INTRODUCTION

A fuel is a combustible substance, mainly containing carbon and

hydrogen, which on combustion gives large amount of heat energy. During
the combustion process of a fuel, carbon, hydrogen atoms, etc., combine
with oxygen with the liberation of heat energy.
C + O2 
 CO2 + 94 k cals.
2H2 + O2 
 2H2O + 68.5 k cals.
The main source of fuel is coal and crude (petroleum) oil. These are
fossil fuels stored in earth's crust and they were formed from fossilised
remains of plant and animal matters.
CHARACTERISTICS FOR GOOD FUEL
 High calorific value.
 Moderate ignition temperature.
 Low moisture content.
 Low contents of non-combustible matters.
 Combustion should be controllable.
 Easy to transport and readily available at low cost.

Solid Liquid Gas Solid Liquid Gas

I SOLID FUELS
COAL
Coal is the primary solid fuel that has been formed as a result of anaerobic
destructive distillation of vegetable and animal matter. Coal is also known
as the “black gold” because it is indispensable part of the energy resource in
every industry either directly or indirectly. It is major source for electricity
generation across the globe and also an excellent reducing agent. Many
forms of coal are:
Peat - It is considered to be a precursor of coal and is used a fuel in some
industries. Dehydrated form of peat is an effective absorbent for fuel and oil
spills on land and water.
Lignite or brown coal - It is the lowest rank of coal and is used exclusively
as a boiler fuel electricity generation.
Sub-bituminous coal - Its properties range between lignite and bituminous
coal. It is mostly used as a fuel for steam-electric power generation and is an
important source of low molecular weight aromatic hydrocarbons for the
synthesis of chemicals in industry.
Bituminous coal –It is dense black or dark brown sedimentary rock. It is
used primarily as a boiler fuel in steam-electric power generation and as the
source of heat energy in manufacturing industries. It is also used to make
coke.
Anthracite - It is the highest rank of coal. It is a harder, glossy and black
material mostly used for residential and commercial space heating.
Bituminous and sub-bituminous coal are commonly used in Indian
industry. Coals are divided into various grades (Table 8.1) based on its
calorific value.
ANALYSIS OF COAL
Ultimate analysis and proximate analysis are the two methods of
analysis of coal. In the ultimate analysis, all elemental components of coal
are determined in a properly equipped laboratory by a skilled chemist. In the
proximate analysis, only the fixed carbon, volatile matter, moisture and ash
percentages are determined with a simple apparatus. But one should
remember that proximate has no connection with the word “approximate”.

Proximate Analysis
It involves the determination of percentage of
i. Moisture content
ii. Volatile matter
iii. Ash content
iv. Fixed carbon in coal
1. Moisture content
About 1 g of powdered air-dried coal sample is taken in a silica
crucible, and is heated at 100 - 105 0C in an hot-air oven for 12 hours. The
loss in weight of the sample is found out by using an electronic weighing
balance and the moisture per cent is calculated as
loss in weight of the coal
Moisture per cent in coal = X 100
weight of air dried coal
2. Volatile matter
After the moisture content analysis, the silica crucible with residual
coal is covered with a lid, and is heated at 950 0C for 10 minutes in a muffle
furnace. The loss in weight of the sample is found out and the volatile
matter per cent is calculated as
loss in weight of the coal
Volatile matter per cent in coal = x 100
weight of air dried coal
3. Ash content
After the volatile matter analysis, the silica crucible with residual coal
sample is heated without lid at 750 0C for 30 minutes in a muffle furnace.
The loss in weight of the sample is found out and the ash content per cent is
calculated as
weight of ash formed
Ash content per cent in coal = x 100
weight of air dried coal
4. Fixed carbon
It is determined by subtracting the grand total of moisture, volatile and
ash contents from 100.
Fixed carbon per cent in coal.
= 100 – Per cent of (moisture content + volatile matter + ash content)
Significance of Proximate Analysis
i. Moisture content
 High percentage of moisture reduces the calorific value of coal
 Moisture in coal consumes more heat in the form of latent heat of
evaporation.
 Increases the transport cost.
ii. Volatile matter
 High percentage of volatile matter reduces the calorific value of coal
 Large proportion of fuel on heating will escape as vapour
 Coal with high percentage of volatile matter burns with a long flame
with high smoke
 Coal containing high percentage of volatile matter do not coke well.
iii. Ash content
 High percentage of ash content reduces the calorific value of coal
 Ash causes hindrance to heat flow
 Increases the transporting, handling and storage costs
 Involves additional cost in ash disposal
iv. Fixed carbon.
 High percentage of fixed carbon increases calorific value of coal
 The percentage of fixed carbon helps in designing the furnace and the
shape of the fire-box.

