Abstract: Provided is a method for diagnosing whether an oxidation catalyst has degraded, based on an output value from one diagnostic sensor with higher accuracy. When a ratio of nitrogen monoxide that is oxidized by a catalyst and discharged downstream of the catalyst as nitrogen dioxide, with respect to nitrogen monoxide contained in an exhaust gas supplied upstream of the catalyst in an exhaust path is defined as a NO conversion rate, a diagnostic sensor configured to output an electromotive force corresponding to the NO conversion rate as a diagnostic output is provided downstream of the catalyst in the exhaust path, and whether the catalyst has degraded beyond an acceptable limit is diagnosed by comparing the diagnostic output with a threshold value predetermined depending on a temperature of the catalyst.

Abstract: A gas sensor in which an electrode is prevented from being poisoned is provided. A mixed-potential type gas sensor includes a sensor element composed a solid electrolyte. The sensor element includes: a measurement gas introduction space having an open end at a distal end and extending in a longitudinal direction; a sensing electrode provided on an inner side of the measurement gas introduction space; and a heater configured to heat the sensor element. The concentration of the gas component is determined based on a potential difference between the sensing electrode and a reference electrode, while the heater heats the sensor element so that a place having a temperature higher than the temperature of the sensing electrode and the melting point of a poisoning substance exists between the open end and the sensing electrode and the temperature decreases toward the sensing electrode.

Abstract: An ion generator may be configured to generate ions within a fluid passage that is at least partly defined by an electrical insulator, where the ion generator may include: a discharge electrode placed within the fluid passage; a ground electrode placed in a vicinity of the discharge electrode; and a power source configured to intermittently apply a predetermined discharge voltage to the discharge electrode with respect to the ground electrode. The power source may be configured to apply a base voltage to the discharge electrode with respect to the ground electrode during at least part of a time period after applying the discharge voltage, the base voltage having an opposite polarity to the discharge voltage.

Abstract: A honeycomb structure comprising a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body, wherein the honeycomb structure body has at least one missing part, the average size of the missing part is such that the radial length on the end face of the honeycomb structure body is 0.8 to 8.0 mm, the perimeter along the rim of the end face of the honeycomb structure body is 0.8 to 41.0 mm, and the axial length in the extending direction of the cells of the honeycomb structure body is 0.1 to 32.0 mm, and a percentage of a ratio of total area of the missing part is 1.40% or less.

Abstract: The honeycomb structure includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body that includes a porous partition wall. When the thickness (?m) of the partition wall is defined as T1 and, among pores formed in the partition wall, the value of an average pore diameter (?m) of specific pores whose pore diameters measured by a mercury press-in method are 20 to 100 ?m is defined as D(20 to 100), T1/D(20 to 100) that is a value obtained by dividing T1 by D(20 to 100) is not less than 2.4, a ratio of a pore volume of the specific pores to an overall pore volume of the partition wall is 5 to 45%, and a ratio of a pore volume of large pores whose pore diameters are not less than 100 ?m to the overall pore volume of the partition wall is not more than 5%.

Abstract: A fluid heating component including: a porous body made of ceramics and formed with through channels through which a fluid passes, and a conductive coating layer disposed on a through channel surface of at least a part of each through channel, wherein the conductive coating layer is electrically connected, and is continuous.

Abstract: A fluid heating component including: a pillar-shaped member made of ceramics and formed with through channels through which a fluid passes, and a conductive coating layer disposed on at least a part of a circumferential surface of the pillar-shaped member, wherein the conductive coating layer is disposed on coats the whole circumference of a cut surface of the pillar-shaped member in a state where the conducive coating layer is electrically connected, in the cut surface of the pillar-shaped member which is perpendicular to a passing direction of the fluid.

Abstract: A joined body 20 according to the present invention includes a first member 22 made of a porous ceramic, a second member 24 made of a metal, and a joint 30 formed of an oxide ceramic of a transition metal, the joint 30 joining the first member 22 to the second member 24. Alternatively, a joined body may include a first member made of a dense material, a second member made of a dense material, and a joint formed of an oxide ceramic of a transition metal, the joint joining the first member to the second member.

