ANALYSIS OF CATALITIC REACTORS USEFULNESS TO REDUCE POLLUTION GENERATED BY PISTON COMBUSTION ENGINES WITH REGARD TO SHIP MAIN ENGINES

Abstract

The article presents results which indicate that the use of catalytic reactors to reduce emissions of harmful compunds contained in the exhaust gas is important in the operation of vehicle motors operation. Efforts of the shipbuilding industry to reduce the toxicity of exhaust gas emitted by the main engines have been indicated and pointed to the desirability of the use of these catalysts in maritime transport. It has been pointed out that studies of the harmful substances in exhaust gases performer at vehicle inspection stations have an impact on increasing the safety of drivers and other road users and contribute to preserving the natural environment by reducing the danger coming from cars operating on Polish roads. An opinion has been expressed that the most serious threats to the environment are emitted by car transport exhaust fumes, which are characterized by significant emission of toxic compounds excreted into the atmosphere from tailpipe emissions. It has been demonstrated that a fully functioning catalytic reactor, operating in a steady state at appropriate temperatures and the composition of the mixture close to stoichiometric ratio, can reduce emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides by more than 90%. Also, an assessment has been presented reporting the efficiency of catalytic reactors of spark ignition engines operating in a test vehicle inspection station. The results of research in the evaluation of their performance were correlated with their operation waveforms. Such an approach is justified by the fact that during the operation of each vehicle the wear of its assemblies and components is different – including the catalytic reactor. The catalytic layer undergoes aging so that there are changes in the structure and chemical composition of the catalyst bed, while the overlapping of layers of different chemical compounds that block access to the active layer of the reactor. An opinion has also been expressed that it would be advisable to take steps to use research results presented in this article for research of catalytic reactors similar use in diagnostic systems of marine combustion engines, especially the main ones, which exhaust emissions are incomparably greater than in the case of car engines.