A reducing agent injection device includes a honeycomb structure having a honeycomb structure body and a pair of electrode members arranged in a side surface of the honeycomb structure body and a urea spraying device spraying a urea water solution in mist form. The urea water solution sprayed from the urea spraying device is supplied inside cells from a first end face of the honeycomb structure body, and urea in the urea water solution supplied in the cells is heated and hydrolyzed inside the electrically heated honeycomb structure body to generate ammonia. The ammonia is discharged outside the honeycomb structure body from a second end face and injected outside. There is provided a reducing agent injection device that can generate and inject ammonia from a urea solution with less energy.

A reducing agent injection device includes a honeycomb structure having a honeycomb structure body and a pair of electrode members arranged in a side surface of the honeycomb structure body and a urea spraying device spraying a urea water solution in mist form. The urea water solution sprayed from the urea spraying device is supplied inside cells from a first end face of the honeycomb structure body, and urea in the urea water solution supplied in the cells is heated and hydrolyzed inside the electrically heated honeycomb structure body to generate ammonia. The ammonia is discharged outside the honeycomb structure body from a second end face and injected outside. There is provided a reducing agent injection device that can generate and inject ammonia from a urea solution with less energy.

A plugged honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb structure body, and a plurality of plugging portions, the honeycomb structure body further includes pass-through hole portions each of which is formed in at least a part of a partition wall intersection portion in which the partition walls intersect in one end face and each of which interconnects a pair of cells facing each other at a position corresponding to the partition wall intersection portion to enable pass-through of a fluid, and a value obtained by dividing a diameter of a first virtual inscribed circle inscribed at a position of a minimum hole width of the pass-through hole portion by a diameter of a second virtual inscribed circle inscribed at a position of a minimum plugging width between the plugging portions facing each other is in a range of 0.05 to 0.74.

A plugged honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb structure body, and a plurality of plugging portions, the honeycomb structure body further includes pass-through hole portions each of which is formed in at least a part of a partition wall intersection portion in which the partition walls intersect in one end face and each of which interconnects a pair of cells facing each other at a position corresponding to the partition wall intersection portion to enable pass-through of a fluid, and a value obtained by dividing a diameter of a first virtual inscribed circle inscribed at a position of a minimum hole width of the pass-through hole portion by a diameter of a second virtual inscribed circle inscribed at a position of a minimum plugging width between the plugging portions facing each other is in a range of 0.05 to 0.74.

A silicon carbide porous body contains β-SiC particles, Si particles, and metal silicide particles. The maximum particle diameter of the β-SIC particles is not smaller than 15 μm. The content of the Si particles is not lower than 10 mass %. The maximum particle diameter of the Si particles is not larger than 40 μm. Further, an oxide coating film having a thickness not smaller than 0.01 μm and not larger than 5 μm is provided on surfaces of the Si particles.

A silicon carbide porous body contains β-SiC particles, Si particles, and metal silicide particles. The maximum particle diameter of the β-SIC particles is not smaller than 15 μm. The content of the Si particles is not lower than 10 mass %. The maximum particle diameter of the Si particles is not larger than 40 μm. Further, an oxide coating film having a thickness not smaller than 0.01 μm and not larger than 5 μm is provided on surfaces of the Si particles.

A method for making a metal carbide based catalyst for crude oil cracking includes mixing a clay with a phosphorous based stabilizer material to obtain a liquid slurry; adding an aluminosilicate zeolite and an ultrastable Y zeolite to the liquid slurry; adding Al.sub.2Cl(OH).sub.5 to the liquid slurry; adding metal carbide particles, having a given diameter, to the liquid slurry to obtain a mixture; and spray drying the mixture to obtain the metal carbide based catalyst. The metal carbide particles are coated with the aluminosilicate zeolite and the ultrastable Y zeolite.

A method for making a metal carbide based catalyst for crude oil cracking includes mixing a clay with a phosphorous based stabilizer material to obtain a liquid slurry; adding an aluminosilicate zeolite and an ultrastable Y zeolite to the liquid slurry; adding Al.sub.2Cl(OH).sub.5 to the liquid slurry; adding metal carbide particles, having a given diameter, to the liquid slurry to obtain a mixture; and spray drying the mixture to obtain the metal carbide based catalyst. The metal carbide particles are coated with the aluminosilicate zeolite and the ultrastable Y zeolite.

There is provided a honeycomb type heating device including: a pillar-shaped honeycomb substrate having a partition wall defining a plurality of cells extending from one end face to the other end face and a circumferential wall surrounding the partition wall; a plurality of heaters adjacently arranged on a circumferential face that is an outside surface of the circumferential wall in a circumferential direction of the circumferential face; and intermediate members interposed between the circumferential face of the honeycomb substrate and the plurality of heaters. The sum of areas of portions of the circumferential face covered with the intermediate members between the circumferential face of the honeycomb substrate and the plurality of heaters is 20 to 100% of the sum of areas of portions of the circumferential face covered with the plurality of heaters.

The honeycomb structure includes a pillar-shaped honeycomb structure body, and a circumferential coating layer disposed to surround a circumference of the honeycomb structure body, and cells which are formed at an outermost circumference of the honeycomb structure body and in which peripheries of the cells are defined by the partition walls without any lacks are defined as outermost circumference complete cells, and in a cross section of the honeycomb structure body which is perpendicular to an extending direction of the cells a minimum distance T (mm) among distances from the outermost circumference complete cells to the surface of the circumferential coating layer and a porosity P (%) of the circumferential coating layer satisfy relations of Equation (1) and Equation (2) as follows:

1.5≧T≧16×(100−P).sup.−1.4; and  Equation (1):

20≦P≦75.  Equation (2):