Kinetic Modelling in Automotive Catalysis

There are no general accepted models for CO and HC oxidation and NO _x reduction in automotive catalysis. Many factors affect the observed kinetics e.g. the catalyst preparation method and conditioning, the composition of the exhaust gases, mass and heat transfer, and all the reaction conditions that the catalyst has been exposed to prior to an experiment. However, most experiments are done under idealized conditions with a fresh catalyst and without water, SO₂, etc. Simple models will only describe the individual experiments and more complex models require determination of the parameters from independent measurements under realistic conditions. The kinetic models available in the literature are only reliable for the exact catalyst and reaction conditions for which they have been developed.