II. LIQUID FUELS

PETROLEUM
Petroleum (crude oil) is a naturally occurring liquid fuel. It is dark
brown coloured oil found in earth's crust. The oil is usually floating over a
saline and above the oil, natural gas is present. Crude oil is a mixture of
paraffinic, olefinic and aromatic hydrocarbons with small amounts of
organic compounds like N, O and S.

Table 8.2 The approximate composition of crude oil

Constituents Percentage (%)
C 80 – 87
H 11- 15
S 0.1 – 3.5
N+O 0.1 – 0.5

Synthetic Petrol
The gasoline obtained from the fractional distillation of crude oil is
called straight run petrol. As the use of gasoline is increased, the
amount of straight run gasoline is not enough to meet the current
requirements. Hence, we need to find out new methods of synthesizing
petrol.

Manufacture of synthetic petrol

Coal contains about 4 – 5 % hydrogen compared to about 17 - 18 % in
petroleum. So, coal is a hydrogen deficient compound.
If coal is heated with hydrogen gas to a high temperature under high
pressure, it gets converted in to gasoline. The preparation of gasoline from
solid coal is called hydrogenation of coal (or) synthetic petrol.
Bergius process
In this process, (Fig. 8.4) the finely powdered coal is made into a paste
with heavy oil and catalyst (tin or nickel oleate) is mixed with it. The paste
is pumped along with hydrogen gas into the converter, where the paste is
heated to 400 – 450 0C under a pressure of 200 – 250 atm.

Fig. Bergius Process

During this process hydrogen combines with coal to form saturated
higher hydrocarbons, which undergo further decomposition at higher
temperature to yield mixture of lower hydrocarbons. The mixture is led
to a condenser, where the crude oil is obtained.
The crude oil is then fractionated to yield
(i) Gasoline (ii) Middle oil (iii) Heavy oil
 The middle oil is further hydrogenated in vapour phase to yield more
gasoline. The heavy oil is recycled for making paste with fresh coal dust.
The yield of gasoline is about 60 % of the coal used.

Knocking
Definition
Knocking or detonation is a kind of explosion caused due to auto
ignition of the unburnt air/fuel mixture (end gases) in an IC engine. When
the temperature of the unburned air/fuel mixture in an IC engine exceeds a
critical level, it causes auto ignition of end gases and produces a shock wave
that rapidly increase the cylinder pressure and produces a characteristic
metallic ‘pinging’ sound.
Knocking in Petrol engines
In petrol engines, a mixture of gasoline vapour and air (1:17 ratio) is
compressed and ignited by an electric spark plug. In some case, the rate of
combustion will not be uniform due to unwanted chemical constituents of
gasoline. The rate of ignition of the fuel gradually increases and the final
portion of the fuel-air mixture gets ignited instantaneously producing an
explosive sound called "knocking".

Knocking in Diesel engines

In diesel engines, the fuel is injected into highly compressed air at the
end of the compression stroke. There is a short lag between the fuel being
injected and starting of combustion. A small quantity of fuel already present
in the combustion chamber will ignite first in the areas of greater oxygen
density before the combustion of the complete air/fuel mixture. This sudden
increase in pressure and temperature causes the knocking in diesel engines.

Chemical Structure and Knocking

The knocking tendency of fuel hydrocarbons mainly depends on their
chemical structures. The knocking tendency decreases in the following
order.
Straight chain paraffins > Branched chain paraffins > Cycloparaffins
> Olefins > Aromatics.
Thus olefins of the same carbon-chain length possess better anti-knock
properties than the corresponding paraffins.
Improvement of antiknock characteristics
a. By increasing the octane rating of petrol
b. Addition of anti-knock agents like Tetra-Ethyl Lead (TEL), Ferrocene, Iron
penta carbonyl and toluene
c. Using aromatic phosphates as antiknock agent because it avoids lead
pollution.
d. Enriching the air-fuel ratio which changes the chemical reactions during
combustion.
e. Reducing the load on the engine.

