US3740197A

US3740197A - Catalytic converter

Info

Publication number: US3740197A
Application number: US00141626A
Authority: US
Inventors: G Scheitlin; R Little
Original assignee: Arvin Industries Inc
Current assignee: Meritor Inc
Priority date: 1971-05-10
Filing date: 1971-05-10
Publication date: 1973-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 1990-06-19
Also published as: DE2201996C3; DE2201996A1; GB1330961A; AU3176971A; FR2137423B1; JPS5228926B1; FR2137423A1; DE2201996B2; CA947095A

Abstract

A CATALYTIC CONVERTER FOR REMOVING NOXIOUS POLLUTANTS FROM AN EXHAUST GAS STREAM HAVING A CONVERSION CHAMBER MOUNTED THEREIN. GAS INLETS AND OUTLETS ARE PROVIDED IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHAMBER AND WITH A BYPASS PASSAGE AROUND SAID CHAMBER. A VALVE IS CONNECTED TO SAID INLET OR OUTLETS FOR SELECTIVELY CONTROLLING THE GAS FLOW THROUGH TTHE CONVERTER SO THAT THE EXHAUST GASES PASSING THROUGH THE CONVERTER MAY OR MAY NOT BE SUBJECTED TO THE ACTION OF THE CONVERSION CHAMBER DEPENDING UPON THE POSITIONING OF SAID VALVE.

Description

June 19, 1973 1 ETAL 3,740,197

CATALYTIC CONVERTER Filed May 10, 197] 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS GEORGE E. SCHEITLIN RICHARD F. LITTLE BY ATTORNEYS June 19, 1973 5. scHgl ETAL 3,740,197

CATALYTIC CONVERTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 10, 1971 GEORGE E SCHEITLIN RI CHARD F. L I TTLE June 19, 1973 G- E. SCHEITLIN ET AL CATALYTIC CONVERTER Filed May 10, 1971 4 Sheets-Sheet A I67 I55 16? I70 1e? l b l '58 us? I85 :80

,. u; I ,V

| 7 H I} '82 I63 8 I1 72 Li N l! H i: W

I76 I67 I66 INVENTORS GEORGE E. SCHEITLIN RICHARD F. LITTLE BY, 1 ATToRw rs United States Patent O1 3,740,197 Patented June 19, 1973 hoe . Filed May 10, 1971, Ser. No. 141,626

Int. Cl. Fllln 3/14; B01j 9/04 US. Cl. 23288 F 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream having a conversion chamber mounted therein. Gas inlets and outlets are prvoided in open communication with said chamber and with a bypass passage around said chamber. A valve is connected to said inlet or outlets for selectively controlling the gas flow through the converter so that the exhaust gases passing through the converter may or may not be subjected to the action of the conversion chamber depending upon the positioning of said valve.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Catalytic converters for removing noxious pollutants from an automobile exhaust gas stream are known in the art. US. Pats. No. 2,991,160 and No. 3,090,677 show such a converter which also employs a bypass so that the exhaust gases moving therethrough may or may not be subjected to the action of a catalytic material for removing the pollutants therefrom, depending upon whether the exhaust gases are directed through, or bypassed around, the catalytic material.

The instant invention is concerned with an improved catalytic converter provided with a bypass for the catalytic material which can be simply and easily constructed, and which will prove sturdy and durable in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one form of the invention, there is provided an elongated shell closed at its ends by a pair of end caps. A sleeve is carried within the shell, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertured plates extend across said sleeve to form therewith a plurality of longitudinally spaced conversion chambers adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants in the exhaust gas stream passing through said chambers.

End plates are mounted in said sleeve outwardly from the outermost ends of the conversion chambers. And a first set of inlet and outlet conduits are mounted in the end caps with their inner ends terminating between said end plates and the outermost ends of the conversion chambers. In this manner, the exhaust gases moving through the converter between said first set of inlet and outlet conduits will be forced to flow through the conversion chambers to remove the pollutants therefrom.

The sleeve is spaced inwardly from the end caps and is supported in spaced relation to the shell by a plurality of supports extending around said sleeve with the space around the sleeve defining an annular bypass passage through the converter. A second set of inlet and outlet conduits are mounted in the end caps with their inner ends terminating outwardly of said end plates. Thus, said second set of inlet and outlet conduits are in open communication with said bypass passage so that the exhaust gases moving through the converter between said second set of inlet and outlet conduits will not pass through the conversion chambers.

