Recent advances in three-way catalyst formulations have led to significant improvements in durability and performance. These advances for recent Pt/Rh catalyst formulations, for the most part/have been due to a reduction of thermal deactivation. Increased durability plays a critical role in the reducing noble metal usage/meeting tighter emission standards/and extending the durability warranty requirements.
In reality, significant advances may be not be readily apparent because of the methods used to evaluate the technology. Some performance benefits may be transparent to particular durability and evaluation procedures, or certain vehicle emission systems. However, as part of an optimized vehicle/catalyst system, the performance benefits may be pronounced.
This paper examines the benefits of improved three-way catalyst technologies in order to accelerate their application for tougher emission requirements. Relative rankings and performance levels are compared for two modern catalyst formulations, production high-tech and advanced high-tech catalysts. The performance benefits are characterized with a matrix of various aging methods, stand dynamometer test methods, and vehicle systems.