Octane Number or Octane Rating

Octane number is used to express the knocking characteristics of
petrol. It is found that n-heptane knocks very badly and hence, its anti-
knock value has been assigned as zero. On the contrary, iso-octane gives
very little knocking and so, its anti-knock value has been assigned as 100.
The octane number is defined as 'the percentage of iso-octane present
in a mixture of iso-octane and n-heptane in petrol.

CH3 CH3

CH – CH2 – C – CH3
Iso – octane, (Octane number = 100)
CH3 CH3
CH3 – CH2 – CH2 – CH2 – CH2 – CH2 – CH3 (n – heptanes, Octane number
= 0)

Anti-knocking Agents (Leaded Petrol)

The anti-knock properties of petrol can be improved by the addition of
suitable additives such as Tetra ethyl lead (TEL). The the petrol containing
tetra ethyl lead is called leaded petrol.
Mechanism of knocking
TEL reduces the knocking tendency of hydrocarbon. Knocking follows
a free radical mechanism, leading to a chain growth which results in an
explosion. If the chains are terminated before their growth, knocking will
stop. TEL decomposes thermally to form ethyl free radicals which combine
with the growing free radicals of knocking process and thus the chain
growth is stopped.
Disadvantages of using TEL
When the leaded petrol is used as a fuel, the TEL is converted to lead
oxide and metallic lead. This lead deposits on the spark plug and on
cylinder walls which is harmful to engine life. To avoid this, small amount
of ethylene dibromide is added along with TEL. This ethylene dibromide
reacts with Pb to give volatile lead bromide, which goes out along with
exhaust gases.
CH2 – Br
Pb + 
 PbBr 2   CH 2  CH 2
CH2 – Br
But this creates atmosphere pollution. So now a days aromatic
phosphates, ferrocene and iron penta carbonyl are used instead of TEL.

Cetane Number or Cetane Rating

Cetane number is used to express the knocking characteristics of
diesel. Cetane (hexa decane) (C16H34) has a very short ignition lag and hence
its cetane number is assigned as 100. On the other hand -methyl
naphthalene has a long ignition lag and hence its cetane number is assigned
as zero. The cetane number is defined as "the percentage of hexa decane
present in a mixture of hexa decane and -methyl naphthalene which has
the same ignition lag as the fuel under test.
CH3 – (CH2)14 – CH3 n – cetane (hexa decane) (cetane number = 100)

The cetane number decreases in the following order.

Straight chain paraffins > Cycloparaffins > Olefins > Branched
paraffins > Aromatics.
The cetane number of diesel oil can be increased by adding additives
called dopes.
Important dopes: Ethyl nitrate, Iso-amyl nitrate.

Table :Comparison of petrol and diesel

Sl. Petrol Diesel
No.
1. Low boiling fraction of petroleum High boiling fraction of
containing petroleum containing C15 -
C5 – C9 hydrocarbons. C18 hydrocarbons.
2. Fuel for spark ignition (SI) engine Fuel for compression
ignition (CI) engine
3. Knocking tendency is measured in Knocking tendency is
octane rating. measured in cetane rating.
4. Knocking is due to auto ignition of Knocking is due to ignition
 end gases lag.
5. Anti-knocking is improved by the Anti-knocking is improved
addition of TEL, Ferrocene, Iron by doping with ethyl nitrate.
carbonyl and Toluene.
6. Its exhaust gases contain higher Its exhaust gases contain
amount of pollutants. lesser amount of polutants.
7. Lower thermal efficiency and hence Higher thermal efficiency
more consumption, and hence less
consumption,

Gasoline additives

Petrol additives increase petrol's octane rating or act as corrosion

inhibitors or lubricants, thus allowing the use of higher compression
ratios for greater efficiency and power. Types of additives include metal
deactivators, corrosion inhibitors, oxygenates and antioxidants.

Corrosion inhibitor :
A corrosion inhibitor is a chemical compound that, when added to
a liquid or gas, decreases the corrosion rate of a material, typically
a metal or an alloy that comes into contact with the fluid.
Benzotriazole, zinc phosphate, tannic acid or zinc salts of
organonitrogens (e.g. Alcophor 827) can be used together with anticorrosive
pigments. Other corrosion inhibitors are Anticor 70, Albaex, Ferrophos, and
Molywhite MZAP.

