An exhaust emissions laboratory has been established where soak-and-test investigations can be performed in an integrated, climate-controlled setting, in accordance with the 1975 Federal Test Procedure. Catalytic converter designs, catalyst materials, and other emissions-related engine and vehicle components are tested in this laboratory.
The paper discusses the new facility's capacity for making converter modal efficiency measurements, and it provides details on the real-time data processing, as well as on the improved controls of test variability. The laboratory layout is described and illustrated, and information is furnished on data acquisition and reduction, facility calibration, and experience with a servo driver and with materials evaluation vehicles. Both an analog computer and a minicomputer are used in the laboratory, and the printout copy reproduced here includes a real-time modal data sheet, a test summary, and a data repeatability analysis.