Honda: Clean Diesel engine

Honda presents a diesel engine that reduces exhaust gas emissions to a level equal to a gasoline engine.

The diesel engine employs a nitrogen oxide (NOx) catalytic converter that enables a reduction in NOx emissions sufficient to meet stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier II Bin 5 emissions requirements, the company said. This catalytic converter features system using the reductive reaction of ammonia generated within the catalytic converter to "detoxify" NOx by turning it into harmless nitrogen (N2).

The catalytic converter utilizes a two-layer structure: one layer adsorbs NOx from the exhaust gas and converts a portion of it into ammonia, while the other layer adsorbs the resulting ammonia, and uses it later in a reaction that converts the remaining NOx in the exhaust into nitrogen. Ammonia is a highly effective reagent for reducing NOx into N2 in an oxygen-rich, lean-burn atmosphere. This ability to generate and store ammonia within the catalytic converter has enabled Honda to create a compact, lightweight NOx reduction system for diesel engines.

The system also features enhanced NOx reduction performance at 200 - 300 C, the main temperature range of diesel engines. The company designed the catalytic converter for use with its 2.2 i-CTDi diesel engine. By further advancing combustion control, the 2.2 i-CTDi delivers cleaner exhaust to the NOx catalytic converter. The company achieved this by optimizing the combustion chamber configuration, reducing fuel injection time with a 2,000-bar common rail injection system and boosting the efficiency of the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system. The automaker plans to introduce its diesel engine in the U.S. within three years.

Related news: Foursprung, P4MR, Honda, Diesel

Source: all4engineers

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