What is the purpose of adding urea to a vehicle?
2 Answers
Adding urea to a vehicle primarily serves the purpose of purifying exhaust emissions. The scientific name for automotive urea is Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), which is used in diesel engines. It reacts with nitrogen oxides in the exhaust to reduce their emissions and also optimizes engine performance and fuel consumption. Introduction to automotive urea: Scientifically known as Diesel Exhaust Fluid, it is a consumable essential for SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology. The SCR system includes a urea tank and an SCR catalytic reaction tank. The operation process of the SCR system is as follows: when nitrogen oxides are detected in the exhaust pipe, the urea tank automatically sprays DEF, which then undergoes a redox reaction with nitrogen oxides in the SCR catalytic reaction tank, producing harmless nitrogen and water vapor that are expelled. Consequences of not using Diesel Exhaust Fluid: If DEF is not used, or if its purity is insufficient, or if it is of inferior quality, the vehicle's engine will automatically decelerate. Additionally, inferior quality DEF can contaminate the catalyst in the SCR catalytic reaction tank, leading to serious consequences.
I've been driving a diesel car for several years, and adding urea is mainly to make the vehicle more environmentally friendly by reducing nitrogen oxide emissions. Without urea, the harmful gases in the exhaust pipe cannot be effectively treated, which would pollute the environment. Nowadays, many places have strict emission regulations. If I don't add urea on time, the warning light on my dashboard will come on, and even the speed may be limited, affecting the driving experience. In fact, urea is a blue liquid like AdBlue, which is added to a special tank. It reacts with the exhaust gases in the pipe, turning pollution into harmless water vapor and nitrogen. This way, the car can pass the annual inspection and reduce the risk of fines. I think this is a small maintenance task that every car owner should pay attention to—it's neither expensive nor difficult to operate.
