Eberspaecher Begins Manufacture of Tunnel Mixers for Exhaust-Emission Conversion in passenger and commercial Vehicles

Eberspaecher Exhaust Technology has announced that the company has begun production of tunnel mixers for exhaust-emission conversion in diesel passenger cars and commercial vehicles. This would significantly reduce the level of pollutants as part of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process used as a core element of the AdBlue treatment. Eberspaecher will begin production of the mixer, for which the company has already filed a patent in May for a leading manufacturer of passenger cars in Europe. More orders are expected next year.

Emission norms for both commercial vehicles and passenger cars have become more rigid with the introduction of the Euro 6 standards. More and more automobile manufacturers are now considering the use of SCR systems for their diesel models. They would use ammonia to cause the chemical reduction of nitrogen oxides, which is generated in the exhaust system from the injected aqueous urea solution AdBlue.

The use of the tunnel mixer in SCR systems, would allow pollutants to be minimized with maximum efficiency. The two deep-drawn molded parts have an innovative design for optimum evaporation and mixing of the aqueous urea solution with the exhaust gas. The ammonia that is released as an outcome of the process would be homogeneously dispersed and would react with the nitrogen oxides in the SCR catalytic converter to create harmless nitrogen and water. The new mixer design would use purposeful flow routing to minimize the occurrence of deposits. Both these elements would help lower AdBlue consumption and reduce the smell of ammonia caused by the presence of excess ammonia – what is commonly called the NH3 slip.

When compared to the previous version, the new Eberspaecher tunnel mixer has a stronger and more compact design that is particularly suitable for close-coupled positioning. In the mixing section between the AdBlue injection and SCR-coated substrate, the tunnel mixer uses the very high temperature of the exhaust gas to evaporate the aqueous urea solution causing reduction of the pollutant at an earlier stage. The design can also be modified to suit different AdBlue injectors and the different installation space requirements of all passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturers.