Warm up of an automotive catalyst substrate by pulsating flow: a single channel modelling approach

Abstract Rapid warm up of an automotive catalyst substrate is important for early light off. This work considers the results from a model of warm up in a single channel. The mass flow is pulsating with high amplitude, about 75% of mean flow, but without flow reversal. The flow regime is laminar within the channel. Pulsations occur with frequency in the range 16–100 Hz, and are important in close-coupled systems where the catalyst is located near to the engine and where the rate of rise of gas inlet temperature with time is rapid, about 15 K/s. The use of a single channel model with conjugate heat transfer enables the heat transfer coefficient to be evaluated and compared with results from steady flow simulations. The value of the augmentation factor based on heat flux is found to be less than unity. The value of the augmentation factor based on heat transfer coefficient depends on the method for calculating the mean heat transfer coefficient, but is generally less than unity. The changes caused by pulsations will be small in practical systems. Changes in wall temperature found in the simulations are the result of the cumulative effect of changes in the mass flow rate.