Abstract: Object information representing a honeycomb structure with a plurality of meshes is obtained, and an inner-wall-surface heat transfer coefficient hs, i.e., a heat transfer coefficient between an inner wall surface of a cell and a fluid, is derived as follows. First, one of the meshes as a target for derivation of the inner-wall-surface heat transfer coefficient hs is set (S200), and a dimensionless coordinate X* is derived on the basis of position information (X-coordinate) of the set mesh and fluid state information (S210). An inner-wall-surface dimensionless heat transfer coefficient Nus corresponding to the derived dimensionless coordinate X* is then derived on the basis of the inner-wall-surface dimensionless correspondence information (S220 to S250). The inner-wall-surface heat transfer coefficient hs in the mesh set as the derivation target is then derived on the basis of the derived inner-wall-surface dimensionless heat transfer coefficient Nus (S260).

Abstract: A ceramic formed body extrusion method for forming a ceramic formed body having a wall-shaped or plate-shaped formed portion by using an extrusion die provided with a slit for extrusion of a ceramic formed body from a raw material for forming, the slit including a slit former stage unit located on an upstream side in an extrusion direction in the extrusion and a slit latter stage unit located on a downstream side in the extrusion direction, the slit latter stage unit having a width of three to 27 times a width of the slit former stage unit, and by extruding a raw material containing a first particle having an aspect ratio of two or more and less than 300 such that the raw material passes though the slit former stage unit of the extrusion die and then passes through the slit latter stage unit.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a honeycomb structure, the method including: a circumferential coat layer forming process of applying a circumferential coating material on a circumferential surface of a ceramic honeycomb structure to form a circumferential coat layer, the circumferential coat layer forming process including: a rotating process of matching an axial direction of the honeycomb structure; and an applying process of discharging the circumferential coating material to apply the circumferential coating material on the circumferential surface of the honeycomb structure that rotates, wherein in the applying process, a discharge speed of the circumferential coating material, calculated by Equation (1), discharged from the discharge nozzle is 50 to 120 mm/s, and Discharge speed V [mm/s]=Supplied amount q [g/s] of circumferential coating material÷(Density ? [g/mm3] of circumferential coating material×Area S [mm2] of discharge opening)??(1).

Abstract: A honeycomb structure includes plugged honeycomb segments, circumferential bonding layers, central bonding layers and a circumferential wall. An angle ? between a first direction of extension of at least one of the circumferential bonding layers and a second direction of extension of a line segment that connects a centroid of the honeycomb structure and an intersection point at which the circumferential bonding layer in the first direction intersects with the circumferential wall is 25 to 45°, and the outermost segment bonded by the circumferential bonding layer in the first direction exists on a parallel line to a direction of extension of the central bonding layer passing through the centroid.

Abstract: A honeycomb structure includes plugged honeycomb segments, bonding layers and a circumferential wall. The bonding layers includes bottomed-hollow unbonded portions, which extend toward an internal side in an axial direction from an end face of the honeycomb structure, in portions of circumferential bonding layers bonding the honeycomb segments on an outermost circumference. The unbonded portions exist on respective extended lines extending from an intersection of the bonding layers which is closest to a centroid of the end face. An opening length of the unbonded portion is 1 to 10 mm, a ratio of an opening depth of the unbonded portion to a length of the honeycomb segment is 10 to 45%, and a ratio of a distance from the circumferential wall to a point at which an open end of the unbonded portion ends to a length of the circumferential bonding layer is 5 to 100%.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a honeycomb structure provided with partitions forming a plurality of cells. This manufacturing method includes a structure formation process including a pore-forming material placement step of placing a pore-forming material for forming pores in the partitions, a raw material placement step of placing tabular grains and raw material grains such that the tabular grains are arranged in a predetermined direction with respect to the partition surfaces while the tabular grains and the raw material grains constitute a raw material for forming the partitions, and a sintering step of sintering the placed raw material. The honeycomb structure is produced by repeating the structure formation process a plurality of times.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a honeycomb structure, including a vertical extrusion process, wherein the vertical extrusion process includes: an extrusion step of extruding the molding compound in the vertically downward direction from an extrusion die attached to an extruder; a honeycomb formed body receiving step in which a transfer pallet is placed at a position near the extrusion die, and a honeycomb formed body formed by continuously extruding the molding compound in the extrusion step is received and supported from below by the transfer pallet; and a pallet lowering step of lowering the transfer pallet while receiving and supporting the honeycomb formed body in synchronization with an extrusion speed of the molding compound from the extrusion die, and the transfer pallet is constituted of a laminate structure including: a pallet substrate; and a tabular mesh plate.

