Delphi Technologies is helping automakers comply with future emissions regulations quickly and cost effectively, as well as simplify Real Driving Emissions test (RDE) compliance and contribute to improved air quality. Building off its 350 bar GDi (Gasoline Direct Injection) system, the company has developed a 500+ bar GDi system that the company says can reduce particulate emissions by up to 50 percent without the need for expensive engine re-designs for the majority of applications.
With an innovative new sealing system and a new, downsized plunger, the pioneering design of Delphi Technologies’ high-efficiency fuel pump delivers the increased pressures needed without increasing the load on the engine’s camshaft, the company states. For a majority of engines, the new system allows engine designers to deliver the many benefits of a 500+ bar injection system without costly design changes.
“The industry has long recognized that increasing injection pressure to 500 bar or more could substantially cut engine-out particulates,” said Walter Piock, chief engineer, Delphi Technologies. “The challenge for automotive engineers has been to achieve higher pressures without putting a heavier burden on the fuel pump. The solution is a new, high-efficiency pump designed by Delphi Technologies.”
“Automakers’ investments must now cover a much wider range of propulsion technologies to keep pace with rapid industry changes,” said James Kyte, director, Product Line Management, Delphi Technologies. “For internal combustion engines, if technological improvements don’t contribute substantially to lowering emissions, and yet require time-consuming and costly engine design changes on top of it, the return on investment quickly evaporates.”
Delphi Technologies says its new 500+ bar GDi system solves this problem so that automakers can reallocate resources to the development of electric and electrified vehicles. The system also provides new design options for engineers working on all-new engines, allowing further developments in downsizing and total system cost management.
To complete the 500+ bar system, the company has optimized other components including injectors, a forged rail and the engine control system and software. These components, which further improve durability and reliability, also require minimal changes, if any, to today’s engines because they match existing packaging constraints and interfaces.
At the end of 2016, Delphi Technologies was among the first to enter production with a 350 bar GDi system, which reduces exhaust particulates by up to 70 percent compared with typical 200 bar systems. The new 500+ bar system is expected to be in production from 2022.
Independent research suggests that internal combustion engines will continue to be in volume production for decades to come. By 2030, more than 80 percent of new light-duty vehicles are expected to have an internal combustion engine, with an increasing number also featuring a high level of electrification.
