GM Diesel V6 for Commodore

[jetsetter]

GM HOLDEN is expected to release a turbo-diesel V6 option in the Commodore and Statesman/Caprice inside the next 18 months.

Co-developed by VM Motori in Italy, this is the global V6 diesel that will be fitted in a bevy of GM products in the next few years, from Opel through to GM truck-based vehicles including GMC and Hummer.

The first rollout for this engine is expected in 2009, with the Hummer H3 in line to be one of the first GM vehicles to employ the engine in Australia.

Group vice-president for GM Powertrain Thomas Stephens confirmed the Australian Holden-developed Zeta architecture has been engineered to take the new V6 diesel. “The V6 VMM diesel will package into the Zeta platform,” Mr Stephens said.

Furthermore, a massive 4.5-litre V8 diesel – producing at least 700Nm of torque in standard trim – is also on the way from GM, although it is headed for GMC trucks and Hummer vehicles only at this stage.

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2573E0001AA4B7

Some info on the engines mentioned in the article.

General Motors has used the occasion of the 2007 Geneva Motor Show to announce a new powertrain for the European market. The 2.9L V6 turbocharged diesel engine will make its production debut in 2009 beneath the bonnet of the Cadillac CTS where it will produce 250 horsepower and a stout 406 ft-lbs. of torque, though GM hasn't released any fuel economy figures for the sedan just yet. The 2.9L diesel will be very versatile, able to be mounted in a longitudinal or tranverse layout in rear-wheel, front-wheel or all-wheel drive platforms. The motor features some high tech hardware to meet future emissions standards including advanced engine management software, piezo injectors, a variable geometry turbo and exhaust-gas aftertreatment technology to cut down on the nitrous oxide emissions.

GM says the new turbodiesel will be sold "mainly" in Europe, which we suppose leaves the door open for seeing this engine in the States one day, though likely not in the near future.

[Source: GM]

PRESS RELEASE:

Cadillac to Debut GM's Powerful New V-6 Clean Diesel

* GM's first production application of innovative, closed-loop combustion technology
* Cadillac CTS adds engine to its portfolio in 2009
* Low emissions, high performance and excellent fuel economy
* 184 kW/250 hp, 550 Nm (406 lb.-ft.) torque, 2.9-liter displacement
* Compact design enables transverse and longitudinal installation

GENEVA – General Motors Corp. unveiled a new 2.9-liter V-6 turbo-diesel engine that features state-of-the-art injection and combustion technology for low emissions and high performance.

The new engine (184 kW/250 hp) will be sold mainly in Europe and makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18). Its first production application is scheduled for 2009 in the new Cadillac CTS.

"We expect the V-6 diesel to be highly competitive in the European luxury segment," said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "With its excellent low-end torque and its high power output, it is a great fit with Cadillac's performance-oriented brand character."

The compact dual overhead cam, four-valve V-6 engine belongs to a new GM family of diesel engines, featuring an innovative closed-loop combustion control system designed to meet future emissions standards. The engine can be installed in a longitudinal or transverse layout and can be adapted to a wide range of two- or four-wheel-drive vehicles.

GM's development of the new engine is being coordinated under the leadership of GM Powertrain's European operations in Turin, Italy, in cooperation with VM Motori based in Cento, Italy . GM Powertrain will focus on the development of the clean combustion process, electronic engine control and exhaust-gas aftertreatment, as well as calibration and integration into GM vehicles. VM Motori will build the new unit at its plant in Cento, Italy, and is responsible for the mechanical aspects of the engine's design, development and bench testing.

"The V-6 diesel integrates leading technologies and will deliver outstanding performance, fuel economy and low emissions," said Roger Johansson, GM Powertrain Europe vice president.

The V-6 engine management system enables optimal fuel economy as well as reduced emissions and noise by using a recently developed combustion control technology. Key enablers of the system are high-speed, piezo-resistive cylinder pressure sensors that are integrated within the engine glow plugs. These specialized sensors acquire real-time data from the combustion process, enabling instantaneous fine-tuning of the fuel injection process. In the future, this clean combustion control technology will be introduced in other GM Powertrain diesel engines.

The high-pressure, common-rail system provides up to 2000 bar (29,000 psi) injection pressure. The injectors are quick-firing, piezo-electrically actuated, allowing up to eight injections per engine cycle. The aftertreatment system includes an oxidation catalyst and a particulate filter that are close-coupled to the engine to achieve future emissions standards.

An electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger generates boost pressure. The engine has a torque of 550 Nm (406 lb.-ft.) beginning at 2000 rpm, while providing effective fuel economy and reduced emissions.

The new, compact V-6 powerhouse features aluminum cylinder heads and a 60-degree bank angle, 83.0 mm bore and 90.4 mm stroke, which results in displacement of 2935 cubic centimeters. The engine block is made of stronger and lighter Compacted Graphite Iron (compared to lower-strength aluminum or heavier grey cast iron) to optimize engine packaging, weight, refinement and performance.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/06/g...iesel-for-cts/

Mark your calendars, because we're calling today a watershed moment for the advancement of diesel's acceptance in the U.S. General Motors has just announced a new 4.5L V8 Duramax turbo-diesel powerplant it plans to use in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra half-ton pickups, as well as the HUMMER H2. The new oil burner is expected to produce at least 310 horsepower and 520 ft-lbs. of torque. It features dual-overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, a variable-vane turbocharger and aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding that helps keep the overall package small enough to fit in the same space as the automaker's small-block gas V8s.

That's right, just imagine the possibilities. Wherever GM uses a small-block V8 gas engine, it could potentially use the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel. In a few years we could be driving diesel Impalas, diesel Camaros, maybe even a diesel Corvette! To quote GM's press release, the engine's small size gives it "the flexibility to introduce this engine in a wide variety of vehicle applications should there be future market demand." Indeed.

GM estimates that the engine will improve fuel efficiency by 25%, reduce CO2 emissions by 13% and decrease particulate and NOx emissions by at least 90% in its GMT900 pickups and the HUMMER H2. Whoever said the HUMMER H2 was on its way out will likely be proven incorrect after this engine debuts. Scheduled to be built at the GM Tonawanda engine plant outside Buffalo, NY, the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel will be 50-state emissions compliant and meet 2010 diesel emissions standards, as well. GM claims its new diesel will also have NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels approaching those of today's current gas V8s, though we'll have to wait and see if that wish comes true. That wait should end in a couple of years, as the automaker states the engine will be available in Silverado, Sierra and H2 models built after 2009.

PRESS RELEASE:

GM Plans First Light Duty V-8 Clean Diesel For North America

* High-efficiency V-8 scheduled for pickup trucks under 8,600 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight and HUMMER H2
* Low emissions, high performance and excellent fuel economy
* Expected to deliver class-leading torque, power and refinement
* Manufactured at the GM Powertrain Tonawanda engine plant

TONAWANDA, N.Y. – General Motors Corp. will introduce a new, state-of-the-art 4.5L V-8 Duramax turbo-diesel that improves engine fuel efficiency by 25 percent, reduces CO2 emissions by 13 percent and cuts particulates and NOx emissions by at least 90 percent for North American light duty trucks and the HUMMER H2 built after 2009.

The premium V-8 diesel is expected to deliver class-leading torque, power and refinement while maintaining a significant fuel efficiency advantage over comparable-output gasoline engines.

The new dual-overhead cam, four-valve V-8 diesel engine will fit within the same space of a small-block V-8 gasoline engine. This compact size is made possible by using integral cylinder head exhaust manifolds, integral cam cover intake manifolds and a narrow block.

"This new GM light duty diesel is expected to become a favorite among customers who require excellent towing ability and fuel efficiency," said Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Global Powertrain and Quality. "It will meet the stringent 2010 emissions standards, and it will be compliant in all 50 states, making it one of the cleanest diesel vehicles ever produced."

Environmental benefits of the new engine include a 13-percent reduction in CO2 versus gasoline engines, and at least a 90-percent reduction in particulates and NOx compared to diesel vehicles today. This will be GM's first engine to use a selective catalytic reduction NOx aftertreatment system with a diesel particulate filter to help achieve the Tier 2 Bin 5 and LEV 2 emissions standards.

Technical highlights of the engine include aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding; a variable-vane turbocharger with intercooling; a Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) block for a stronger and lighter engine base (compared to lower-strength aluminum or heavier grey cast iron); and fracture-split main bearing caps and connecting rods for a precise fit. An electronically controlled, ultra-high-pressure, common-rail fuel system is used, which has the ability to inject fuel five times per combustion event to control noise and emissions.

