LECTURE 07– ENT 2242

EXHAUST SYSTEM OF
AN AUTOMOBILE

Mrs. H.P.Nethmi Maduhansi

B.Etech (Hons) Focused on
Electromechanical (UOR)
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What is engine exhaust?
 Emission control is a term frequently used in day-to-day life among
automobile and other manufacturing industries throughout the world.
 Presently, automobile engine emissions are one of the main elements which
play a major role in environmental pollution.
 Mostly, petrol and diesel oil are used as fuels for internal combustion engines.
 These fuels contain hydrogen and carbon in various combinations. During
combustion, oxygen combines with hydrogen and carbon to form
water (), carbon monoxide () and carbon dioxide ().
 Nitrogen compounds in fuel combines with atmospheric oxygen and form
nitrogen oxide () during combustion.
 Remaining fuel goes unburnt by resulting smoke and ash. Mainly incomplete
combustion of fuels in automobile emits polluted engine exhaust.
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Automobile engine pollutants
 Pollutants are produced by incomplete combustion of air fuel
mixture in the combustion Chamber of engines. The following
pollutants are emitted from the exhausts of automobile engine.
 Carbon monoxide - mostly produced
under rich air fuel mixture due to lack
of sufficient oxygen for the
combustion of fuel.
 Carbon dioxide - during complete
combustion, the hydrocarbons in the
formula, converted to carbon dioxide
which is 13.7% off the exhaust gas.
Automobile engine pollutants
 Oxides of Nitrogen - this is produced from secondary reactions
which occur in all combustion processes where air containing
nitrogen is burned. In high temperatures nitrogen reacts with
oxygen and produce nitric oxides ( and nitrogen dioxide (.
 Hydrocarbons - these are also the
result of inadequate amount of
oxygen being present to support
the complete combustion of air
fuel mixture. Hydrocarbon produces
smog. (Mixture of fog and smoke)

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Diesel engine emission
 A well-maintained diesel engine emits a negligible amount of
carbon monoxide ( and hydrocarbons ( though considerable
amount of nitrogen oxides are emitted.
 Diesel smoke is another pollutant in case of diesel engines.
 The diesel smokes are two types,
 White smoke (figure c)
 Black smoke (figure b)
 Blue smoke (figure a)

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Diesel engine emission
 White smoke coming from the exhaust usually points to one point
of failure - the injectors. Usually, white smoke indicates that
the diesel fuel is not burning correctly. Unburned diesel fuel
will make its way through the exhaust completely unused.
 The white smoke normally arises due to,
 very low operating temperature
 very long delay between start of fuel injection and
beginning of combustion
 The black smoke appears after the engine has fully warmed up
and accelerating or cooling under load. The black smoke is a
suspending soot particles in exhaust gases. It results from
incomplete combustion of fuel. 6
Diesel engine emission
 Blue smoke is generally a sign that engine oil is passing through
the exhaust of the aftertreatment system.
 Another warning sign is a sharp increase in the engine oil usage,
forcing to change engine oil prematurely.
 Leaking oil can have serious knock-on effects if the issue isn’t fixed
properly.
 Old and worn valve seals, breaks in the
cylinder or piston rings and leaking turbo
seals are often behind this oil leaks and blue
emission.
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SI engine emissions
 There are three main sources of air pollution due to petrol
engines,

1. Evaporative Emission –
 This
takes place from the fuel supply system. The main reason
of hydrocarbon evaporation is high temperature.
 Location of tank, layer of fuel line and mode of operation also
affect the evaporation.
 About 30% of the total hydrocarbon emission is occurring from the
fuel tank, fuel line and carburetor.
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SI engine emissions
 There are three main sources of air pollution due to petrol
engines,
2. crankcase blow by –
 This means the leakage passed by the piston and piston
rings from the cylinder to the crank case.
 In blow by gases there are
85% of raw hydrocarbons. It is
about 20% of the total
hydrocarbon emission from the
engine.
 The blow by gases are
controlled by the crank
case ventilation system.
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SI engine emissions
 Crankcase Ventilation is the process of venting or
removing blow-by from an engine's crankcase to
prevent excessive pressure build-up within the engine.
 A high-efficiency crankcase ventilation filter is needed to
clean the vented gases before returning to the engine’s
intake or discharging to the environment. (PCV valve)

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SI engine emissions
 There are three main sources of air pollution due to petrol
engines,
3. Exhaust Emission –
 This contains HC, CO and .
 HC occurs due to incomplete combustion.
 CO occurs due to insufficient amount of air in the air fuel
mixture or insufficient time for complete combustion.
 High temperatures and availability of oxygen are two main
reasons for the formation of .

