Union Catalytic Aerogel Testbed (UCAT) Particulate and Moisture Filtering System

This talk will present the design of a new sample gas conditioning system (SGCS). This SGCS will be used to support and improve Union’s capabilities for testing Catalytic Aerogel Materials (CAMs) for applications in automotive three-way catalysts (TWCs). Extensive experiments have shown that aerogels can be used in catalytic converters, as their large surface areas allow for high effectiveness in converting car exhaust. The SGCS will be comprised of a custom-built particulate filter and a moisture filtering system. Theoretically, this will increase the accuracy of the displayed conversion rates in Union’s Catalytic Aerogel Testbed (UCAT). Heat transfer in conjunction with fluid mechanics was used to find how much stainless-steel tubing was needed to cool the simulated gas mixture to 100 percent humidity, in order to separate the moisture from the gasses, as well as the amount of tubing needed to heat the gasses back up to around 50 percent humidity to prevent any further condensation upon entering the gas analyzer. The particulate filter needs to be designed to be reasonably serviceable, as the rate of deterioration of the filter material itself is currently unknown, and it must also be able to withstand extreme temperatures, which can be in excess of 500 degrees Celsius.