"This new V-8 is not only a clean diesel meeting the toughest emissions requirements in North America, it also delivers an effortless performance feel because of its high torque across the speed range," said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM Powertrain Diesel Engineering. "It is also significantly quieter than other diesels on the road today, with noise and vibration performance approaching gasoline V-8 levels."

Freese said the new V-8's compact size enables it to fit in the envelope of a gasoline small-block engine, which provides GM the flexibility to introduce this engine in a wide variety of vehicle applications should there be future market demand.

The premium V-8 diesel engine is expected to deliver class-leading refinement, horsepower and torque and fulfill multiple vehicle applications with ratings in excess of 310 horsepower and 520 lb-ft of torque.

GM (Opel, Saab, Vauxhall and GMDAT ) currently offers 17 diesel engine variants in 45 vehicle lines around the world. GM sells more than one million diesel engines annually, with products that offer a range of choices from the 1.3L four-cylinder diesel engine sold in the Opel Agila and Corsa, up to the 6.6L V-8 Duramax diesel sold in full-size vans, heavy duty pickups and medium duty trucks in the U.S.

GM first introduced the Duramax diesel 6.6L V-8 in the U.S. in the 2001 model year and since then, customer enthusiasm for this heavy duty diesel has been outstanding. In fact, GM's heavy duty pickup truck market share has jumped nearly tenfold in the six years that Duramax engines have been offered.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/15/g...the-hummer-h2/

[thedguy]

When the G8 takes off, I foresee someone decided they want a bad ass turbo diesel G8. If someone doesn't do it, I'll do it!

This is assuming GM remains ignorant about diesels in the US market and doesn't give it to us.

[kaBOOMn]

Oh God not a diesel! Nooooooooooooooooooooo it burns!!!!!!

The only stupid bloody reason the damn things use less juice (besides the better efficiency of diesel combustion) than a petrol engine these days is the emmision control laws are not a tight for them.....no 3 way CAT to run so they can run at a stupidly high AFR.....

I bet if you made diesel and petrol engines run under the same laws as far as NOx etc go the diesel engine in passenger cars would die next week....

[Quadrax]

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

Oh God not a diesel! Nooooooooooooooooooooo it burns!!!!!!

The only stupid bloody reason the damn things use less juice (besides the better efficiency of diesel combustion) than a petrol engine these days is the emmision control laws are not a tight for them.....no 3 way CAT to run so they can run at a stupidly high AFR.....

I bet if you made diesel and petrol engines run under the same laws as far as NOx etc go the diesel engine in passenger cars would die next week....

None of that really makes sense.
Increasing the fuel mixture in a diesel will increase NOx emission and visible hydrocarbons.

Lean mixtures are a fundamental requirement of a fuel throttled CI engine.

The combustion process differs heavily between SI and CI engines such that different methods of emission control are needed. Have a look into some of the recent developments by the heavy diesel manufacturers and the likes of VW to see how emissions can be effectively controlled while maintaining low fuel consumption.

And because you didn't answer me in your project car thread i will ask again here. Do you work at START?

[Hidden_Hunter]

Interesting development, should be interesting to see it in action

[thedguy]

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

Oh God not a diesel! Nooooooooooooooooooooo it burns!!!!!!

The only stupid bloody reason the damn things use less juice (besides the better efficiency of diesel combustion) than a petrol engine these days is the emmision control laws are not a tight for them.....no 3 way CAT to run so they can run at a stupidly high AFR.....

I bet if you made diesel and petrol engines run under the same laws as far as NOx etc go the diesel engine in passenger cars would die next week....

The US they are required to meet stricter emissions and they still do better. But they more they try and clean up diesels the more fuel efficiency goes down. BTW, aren't modern cats these days EXTREMELY high flow that to claim they are some kind of a problem is BS? I know a magazine took a SVT focus and stuck a turbo on it, put the stock cat back on it and still didn't see a rise in back pressure behind the cat.

Originally Posted by Quadrax

None of that really makes sense.
Increasing the fuel mixture in a diesel will increase NOx emission and visible hydrocarbons.

Lean mixtures are a fundamental requirement of a fuel throttled CI engine.

And because you didn't answer me in your project car thread i will ask again here. Do you work at START?

Lean combustion is the cause of NOx. Excessive oxygen, combined with excess heat (caused by the lean burn) creates NOx. Keep the combustion temps down and NOx goes down.

[Hidden_Hunter]

unveiled at the sydney motorshow do we think?