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Pollution control

 The pollution may be controlled by two ways,

 The formation of pollutants is prevented as far as possible
 The pollutants are destroyed after they are formed

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Pollutants reduction and destroying methods
Pollutant Name Reduced by Destroyed by
Hydrocarbons  Reducing the compression  By supplying more air into
() ratio the inlet manifold
 Changing the design of  By using after burner
combustion chamber  By using catalytic converter
 By supplying lean mixture
Carbon monoxide  By using closed loop  By using reactor in
() control exhaust manifold
 By supplying lean mixture  By using after burner
 By providing suitable  By using catalytic
overlap of valves converter
Oxides of nitrogen  By supplying exhaust  By using catalytic converter
() again into the inlet in the exhaust
manifold
 By spraying water in the inlet
manifold to add moisture 13
to the mixture
Combustion products of fuel and their
environmentally harmful effects
Name Ecologically harmful consequences

Carbon monoxide Toxic effect on humans and animals

Sulphur oxide () Irritation of respiratory system, acid rain

formation

Nitrogen oxide Irritation of respiratory systems, participation in

the destruction of ozone screen

Hydrocarbons Carcinogenic action, participation in the creation

of greenhouse effect
Engine emission control by catalytic
converter
 The term catalytic converter is housed inside stainless steel box (cover)
mounted in the exhaust system.
 The catalyst is inside the cover (ss box) which is a ceramic or metallic base
with an active coating incorporating alumina, ceria and other oxides and
combination of precious metals such as platinum, Palladium and
rhodium.
 The base can be protected from vibrations and shock by a resilient ceramic or
 metallic mat.
The catalytic converter converts the pollutants such as
HC,CO and into harmless gases.
 It is placed between exhaust manifold and muffler.
 All exhaust gas must flow through it.
 The catalysts cause a chemical change without being a
part of chemical reaction.
Exhaust system

Interior of a catalytic
convertor

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Catalytic Converter contd.
 The inside of catalytic converter is a honeycomb set of passageways or
small ceramic beads coated with catalysts.
 A chemical reaction takes place to make the pollutants less harmful.
 There are many passages for the exhaust gases to flow and allow for the
maximum amount of surface area for the hot gases to pass.
 There are two main type of structures
used in catalytic converters such as
honeycomb and ceramic beads.
 Most cars today use a honeycomb structure.
 Catalytic converters can either be a two
way or three-way type.
Two way or oxidation catalytic converter
 Early converters called two way catalytic converters convert harmful carbon
monoxide and hydrocarbons produced by relative inefficient low
compression engines two harmless carbon dioxide and water vapor with
assistance of a precious metallic catalyst
 But these converters have little effect on nitrogen oxides and particulate
matter
 Two way converter are most effective when used with engines that have a
lean air fuel mix because this condition provides ample oxygen to burn
pollutants
Three-way catalytic converter
 Most cars today are equipped with a three-way catalytic converter.
 The term three-way refers to the three emissions which help to reduce carbon
monoxide hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds and molecules.
 Three-way converters use two different
type of catalyst processes such as
reduction catalyst process and oxidation
catalyst process
 A three-way catalytic converter has three
simultaneous functions: (Redox
reactions)
 Reduction of nitrogen oxides into
nitrogen and oxygen
 Oxidation of carbon monoxide to
carbon dioxide
 Oxidation of hydrocarbons into
Does the catalytic convertor run 100%
efficiently?
 There are two types of mixtures running through a catalytic converter, which
are “rich” and “lean”.
 When system is running “lean”, there is more oxygen than required, and the
reactions therefore favor the oxidation of CO and HC (at the expense of the
reduction of
 On the contrary, when the system is running “rich”, there is more fuel than
needed, and the reaction favors the reduction of into elemental nitrogen and
oxygen (at the expense of two oxidation reactions)
 With a constant imbalance of reactions, the system never achieves 100% of
efficiency.

