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The most important challenge facing car manufacturers today is to offer vehicles that deliver excellent fuel efficiency and superb performance while maintaining cleaner emissions and driving comfort. Growing awareness of global warming as a big threat to the environment, has added yet another dimension to this challenge. In order to prevent global warming, the reduction of CO2, one of the greenhouse gases, is called for. In order to achieve reduction of CO2, there is an immediate need to develop and promote widely, the use of an automotive power plant that emits significantly less CO2 than conventional petrol engines. At Mitsubishi Motors, we have approached this challenge by first asking ourselves what is it that we can do now, for the environment. Our answer was to develop the GDI engine, the world's first direct-injection petrol engine for mass production. Direct-injection petrol engines such as the GDI have gained widespread recognition as one of the most promising responses to the environmental question. This has sparked a rush among Japanese automobile manufacturers to develop similar engines, while reports in the media indicate that manufacturers around the world have also entered the race. Lowering CO2 emissions demands a global outlook. We cannot limit our focus to reducing emissions during use, but must incorporate this task into all stages of a vehicle's life cycle, from production through to retirement. Moreover, because the total volume of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere reflects the total emission levels of mass-produced vehicles, the technology to reduce emissions must be broadly applicable to a wide range of vehicles. One of the biggest merits of the GDI engine is that it does not necessitate major alterations to existing production processes, meaning production stage CO2 emissions are fundamentally the same as those from producing conventional petrol engines. Therefore, the reduction in fuel consumption achieved by the GDI engine will translate directly into the level of reduction in total CO2 output. In addition, because production costs are approximately the same as for a conventional petrol engine, the GDI engine offers outstanding potential as the new standard for mass-produced cars. As a consequence, the GDI engine is generally acknowledged as the most viable direct-injection petrol engine technology currently available. Mitsubishi Motors believes firmly that its GDI technology is the most promising low CO2 emission engine technology in existence and, since commencing mass production of the GDI Galant and Legnum in 1996, has rapidly expanded its line-up of GDI-equipped cars. In February 1998, total sales of Mitsubishi GDI-equipped vehicles surpassed 200,000 units. Reducing emissions of other harmful gases, such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC), is also essential to environmental Synopsis http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/GDI2000/p01.htm (1 of 2) [11/06/2001 5:03:04 AM]
Transcript

The most important challenge facing car manufacturers today is to offervehicles that deliver excellent fuel efficiency and superb performance whilemaintaining cleaner emissions and driving comfort. Growing awareness ofglobal warming as a big threat to the environment, has added yet anotherdimension to this challenge. In order to prevent global warming, thereduction of CO2, one of the greenhouse gases, is called for. In order toachieve reduction of CO2, there is an immediate need to develop andpromote widely, the use of an automotive power plant that emitssignificantly less CO2 than conventional petrol engines.

At Mitsubishi Motors, we have approached this challenge by first askingourselves what is it that we can do now, for the environment. Our answerwas to develop the GDI engine, the world's first direct-injection petrolengine for mass production. Direct-injection petrol engines such as theGDI have gained widespread recognition as one of the most promisingresponses to the environmental question. This has sparked a rush amongJapanese automobile manufacturers to develop similar engines, whilereports in the media indicate that manufacturers around the world havealso entered the race.

Lowering CO2 emissions demands a global outlook. We cannot limit ourfocus to reducing emissions during use, but must incorporate this task intoall stages of a vehicle's life cycle, from production through to retirement.Moreover, because the total volume of CO2 emitted into the atmospherereflects the total emission levels of mass-produced vehicles, thetechnology to reduce emissions must be broadly applicable to a widerange of vehicles. One of the biggest merits of the GDI engine is that itdoes not necessitate major alterations to existing production processes,meaning production stage CO2 emissions are fundamentally the same asthose from producing conventional petrol engines. Therefore, the reductionin fuel consumption achieved by the GDI engine will translate directly intothe level of reduction in total CO2 output.

