Catalytic Converter

Our Catalytic Converter Substrates Meet NASA & International Aerospace Emission Standards – Here's What That Actually Means

People throw around the term "aerospace grade" like it's some magic stamp. But what does it actually mean for a catalytic converter substrate? I've had customers ask if our parts are "NASA certified." NASA doesn't certify substrates. That's not how it works.

But we have built substrates for systems that ended up in NASA‑funded programs. And we've made plenty for aircraft APUs, ECS ozone converters, and ground support equipment that has to meet ICAO and EPA standards.

Here's what "aerospace grade" really requires – no marketing fluff.

NASA Doesn't Certify Substrates, But They Set the Bar

NASA doesn't have a single document that says "catalytic converter must meet this spec." But they've funded a lot of catalyst research over the years, and those performance targets have trickled down into commercial aerospace.

Look at the work NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center did with Precision Combustion on high‑temperature catalytic oxidizers for extended spaceflight. Those systems have to work from –100°C up to 500°C or more. That's a way wider range than any car converter sees. And they have to work the first time, every time, because there's no roadside assistance in space.

Another NASA project looked at breaking down toxic gases from solid waste processing on spacecraft. Same idea – fail‑safe, zero‑tolerance performance.

We've never gotten a direct purchase order from NASA. But we've sold substrates to aerospace companies who were building hardware for NASA‑related programs. They gave us their temperature specs, their vibration requirements, their thermal cycle counts. We met them. That's the closest you get to "NASA qualified" in this business.

ICAO and EPA – The Real Rules for Aircraft Emissions

If you're putting a converter on an aircraft engine or APU, the actual regulations come from ICAO and the EPA.

ICAO Annex 16, Volume II is the international standard. The current edition took effect in July 2023. It covers everything from engine emissions standards to certification procedures. There's a whole working group – CAEP – that keeps tightening the limits. They just agreed to stricter CO₂ rules for new aircraft types by 2031.

For the U.S., it's 40 CFR Part 87. That covers aircraft engine emissions, including APUs. APUs don't make up a huge percentage of airport emissions – less than 1% – but airports still care. Some major hubs restrict APU run time or require emissions controls.

We've supplied substrates for APU converters that helped customers meet those local air quality rules. No magic trick. Just a well‑designed substrate that actually cleans the exhaust.

SAE and AS9100 – The Quality Paperwork

This part is boring, but aerospace customers care about it more than you'd think.

AS9100 is the aerospace version of ISO 9001. It's not about the part itself – it's about how you make it, track it, and prove it. For any component going into an aircraft or ground support system, your supplier better have AS9100‑aligned processes.

That means full traceability. Every substrate gets a batch number. We know which coil of foil, which forming tool, which operator, which furnace cycle. If a customer calls with a problem, we can trace that part back to the shift it was made.

SAE also publishes standards like ARP9062 (operator self‑verification) and ARP9113 (supply chain risk management). We don't quote those by number in our sales pitch. But our processes follow the intent.

Jet Fuel Is Dirtier Than You Think

People assume jet fuel is clean. It's not.

ASTM D1655 allows up to 3,000 ppm sulfur. That's 3,000 parts per million. Compare that to ultra‑low sulfur diesel for cars – 15 ppm. Jet fuel is literally 200 times dirtier on sulfur.

Sulfur poisons precious metal catalysts. So an aerospace substrate has to be built differently. Higher precious metal loading. Poison‑resistant washcoat. More margin.

We learned this the hard way on an early APU project. Standard automotive‑style substrate died fast. Switched to a high‑sulfur formulation, and it lasted. Now we ask every aerospace customer about fuel sulfur content before we quote.

What "Aerospace‑Grade" Looks Like in Our Shop

So after all that, here's what we actually change when someone says "this is for an aircraft."

Material. Stainless. Always. Aluminum is fine for a Honda Civic. Not for something that sits near a hot APU or lives in an ECS compartment. For extreme heat, we go to Inconel.

Cell density. Lower than automotive. Usually 200–400 cpsi. High cell density creates backpressure, and aircraft systems hate backpressure.

Foil thickness. 0.04 to 0.08 mm. Thin enough to save weight – and aircraft customers weigh everything. Thick enough to survive vibration. The final number depends on how much shaking the part will see.

Brazing. High‑temperature nickel‑based filler. Not the standard stuff. It has to stay solid when the APU is running.

Mounting mat. Heavy‑duty, high‑temp rated. And we control the gap between the substrate and the can to within a few tenths of a millimeter. No rattling. Ever.

Testing. Thermal cycle (200+ cycles from room temp to 700°C). Vibration. Flow bench at temperature. Plus our standard peel tests and light tests.

Paperwork. Coil certs. Braze logs. Dimensional reports. Batch traceability. You want to see a certificate for the foil? We have it. You want to know what furnace run your parts came from? We can tell you.

Real Jobs We've Done

We made an oval stainless substrate for a business jet ECS ozone converter. The customer tested it. Ozone removal was over 99%. They ordered hundreds.

We built a small, heavy‑duty substrate for a regional jet APU. The vibration environment was brutal. We used thicker foil and a denser mat than usual. It lasted through 2,000 hours of testing. The previous supplier's part cracked at 500.

And we've sold raw honeycomb to a systems integrator who builds environmental control hardware for NASA‑funded research. I can't name the program. But the temperature range they asked for was way outside anything we do for cars. We figured it out.

Bottom Line

"Aerospace grade" isn't a sticker you put on a box. It's a list of real requirements. ICAO emissions. EPA Part 87. AS9100 traceability. Sulfur‑resistant washcoat. Thermal cycling. Vibration testing. Paperwork that proves everything.

We've built substrates that meet those requirements. Not for every aircraft application out there – but for enough of them that we know what works.

If you need a catalytic substrate for an aircraft APU, an ECS ozone converter, or ground support equipment, bring us your specs. We'll tell you what we've done for other customers in your space. And we'll build you a part that passes the test – not just on paper, but when your quality auditor checks the batch number.