Metal Deactivating Agents (MDA)

Metal deactivators, or metal deactivating agents (MDA) are fuel
additives and oil additives used to stabilize fluids by deactivating (usually
by sequestering) metal ions, mostly introduced by the action of naturally
occurring acids in the fuel and acids generated in lubricants by oxidative
processes with the metallic parts of the systems. Fuels desulfurized
by copper sweetening also contain significant trace amounts of copper.
Eg:
 Methyl tert-butyl ether
 Nitromethane
 Tetraethyllead
 Tetranitromethane

Oxygenates
Oxygenated chemical compounds contain oxygen as a part of their
chemical structure. The term usually refers to oxygenated chemical
compounds added to fuels. Oxygenates are usually employed as gasoline
additives to reduce carbon monoxide and soot that is created during the
burning of the fuel.

The oxygenates commonly used are either alcohols or ethers:

 Methanol (MeOH)
 Ethanol (EtOH)
 Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
 n-Butanol (BuOH)
 Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)
 tert-Amyl methyl ether (TAME)

Antioxidants:

Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical

reaction that can produce free radicals and chain reactions that may
damage engine parts.

Antioxidants, stabilizers

o Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)

o 2,4-Dimethyl-6-tert-butylphenol
o 2,6-Di-tert-butylphenol (2,6-DTBP)
o p-Phenylenediamine
o Ethylenediamine
III. GASEOUS FUELS
COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG)
When the natural gas is compressed by increasing the pressure, it is
called Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The primary component of CNG is
methane.
The natural gas can be stored in a fuel tank of a vehicle as compressed
natural gas (CNG) at 3,000 or 3,600 psi and can also be used as liquified
natural gas (LNG) at typically 20 – 150 psi.

The average composition of CNG is as follows

Component Volume %
Methane 88.5
Ethane 5.5
Propane 3.7
Butane 1.8
Pentane 0.5
Properties
1. CNG is very economical fuel. It is less expensive than petrol and diesel.
2. It is least environmentally impacting alternative fuel.
3. Vehicles run by CNG produce less carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon
(HC) emissions.
4. The ignition temperature of CNG is about 55 0C.
5. CNG needs more air for ignition.
Uses
CNG is used to run automobile vehicles
Advantages of CNG over LPG
1. CNG produces lesser pollutants than LPG.
2. CNG is economical and cleaner than LPG.
3. The octane rating of CNG is high; hence the thermal efficiency is more
than LPG.
4. It mixes very easily with air than any other gaseous fuels.
 LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS (LPG)
It is obtained as a gaseous by-product during fractional distillation of
crude oil. LPG is a mixture of propane and butane with a small percentage
of unsaturated hydrocarbons such as propylene and butylene. LPG is a gas
at normal atmospheric pressure, but can be condensed to the liquid state at
room temperature, by the application of moderate pressures. They are
normally used as gases but are stored and transported as liquids under
pressure for convenience of handling. Liquid LPG evaporates to produce
about 250 times volume of its gas. Its calorific value is about 25,000
kcal/m3.
LPG vapours are denser than air. Butane is twice as heavy as air and
propane is one and a half time as heavy as air. During leakage, the vapour
may flow along the ground and drains at the lowest level of the
surroundings and can get ignited at a considerable distance from the source
of leakage. To help in the detection of atmospheric leaks, all LPG’s are
odorized using mercaptans. LPG should be stored in a place where there is
adequate ground level ventilation. The average composition of LPG is as
follows .
Constituents Percentage (%)
n-Butane 38.5
Iso butane 37
Propane 24.5
Uses
1. It is used as a domestic and industrial fuel
2. It is also used as an automobile fuel.
Advantages of LPG over gaseous fuels
1. LPG consists of lighter hydrocarbons, so it burns cleanly without leaving
any residue.
2. The LPG has higher carlorific value than the other gaseous fuels. The
calorific value is 7 times higher than coal gas and 3 times higher than
natural gas.
3. LPG is characterized by high thermal efficiency and heating rate.
4. Needs little care for maintenance.
5. It is free from CO and hence it is less hazardous.
 COMBUSTION OF FUELS
Principle

Combustion is the rapid oxidation of substance (fuel) accompanied by the

production of heat and light energy. Complete combustion of a fuel is
achieved in the presence of an adequate or excess supply of oxygen. Air is
the most common source of oxygen as it contains 20.9 % of O2. Most of the
combustible substances contain carbon, hydrogen and sulphur as major
constituents. During combustion, they undergo thermal decomposition to
give simpler oxidation products such as CO2, H2O, SO2 etc.,

C + O2 → CO 2 + 8084 Cals/g of Carbon

2C + O2 → 2 CO + 2430 Cals/g of Carbon

2H 2 + O2 → 2H2O + 28922 Cals/g of Hydrogen

S + O2 → SO2 + 2224 Cals/g of Sulphur

Carbon oxidised to CO2 will produce more heat energy per gram of fuel than
when CO is produced. Each gram of CO formed means a loss of 5654 Cal of
heat energy.

