Modeling and Simulation of NOx Abatement with Storage/Reduction Catalysts for Lean Burn and Diesel Engines

The removal of nitrogen oxides emitted by diesel and lean burn engines is one of the most important targets in catalytic exhaust aftertreatment research. Besides the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reaction with ammonia the most promising approach is the NOx Storage and Reduction Catalyst (NSR) which utilizes the nitrogen oxides storage on barium sites to form nitrates during the lean phase and their reduction to nitrogen in a rich atmosphere. In this paper, we present a modeling approach for the description of the transient behavior of a NSR. The model applies a two-dimensional description of the flow field in the single channels coupled with detailed models for the chemical processes. The mechanism used for modeling the oxidation and reduction of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides, respectively, is based on an elementary step reaction mechanism for platinum catalysts and a shrinking core model for the storage and reduction processes on the barium particles.