Honda unveils diesel system to rival gasoline cars
09-24-2006, 09:59 PM
#1
Hopeful FIT owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 425
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Honda unveils diesel system to rival gasoline cars
Chang-Yan Kim
Reuters via Yahoo.com
September 25, 2006
Read the full article here
What Honda unveiled is the application of new style of diesel exhaust emission control system that was described in a patent Honda was granted earlier this year. Unlike DaimlerChrysler's fiendishly-complicated BlueTec system, Honda's system uses a far less complicated special catalytic converter that converts NOx into simple nitrogen dioxide by passing the exhaust through electrically-charged air, which allows for current-technology converters to remove the NO2 gas. 
Here's a picture of that engine with the special converter:
Reuters via Yahoo.com
September 25, 2006
Read the full article here
Honda Motor Co. (7267.T) said on Monday it has developed a new and simple diesel powertrain that is as clean as gasoline-fuelled cars, unveiling plans to mount it on a car for the U.S. market by 2009.
Diesel engines, which now power half of Europe's new cars, are slowly gaining traction with fuel-conscious consumers around the world since they typically get 30 percent better mileage than gasoline cars.
Their weakness has been the higher exhaust levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx), a greenhouse gas, and carmakers are racing to come up with ways to clear the world's strictest emissions regulations, which the United States will usher in next year.
Honda's new diesel drivetrain generates and stores ammonia within a two-layer catalytic converter to turn nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen.
Honda engineers said the technology is superior to a process pioneered by Germany's DaimlerChrysler AG (DCXGn.DE) because the latter requires a complex system and heavy add-ons to generate ammonia from urea-based additives.
Diesel engines, which now power half of Europe's new cars, are slowly gaining traction with fuel-conscious consumers around the world since they typically get 30 percent better mileage than gasoline cars.
Their weakness has been the higher exhaust levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx), a greenhouse gas, and carmakers are racing to come up with ways to clear the world's strictest emissions regulations, which the United States will usher in next year.
Honda's new diesel drivetrain generates and stores ammonia within a two-layer catalytic converter to turn nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen.
Honda engineers said the technology is superior to a process pioneered by Germany's DaimlerChrysler AG (DCXGn.DE) because the latter requires a complex system and heavy add-ons to generate ammonia from urea-based additives.
Here's a picture of that engine with the special converter:
09-25-2006, 08:05 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: CA
Posts: 3,181
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
it uses ammonia to filter the exhaust, but it still has to store it somewhere. doesn't that mean it still has to be refilled every so often?
after reading this, i'm not sure why diamler-chrysler chose to use that urea system, if all they were after was ammonia. seems like the two systems are conceptually the same, but implemented differently.
after reading this, i'm not sure why diamler-chrysler chose to use that urea system, if all they were after was ammonia. seems like the two systems are conceptually the same, but implemented differently.
Last edited by mayonaise; 09-25-2006 at 08:12 AM.
09-25-2006, 08:40 AM
#4
HC Racer H5
Join Date: May 2000
Location: KCK
Posts: 4,261
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It seems Honda has created a cat converter that creates ammonia from the diesel exhast in the first stage, then in the second it reduces the NOx emissions to almost nil.
Since it makes its own it does not require tank or refilling of such every 3,500 miles when you get oil changes (less money spent on maintenance and doesn't require the owner to have the oil changes done to reduce emissions).
We have to remember Honda maybe very new to diesels but they are a company of committed engineers. Honda may also be small but they are the leader of environmental technologies and actually put them to practice rather than just press release.
Please also note the DCX BlueTec system failed California's emissions test so it cannot be sold there. If Honda does this feat it will give them a major advantage over any other automaker as no one is able to sell consumer diesels there (at least that is what I've learned - you can sell diesels there but for commerical use only).
Since it makes its own it does not require tank or refilling of such every 3,500 miles when you get oil changes (less money spent on maintenance and doesn't require the owner to have the oil changes done to reduce emissions).
We have to remember Honda maybe very new to diesels but they are a company of committed engineers. Honda may also be small but they are the leader of environmental technologies and actually put them to practice rather than just press release.
Please also note the DCX BlueTec system failed California's emissions test so it cannot be sold there. If Honda does this feat it will give them a major advantage over any other automaker as no one is able to sell consumer diesels there (at least that is what I've learned - you can sell diesels there but for commerical use only).
09-25-2006, 08:53 AM
#6
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Location Location
Posts: 44,908
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
09-25-2006, 09:17 AM
#7
I eat plastic.
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 15,177
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mercedes uses Urea because it is safe. If you want to store a good amount of ammonia you have to do so under pressure (and because of this it condenses). It's fairly toxic in comparison to urea. I can imagine this is not good from a safety standpoint.
Whereas Honda employs a system that constantly produces (NOT CREATES) ammonia from the exhaust gasses itself (NOx, water, protons).
Whereas Honda employs a system that constantly produces (NOT CREATES) ammonia from the exhaust gasses itself (NOx, water, protons).
09-25-2006, 09:42 AM
#8
I missed Sean
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Fairfield/Bridgeport CT
Posts: 11,285
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
i have a feeling that this system is going to be a money maker for honda
i mean the licensing alone is going to pull in hundred of thousands if not a few million--
as for the turbo-- many diesel cars use them, including honda's i-CDTI engines (explaining the T in the name)
now if only they could find a way to extract the NO2 gasses and then reinsert them into the engine-- that'd be exciting-- but near impossible i'd imagine
i mean the licensing alone is going to pull in hundred of thousands if not a few million--
as for the turbo-- many diesel cars use them, including honda's i-CDTI engines (explaining the T in the name)
now if only they could find a way to extract the NO2 gasses and then reinsert them into the engine-- that'd be exciting-- but near impossible i'd imagine
09-25-2006, 12:23 PM
#10
I missed Sean
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Fairfield/Bridgeport CT
Posts: 11,285
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
honda has been hell bent on making their own diesel technologies for a while--
a few years back they came out with the i-CTDI 2.2 in europe and it was called one of the best consumer diesels out there-- the engine is amazingly quiet and gets good gas mileage while giving out ample torque with competitive horsepower.
i'd look for the diesel to find it's way into any of the k-powered cars here in the US in a few years... i think that the element, accord and CR-V will be the first to use it here, and they'll probably launch it in the TSX soon thereafter
i actually feel that the TSX in it's next incarnation will feature only two engines, a turbo powered k-variant (like the RDX) and the turbo diesel