In addition, because production costs are approximately the same as fora conventional petrol engine, the GDI engine offers outstanding potentialas the new standard for mass-produced cars. As a consequence, the GDIengine is generally acknowledged as the most viable direct-injection petrolengine technology currently available. Mitsubishi Motors believes firmlythat its GDI technology is the most promising low CO2 emission enginetechnology in existence and, since commencing mass production of theGDI Galant and Legnum in 1996, has rapidly expanded its line-up ofGDI-equipped cars. In February 1998, total sales of MitsubishiGDI-equipped vehicles surpassed 200,000 units.

Reducing emissions of other harmful gases, such as nitrogen oxide(NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC), is also essential to environmental

Synopsis

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preservation, and countries around the world are taking major efforts totoughen emission standards. The Central Advisory Committee of theJapanese Environmental Agency has resolved to lower harmful gasemission standards for vehicles to one-third of the current level by the year2000. A goal that, if realised, will make Japan's standards among thestrictest in the world. In Europe, authorities are considering a proposal tolower vehicle emission standards by 50%.

While acknowledging the superior fuel efficiency of the lean-burningpetrol direct-injection engine, critics have traditionally found fault with thefact that it does not achieve lower HC and NOx emissions, and thus wouldfall short of meeting increasingly strict global emission standards.Mitsubishi Motors realised early that the GDI engine's unique basictechnologies, which facilitate precise yet flexible control of combustion,could also be utilised to lower other harmful emissions. We havecompleted the development of new technical features that will reduce theGDI engine's CO, HC and NOx emissions to levels more than 80% lowerthan current Japanese standards. What's more, we will achieve thiswithout impairing the engine's high efficiency, and intend to incorporatethis technology in a new and improved GDI engine from autumn 1998,scooping the proposed introduction of stricter domestic emissionstandards.

These new technical features include: an earlier activation of the catalystby Two-Stage Combustion. A feature made possible by the GDI's precisecontrol over the formation of the air/fuel mixture, a reactive-type exhaustmanifold, which maximises this effect and; exhaust gas recirculation(EGR), which takes advantage of the engine's highly stable combustion;and a revamped, lean NOx catalyst. By combining these features in ahighly streamlined format that reflects global market trends, we will offer animproved GDI engine that meets global environmental requirements.

We thus believe that the new GDI engine is the positive choice for theglobal environment, and plan to step up marketing efforts world-wide. Inspring 1999, we expect to launch a GDI-equipped car in Europe thatsatisfies lower European emission standards proposed for the year 2000,while in autumn 1999 we will introduce a GDI-equipped car in NorthAmerica that complies with U.S. Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle (ULEV)standards.

We at Mitsubishi Motors are committed to promoting GDI technologyworld-wide and pledge to share these technologies widely with othermanufacturers in the interest of preserving the global environment.

Synopsis

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Environmental problems can be divided into global issues, and local issuesmainly centring on urban areas. The true choice for the environment wouldbe a power plant that provides an answer to both of these aspects.

The reduction of the greenhouse gas, CO2, is the most important issuewhen considering the environment from a global perspective. Thecombustion of an engine that uses Hydrocarbons as fuel is a process inwhich fuel is converted to CO2. A viable solution to reducing the amount ofCO2 emissions is by improving the efficiency of vehicles and reducing theamount of fuel they consume.

In order to preserve the local environment of urban areas, it is importantto reduce the level of HC and NOx released by cars. Many countries areplanning to impose stricter vehicle emission standards, with whichmanufacturers must comply quite rapidly.

1. Reducing CO2 Emissions(1) The Advantages of GDI Technology in Reducing CO2 EmissionsLowering CO2 emissions demands a global outlook. Accordingly, we mustfocus on reducing emissions, starting from the production stage, through tothe end of a vehicle's life cycle.

Some technologies, while enabling major CO2 emission reductionsduring combustion, involve higher-than-usual output during production orrecycling, resulting in an increase in total emissions over the life of thevehicle. Because the GDI engine doesn't necessitate major alterations toexisting production processes, production stage CO2 emissions arefundamentally the same as for conventional petrol engines. Moreover, withthe GDI engine, CO2 emissions at the recycling stage are on a par withthose of conventional petrol engines. Any reduction in on-road fuelrequirements will thus translate directly into a reduction in total CO2output.

Tackling Global Environment Issues

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Reducing CO2 emissions on a global level depends on lowering theemissions of every vehicle on the road, and also increasing the number ofvehicles that emit less CO2. This means that technology must be botheffective and applicable to a wide range of vehicles.

Let's assume the life span of an average vehicle is 10 years. The ownerof a Galant-class car will spend approximately \800,000 on fuel during thistime. To take an extreme example, what would happen if a vehicle wasdeveloped that didn't require any fuel at all? The owner would not benefit,for example, if the price of the vehicle was \800,000 higher than a standardmodel. Nor would such a vehicle be likely to gain widespread popularity.GDI-equipped cars are priced comparably to cars mounted withconventional petrol engines, yet offer, on average, a 25% reduction in fuelconsumption over the life of the car. The benefits to the owner areirrefutable and significant, and the potential for broad application high.

Because more CO2 emissions are effectively reduced per vehicle, andwider application makes the CO2 reduction potential exceptionally high,GDI is the most viable direct-injection petrol engine technology availabletoday.

Tackling Global Environment Issues

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(2) Steps in Reducing CO2Mitsubishi Motors believes firmly that its GDI technology is the mostpromising engine technology in CO2 emissions reduction developed, andis determined to promote its further use.

On this basis, it is expanding its line-up of GDI engines andGDI-equipped cars. To date, we have developed four versions of the GDIengine and, since the Japanese domestic launching of the GDI Galant andLegnum in August 1996, have fitted this engine to the Pajero, Diamante,Challenger, Carisma, Chariot Grandis and RVR.

In September 1997, we started sales in Europe of our Europeanproduction model, the GDI Carisma. Consumer response to the vehiclehas been very encouraging. In February 1998, Volvo Car Corporation willintroduce a GDI-equipped passenger car.

As of December 1997, GDI-equipped vehicles accounted for 70% of thepetrol-powered passenger cars (except mini-cars) offered by Mitsubishi inJapan. We intend to increase this proportion to 85% by the year 2000 andto 100% by 2010. As a result, the level of CO2 emissions from Mitsubishipassenger vehicles sold in the year 2005 will be, on average, 20% less pervehicle than in 1995.

Tackling Global Environment Issues

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Tackling Global Environment Issues

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2. Reducing Carbon Monoxide(CO), Hydrocarbon HC and NOxEmissionsVehicle emission standards for Carbon Monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon HCand NOx emissions are determined by individual countries. A growingworld-wide awareness of the need to lower harmful gas emissions isexpected to result in many countries implementing stricter standards by2000. In Japan, the Central Advisory Committee of the JapaneseEnvironmental Agency has resolved to introduce NOx emission standardsthat are likely to be the most stringent in the world. European standardswill also be tightened in 2000. In the United States, the percentage ofvehicles that meet ULEV standards will have to be increased by 2000 forthe required State of California's standard, while other states areconsidering the adoption of LEV emission standards similar to thosecurrently enforced in California. Improvements in engine technologies haveenabled considerable reductions in CO emissions; the challenge now willbe lowering HC and NOx emissions.

Mitsubishi Motors has continued to conduct research and development intechnology for cleaner exhaust emissions in preparation for theintroduction of tighter exhaust gas emission standards. And particularfocus has been on the development of new technical features that willreduce the NOx and HC emission levels by more than 80% withoutimpairing the GDI engine's efficiency.

These new technical features include: an earlier activation of the catalystby Two-Stage Combustion, a feature made possible from the GDI'sprecise control over the formation of the air/fuel mixture; a reactive-typeexhaust manifold, which maximises this effect and; exhaust gasrecirculation (EGR), which takes advantage of the engine's highly stablecombustion; and a revamped, lean NOx catalyst. With an eye to trends inthe global market, these features will be integrated in the most effective,practical manner possible, ensuring the GDI engine continues to complywith environmental requirements world-wide.

Tackling Global Environment Issues

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We at Mitsubishi Motors believe that the new GDI engine is the positivechoice for the global environment, and plan to extensively introduce thistechnology world-wide. In spring 1999, we expect to launch aGDI-equipped car in Europe that satisfies proposed new Europeanemission standards, while in autumn 1999 we will introduce aGDI-equipped car in the United States that complies with California ULEVstandards.

Tackling Global Environment Issues

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Mitsubishi's approach to engine development has always been to offerthe power plant best suited to the requirements of the time. To this end, wewill continue to pursue research and development in the area of electricand hybrid engines, fuel cells and other alternative power plants. But wefirmly believe that fitting the GDI engine in all of our models as soon as wecan, would be the most beneficial for our customers, and for the globalenvironment.

Tackling Global Environment Issues

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For years, engineers have known that if they could build a petrol enginethat worked like a diesel engine-in other words, one in which fuel isinjected directly into the cylinder and the stratified, rich mixture right nearthe spark plug is ignited-they would have an engine that achieved both thefuel efficiency of a diesel engine and attained the high output of aconventional petrol engine. However, development of such an engine hasbeen impeded by petrol's poor combustibility. Diesel engines operate on athermodynamic cycle, meaning that as long as a sufficient temperature isreached, thorough ignition will occur regardless of the air/fuel mixturecondition. In order to achieve combustion with petrol, gaseous fuel and airmust be mixed to form just the right air/fuel mixture, and precise control ofposition and timing of the air/fuel mixture is necessary to ensure delivery ofthis mixture to the very limited space between the spark plug electrodes inthe very specific timing of ignition. The GDI engine is able to achieve thisthrough Mitsubishi's technology that enables precise control over theair/fuel mixture.

1. Key Concepts(1) Two Combustion ModesIn response to driving conditions, the GDI engine changes the timing of thefuel spray injection, alternating between two distinctive combustion modes-stratified charge (Ultra-Lean combustion), and homogenous charge(Superior Output combustion).

Under normal driving conditions, when speed is stable and there is noneed for sudden acceleration, the GDI engine operates in Ultra-LeanMode. A spray of fuel is injected over the piston crown during the latterstages of the compression stroke, resulting in a optimally stratified air/fuelmixture immediately beneath the spark plug. This mode thus facilitateslean combustion and a level of fuel efficiency comparable to that of adiesel engine.

The GDI engine switches automatically to Superior Output Mode whenthe driver accelerates, indicating a need for greater power. Fuel is injectedinto the cylinder during the piston's intake stroke, where it mixes with air toform a homogenous mixture. The homogenous mixture is similar to that ofa conventional MPI engine, but by utilising the unique features of the GDI,an even higher level of power than conventional petrol engines can beachieved.

Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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(2) Precise Control Over the Air/Fuel MixtureThe GDI engine's ability to precisely control the mixing of the air and fuel isdue to a new concept called wide spacing," whereby injection of the fuelspray occurs further away from the spark plug than in a conventional petrolengine, creating a wide space that enables optimum mixing of gaseousfuel and air.

In stratified combustion (Ultra-Lean Mode), fuel is injected towards thecurved top of the piston crown rather than towards the spark plug, duringthe latter stage of the compression stroke. The movement of the fuelspray, the piston head's deflection of the spray and the flow of air withinthe cylinder cause the spray to vapourise and disperse. The resultingmixture of gaseous fuel and air is then carried up to the spark plug forignition. The biggest advantage of this system is that it enables precisecontrol over the air-to-fuel ratio at the spark plug at the point of ignition.

In order to carry the air/fuel mixture up to the spark plug, three newtechnical features, as shown on the following page, have been developed.

The GDI engine's intake ports have been made straight and upright tocreate a strong flow that facilitates mixing of the air and fuel. Air is drawnsmoothly and directly down through the intake ports toward the cylinder,where the piston head redirects it, forcing it into a reverse vertical tumbleflow, the most effective flow pattern for mixing the air and fuel and carryingthe mixture up to the spark plug.

The GDI engine's pistons boast unique curved tops-forming a roundedcombustion chamber-the most effective shape for carrying the gaseousfuel up to the spark plug.

High-pressure swirl injectors are used to give a high-speed swirlingmotion to the fuel spray, forming a compact, widely dispersed,finely-atomised fuel spray. In addition to its ability to mix thoroughly withthe surrounding air, the fuel spray does not easily wet the cylinder wall orthe piston head.

In homogeneous combustion (Superior Output Mode), fuel is injectedduring the intake stroke, when the piston is descending towards the bottomof the cylinder, vapourising into the air flow and following the piston down.Again, it's all in the timing. By selecting the optimum timing for the

Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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injection, the fuel spray follows the movement of the piston, but cannotcatch up. In this case, as the piston moves downward and the inside of thecylinder becomes larger in volume, the fuel spray disperses widely,ensuring a homogenous mixture.

Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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(3) Better Fuel EfficiencyThe concept of wide spacing makes it possible to achieve a stratifiedmixture, enabling the GDI engine to offer stable, ultra-lean combustion,allowing a significant improvement in fuel efficiency. In addition toultra-lean combustion, the GDI engine achieves a higher compression ratiobecause of its anti-knocking characteristic and precise control of injectiontiming. These features contribute to a drastically lower fuel consumption.The GDI engine improves fuel economy by 33% in the Japanese 10-15mode driving cycle which represents typical urban driving conditions.

Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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(4) Improved PowerIn high-load operation, a homogeneous mixture is formed. (When extrapower is needed, the GDI engine switches automatically to SuperiorOutput Mode.) Because it burns a homogenous mixture in this mode, theGDI engine functions like any other MPI engine. However, by maximisingits technical features, the GDI engine achieves substantially higher powerthan a conventional engine.

One of the principal reasons for this is that a fine spray of fuel is injectedin a wide shower directly into the cylinder, where it vapourises instantlyinto the air flow. This causes the air to cool and contract, allowingadditional air to be drawn in and improving volumetric efficiency. Thecooling of the intake air prevents knocking, and results in higher poweroutput.

Another reason for the GDI engine's ability to offer such superb power isthat it prevents knocks. With conventional MPI engines, strong knockingoccurs during acceleration. This is caused by petrol adhering to the intakeports. The low-octane elements of the fuel are forced into the cylinderimmediately after accelerating, where they mix with air and ignite, causingknocking. With the GDI engine, fuel is injected directly into the cylinder andburned completely, meaning that transient knocking is suppressed. This inturn, allows higher output in the early stages of acceleration, when poweris most needed. The most significant feature of Mitsubishi's petroldirect-injection is the fact that engine technology has finally achievedprecise control over formation of the air/fuel mixture. We have capitalisedon this achievement to develop an innovative anti-knock technology calledTwo-Stage Mixing. In high load, when it is necessary to supply largeamounts of fuel, a homogenous air/fuel mix is used to prevent partiallydense mixtures that cause soot to form. In contrast, the new Two-StageMixing technology prevents soot even during stratified mix, when a densemixture forms. This is how knocking can be prevented.In Two-Stage Mixing, about 1/4 of the total volume of fuel is injected duringthe intake stroke. This forms an ultra-lean fuel mixture which is too lean toburn under normal conditions. The remaining fuel is injected during thelatter stages of the compression stroke. The key is that the air/fuel mixtureis divided into a very lean air/fuel mixture and a rich air/fuel mixture.Knocking occurs most frequently in a stoichiometric mixture, but is lesslikely to occur when the mixture becomes leaner or richer. Because therich mixture is formed immediately before ignition, there is no time for thechemical reaction that causes knocking to take place. This is another ofthe factors that prevent knocking.

Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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More important to note, is that the emission of soot is prevented, evenwhen a dense air/fuel mixture is formed, and excess air is not sufficient. Ifair were the only gas present in the combustion chamber-as is the casewith an ordinary diesel engine-the enriched charge would cool, causingsoot to form. With Two-Stage Mixing, the enriched charge, created in thepart of the chamber where the dense air/fuel mixture exists, shifts towardthe other side of the chamber, where the mixture is leaner, as it burns. Atthis point, the enriched charge causes the ultra-lean mixture, which is toolean to burn under ordinary circumstances, to ignite. The combustion ofthe ultra-lean mixture, in turn, causes the enriched charge to re-ignite. It isthis process that suppresses the formation of soot. This is the first time inthe long history of petrol engines that direct control of combustion hasbeen used to suppress knocking, and it further underscores theimportance of achieving precise control over the air/fuel mixture.

The chart below compares the GDI engine's total power output with thatof a conventional MPI engine. With the GDI engine, the effect ofTwo-Stage Mixing and suppressed transient knocking boosts thelow-speed range torque necessary for acceleration. Moreover, the coolingeffect of intake air and the smoothness with which it is drawn in throughthe upright straight intake ports enable greater power at medium andhigh-speed ranges.

Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine

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One of most important issues in preserving the environment at the locallevel, mainly urban areas, is the level of CO, HC and NOx emissions.Emission standards exist for all three of these gases. Advances in enginecontrol technology have enabled a reduction of CO, and the focus is nowon the reduction of HC and NOx emissions.

There has been discussion on the difficulty of reducing the level of HCand NOx emissions in direct-injection petrol engines, and thus thechallenge in measuring up to increasingly strict global standards. However,Mitsubishi Motors realised at quite an early stage, that the GDI engine'sunique basic technologies, which allow precise yet flexible control ofcombustion, could also be utilised to lower emissions of these two gases.

An important point to consider in emission standards, is that priorities,driving modes and the quality of petrol vary drastically from region toregion. We have thus focused on developing emission-reductiontechnologies that can be adapted flexibly and effectively to meet localrequirements.

These new technical features include: Two-Stage Combustion, a featuremade possible by the GDI's precise control over the formation of theair/fuel mixture, a reactive-type exhaust manifold, which maximises thiseffect and; exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), which takes advantage of theengine's highly stable combustion; and a revamped Lean NOx catalyst.

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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1. Reducing HC EmissionsIn petrol engines, a highly effective Three-way catalyst is used to removeHC from exhaust emissions. The catalyst activates at temperatures above250 . Accordingly, it is necessary to warm up the catalyst immediatelyafter the engine is started. This is made possible by a new combustionmethod we call Two-Stage Combustion, and a Reactive-type exhaustmanifold, which increases the effectiveness of the process.

The GDI engine operates in Stratified Combustion Mode when it is idlingimmediately after being started. Fuel is injected during the compressionstroke, ensuring very lean operation. Combustion occurs toward the end ofthe compression stroke and concludes at the beginning of expansion, bywhich time the gases in the engine have risen to a high temperature. Atthis point, when fuel is injected again toward the end of expansion, the fuelinjected into high-temperature atmospheric gas ignites, and thetemperature of the operational gas rises, causing the mixture to ignite andburn a second time. As a consequence, the temperature of the gases risesas high as 800 , compared to about 200 in the case of idlingimmediately after engine start-up.

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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Earlier Activation of CatalystWithout Two-Stage Combustion, the catalyst takes more than 100

seconds to warm up to 250 . With Two-Stage Combustion, however,warm-up time is cut in half. The use of a Reactive-type exhaust manifold,which retains exhaust gases and mixes them with air to ensure that thecombustion response reaction which was started in the combustionchamber continues inside the manifold, reduces the warm-up time to amere 20 seconds. As a result, the HC emission level immediately afterengine start-up can be reduced drastically.

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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Obviously, injecting fuel during the expansion stroke, when the valvesare closed, would be impossible with a conventional port-injection engine.Moreover, two-stage combustion requires a tremendous amount of air,necessitating the burning of an extremely lean mixture, which leaves alarge volume of air behind. This, too, can only be achieved with adirect-injection petrol engine. These technical features can thus be said, tocapitalise on the unique capabilities of the direct-injection petrol engine.

