We’re at a bit of a transition point at the moment, with internal combustion engines beginning to be phased out while electric powertrains are becoming the new norm. Thanks to ever-stricter growing emissions restrictions and the push for cleaner air, there’s just not much more room left for fuel-burning engines.
The first internal combustion engine to bite the dust, though, will likely be the diesel engine, due to its cruder nature and its naturally worse emissions. However, that could change and the diesel engine could stick around for a lot longer thanks to a new diesel exhaust technology.
The problem with diesel engines is that they emit quite a lot of NOx (Nitrogen Oxide), more so that a gasoline engine. The past few years, automakers have been getting around this a bit by injecting small amounts of AdBlue, a urea-based liquid, into the exhaust. That system cleans about 60-percent of the harmful NOx emissions in Euro 6-regulated diesel engines. Now, though, there’s a new exhaust cleaning technology in the works that makes AdBlue look like a bad joke.
It’s called ACCT (ammonia creation and conversion technology) and it’s currently being developed by a team of specialists at the Loughborough University in Britain. This new system uses ammonia to “literally to rip NOx apart”, which leaves only nitrogen and water behind.
According to the Loughborough team, ACCT has been able to clean 98-percent of NOx in diesel emissions and it’s done so while not even being tuned for a specific engine. The team tested the system on a Skoda taxi and saw a 98-percent reduction in NOx and claims that, if tuned properly, they could create a “virtually zero-emission” diesel engine.
Though, the Loughborough team feels that eliminating NOx is only the beginning. “NOx is serious,” said Graham Hargrave, professor of optical diagnostics and team leader. “But it’s really a point-source problem. It only matters in a tiny minority of locations.”
“Solve it and you can get on with reducing CO2, which is important everywhere.”
It seems as if this ACCT could seriously help solve diesel emissions moving forward, so long as it can gain a supplier/manufacturer on a large scale. If that’s the case, we could see diesel engines last a long longer than originally anticipated. So long as their emissions are clean, we’d be very happy to see diesel stick around for many, many more years.
[Source: Autocar]
No. Diesel needs to go. Please.
You need to go? Sounds like it…
What about particulates?
Taken care of with higher pressure fuel injectors and particulate filters
Not really.
The particle issue is not just diesel related, that’s why most of the new petrol engines with turbo will have particle filters too. Here is the last ADAC test – unfortunately I don’t have the english version but you can figure it out: https://www.adac.de/_mmm/jpg/EcoTest_2018_2_01_1332x1100_317081.jpg
Diesels emit less CO2 and even less CO, NOx is the main issue. Btw turbo petrols also generate NOx, if this technology can be implemented and works fine then it’s a gamechanger. Give me a break with “the crude nature”.
The particles are mainly a problem in modern diesels with high injection pressure.
On otto engines the problem only exists in DI, which to a degree can be seen as a dead end, as there are other ways to improve otto efficiency.
Indeed but nearly all new petrol engines in the EU are DI.
There’s nothing that can save diesel at this point. Governments, policy makers, health advisors, environmentalists, and even majority of every day users etc., have made up their minds on fossil fuels. They’d rather electric powertrains that gives more instant torque, more power, cheaper to run as charging cost is low, and most importantly, zero emissions.
Range Range Range vs Cost
Your argument is valid but I’m afraid that won’t change anything. The industry is already going the way of electric powertrains and an interim petrol-hybrid option. They say electric powertrains will be cheaper than internal combustion engines by 2025 and will have longer ranges of over a thousand km per full charge by 2030, all with zero emission. There are more and more Teslas being parked in the underground parking bays in my residential development replacing ICE cars. Seems like people are already moving oil from petrol/diesel.
That will be the future for sure, but clearly not yet. https://www.basf.com/en/company/news-and-media/magazine/issue-7/whats-ahead-for-diesel.html
Obviously. What they are doing at the moment is making it unattractive for new buyers to choose diesel cars. `diesel car sales in Europe has fallen by considerable amounts and as much as 60%-80% in some markets. They’re using policy and increase charges/tariffs to force people over but the complete ban is coming soon. London by 2030, Paris by 2025, Germany 2035, rest of France 2035, rest of UK 2040. It’s better to face reality.
