Major European truck manufacturers choose Delphi for Euro 6 13 December 2010

More than half of the major European truck manufacturers have signed deals with Delphi Diesel for its new common rail fuel injection technologies.

Richard Green, Delphi Diesel's marketing and sales manager, won't say which of the OEMs is taking up its ultra-high pressure technologies. However, he does indicate that their targets are identical – achieving Euro 6 engine emissions compliance, starting by improving the fuel burn characteristics.

"Two years ago, our whole idea of having a range of retrofit common rail systems for heavy-duty engines was, in large part, a concept," says Green. "Now we have signed contracts with customers for every one of our three systems. And they are all for production engines ahead of Euro 6."

Green explains that the injection systems ordered are for between nine- and 16-litre engines "and we also have what I would call a premium medium duty application on-highway, as well".

He points out that all common rail systems allow multiple pre- and post-ignition fuel injections, as well as much better control and higher pressures over a bigger operating speed range than unit injectors – particularly at lower engine speeds.

"Our current Euro 5 unit injector products run at 2,000bar, but … our new common rail systems are designed for up to 3,000bar. Most manufacturers won't need that for Euro 6. They will run at between 2,500 and 2,700bar, but we've designed in headroom for the future," he says.

As for why so many OEMs are turning to Delphi, Green insists that the attraction is the new equipment's ability to fit with existing overall engine designs – unlike most conventional systems.

"What we have done over the years is not force OEMs to fundamentally change the design of their engines around the fuel system. Take Volvo just as an example: a Euro 5 injector will fit in a Euro 0 Volvo cylinder head. It would be the same with our Euro 6 products."

Hence the range, which provides common rail characteristics, but remains modular and includes: a system that looks like an overhead cam-driven electronic unit injector; another that provides pumping via a conventional side cam shaft; and a third that behaves as a conventional common rail device, with a remote pump.

However, there is one other point: "With a conventional common rail pump, if there's a failure, you have to change the complete pump. With these systems, you just change the relevant pumping element."

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Delphi Diesel Systems

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