Engineering

A new catalytic converter that could cut fuel consumption and manufacturing costs has been designed by a scientist from Imperial College London. A catalytic converter is the component in a vehicle’s exhaust system that eliminates some harmful emissions. Tests suggest that the new prototype could reduce fuel consumption in a standard vehicle by up to three per cent. It could also deliver environmental benefits by reducing the amount of CO? that each vehicle emits. The new design uses up to 80 per cent less rare metal, a development that could significantly reduce costs for vehicle manufacturers. Catalytic converters are expensive to manufacture because they use precious metals such as platinum to eliminate emissions. These metals currently account for up to 60 to 70 per cent of the cost of the component. The prototype is also predicted to perform better than existing models because the rare metal degrades less over the lifetime of the component. Laboratory tests suggest that it deteriorates by only four per cent over a distance of 100,000 kilometres, compared to 35 per cent for a standard catalytic converter. The inventor of the prototype device is Dr Benjamin Kingsbury. He is also a Research Associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London. He says: “Catalytic converters are the most important component in a vehicle for controlling exhaust emissions. Yet their design has not changed since they were first developed in the 1940s. ÒThe prototype I have developed could make cars cheaper to run because they use less fuel. It could potentially help manufacturers to reduce their costs. Drivers could also be a major beneficiary of this device, which could save on fuel costs and ultimately lead to reduced CO? emissions.” A conventional catalytic converter is a ceramic block, which is honeycombed with microscopic channels that […]

FARO Technologies has released the new Laser Scanner Focus3D X 330. Building on the success of the Laser Scanner Focus3D, the new Focus3D X 330 surpasses previous models in functionality and performance. With a range almost three times greater than previous models, the Focus3D X 330 can scan objects up to 330 meters away and in direct sunlight. With its integrated GPS receiver, the laser scanner is able to correlate individual scans in post-processing making it ideal for surveying based applications. In addition, the Focus3D X 330 measurement accuracy has been increased and noise has been reduced, providing precise three dimensional models in a photo-realistic style. These advances in performance did not come at the expense of safety as the Focus3D X 330 includes a Class 1 ‘eye safe’ laser. “Its minimal weight, small size, touch-screen, SD-card and a battery life of 4.5 hours make the Focus3D X 330 unbeatable and easy-to-use,” said Dr. Bernd Becker, Chief Technology Strategist for the new Focus3D X 330. “No other provider can offer such a technical achievement.” With its increased range and scan accuracy, the Focus3D X 330 considerably reduces the effort involved in measuring and post-processing. The 3D scan data can easily be imported into all commonly used software solutions for accident reconstruction, architecture, civil engineering, construction, forensics, industrial manufacturing and land surveying. Distance dimensions, area and volume calculations, analysis and inspection tasks and documentation can thus be carried out quickly, precisely and reliably.