converters unlimited appeared just in the first half of the 70s and, as you know, US automakers were at the forefront here for a while. Curiously, in addition to directly reducing the toxicity of exhaust, these converters unlimited have dragged along with the modernization of several areas of development of the automotive industry.
This was due to the very principle of their action, which, by the way, has not changed until now.
For some time
and on different models, converters unlimited coexisted with carburetors or mechanical injection. For example, Chrysler, having burned itself with electronic fuel supply back in the 50s, was in no hurry to transfer its engines to it.
But limiting norms for the content of various elements in the exhaust were approved by law. It was necessary to somehow link the converters unlimited and the carburetor. Ecology is the engine of progress.
The metal barrel
located between the exhaust manifold and muffler-resonators, has a longitudinal honeycomb inside, where the surface is covered with a layer of a special substance, which is a converters unlimited. Let’s just say that converters unlimited platinum with the addition of palladium is used as the latter, which converts harmful CO and CH into carbon dioxide and water.
Such converters unlimited were called two-component, that is, capable of neutralizing only a couple of toxic components. In 1977, rhodium was added, so that nitrogen oxide was transformed into a mono-element. Catalysts have become three-component. So, this relatively simple chemical process proceeds without problems only under ideal laboratory conditions.
In real operation, manufacturers are faced with the fact that the correct operation of converters unlimited and, in general, its resource is under constant threat.
As it turned out
the converters unlimited can properly work only when the ratio of the combustible mixture by air and fuel is in the proportion of 14.5–14.7: 1. Deviations to one side or the other reduce the conversion efficiency of CO and CH or NO.