Abstract: A separation apparatus 10 includes a pretreatment section 20 that subjects a target fluid containing an olefin compound to at least one or more of a treatment for reducing an acetylene-based compound, a treatment for reducing a sulfur compound, and a treatment for reducing a fine particle component. In the pretreatment section 20, one or more treatments selected from a hydrotreating and an adsorption treatment with an adsorbent may be performed as the treatment for reducing the acetylene-based compound, one or more treatments selected from a washing and absorption treatment, an adsorption treatment with an adsorbent, and a hydrodesulfurization treatment may be performed as the treatment for reducing the sulfur compound, and one or more treatments selected from a liquid absorption treatment, a collection treatment, or a filtration treatment with a filter may be performed as the treatment for reducing the fine particle component.

Abstract: A slope ?t1HC in a linear area of sensor output characteristics for a mixed atmosphere of CO and THC and a slope ?t1NH in the linear area of the sensor output characteristics for NH3 are specified in advance at a time when a time t1 has elapsed since a start of use of an engine. In performing calibration of an NH3 sensor when a time t2 (greater than the time t1) has elapsed, a slope ?t2HC in the linear area of the sensor output characteristics for the mixed atmosphere is specified, a value ?t2NH is calculated from an equation ?t2NH=?t2HC/(?t1HC/?t1NH), and the calculated value ?t2NH is determined as a new slope in the linear area of the sensor output characteristics for an NH3 gas.

Abstract: A SiAlON sintered body according to the present invention is represented by Si6-zAlzOzN8-z (0<z?4.2) and has an open porosity of 0.1% or less and a relative density of 99.9% or more. A ratio of a total of intensities of maximum peaks of components other than SiAlON to an intensity of a maximum peak of the SiAlON in an X-ray diffraction diagram is 0.005 or less.

Abstract: A plurality of illumination elements configured to irradiate an inspection target region with illumination light obliquely at an identical angle in respective directions different from each other and equiangularly spaced from each other around an image capturing part are sequentially turned on and off. The image capturing part generates a plurality of pieces of captured image data by capturing an image of the target region in a normal direction when each of the plurality of illumination elements is turned on. A determination image generation part generates minimum luminance image data in which a minimum value among luminance values of the plurality of pieces of captured image data at an identical pixel position is set as a luminance value at the pixel position, and then generates determination image data based on the minimum luminance image data. A defect determination part determines existence of a defect based on the determination image data.

Abstract: A honeycomb structure, including: a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body having a first end face and a second end face and including a porous partition wall disposed so as to surround a plurality of cells, the plurality of cells extending from the first end face to the second end face and serving as a through channel of fluid, wherein the partition wall has a porosity of 45 to 65%, the partition wall has an average pore diameter of 15 to 25 ?m, and the partition wall has a cumulative pore volume, which is measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry, such that a pore volume ratio of pores having pore diameters of 10 ?m or less relative to the overall pore volume of the partition wall is 10% or less, and a pore volume ratio of pores having pore diameters of 40 ?m or more is 10% or less.