what does catalltic converter do?

Question

for a car

Answer 1

Its purpose is to control emissions for a car.

It's kind of complicated, and simple, on how it works. It's a simple structure, but you have to at least understand basic chemistry. So I'll try my best to explain it.

There are 3 parts to the way a Catalytic Converter works:
1) The Reduction Catalyst. When a NO or NO2 molecule hits this part of the converter, the reduction catalyst seperates the nitrogen from the molecule, thus making it oxygen.

2) The Oxidization Catalyst. The molecules then pass over the Oxidization Catalyst. This gets hot enough to burn the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and fuses them with the oxygen left over.

3) Control System - this uses the oxygen sensor to see how much oxygen is in the exhaust system. If there is not enough for the oxidization catalyst to do its job, it sends more. If there is too much, it sends less.

Phew...hope that helps!
Matt

Answer 2

A catalytic converter (colloquially, "cat" or "catcon") is a device used to reduce the toxicity of emissions from an internal combustion engine. First widely introduced on series-production automobiles in the US market for the 1975 model year to comply with tightening EPA regulations on auto exhaust, catalytic converters are still most commonly used in motor vehicle exhaust systems. Catalytic converters are also used on generator sets, forklifts, mining equipment, trucks, buses, trains, and other engine-equipped machines. A catalytic converter provides an environment for a chemical reaction wherein toxic combustion by-products are converted to less-toxic substances.

Answer 3

uses heat, metallic surfaces, excess fuel, excess oxygen to break the fuel molecules apart.

That's why we use a computer for fuel injection.

The computer mixes excess air to react with hot pollutants(from engine), metallic surface(of catalytic converter).

Then cycles again to mix excess fuel, hot polluants, and metallic surface to reduce other pollutants.

I believe they are nitrogen oxides, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxides, sulfur dioxides.

So a closed cycle fuel injection system alternates back and forth, back and forth, altering fuel and air mix to allow catalytic converter to break the molecules of fuel, making them harmless. Or into H20 and Co2(this causes global warming) but won't kill you if you breathed it.

Answer 4

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-converter.htm This link will give you the info you are looking for.Best of luck.