A month of dieseling

摘要

The month of June simply could not help serving one diesel-related news and information item after another, yielding a number of new pieces for the jigsaw puzzle that forms a picture of the diesel's future. It must be admitted, however, that not all the pieces fit together with convincing neatness. The first contribution, chronologically, came from Bosch, as part of a wide-ranging technology seminar. Its engineers spoke of 2500 bar common-rail injection and piezo technology, and the improved performance which would result. Bosch admits to being driven hardest by exhaust emission considerations and especially by the Euro 5 proposals which, the company says, will require particulate filters to be fitted to all new diesel cars, rather than from 2.0 litres upwards as needed to comply with Euro 4. The 2500 bar injection pressure involves a new technology, the hydraulically amplified diesel injector (HADI). To go with these "sharp end" developments, Bosch says it is preparing a new-generation diesel engine management system, EDC17, which will analyse performance cycle by cycle and cylinder by cylinder, leaning heavily on advanced sensor technologies. The control unit itself is in some respects simplified, allowing it to be readily adaptable to different engines. Bosch has also developed a new sintered-metal particulate filter to trap 97 per cent of particulates, while the company appears to favour urea injection to control NOx. Its new technologies will be coming on-line from 2006, with a view towards the US market as well as the huge European demand.