Combustion processes

3 T’s for Complete Combustion

The objective of complete combustion is to release all the heat energy in the
fuel. This can be achieved by controlling the "three T's" of combustion:
1. Temperature - sufficient enough to ignite and maintain ignition of the
fuel
2. Turbulence - thorough mixing of the fuel and air
3. Time - sufficient for the completion of combustion.
Calorific Value
The efficiency of a fuel can be measured by its calorific value. The
calorific value of a fuel is defined as "The total amount of heat energy
released, when a unit mass of fuel is subjected to complete combustion”.
Units of calorific values
The quantity of heat can be measured by the following units :
i. Calorie
ii. Kilocalorie
iii. British Thermal Unit (B.T.U)
iv. Centigrade Heat Unit (C.H.U.)

Calorie: It is defined as the amount of heat energy required to raise the

temperature of 1 gram of water through 10C.

Higher and Lower Calorific Values

Higher (or) Gross calorific value (GCV)
GCV is defined as the total amount of heat energy produced, when a
unit mass of the fuel is subjected to complete combustion and the products
are allowed to cool to room temperature.
We know that fuel contains considerable amount of hydrogen. If it is
burnt, the hydrogen in the fuel is converted into water vapour (steam). If the
combustion products are cooled to room temperature, the water vapour gets
condensed into water and it releases latent heat. Thus, the latent heat of
condensation of steam is also considered in gross calorific value.
Lower (or) Net Calorific Value (NCV)
NCV is defined as the net heat energy produced, when a unit mass of
the fuel is subjected to complete combustion and the products are allowed
to escape.
NCV = GCV - Latent heat of condensation of steam produced.
= GCV – Mass of hydrogen x 9 x Latent heat of condensation of steam.
1 part by weight of H2 produces 9 parts by weight of H2O and the latent heat
of steam is 587 cal/g.
H  O 
2  H 2O
2 gms 16 gms 18 gms
1 8 9

Thus,
9
NCV  GCV - H x 587
100
= GCV – 0.09H x 587
where
 H = % of H2 in the fuel.

Theoretical Calculation of Calorific Value

Dulong's formula
Dulong's formula for the theoretical calculation of calorific value is

1   O 
GCV =  8080 C  34500  H - 8   2240 S kcal/kg
100    
where C,H,O and S represent the percentage of the corresponding elements
in the fuel. It is based on the fact that the calorific values of C, H and S are
found to be 8080, 34500 and 2240 kcal, when 1 kg of the fuel is subjected
to complete combustion. However, it is assumed that all the oxygen in the
fuel is present in combination with hydrogen in the ratio H : O as 1:8 by
weight. So the excess hydrogen available for combustion is taken as H-
O/8.
 9 
N C V  HCV - H x 587 kcal / kg
 100 

Flue Gas Analysis (Orsat Method)

The waste gases (like CO2, O2, CO, etc) coming out from the
combustion chamber exhaust is called flue gases. The analyses of flue
gases will through some light on the nature of the combustion process
whether it is complete or incomplete. The analysis of flue gases is carried
out by using orsat's apparatus.
Orsat's apparatus
It consists of a horizontal tube. At one end of this tube, U-tube
containing fused CaCl2 is connected through three -way stop cock. The
horizontal tube is also connected with three different absorption bulbs for
absorbing CO2, O2 and CO. First bulb is packed with potassium hydroxide
solution, and it absorbs only CO2.The middle bulb is packed with alkaline
pyrogallol solution, and it absorbs CO2 and O2. The last bulb is packed with
ammoniacal cuprous chloride solution and it absorbs CO2, O2 and CO. The
other end of this tube is connected with a graduated burette. The burette is
surrounded by water - jacket to maintain the constant temperature of gas.
The lower end of the burette is connected to a water reservoir by means of a
rubber tube. The level of water in the burette can be increased or decreased
by raising or lowering the reservoir (Fig. 9.1).
Working
The three - way stop-cock is opened to the atmospheric air and the
reservoir is raised, till the burette is completely filled with water. The flue
gas supply is now connected to the three - way stop-cock and it is sucked
into the burette and the volume of flue gas is adjusted to 100 cc by raising
and lowering the reservoir. Then the stop cock is closed.

