Patent ID: 11885251
Assignee: TENNECO AUTOMOTIVE OPERATING COMPANY INC.
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC F  B  Y | IPC B  F

Claim 14:
15. A method for pre-heating an exhaust system of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of a burner assembly positioned in the exhaust system upstream of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst at a first fuel injection rate;
supplying air to the combustion chamber of the burner assembly at a first flowrate that, together with the first fuel injection rate, defines a first air/fuel ratio within the combustion chamber;
igniting an air/fuel mixture within the combustion chamber of the burner assembly resulting in the generation of heat and emissions within the combustion chamber;
maintaining the first air/fuel ratio for a pre-determined start-up period;
starting an engine of the vehicle a period of time after the ignition of the air/fuel mixture within the combustion chamber of the burner assembly; and
routing the heat and emissions generated in the combustion chamber through a connecting tube that includes a catalytic washcoat and leads to an exhaust pipe section that is positioned upstream of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst,
wherein the catalytic washcoat in the connecting tube initiates a chemical reaction with the emissions passing through the connecting tube to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbon (HC) concentrations in the emissions generated by the burner assembly during the pre-determined start-up period.