Hydrogen assisted ammonia SCR for removing NOx from diesel engines

Research Project, 2010 – 2012

In the proposed project “Hydrogen assisted ammonia SCR for removal of NOx from diesel engines” the objective is improved technology for removing toxic NOx from diesel exhaust based on using hydrogen to boost the low temperature activity of the ammonia SCR reaction with a novel combination of catalysts. Such technology can potentially help both to remove NOx emissions and indirectly lower the fuel consumption of diesel cars. The project involves development of a catalytic system for hydrogen assisted ammonia SCR for which both theoretical calculations and experimental research will be used. To calculate the required amounts of hydrogen and ammonia under operation of the catalyst a kinetic model describing the SCR catalyst will be made. Accurate, fast and independent supply of ammonia and hydrogen for the SCR reaction is very important for the success of the technology. The most elegant way to obtain this is by decomposing a selected part of a controled supply of pure ammonia stored safely in a solid. The initial steps to make it possible to design such a dosing system will be taken. The individual components are finally tested under real driving conditions in an engine bench to assess the potential of the technology. The project group involves two university groups and two companies. The university groups are: Department of Physics at the Technical University of Denmark (managing the project) and Competence Centre for Catalysis at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. The companies are Haldor Topsøe A/S, a world leading Catalyst Company and supplier of conventional SCR catalyst for heavy duty applications, and Amminex A/S with proprietary technologies to store ammonia safely in a solid and deliver ammonia on demand for automotive SCR applications.