhaust.
- Excessive heat under the vehicle.
How long does it take for catalytic converter to warm up?
between one and two minutes
David DaCosta, president of the company, says: “It takes the catalytic converters on today’s cars between one and two minutes to reach ‘light-off temperature’, which is about 350 °C. Before they heat up, the exhaust and unburned fuel go right through.”
How do you check if my catalytic converter is clogged?
Reduced Acceleration Power You can use your hand to check the exhaust’s status to help you determine whether your catalytic converter is clogged. Place your hand at the tailpipe while someone is holding your vehicles’ rpm at around 1800 and 2000. If you feel a hot exhaust flow, the catalytic converter is clogged.
What is meant by light-off period?
When discussing combustion reactions, the term light-off temperature is commonly used to characterize this behavior. The catalyst light-off is the minimum temperature necessary to initiate the catalytic reaction. Due to the gradual increase of the reaction rate, the above definition is not very precise.
What does heated catalyst mean?
Heated Catalyst Temperature Below Threshold. What does OBD-II fault code P0424 mean? OBD-II Code Decreased engine performance is defined as a Heated Catalyst Temperature Below Threshold. The Catalytic Converter takes the exhaust gases left over by the combustion process and converts those gases to harmless emissions.
Do catalytic converters need to be hot to work?
Early types of catalytic converters typically took about 10–15 minutes to warm up, so they were completely ineffective for the first few kilometers/miles of a journey (or any part of a very short journey). Modern converters warm up in only 2–3 minutes; even so, significant emissions can still occur during this time.
What is light off temperature in catalytic conversion?
Catalytic conversion as function of temperature When discussing combustion reactions, the term light-off temperature is commonly used to characterize this behavior. The catalyst light-off is the minimum temperature necessary to initiate the catalytic reaction.
What causes a catalytic converter to light off?
The particular phenomenon considered in detail is light-off, when the temperature of the converter changes dramatically from cold to hot somewhere within the converter. The initial position of light-off and the subsequent movement of this steep jump in temperature toward the inlet of the converter are analyzed.
How hot should the back of the catalytic converter be?
The hotness of the back should be at least 75 degrees hotter than the front. If the front is hotter than the back, then it means the catalytic converter is controlled. For the regular range, immediately your vehicle is warmed up, the temperature on the surface of the catalytic converter should be like 275 front and 375-400 back.
What does the temperature sensor do on a catalytic converter?
Temperature sensors are utilized as a caution system, regularly on dual way catalytic converters. The sensor is strictly to caution when the hotness of the catalytic converter hotness rises far above the limit that is considered safe, which is 750 °C (1,380 °F).