The inlet conduits in said first and second sets of conduits are interconnected outside the extent of the converter, and a valve is located at their junction for selectively controlling the gas flow through the converter between the desired sets of inlet and outlet conduits.

Conveniently, a tube having a plurality of openings formed therein extends across the sleeve between the adjacent ends of a pair of the conversion chambers. Said tube is adapted to be connected to a source of pressurized air for supplying air to the conversion chamber interposed between it and the outlet conduit in said second set of inlet and outlet conduits so that said chamber can operate in an oxidizing atmosphere.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawing:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal horizontal section of a catalytic converter embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal horizontal section similar to FIG. 1, but showing a modified form of the converter;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal horizontal section similar to FIG. 1, but showing another modified form of the converter; and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section similar to FIG. 1, but showing still another modified form of the converter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The noxious pollutants in automobile exhaust systems can be generally classified into two basic groups; the oxidizable groupthe noxious hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, and the reducible groupthe oxides of nitogen. These pollutants can be most effectively removed from the exhaust gases if they are reacted with catalysts which are selective for each group and under the optimum conditions of reaction. Thus, with the catalysts presently available, the most efficient removal of the pollutants from the exhaust gases can be achieved by reacting the exhaust gases with a catalyst selective for the oxides of nitrogen in a reducing or non-oxidizing atmosphere and by reacting the exhaust gases with a catalyst selective for carbon monoxide and the noxious hydrocarbons in an oxidizing atmosphere. This invention provides structure which, in addition to providing a means for permitting the exhaust gases to bypass such catalysts, also, if desired, makes the selective treatment of the exhaust gases possible.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5, the converter comprises an elongated shell 10 closed at its ends by a pair of

end caps

12 and 13 rigidly connected to said shell as by welding. A sleeve 16 is disposed within the shell 10 in spaced relation thereto and with its opposed ends terminating inwardly in spaced relation to the

end caps

12 and 13. The sleeve is supported within the shell on a plurality of longitudinally spaced annular supports 18. Each of said supports has a plurality of openings 20 formed therein so that the space between the shell and sleeve defines an annular gas passage indicated at 22.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, four longitudinally spaced

plates

25, 26, 27, and 28, are mounted in the sleeve 16 and extend thereacross. The

plates

25 and 26, together with the portion of the sleeve 16 interposed therebetween, define a first conversion chamber 29, and in a like manner, the

plates

27 and 28, together with the portion of the sleeve interposed therebetween, define a second conversion chamber 30 in longitudinally spaced relation to the 3 chamber 29. Each of the plates 25-28 has a plurality of slotted openings 32 so that the gas can pass longitudinally through the two

chambers

29 and 30.

The

chambers

29 and 30 are adapted to hold any desired type of catalytic material or materials which effects conversion of the noxious pollutants in the exhaust gases into non-noxious components. Such catalysts may be in the form of pellets inserted into the chamber prior to assembling the

plates

25, 28, 44 and 46 thereon. Conveniently, to refill the chambers, or to fill them after assembly, fill tubes 34 are mounted in the shell and extend into the

chambers

29 and 30, said tubes being closeable as by screw caps 36.

The exhaust gases to be reacted with the catalyst or catalysts are introduced into the converter through an inlet conduit 40 carried in a shouldered aperture 41 in end cap 12. The inner end of said conduit is carried in a shouldered aperture 42 formed in an imperforate end plate 44 mounted in the sleeve 16 and extending thereacross whereby said conduit forms a gas flow inlet for the

chambers

29 and 30. In order to uniformly distribute the gas flow across the plate 25, which plate constitutes the inlet of chamber 29, a baffle plate 46 having a plurality of openings 47 formed therein is mounted in the sleeve 16 between the plates and 44. After passing successively through the chambers 29 and the gases are discharged from the converter through an outlet conduit 48 whose inner end is carried in a shouldered aperture 50 in an imperforate end plate 51 mounted in the shell 16 at the end thereof adjacent the end cap 13. Said conduit projects through and is supported in a shouldered aperture 52 formed in the end cap 13 and thus forms a gas flow outlet for the