[Quadrax]

Originally Posted by thedguy

Lean combustion is the cause of NOx. Excessive oxygen, combined with excess heat (caused by the lean burn) creates NOx. Keep the combustion temps down and NOx goes down.

Well now that i think about it we are both correct in a way.
It is true that the main source of NOx is atmospheric however diesel fuel does contain more hydroxides. The extension of the Zeldovich mechanism covers this.



Many diesel engines run very lean relative to stoichiometric to reduce particulate emission. At light load under very lean conditions a diesel engine will run cooler than under heavy load and rich conditions (but still leaner than stoich). Richening of the air fuel mixture closer to but not richer than stoich will increase combustion pressure and temperature which is peak conditions for formation of NOx.

Once you go richer than stoichiometric with a diesel engine the NOx emissions will start to reduce due to the relative low amount of air and cooler temps but the unburnt hydrocarbons will increase.

I guess what i am saying is it is not as simple as it first seems with diesel emission control. Hope you don't think i'm being too anal.

[kaBOOMn]

Originally Posted by thedguy

Lean combustion is the cause of NOx. Excessive oxygen, combined with excess heat (caused by the lean burn) creates NOx. Keep the combustion temps down and NOx goes down.

That was the idea I was working from, then again I'm not a diesel mechanics, uh, behind! I assumed to the higher combustion temperatures and a lean AFR would cause a this to be a major problem. But thinking about it, I may have it the wrong way round.

Originally Posted by Quadrax

None of that really makes sense.
Increasing the fuel mixture in a diesel will increase NOx emission and visible hydrocarbons.

Lean mixtures are a fundamental requirement of a fuel throttled CI engine.

The combustion process differs heavily between SI and CI engines such that different methods of emission control are needed. Have a look into some of the recent developments by the heavy diesel manufacturers and the likes of VW to see how emissions can be effectively controlled while maintaining low fuel consumption.

And because you didn't answer me in your project car thread i will ask again here. Do you work at START?

Well that too....Sorry I didn't see your comment in my car thread, yes I do. Are you at Redmonts or Boost'n OZ? Ah seems I missed the Skyline restrictors too! What RB26 did you see that on?

Yeah, the problem with looking at compression ignition the same way as spark ignition it bound to have problems...my bad! Unfortunatly since you are combusting a larger molocule you are going to run into issues with particulates no matter what you do.

Thinking about it (without the emotional response of a...d...d...diesel in a Commodore) logically, the fundamental idea was useing the fuel injection amount to control power output, a lean mixture is a must. The more fuel (and air) you throw at it the faster it goes, however does the fuel play a role in cooling down the combustion chamber in this situation? I'd assume it would be above the threshold heat wise for NOx formation, if you where running a slightly lean AFR...

Urea injection, particulate traps (with burnoff) and the like.....how far do you really want to go? Wasn't there issues with new high pressure diesel injection systems producing particulate emmisions of a smaller physical size and causing more harm?

I have to ask the question tho: On the modern electronically controled compression ignition motors where does the computer keep the AFR in regards to stoichiometric, and what is the stoichiometric ratio of a diesel engine? What do they determine these days to be the "base" molocule in diesel to calculate this figure? (Don't worry you can talk chemistry if you want, I'll understand) The other question, is there a "peak" power point AFR for a diesel engine?

Ah somebody to talk to about emmision systems!
(I wonder what a greeny would think abou these last few posts?)

[Quadrax]

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

Well that too....Sorry I didn't see your comment, yes I do. Are you at Redmonts?

No mate, i'm self employed. I earn most of my crust tuning ecu's on turbo jap cars. I mainly work at edwardstown on the Turbo-Tune dyno because it's 4wd and i do a lot of wrx's, evo's and gtr's. I'll talk about it more in another thread.

[Hidden_Hunter]

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

you do.

Thinking about it (without the emotional response of a...d...d...diesel in a Commodore)

No-one seems to care too much about LPG so diesel can't be too negative.

[Quadrax]

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

Ah seems I missed the Skyline restrictors too! What RB26 did you see that on?

32, 33, 34. I work on them all.

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

I have to ask the question tho: On the modern electronically controled compression ignition motors where does the computer keep the AFR in regards to stoichiometric, and what is the stoichiometric ratio of a diesel engine? What do they determine these days to be the "base" molocule in diesel to calculate this figure? (Don't worry you can talk chemistry if you want, I'll understand) The other question, is there a "peak" power point AFR for a diesel engine?

