EPA-AA-TAEB 72-26
EVALUATION OF THE OWENS-ILLINOIS
TOROIDAL CERAMIC REACTOR
June 1972
Henry L. Gompf
Test and Evaluation Branch
Environmental Protection Agency
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Background.
Representatives of Owens-Illinois, Inc. contacted the
Test and Evaluation Branch to.request a brief evaluation of
a vehicle equipped with ceramic toroidal reactors of their
design. As reactors of this type will be evaluated in the
studies being conducted by NASA on ceramic reactors, a test
program was initiated.
System Description
.<
Owens-Illinois supplied a 1971 full-size Chevrolet station
wagon for the EPA testing. This vehicle was equipped with a
350 CID engine, automatic transmission, and two-barrel carburetor,
Headers from the exhaust ports carried exhaust gases directly
to the toroidal reactors on either side of the engine. The
volume of each reactor was less than one-half cubic foot.
Ceramic material was used in the reactor. An air pump
was employed to supply secondary air to the reactors for
oxidizing air. The vehicle's carburetion was modified resulting
in an extremely rich air-fuel mixture.
Test Program
The vehicle was tested once according to the 1975 FTP as
described in the July 2, 1970, Federal Register.
A two-bag hot start 1972 Federal test was run immediately
following the 1975 test with the secondary air diverted away
from the manifold reactors.
While exhibiting reasonably low hydrocarbon and oxides of
nitrogen, the reactors do not exhibit good carbon monoxide
control. Apparent from the extremely high carbon monoxide value
when the secondary air was diverted from the reactors, the
vehicle was operating extremely rich. Analytically, fuel con-
sumption for the vehicle was 7.7 miles per gallon.
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Test Results
The following table shows the results of testing at
EPA.
Emission Results
1975 FTP
(All results in grams per mile)
HC CO C02 NOx
0.50 21.3 1097.8 0.76
Hot 1972 FTP
(With secondary air)
ur> rrt nr\
iisj OW \^Wn
0.40 12.9 1061.5 0.72
Hot 1972 FTP
(Without secondary air)
HC C£ C02 NOx
8.97 >150* 480.9 0.59
* (A carbon balance indicates that this carbon monoxide value
is approximately 380 grams per mile)
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Conclusions
1. Reactor warm-up should be improved. The use of insulation
on the headers to reactor is well as on the reactor itself could
improve this characteristic.
2. The extremely rich mixture resulted in excessive carbon
monoxide. Optimization of emission control should be investigated
at leaner mixture settings.
3. As the reactor is not immediately effective at cold start,
leaner choke operation or shorter choke duration is indicated.
4. As leaner operation is investigated further, oxides of
nitrogen control, perhaps EGR, may be indicated.
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