chambers

29 and 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, a second inlet conduit 55 is also mounted in the end cap 12 in a shouldered aperture 56 formed therein. In a like manner, a second outlet conduit 57 is also mounted in the end cap 13 in a shouldered aperture 58 formed therein. The inner ends of the

conduits

55 and 57 are in open communication with the interior of converter outwardly from the

end plates

44 and 51 and form a gas flow inlet and outlet for the bypass passage. Thus, the exhaust gases entering the converter through the inlet conduit 55 will move through the bypass passage 22 around the sleeve 16 and be discharged through the outlet conduit 57 without passing through either of the

conversion chambers

29 and 30. Like the

conduits

40 and 48, the

conduits

55 and 57 are longitudinally olfset from one another.

As shown in FIG. 1, the

inlet conduits

40 and 55 are joined, as at 60, and are adapted to be connected upstream therefrom to an exhaust gas source (not shown). A valve 61 is located at the inlet conduit juncture 60 and is movable between its full line position shown in FIG. 1 in which the exhaust gases are directed through the

chambers

29 and 30 and its dotted line position in which said gases are directed through the bypass passage 22. Conveniently, the

outlet conduits

48 and 57 are joined, as at 62, and are adapted to be connected downstream therefrom to an exhaust pipe (not shown). As will be understood, a valve like valve 61 can be located in the outlet conduit juncture 62 for controlling the gas flow through the converter. Such a valve in the exhaust conduits can be employed in addition to, or in lieu of, the valve 61.

Conveniently, in order that the chamber 29 can operate in a non-oxidizing atmosphere and the chamber 30 in an oxidizing atmosphere, a tube 63 having a series of openings 64 therein extends across the sleeve 16 between the

chambers

29 and 30. As shown, one end of said tube is supported in a bracket 65 mounted on the sleeve between the

plates

26 and 27 and the opposite end of said tube projects outwardly through aligned

openings

66 and 67 in the sleeve and shell for connection to a source of pressurized air. With the natural gas flow from the chamber 29 to the chamber 30, the air injected through the tube 63 will be swept along with the gas flow to the chamber 30 so that the catalyst therein will be in an oxidizing atmosphere while the catalyst in chamber 29 remains in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5 primarily in the construction of the gas flow inlet. Thus, the converter illustrated in FIG. 6 comprises an elongated shell 70 closed at its ends by a pair of

end caps

71 and 72 rigidly connected thereto. The conversion chamber 74, which is adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases is disposed within the shell 70 in spaced relation thereto. Said chamber is formed from a sleeve 76 having a pair of longitudinally spaced

apertured plates

78 and 79 extending thereacross with the plate 78 forming the inlet end of the chamber and the plate 79 forming the outlet end thereof. The sleeve is supported within the shell on a plurality of longitudinally spaced annular supports 82 extending between said shell and sleeve. Each of said supports has a plurality of openings 83 so that the space between the shell and sleeve defines an annular bypass passage as indicated at 85.

A pair of

imperforate end plates

87 and 88 are mounted in the sleeve 76 and extend thereacross outwardly from the

plates

78 and 79, respectively. Conveniently, an apertured baffle plate 90 also extends across sleeve 76 between the

plates

78 and 87 for uniformly distributing the gas flow into the inlet end of the chamber 74.

An inlet conduit 92 is carried in a shouldered aperture 93 in the end cap 71 with the inner end of said conduit projecting through a shouldered aperture 94 in the end plate 87 so that said conduit forms a gas flow inlet for the chamber 74. An outlet conduit 96 is carried in a shouldered aperture 98 in the end cap 72 with the inner end of said conduit being carried in a shouldered aperture 100 in the end plate 88 so that the conduit 96 forms a gas flow outulet for the chamber 74.