Stoichiometric on a diesel is just very slightly richer than petrol with petrol being around 14.7:1 and diesel around 14.5:1. Bio-diesel often contains more oxygen and would have an even lower stoich afr. Many diesels engines that i have worked on will idle at around 40:1 afr and between 20-30:1 under light load. Full load the richest i have ever seen is around 16:1 so you can see what i mean about being very lean relative to stoichiometric afr.

Looking up the components of some diesel brews i found this break down : 86.5% C, 13.2% H, 0.3% S and 0%O. Although % of sulphur, potassium and oxygen can vary depending on the base product and the refining process.

So if you were to calculate stoichiometric afr based on the above brew.....

CxHy + a(O2+0.79/0.21N2) => xCO2 + y/2H2O + a*0.79/0.21N2
where a=x+y/4 since a C can use up a whole O2 and an H can only use 1/4 of an O2. The 0.79 and 0.21 are the proportions of N2 and O2 in air.

in this case, a= 7.21 + 13.2/4 = 10.51

AFR = a(MWO2+0.79/0.21*MWN2)/MWfuel
AFR = 10.51 (32 + 28*0.79/0.21) / (86.5+13.2)
= 10.51 * 137.33 / 99.7
= 14.42

The maths is shameless stolen from an automotive engineer who is far smarter than me.

Peak power is theoretically going to be around stoichiometric but the amount of black smoke you would get would be ridiculous. Come to think of it the racing Super Trucks pour out trails of black smoke.

Having said all that diesel engines really are not my specialty. For example i have no idea how the Audi R10 can make power yet run so cleanly.

[kaBOOMn]

I like that I've never seen that formula, I was always told to work it out from chemistry: Molar mass, Number of moles = mass over molar mass after you have come up with a balanced equation.

Sadly this is assuming all chemicals are the same. The idea of working it out using percentages has far more merit than my crappy method in this regard.

Since the complete combustion of a hydrocarbon in air will always give you CO2 and water as byproducts you can work from there.

Prehaps I should have put a little more brain power into this before opening my trap (or wrote a clearer reply), but the point is that a full power, a diesel engine will have a lean AFR, which I'd assume with all the spare oxygen around would cause problems regarding NOx formation? (or have I gone off the deep end again?)

Which automotive engineer did you get that from? Somebody like Rory Thompson?

Originally Posted by Quadrax

No mate, i'm self employed. I earn most of my crust tuning ecu's on turbo jap cars. I mainly work at edwardstown on the Turbo-Tune dyno because it's 4wd and i do a lot of wrx's, evo's and gtr's. I'll talk about it more in another thread.

Ah no problem then, so your the Gentleman I see when I need to get the WRX engine in the, uh project, seen too....hrm you sound like Martin Donnan

On a related topic you have much experience with the 'ol Delco 808?

[Quadrax]

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

Ah no problem then, so your the Gentleman I see when I need to get the WRX engine in the, uh project, seen too....hrm you sound like Martin Donnan

On a related topic you have much experience with the 'ol Delco 808?

Yes to WRX engine.
Yes i pretty much do the same work as Martin but i charge less and am a nicer person.
Yes i do know the 808 from VN/VP commodores, camiras, pulsars. Depends what you need because there are others with greater knowledge of the 808 than me. Leon at Awesome Automotive is the delco guru.

I'll talk with you more in your, uh project thread as it's OT here.

[thedguy]

Originally Posted by kaBOOMn

Urea injection, particulate traps (with burnoff) and the like.....how far do you really want to go? Wasn't there issues with new high pressure diesel injection systems producing particulate emmisions of a smaller physical size and causing more harm?

There is a company here in the US that has been using propane injection*, not for increased power, but to kill off a lot of diesel emissions. I talked to one of the guys working with the company, he didn't go into huge details but basically it came down the propane helped keep the temps down, and kept the crankcase clean of left over combustion products which he claimed were a big part of diesel emissions.


*for those that don't know, diesel drag racers like to use propane in a similar way others use nitrous.

Originally Posted by Quadrax

Having said all that diesel engines really are not my specialty. For example i have no idea how the Audi R10 can make power yet run so cleanly.

They have a very special blend of extremely low sulfur diesel made for their racing (might even be bio-diesel). Based on what Audi has told me through various press releases on how awesome their diesel engines are, the sulfur content in diesel fuel is what causes the black smoke. Bio-diesel has no sulfur, which is why it tends not to smoke.