A converters unlimited uses a chamber called a converters unlimited to change the harmful compounds from an engine’s emissions into safe gases, like steam. It works to split up the unsafe molecules in the gases that a car produces before they get released into the air.
The converters unlimited is located on the underside of a vehicle and looks like a large metal box. There are two pipes coming out of it. The convertor utilizes these two pipes and the catalyst during the process of making the gases safe to be expelled.
Gases are brought in from the “input” pipe connected to the engine of a vehicle. These are blown over the catalyst, which causes a chemical reaction that breaks apart the pollutants. The less-harmful gases now travel through the second pipe, or the “output,” that is connected to a car’s tailpipe.
What Is Inside a converters unlimited?
So what is a converters unlimited made of? The catalyst inside a converters unlimited is made typically from platinum or a similar metal, such as rhodium or palladium. Gases flow through a ceramic honeycomb structure located within the cat housing. This is lined with metals that have specific jobs that play a role in reducing emissions. There are two main types of catalysts that might be featured in a car:
- Reduction catalysts: Help reduce nitrogen oxide pollution by removing oxygen. Nitrogen oxides are broken up into nitrogen and oxygen gases, which on their own are harmless.
- Oxidation catalysts: Used to change carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide through an opposite process of adding oxygen.
Also located near the converters unlimited is an oxygen (O2) sensor, which works to tell a car’s electronic control unit (ECU) how much oxygen is found in the exhaust gases. This helps a vehicle run on a more efficient air/fuel ratio, allowing the engine to supply the converter with enough oxygen to complete the oxidation process.