The gas flow inlet for the bypass passage 85 is formed by an opening 102 in the end plate 87, and the gas flow outlet for said passage is formed by an outlet conduit 104- carried in a shouldered aperture 106 in the end cap 72. The

conduits

104 and 96 are joined, as at 110, and a valve 112 is mounted in the juncture 110. Said valve is movable between its full line position shown in FIG. 6 in which the exhaust gases pass successively through the inlet conduit 92 and chamber 74 and are then discharged through the outlet conduit 96 and its dotted line position shown in FIG. 6 in which said gases pass from the inlet conduit 92 through the inlet opening 102, whereupon they move through the bypass passage 85 and are discharged through the conduit 104.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is like that shown in FIG. 6 except for gas flow inlet and outlet arrangement. Thus, the converter illustrated in FIG. 7 comprises an elongated shell 115 closed at its ends by a pair of

end caps

117 and 118 rigidly connected thereto. The conversion chamber 120 adapted to hold the catalytic material is carried within the shell 115 in spaced relation thereto. Said chamber is formed by a sleeve 122 and a pair of longitudinally spaced

apertured plates

123 and 124 extending thereacross with the plate 123 forming the inlet end of the chamber and the plate 124 forming the outlet end thereof. The sleeve is supported within the shell on a plurality of longitudinally spaced annular supports 125 extending between said shell and sleeve. Each of said supports has a plurality of openings 126 so that the spacee between said shell and sleeve defines an annular bypass passage as indicated at 128.

A pair of

end plates

130 and 131 are mounted in the sleeve 122 and extend thereacross outwardly from the

plates

123 and 124, respectively. Conveniently, an apertured baffle plate 133 extends across sleeve 122 between the

plates

123 and 130 for uniformly distributing the gas flow in to the inlet end of the chamber 120.

An inlet conduit 135 is carried in a shouldered aperture 136 in the end cap 117 with the inner end of said conduit projecting through a shouldered aperture 137 in the end plate 130 so that said conduit forms a gas flow inlet for the chamber 120. An outlet conduit 140 is carried in aligned shouldered

apertures

141 and 142 in the end cap 118 and end plate 131, respectively. The inner end of the conduit 140 terminates between the end plate 131 and the chamber plate 124 so that said conduit forms a gas flow outlet for the chamber 120.

The gas flow inlet for the bypass passage 128 is formed by an inlet conduit 144 carried in a shouldered aperture 146 in end cap 117 with the inner end of said conduit terminating between said end cap and the end plate 130. The gas flow outlet for the passage 128 is formed by an opening 148 formed in the end plate 131.

As shown, the

inlet conduits

135 and 144 are joined, as at 150, and a valve 152 is mounted at the juncture 150. Said valve is movable between its full line position shown in FIG. 7 in which the exhaust gases pass successively through the conduit 135 and chamber 120 and are then discharged through the outlet conduit 140 and its dotted line position shown in FIG. 7 in which said gases pass successively through the inlet conduit 144 and passage 128, whereupon they are discharged through the opening 148 and conduit 140.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 differs from the embodiments previously described primarily in the arrangement of the gas flow inlets and outlets. Thus, the converter illustrated in FIG. 8 comprises an elongated outer shell 155 closed at its end by a pair of

end caps

157 and 158 rigidly connected thereto. The conversion chamber 160 adapted to hold the catalytic material is disposed Within the shell 155 in spaced relation thereto. Said chamber is formed by a sleeve 162 having a pair of longitudinally spaced

apertured plates

163 and 164 extending thereacross with the plate 163 forming the inlet end of the chamber and the plate 164 forming the outlet end thereof. The sleeve is supported within the shell on a plurality of longitudinally spaced annular supports 166 extending between said shell and sleeve. Each of said supports has a plurality of openings 167 so that the space between the shell and sleeve defines an annular bypass passage as indicated at 170.

An end plate 172 is mounted in the sleeve 162 and extends thereacross outwardly from the plate 163. Conveniently, an apertured baffle plate 174 also extends across the sleeve 162 bet-ween the

plates

163 and 172 for uniformly distributing the gas fiow into the inlet end of the chamber 160.

An inlet conduit 176 forming the gas flow inlet for the chamber 160 is carried in aligned shouldered

apertures

178 and 179 in the end cap 157 and the end plate 172, respectively, with the inner end of said conduit terminating between the

plates

172 and 174. An inlet conduit 180 forming the gas flow inlet for the bypass passage 170 is carried in a shouldered aperture 182 in end cap 157. The chamber 160 and passage 170 have a common gasflow outlet formed by an outlet conduit 185 mounted in a shouldered aperture 187 in end cap 158 with the inner end of said conduit terminating between said end cap and the plate 164.

