17
Lowering Emissions
with a Coating
To address 2015 California state emission
requirements, BASF ( basf.com ) has come up with a
coating for air intake boxes that "traps" hydrocarbon
emissions from combustion engines, and eliminates
the need for an additional part for absorption.
The water-based polymer coating called "EvapTrap" is
infused with a blend of activated carbon and zeolite to
absorb hydrocarbons that bleed out of the combustion
chamber when the engine is shutof. The material is
sprayed on to the inside of the intake system
Right now, most automakers use flters, such as
activated carbon honeycomb, inside the air intake box
to prevent hydrocarbons from escaping. Unlike flters,
the EvapTrap coating is a "pass-by" technology,
explains Chris Arendoski, head of marketing for BASF
catalysts in the Americas. Filters are "pass-through,"
meaning the hydrocarbons must go through them in
order to be captured, which increases back pressure,
thereby reducing horsepower and fuel economy.
With EvapTrap, emissions from the air intake system
are reduced by 99.9%, while eliminating the need
for a part, BASF says. When the engine is restarted,
the trapped hydrocarbons are recycled back into the
engine for full combustion, creating an efciency
improvement.
Simonds Inc., 248 Elm St., Southbridge, MA
Phone: 866-764-3235
Email: sales@simonds-inc.com
Web site: www.simonds-inc.com
Pneumatic Car Hinge Pin Tool
Used by many of the major automotive manufacturers for inserting
door hinge pins on the production line.
"A coating is more benefcial than a part
because a coating is scalable for all designs,"
says Arendoski.
An air intake box for a mid-size vehicle
with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine
requires about 35 grams of EvapTrap
material.
Arendoski adds, "It meets all OEM [2015]
requirements and governmental requirements for
tamper-proof emissions control with a durability of
150,000 miles in accelerated testing."
BASF has three accelerated programs with OEMs
to introduce the EvapTrap coating into serial
production by the end of this year.—ZP
t BASF developed a new polymer coating called "EvapTrap,"
which traps hydrocarbons inside the engine air intake box to
prevent emissions while the engine is shutof.
0314ADP Notable.indd 17 2/18/2014 3:29:03 PM