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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2. Reducing NOx Emissions(1) EGR (Exhaust-gas recirculation)In order to reduce the level of NOx emissions, EGR is employed to recyclea large volume of exhaust back into the engine. Although EGR has longbeen known to permit the reduction of NOx emissions, its use inconventional petrol engines has been limited by the fact that it hinderscombustion.With the GDI engine, the high density of the air/fuel mixture in thecombustion area makes it possible to utilise high-volume EGR withoutendangering combustion stability. As a result, the GDI engine reducesNOx levels in emissions utilising EGR of up to 70%.

(2) Lean NOx Catalytic ConverterEGR, in which a high volume of exhaust is fed back into the intake air, isconducted to reduce the level of NOx emitted in the engine's exhaust.However, there is a limit to the volume that can be recycled back into theengine, that is, the sum of air and EGR gas. Accordingly, the greater theload on the engine, the lower the volume of EGR that can be utilised.Mitsubishi has responded to this dilemma by developing a new, Lean NOxcatalytic converter that facilitates elimination of NOx even fromlean-mixture emissions.

Lean NOx catalytic converters currently come in two varieties: theSelective Reduction Type, and the NOx Trap Type. The latter have beenproven highly effective when new, but their viability is considerablyreduced when petrol with a high sulphur content is used. Accordingly, asthe diagram on the following page indicates, long-term use of this type ofNOx catalytic converter in Europe, where the sulphur content of petrol is200 ppm, would result in almost total loss in effectiveness. In contrast,Selective Reduction Type NOx catalysts, while less effective in the earlystages, are hardly damaged by sulphur.

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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Taking into consideration, the different characteristics of the two types ofcatalysts, Mitsubishi Motors have decided to offer the appropriate type ofLean NOx catalyst with the GDI engine, depending on the sulphur contentof the region in which the engine will be used. (1) Selective ReductionType catalysts for use in areas where the sulphur content in petrol is high(such as Europe) (2) NOx Trap Type catalysts for use in areas where thesulphur content is low (such as Japan and California)

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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To eliminate HC and NOx during stoichiometric operation, a three-waycatalyst is also added downstream from the NOx catalytic converter. Inareas such as California, where emissions standards place priority on HC,we have placed the three-way catalyst closer to the engine to acceleratethe warm-up of the catalytic converter.3. Preparing for the FutureBy combining the innovative technical features described here, MitsubishiMotors has created a system that is capable of complying with the varyingenvironmental needs and emission standards of Japan, Europe and theUnited States. As the diagrams below indicate, the GDI engine is morethan capable of meeting the more stringent emission standards that will beintroduced in the year 2000. Taking Japan as an example, the level of HCand NOx emission has been reduced by more than 80% of the currentlyregulated level.

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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Because the Selective Reduction Type catalyst utilises HC to eliminateNOx, it cannot be used in combination with a close-coupled catalystdesigned to eliminate HC. The new technologies of Two-StageCombustion and Reactive-type Exhaust Manifold can reduce HC withoutthe use of close-coupled catalysts. Therefore, it has great significance forthe introduction of GDI in markets where the sulphur content of petrol ishigh.

However, we must add that the sulphuric acids and sulphates not onlydamage the engine itself and the emissions reduction system, but are alsoharmful to the global environment. We hope that the movement tointroduce higher fuel quality standards in Europe and the United States willtake effect, facilitating the use of low-sulphur content petrol, similar to thelevel currently available in Japan.

(Product names mentioned in this document are those used in the Japanese market.)

GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology

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[Synosis][Tackling Global Environment Issues]

[Basic Technical Features of the GDI Engine][GDI's Exhaust Emissions Reduction Technology]

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation February, 1998

Copyright 1995,1996,1997 by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/GDI2000/index.htm [11/06/2001 10:02:05 PM]


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