The

conduits

176 and 180 are joined, as at 188, and a valve 190 is mounted in the juncture 188. Said valve is movable between its full line position shown in FIG. 8 in which the exhaust gases pass successively through the inlet conduit 176 and chamber 160 and are discharged through the outlet conduit 185 and its dotted line position shown in FIG. 8 in which said gases pass successively through the inlet conduit 180 and passage 170 and are discharged through the outlet conduit 185.

While theembodiment shown in FIGS. l-S has been described as having a pair of conversion chambers and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-8 have been described as having a single conversion chamber, it is to be understood, of course, that any desired number of said chambers may be employed in any of the embodiments depending upon the number of apertured chamber end wall-forming plates that are employed.

We claim:

1. A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream, comprising an elongated shell, end caps closing the ends of said shell, first means forming a conversion chamber in said shell having an inlet end and an outlet end at the opposite ends thereof and adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases passing therethrough, second means interconnecting said shell and first means supporting said chamber in spaced relation to said shell along the length of said chamber, said second means permitting gas flow therethrough whereby the space between said chamber and shell forms an open ended annular bypass passage extending completely around said chamber, an end plate mounted on said first means between said outlet end and the end cap adjacent thereto, gas flow inlet-forming means in open communication with said chamber and bypass passage, a first gas outlet conduit carried in one of said end caps with its inner end terminating between said outlet end of said chamber and said end plate, a second gas outlet conduit carried in said one end cap with its inner end terminating between said one end cap and said end plate, and valve means operatively connected to said first and second outlet conduits for selectively directing the gas flow through the chamber or said bypass passage.

2. A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream, comprising an elongated shell, end caps closing the ends of said shell, an elongated sleeve carried in said shell and adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases passing therethrough, at least four apertured plates disposed in longitudinally spaced relationship and extending across said shell, said apertured plates defining a plurality of longitudinally spaced chambers along the length of said sleeve with the outermost pair of said plates forming an inlet end and outlet end for the outermost pairs of said chambers, means adapted to be connected to source of pressurized air disposed between a pair of said apertured plates defining the ends of a pair of adjacent chambers, means supporting said sleeve in spaced relation to said shell to form a bypass passage around said sleeve, first gas flow inlet-forming means in open communication with said sleeve, second gas flow inlet-forming means in open communication with said bypass passage, at least one gas flow outlet-forming means in open communication with said chamber and bypass passage, and valve means operatively connected to said first and second gas flow inlet-forming means for selectively directing the gas flow through said chambers or said bypass passage.

3. A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream comprising an elongated shell, end caps closing the ends of said shell, first means forming a conversion chamber in said shell having an inlet end and an outlet end and adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases passing therethrough, a pair of end plates mounted on said first means between said chamber inlet and outlet ends and said end caps, second means supporting said chamber in spaced relation to said shell to form a bypass passage around said chamber, a first inlet conduit carried in one of said end caps with its inner end terminating between the inlet end of said chamber and the adjacent end plate to dispose said conduit in open communication with said chamber, a second inlet conduit canied in said one end cap with its inner end terminating between said one end cap and the end plate adjacent the inlet end of said chamber to dispose said conduit in open communication with said bypass passage, a

first outlet conduit carried in the other of said end caps with its inner end terminating between the outlet end of said chamber and the end plate adjacent thereto to dispose said conduit in open communication with said chamber, a second outlet conduit carried in said other end cap with its inner end terminating between said other end cap and end plate adjacent the outlet end of the chamber to dispose said conduit in open communication with said bypass passage, and valve means operatively connected to said first and second inlet conduits for selectively directing the gas flow through the chamber or said bypass passage.

4. A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream, comprising an elongated shell, end caps closing the ends of said shell, first means forming a conversion chamber in said shell having an inlet end and an outlet end and adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases passing therethrough, second means supporting said chamber in spaced relation to the shell to form a bypass passage around said chamber, a pair of end plates mounted on said first means between said chamber inlet and outlet ends and said end caps, a first inlet conduit carried in one of said end caps with its inner end terminating between said inlet end of said chamber and the adjacent end plate to dispose said conduit in open communication with said chamber, a second inlet conduit carried in said one end cap with its inner end terminating between said one end cap and the end plate adjacent the inlet end of said chamber to dispose said second inlet conduit in open communication with said bypass passage, a first outlet conduit carried in the other of said end caps with its inner end terminating between the outlet end of said chamber and the end plate adjacent thereto to dispose said first outlet conduit in open communication with said chamber, a second outlet conduit carried in said other end cap with its inner end terminating between said other end cap and the' end plate adjacent the outlet end of the chamber to dispose said second outlet conduit in open communication with bypass passage, and valve means located in at least one of said inlet conduits or outlet conduits for selectively directing the gas flow through said chamber or said bypass passage.

