Induction Heating of Catalytic Converter Systems and its Effect on Diesel Exhaust Emissions during Cold Start

In recent years, environmental regulations in the automotive industry have become increasingly strict, particularly with respect to emissions from diesel engines. Large amounts of these harmful emissions are released during the cfold start of a vehicle, due to the catalytic converter system not yet reaching its light-off temperature. This paper presents an induction heating system which heats the catalytic converter during a cold start, reducing the time for it to reach light-off temperature, and thus reducing cold-start emissions. Detailed dynamometer testing results are used to develop vehicle models of the induction heating system for a diesel Peugeot 308 light duty vehicle. The model is used to quantify the changes in hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), oxygen (O₂), nitrogen oxide (NO_x), and fuel consumption on a variety of standard drive cycles. The results are then extrapolated to investigate the reduction of emissions possible on a Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD heavy-duty vehicle.