I’m glad your a diesel hater I’m a truck driver I own a few plus a farmer . When your stores have NO FOOD NO GROCERIES NO CLOTHES NO ELECTRONIC NO NOTHING BECAUSE WITHOUT DIESEL ENGINES DIESEL TRUCKS YOU CAN’T EVEN WIPE YOUR A.S.S YOU CAN’T EVEN TURN ON THE LIGHTS EVERYTHING COMES FROM OIL AND DIESEL ENGINES DEILLING MINNIG TRANSPORTATION RAILROADS & AIR PLAINS . ALL these pollution tax and b.s laws rules are b.s you know it I know it the world knows it . Pull your heads outa a.s.s and quit sucking on your mom’s hind tit grow the F up go to work shut up and be happy your alive and have a job and food instead of whinny and crying like a little baby girl unless you are my apologies. .. suck it up PRINCESS LOL HAHAHA LOL
Calm yourself down and grow up, you’re supposed to act like a man with the type of job you do but you display considerable amounts of immaturity. I never said I hated diesels, I actually drive a diesel engine car at the moment and it is lovely and efficient but that won’t save diesels from the hands of the people (goats, policymakers, environmentalists etc) I mentioned in my earlier comment. Not even your very immature rant will save diesel either. Over here, they’ve introduced new taxes, additional parking charges, restrictions on certain roads, complete bans from certain towns etc on diesel engine cars alone and it’s going to affect diesel car drivers who will be forced to consider alternatives. Do you now understand what I mean when I say there’s nothing that can save diesel at this point? The new taxes, increased parking charges & permits, bans/restrictions are not going too magic themselves away. Face reality, Princess Brian.
Tim, there is no such thing as zero emissions. Have you even seen what a lithium mine in Asia looks like? I have in person and it’s an environmental disaster. The carbon footprint on your pc is probably greater than a modern small car. The rules are being made because it puts money in the wrong pockets. Have you ever been to big cities in India, China, South America, Africa. There are no rules in these places whatsoever for emissions, they still cook with wood and coal.
I have no arguments with that. But there are those who probably want electric powertrains because maybe it somehow absolves their conscience that they haven’t polluted anything or maybe they just its innovation or that it reduces pollution in their immediate environs etc.
Are you suggesting electric powertrains shouldn’t be offered because there is no such thing as zero emissions?
Not at all, the electric idea is good, as long as everybody knows where they come from. Electric cars are not the answer to the environmental problem, their carbon footprint is huge, despite what most people think. Let’s not be hypocrites about the whole deal. People think that the way it sits in the driveway is the answer to pollution when they don’t even realize where the car and it’s materials came from.
Asia must be one of the most technological and fast advancing places on earth.
I am Argentine and I do not cook with wood and coal, unless I am making an asado in the grill (BBQ). I use natural gas from the gas grid.
We have rules for emissions, in fact Argentina has the most advanced environmental legislation in LatinaAmerica. This year the Euro V emissions norms are being enforced and car makers have to comply with it.
You should shake off those prejudiced stereotypes. The world is not as backwards as you think.
You really believe we use coal to cook?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e5b9b1aa31f80db6d874f14e57ba918a51f0fb5588b474ee44cac5ab90750aec.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/722819486acbb897fdbb4c9a25808afc5b6a6737f9658b9bc421b8cd4b9355f3.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/722819486acbb897fdbb4c9a25808afc5b6a6737f9658b9bc421b8cd4b9355f3.png
Brian has a point, the enormous volume of commercial diesel traffic around the world seems to get ignored. Frequently on the Trans-Canada Highway 18 wheelers are the bulk of traffic.
He has a point and I’m not dismissive of it. Currently, for haulage and heavy duty cargos, diesels run the gamut and the system is dependent on it. The industry is trending towards electric. Even Formula 1 (motorsports) has projected electric powertrains into its future within the next 10-15 years, ‘might be sooner. The directive to the auto/motor industry to switch over to electric powertrains has been given by whoever issues these directives on a global top-down hierarchy whatever. It’s quite clear when you read tea leaves.
Agreed.
Next question – our grid already has blackouts, people die. What happens when BEV pumps up demand?
Ok, that’s a tough question. Let’s put it this way, if I was the one issuing the directives on the global top-down hierarchy whatever, I’d definitely answers to this very important question you’ve posed.
More solar! Certainly more wind farms already exist.
We live in interesting times.
BRAVO Brian, VIVAT DIESELs. Diesels will survive !!!
ACCT will save DIESELs !!!
Timothy go hide yourself !!!!
Question: Why would we want to save the diesel engine?
It has never been intended to be put into passenger cars anyways…
“the diesel engine, due to its cruder nature and its naturally worse emissions” this is where i stopped reading because whoever wrote this article has no idea what they are talking about. Difference between a diesel and gasoline is you cant see the unburnt particals. Diesel is a lot easier on the earth than gasjob motors. Do some research everyone its true. I cant believe people are posting this real dumb shit and getting away with it like its true
No this system is not also efficient than the “turbo pneumatic decentralised management for internal combustion engine” the TPmgt permit 0 NOx et 0 particules whatever their compositions because the integral ashes are collected for biomass to fuel ,who says better?
how much will acct costs? how large will it be when commercialized?
pls study our technology that could greatly remove soot in diesel emissions. it consists of two electronic devices installed in the precombustion side of the engine (scr, egr, and acct are installed at the waste side of the engine). the effect of our devices is the reduction of emissions to less than 1% opacity. pls visit nuvinuvi.blogspot.com pls note that that the demo vehicles are euro 1 or euro 2 standards. thanks