Development of Novel Composite Coatings for Emissions Catalyst Performance Improvement

复合陶瓷涂层薄膜可以应用于标准的发动机材料，以影响传热性能，从而影响内部和外部表面温度。这些变化的程度或传热特性可以通过调整涂层配方来改变，这是工业合作伙伴Fireball一直在研究的一项技术。柴油发动机的新法规要求采用新的催化转化器技术。这些催化剂需要的废气温度通常高于普通驾驶条件下柴油乘用车所遇到的温度。为了保持催化剂的效率，可以通过提高发动机的温度来加热废气，但显然要付出燃油代价。薄膜涂层可以通过减少管道向环境的热量传递来减少或消除这种燃料成本。这样的涂层将需要优化传热最小化，但也能够在腐蚀性废气环境中保持其完整性。需要对其完整性进行研究，并将研究结果用于优化涂层配方。此外，传热的减少需要量化，通过测量废气温度的升高和催化剂效率的提高作为温度升高的函数也被测量，以了解对减排性能和减少燃油罚款的影响程度。因此，目标包括废气条件下的配方测试，测量作为涂层配方函数的废气温度，以及与涂层应用相关的催化剂效率提高和燃料惩罚减少的程度。如果得到验证，这项技术可以应用于柴油发动机的排气管，这将大大增加行业合作伙伴的客户群和就业潜力。

Thin films of composite ceramic coating can be applied to standard engine materials to affect the heat transfer properties and therefore internal and external surface temperatures. The extent of these changes, or heat transfer characteristics, can be changed by adapting the coating formulation, which is a technology Fireball, the industrial partner, has been studying. New regulations for diesel engines require new catalytic converter technology to be applied. These catalysts require exhaust gas temperatures typically higher than those encountered in passenger diesel vehicles under normal driving conditions. In order to maintain catalyst efficiencies, the exhaust gas can be heated by running the engine hotter, but obviously at a fuel penalty cost. Thin film coatings could be a solution to minimize or eliminate this fuel cost, by decreasing the heat transfer through the pipe to the environment. Such coatings would need to be optimized for heat transfer minimization, but also be able to maintain its integrity in the corrosive exhaust gas environment. The integrity needs to be studied and findings used to optimize the coating formulation. Furthermore, the decrease in heat transfer needs to be quantified, with the increase in exhaust gas temperature measured and the improvement in catalyst efficiency as a function of that temperature increase also measured in order to understand the extent of the effect on emissions reduction performance and decreased fuel penalties. The objectives therefore include formulation testing under exhaust gas conditions, measuring exhaust gas temperatures as a function of coating formulation, and extent of catalyst efficiency improvement and fuel penalty decrease associated with the coating application. If proven, this technology can be applied on exhaust pipes for diesel engine applications, representing a very significant increase in the industry partner's customer base and employment potential.