a. Absorption of CO2
The stopper of the absorption bulb, packed with KOH solution, is
opened and all the gas is passed into the bulb by raising the level of water in
the burette. All the CO2 present in the flue gas is absorbed by KOH. The gas
is again sent to the burette. This process is repeated three times to ensure
complete absorption of CO2. The decrease in volume of the flue gas in the
burette corresponds to the volume of CO2 in 100 cc of the flue gas.
b. Absorption of O2
Stop-cock of the first bulb is closed and stop of cock of the middle
bulb is opened. The gas is again sent into the absorption bulb, where O2
present in the flue gas is absorbed by alkaline pyrogallol. The decrease in
volume of the flue gas in the burette corresponds the volume of O2.
c. Absorption of CO
Now stop-cock of the middle bulb is closed and stop-cock of the last
bulb is opened. The remaining flue gas is sent into the absorption bulb,
where CO present in the flue gas is absorbed by ammoniacal cuprous
chloride. The decrease in volume of the flue gas in the burette corresponds
the volume of CO. The remaining gas in the burette after the absorption of
CO2, O2 and Co is taken as nitrogen.
Significance of flue gas analysis
1. Flue gas analysis predicts whether complete or incomplete
combustion process takes place.
2. If the flue gases contain considerable amount of CO, it indicates
incomplete combustion and shortage of O2.
3. If the flue gases contain considerable amount of O2, it indicates
complete combustion and also the excess supply of O2.

Measurement of calorific value using bomb calorimeter

The calorimeter used to determine the energy change during a reaction

accurately is known as a bomb calorimeter.

Bomb calorimeter An apparatus primarily used for measuring heats of

combustion. The reaction takes place in a closed space known as the
calorimeter proper, in controlled thermal contact with its surroundings, the
jacket, at constant temperature. This set, together with devices for
temperature measurement, heating, cooling, and stirring comprise the
calorimeter. The calorimeter proper is usually a metal can with a tightly
fitting lid containing water, stirred continually, in which the bomb itself is
situated. It consists of a sealed heavy-walled container in which the
reactants are allowed to react, under constant volume conditions, following
the ignition of the combustible matter in an oxygen atmosphere.

bomb calorimeter Measurement. an apparatus that can measure heats of

combustion, used in various applications such as calculating the calorific
value of foods and fuels.

Uses of Bomb Calorimeter

A bomb calorimeter is an instrument used to determine the heat emitted

from a given quantity of biomass sample combustion and to calculate the
HHV of that biomass fuel. Approximately one gramme of sample fuel is
ground and diluted after each test to fit into a capsule for bomb combustion.
The emitted heat increases the temperature of the water covering the bomb
by combusting the fuel. The total heat of the fuel is determined by
increasing the temperature and the real mass of the fuel.

Three-way catalytic converter- selective catalytic reduction of NOX.

APPLICATIONS (CATALYTIC CONVERTOR)

A catalystic converter is a device used to reduce the emissions coming out
from an IC engine. if enough oxygen is not available to oxidise the carbon
fuel completely into carbondioxide and water, toxic by products are
produced. Catalystic converters are used in the exhaust systems to provide
a site for oxidation and reduction of toxic by products to less hazardous
products like CO2, water vapour and nitrogen gas.

Construction

A catalystic converter is simple device that usese basic redox reactions to

reduce the pollutants coming out from the exhaust gas. Catalytic converter
is composed of a metal housing with a ceramic honey comb like interior with
insulating layers.

Working

The exhaust fumes are first allowed to enter into the compartment A,where
the redusable impurities are reduced . then the remaining gases are allowed
to pass through the compartment B, where all oxidisable impurities are
oxidised.

Functions

1. Reduction of nitrogen oxide into nitrogen and oxygen.

NOX---NX+OX

2. Oxidation of CO into CO2

3. Oxidation of hydrocarbons into CO2 and H2O

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