GASOLINE DIRECT INJECTION TECHNOLOGY
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How Afton’s additives for Gasoline Direct Injection technology plays a part in keeping our skies blue Lau Teck Aun, Fuels Marketing Manager, Afton Chemical Asia
BLUE SKY THINKING IN CHINA AND INDONESIA Across Asia Pacific, countries are looking into ways to reduce emissions from internal combustion engines, thus increasing the demand for cleaner and higher quality gasoline. China announced the Blue Sky Defense plan in
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2018 to initiate key projects that reduce vehicle emissions. Indonesia and its National Oil Company Pertamina has also recently announced phasing out low octane gasoline in few markets as part of
their Blue Sky Program, starting from 1st January 2021. However, fuel and vehicle hardware technologies must complement each other to deliver maximum efficiency to reduce emission.
Percentage of GDI engines to Total New Passenger Cars Produced
We all want to wake up to a blue sky. Afton Chemical as part of its commitment to making the world a better place is continually investing in and providing technology that enables fuels to burn cleaner and vehicle run smoother.
Source: IHS Markit Light Vehicle Engine Forecast: Engine Production, Global.
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‘The Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) technology for our modern cars can deliver up to 30% lower emissions with the same driving performance. Passenger car Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have introduced GDI in many car models since 2000s and according to IHS about 80% of new car sales would be fitted with GDI engines in Asia Pacific by 2026,’ said Walter Bunting, OEM Director at Afton Chemical.‘ However, GDI technology creates new challenges to OEMs and they need advanced fuel additive solutions as GDI engines are twice hotter than conventional engines.’
ENSURING EQUIPMENT MAINTAINS ITS PERFORMANCE A more advanced fuel additive is needed as traditional fuel additive solution will not be effective to unlock the full potential of GDI technology. Prior to prevalence of GDI adoption—as far back
as the mid-1990s—Afton is already working on leading edge research to develop the next generation of fuel additive technology uniquely tailored to these GDI engines. GDI engines are fundamentally different than conventional carbureted and port fuel-injected (PFI) engines and not surprisingly, create different types of deposits that require new types of fuel additive chemistry solutions that protect against power-robbing deposit formation and ensure clean and efficient operability.
YEARS OF RESEARCH AND EXPERTISE Afton’s comprehensive work over 20 years to address new challenges with GDI engine designs has resulted in development of many proprietary tests. Afton's cooperation with major car OEMs, Tier 1 OEM injector suppliers and major oil companies, is well documented in multiple peer-reviewed journal publications. Since then Afton has successfully supplied customized GDI additive solutions to our Asia Pacific customers in recent years as a result of our innovative works initially using a Nissan-based
engine adapted to GDI, thereafter a Mitsubishi engine and various other vehicles. Our innovative product solutions, test knowledge and technology insights have shaped the industry as we know it today.
ADDITIVE SOLUTIONS – MADE FOR GDI AND PFI ENGINES Afton has specifically developed patented additives that ensure performance in both GDI and PFI operating conditions. The additives clean up any harmful deposits that form on the injectors and deliver sustained power, increased fuel economy and reduced harmful emissions. These are the reasons why Afton is well regarded as leader in GDI technology solutions. Afton's latest SAE paper early this year with Birmingham University titled ‘Study of Effects of Deposit Formation on GDI Injector and Engine Performance’ builds significantly on Afton's earlier papers and provided new data to better describe the underlying mechanisms of how deposit formation in GDI ultimately leads to a reduction in vehicle performance and increase in emission.
FOREFRONT TO DELIVER NEXT GENERATION GDI ADDITIVE SOLUTIONS ‘It’s been a fulfilling journey to deliver our next generation of GDI additive solutions,’ says Jon Bender, Director of R&D at Afton Chemical. ‘We understand how important this GDI
technology is to OEMs and we are at the right place and right time to help the industry solve the challenge for achieving the maximum benefits of GDI.’ ‘Formulation development is about understanding the mechanisms of deposit formation, recreating the deposit
in a controlled protocol, testing novel chemistries in a smart design of experiment and validating cost-effective solutions that are back compatible with current technology,’ says Dr Bender. ‘We have to ensure PFI deposit cleanliness compatibility isn’t compromised, even when GDI deposit cleanliness performance is achieved.’ Meanwhile, the pressure to deliver lower emissions continues and Afton Chemical is at the forefront of the industry to solve the future challenges. For more information about Afton Chemical GDI solutions and Responsible Care Initiatives, please visit: https://www.aftonchemical.com/Generic/Afton-GDI-Headquarters https://www.aftonchemical. com/Generic/Responsibility
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