5. A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream, comprising an elongated shell, end caps closing the ends of said shell, first means forming a conversion chamber in said shell having an inlet end and an outlet end and adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases passing therethrough, second means supporting said chamber in spaced relation to said shell to form a bypass passage around said chamber, a pair of end plates mounted on said first means between said chamber inlet and outlet ends and said end caps, an inlet conduit carried in one of said end caps with its inner end terminating between the inlet end of said chamber and the end plate adjacent the inlet end of said chamber, an opening formed in said end plate adjacent the inlet end of said chamber, a first outlet conduit carried in the other of said end caps with its inner end terminating between the outlet end of said chamber and the end plate adjacent thereto to dispose said first outlet conduit in open communication with said chamber, a second outlet conduit carried in said other end cap with its inner end terminating between said other end cap and the end plate adjacent the outlet end of said chamber to dispose said second outlet conduit in open communication with said bypass passage, and valve means located in said outlet conduits for selectively directing the gas flow through said chamber or bypass passage.

6. A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream, comprising an elongated shell, end caps closing the ends of said shell, first means forming a conversion chamber in said shell having an inlet end and an outlet end and adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases passing therethrough, second means supporting said chamber in spaced relation to said shell to form a bypass passage around said chamber, a pair of end plates mounted on said first means between said chamber inlet and outlet ends and said end caps, a first inlet conduit carried in one of said end caps with its inner end terminating between the inlet end of said chamber and the adjacent end plate to dispose said first inlet conduit in open communication with said chamber, a second inlet conduit carried in said one end cap with its inner end terminating between said one end cap and the end plate adjacent the inlet end of said chamber to dispose said second inlet conduit in open communication with said bypass passage, an outlet conduit carried in the other of said end caps with its inner end terminating between the outlet end of said chamber and the end plate adjacent thereto to dispose said outlet conduit in open communication with said chamber, an opening formed in the end plate adjacent the outlet end of the chamber, and valve means located in said inlet conduits for selectively directing the gas flow through said chamber or said bypass passage.

7. A catalytic converter for removing noxious pollutants from an exhaust gas stream, comprising an elongated shell, end caps closing the ends of said shell, first means forming a conversion chamber in said shell having an inlet end and an outlet end and adapted to hold catalytic material for removing the noxious pollutants from the exhaust gases passing therethrough, second means supporting said chamber in spaced relation to said shell to form a bypass passage around said chamber, an end plate mounted on said first means between said inlet end and the end cap adjacent thereto, a first inlet conduit carried in the end cap adjacent the chamber inlet end with its inner end terminating between said end plate and the chamber inlet end to dispose said first inlet conduit in open communication with said chamber, a second inlet conduit carried in the end cap adjacent the chamber inlet end with its inner end terminating between the end cap in which it is carried and said end plate to dispose second inlet conduit in open communication with said bypass passage, an outlet conduit carried in the end cap adjacent the chamber outlet end and in open communication with said chamber and bypass passage, and valve means located in said inlet conduits for selectively directing the gas flow through the chamber or said bypass passage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,902,160 3/1933 Frazer et al. 232E 3,086,839 4/1963 Block 23-288 F X 3,090,677 5/1963 Scheitlin et al 23288 F 3,097,074 7/1963 Johnson 23288 F 3,110,300 11/1963 Brown et a1 23288 F X 3,144,309 8/1964 Sparrow 23-288 F 3,180,712 4/1965 Hamblin 23288 F 3,189,417 6/1965 Houdry et a1 23288 F 3,201,206 8/ 1965 Wawrziniok -299 X 3,201,207 8/1965 Lentz 23288 F 3,223,491 12/1965 Maillie et al. 23-288 F 3,228,746 1/1966 Howk et a1 232 E 3,297,400 l/1967 Eastwood 23288 F X 3,338,682 8/1967 Fowler et al 23288 F 3,434,806 3/1969 De Rycke et al. 23288 F BARRY S. RICHMAN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.