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Exhaust Gas Recirculation
 The EGR allows a precise quantity of
exhaust gas to re-enter the intake the
system, effectively changing the chemical
makeup of the air entering the engine.
 This makes the combustion
temperature lower and therefore reduces
the amount of emitted.
 The EGR valve is the main component
of the EGR system and its normally closed.
 It connects the exhaust manifold and intake
manifold and is controlled by either a
vacuum or a built-in electric step motor.

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Exhaust Gas Recirculation
 Many engines have thermal vacuum switches. It prevents EGR until engine
temperature reaches 450-650.
 In modern engines EGR rate is controlled by engine electronic control unit.
 The function of the EGR valve is to control the flow of exhaust gas being
recirculated depending on the engine load.

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What is an EGR Cooler?
 An EGR cooler is a device that cools exhaust
gases as they are recirculating back from the
exhaust manifold to the inlet manifold.
 They are usually long tubes, either
cylindrical, square or rectangular in shape.
 Inside are a number of tubes that the
exhaust gases flow through.
 The tubes are surrounded by coolant
supplied by the engine cooling system which
removes heat from the gases before they
reach the inlet manifold.

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EGR System Explained

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How does is reduced by this?
 Nitrogen oxides () are emissions produced as a by-product from the process of
combustion, Nitrogen and oxygen gases in the air react during combustion,
especially at high temperatures.
 is a major component of smog and affects human health.
 EGR system recycles a portion of the exhaust gas back to the combustion
chamber.
 The heat capacity of exhaust gas is higher than the air as it contains significant
amount of triatomic gases carbon dioxide and water vapors.
 This lowers the amount of oxygen and increases the water vapor content to
combustion mixture which reduces the peak combustion temperature.
 Addition of exhaust gas to fresh intake charge has a higher effect in lowering the
combustion temperatures compared to simple leaning of the charge.
 Because less is created as peak combustion temperature reduces, the EGR effectively
reduces the amount of produced by the engine.
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Benefits of using EGR system
 Improved engine performance
 A well function EGR system can help improve engine performance by
reducing combustion temperatures and reducing emissions
 Increased fuel efficiency
 By recirculating a portion of exhaust gases back into the engine, the EGR
system can help to improve fuel efficiency by reducing the amount of fuel
required to reach the desired power output
 Better emission control
 The EGR system helps in controlling emissions by reducing the amounts of
Nitrogen oxides() produced during combustion process.

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Common issues in EGR system
 Clogged EGR passages (Excessive carbon buildup)
 Results to : Reduction in engine power, Knocking sounds (Detonation noises
may occur due to incorrect combustion)
 Solutions: Cleaning or clearing the EGR passages is necessary to restore
proper function
 EGR Cooler issues
 Results to : Engine overheating (due to introduction of hot exhaust gases
into system)
coolant leakages
white smoke from the exhaust
 Solutions: Replacement of cooler.
Regular maintenance of coolant system.
Common issues in EGR system

 EGR valve failures

 Results to : Irregular engine idling
Engine performance may decrease
Increased fuel consumption
 Solution : May require cleaning of EGR valve
Replacement depending on the severity of the
issue.

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For Further Studying
 Marques, Andre, and Andre Marques. “EGR Coolers - Diagnosis and Repair.” The Torque Team,
Nov. 2021, thetorqueteam.com/egr-coolers-diagnosis-and-repair/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
 “Common EGR Problems and Symptoms: A Comprehensive Guide - ECU Repairs.” ECU
REPAIRS, 10 Oct. 2023, www.ecu-repairs.com/common-egr-problems-and-symptoms-a-
comprehensive-guide/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.
 Kahlon, Avneet, and Tony Tang. “7.1: Catalytic Converters.” Chemistry LibreTexts, 2 Oct.
2013,
chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/
Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/07%3A_Case_Studies-
_Kinetics/7.01%3A_Catalytic_Converters.
 The, Understanding. “Understanding the Catalytic Converters | Pros & Cons - Explained.”
YouTube, 15 Mar. 2024, youtu.be/80x4IAm1n6o?si=I-08wDQ71Z3EXgXU. Accessed 9 Oct.
2024.

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THANK
YOU.