Laboratory Gas Test Bench
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To reach future emission goals, the usage of high efficient exhaust gas after treatment systems is indispensable. For the examination of the characterization of the single system components independent from the influencing variables (temperature, space-velocity, exhaust gas composition) the TME developed a laboratory gas test bench. Single catalyst samples (SCR, three-way catalyst, particle filter and other systems) can be examined and analyzed independently from the engine.
With precise mass flow controllers any exhaust gas composition (typically referring to Diesel or gasoline) can be dosed with the catalyst sample. The synthetic exhaust gas can be humidified with water vapor additionally. To provide a homogenous temperature profile over the catalyst the gas flow can be heated to up to 700°C using different heating systems. In order to analyze the reactions in the catalyst the reaction gas gets measured before and after the catalyst sample.
Besides the temperature and pressure measurements the latest analyzing measurement technology (Fourier transformation IR spectroscopy) is equipped to measure the temporal course of the gas concentrations. The test bench control and data acquisition are based on LabView.
For typical tasks (NH3, NOx conversion rates and light off temperatures) standardized evaluation methods and testing routines are available to validate the test results.
Furthermore test procedures and evaluation methods for new problems and exploratory focusses can be implemented fast and flexible.
Based on test programs generated by DoE it is possible to characterize the catalyst behavior depending on different influencing parameters with a simultaneous reduction of the testing effort.
With the synthetic gas test bench developed by the TME a highly scientific analysis tool for the development of exhaust gas after treatment systems of today and tomorrow is available.
To support another research area at TME, cathode filters of the fuel cells are also being investigated on the laboratory gas test bench. For this purpose, the filters are exposed to different air contaminants and the filter efficiencies are measured under different boundary conditions. This enables a high reproducibility of the measurement and a broader spectrum of air contaminants including ammonia, nitrogen oxides, liquid hydrocarbons as well as sulfur-containing components.