Hexagonal Cell Ceramic Substrates for Lower Emission and Backpressure

Stringent emission regulations call for advanced catalyst substrates with thinner walls and higher cell density. However, substrates with higher cell density increase backpressure, thinner cell wall substrates have lower mechanical characteristics. Therefore we will focus on cell configurations that will show a positive effect on backpressure and emission performance. We found that hexagonal cells have a greater effect on emission and backpressure performance versus square or round cell configurations. This paper will describe in detail the advantage of hexagonal cell configuration versus round or square configurations with respect to the following features:

1. 1
   High Oxygen Storage Capacity (OSC) performance due to uniformity of the catalyst coating layer
2. 2
   Low backpressure due to the large hydraulic diameter of the catalyst cell
3. 3
   Quick light off characteristics due to efficient heat transfer and low thermal mass