Cold Start Emission Reduction: A Simulation Study of with and without Electric Heater in a Catalytic Converter

Cold Start Emission Reduction: A Simulation Study of with and without Electric Heater in a Catalytic Converter | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Cold Start Emission Reduction: A Simulation Study of with and without Electric Heater in a Catalytic Converter N B Branawe Sundar, V P Shreyaa, Maniarasu Ravi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7273272/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examines the significant contribution of cold start emissions to overall vehicle emissions due to the reduced effectiveness of catalytic converters at lower temperatures. A simulation-based comparison is conducted between a standard catalytic converter and an electric heater-assisted catalytic converter under cold start conditions. The electric heater accelerates the warm-up phase, allowing the catalytic converter to reach its optimal operating temperature more quickly, thereby reducing harmful emissions. The simulation evaluates key parameters such as (i) warm-up time, (ii) emission levels of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and unburned hydrocarbons (HCs), and (iii) energy efficiency. Results demonstrate the potential of heater-assisted catalytic converters significantly reduce cold start emissions as compared to conventional systems. This approach suggests a promising solution to enhance vehicle emission reduction, particularly in urban environments with frequent cold starts. The heater-assisted catalytic converter achieved a 40% reduction in CO emissions and a 15% drop in pressure across the catalyst during cold starts. It reached light-off temperature in under 30 seconds, enabling faster and more efficient pollutant conversion. These improvements support better emission control, engine performance, and compliance with Euro 7 standards. Cold start Catalytic converter Light off CO emission Thermal management of converter Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7273272","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":501988843,"identity":"dd637b94-790c-418d-abc2-02ecf73eda7d","order_by":0,"name":"N B Branawe Sundar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACA1R2BZBiZm4gRcsZkBZGUrQwtoFoAlrMpQ8/e/Czzcbe4Hbzxs+V82qj+duBWn5UbMOpxbIvzdywty0tccOdY8WSZ7cdz51xmLGBsefMbdwOO8NgJsG77XCCwY0cA8nGbcdyG4BamBnb8Glh/yb5d9t/e6AW45+Nc47lzieshcdMmnfbAcYNN3LMJBsbanI3ENJi2cNTJi37Lzlx5o20MsuGYwdyNwK1HMTnF3Me9m2Sb87Y2fPdSN58s6GmLnfe+cMHH/yowK0FHRwGkweIVg8EdaQoHgWjYBSMghECABVkXiZMiYYUAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Thiagarjar College of Engineering","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"N","middleName":"B Branawe","lastName":"Sundar","suffix":""},{"id":501988845,"identity":"94e28ab0-4756-454c-91c4-44ddd85ea053","order_by":1,"name":"V P Shreyaa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Thiagarjar College of Engineering","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"V","middleName":"P","lastName":"Shreyaa","suffix":""},{"id":501988846,"identity":"d1f9d6fb-cfd4-481e-a3d6-9c343df93204","order_by":2,"name":"Maniarasu Ravi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Thiagarjar College of Engineering","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maniarasu","middleName":"","lastName":"Ravi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-01 17:08:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7273272/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7273272/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":101202196,"identity":"8e8d55a2-6f57-4638-bb3e-b7ef4a51bf07","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-27 09:26:21","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1156365,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ColdStartEmissionReductionManuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7273272/v1_covered_afadd202-a9ac-4dbf-b9ae-831f663b7f26.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Cold Start Emission Reduction: A Simulation Study of with and without Electric Heater in a Catalytic Converter","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Cold start, Catalytic converter, Light off, CO emission, Thermal management of converter","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7273272/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7273272/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study examines the significant contribution of cold start emissions to overall vehicle emissions due to the reduced effectiveness of catalytic converters at lower temperatures. A simulation-based comparison is conducted between a standard catalytic converter and an electric heater-assisted catalytic converter under cold start conditions. The electric heater accelerates the warm-up phase, allowing the catalytic converter to reach its optimal operating temperature more quickly, thereby reducing harmful emissions. The simulation evaluates key parameters such as (i) warm-up time, (ii) emission levels of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and unburned hydrocarbons (HCs), and (iii) energy efficiency. Results demonstrate the potential of heater-assisted catalytic converters significantly reduce cold start emissions as compared to conventional systems. This approach suggests a promising solution to enhance vehicle emission reduction, particularly in urban environments with frequent cold starts. The heater-assisted catalytic converter achieved a 40% reduction in CO emissions and a 15% drop in pressure across the catalyst during cold starts. It reached light-off temperature in under 30 seconds, enabling faster and more efficient pollutant conversion. 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