Siemens turns focus
to gasoline injection
Though diesel engines have been getting
the lions share of automotive press
recently, two-thirds of the worlds
automobiles are still powered by
gasoline engines. Recent gasoline engine
engineering and development efforts by
many OEMs and suppliers have focused
on closing the efficiency gap with diesel
while enabling further improvements in
efficiency and emissions.
Siemens VDO Automotives new DEKA VII injector for port injection gasoline
engines comes in five variants.
The assembly of DEKA injection valves is
completely automated in Siemens Pisa plant.
52 JULY 2004 aei
One key enabling technology is
gasoline injection, and Siemens VDO
Automotive is one of the leaders in this
area. Its global engineering network is
developing the latest injection systems
for gasoline engines by focusing both on
conventional and direct-injection
technology.
The heart of Siemens VDO
Automotives European gasoline injector
production lies in Pisa, Italy. The San
Piero and Fauglia facilities, which
produce approximately 15 million fuel
injectors annually, have helped the
company secure close to 30% of the
European market. The companys newest
product for indirect injection, called the
DEKA VII, has been in production in Italy
since November of last year, and by 2006
Siemens VDO Automotive expects that
more than half of its global 16-million-
injector-a-year production to be made at
its Italian facilities.
The new line of DEKA VII fuel injectors
give spark-injection engine developers
more freedom by offering a modular
design and the ability to combine
standardized injector components. Given
the high performance of even the
shortest body length, a single injector size
can work for an entire family of engines.
One injector in the line can have the
capability of delivering minimal fuel
quantities for small engines, yet its
maximum flow could meet the demands
of larger-displacement engines. Engine
developers can integrate the injectors into
both compact and complex engine
geometries with less effort while simulta-
neously ensuring very fine fuel atomiza-
tion for reduced untreated exhaust
emissions. The same nozzle needle
actuator is used for 34.5-, 48.4-, and
60.4-mm (1.36-, 1.91-, and 2.38-in)
injector lengths. The modular approach
allows each basic body length to be
combined with each nozzle length.
And the DEKA VIIs performance charac-
teristics enable engine developers to
combine the shortest body length with
the longest nozzle without a drop in
Briefs

Gentex Corp. has begun shipping

interior rear-view mirrors for Volvo Car
Corp.s new V50 sports wagon. Gentex
auto-dimming mirrors automatically
darken to reduce glare from the
headlamps of vehicles approaching from
the rear. V50 vehicles sold in the U.S. will
be equipped with a Gentex auto-
dimming interior mirror that features a
built-in electronic compass display using
Johnson Controls PathPoint digital
compass system. Gentex will supply a
similar mirror for the Hyundai Tucson
compact SUV.

ArvinMeritor, Inc., has announced a

new contract for a large roof-opening
module with a European OEM. The rail-
to-rail module features a full-glass
appearance, and uses the ArvinMeritor
long-fiber-injected process. A large,
integrated spoiler sunroof is included,
with a tubeless water management
system. A separate contract for a three-
panel sunroof, also with an unidentified
European OEM, has been awarded.
Magna International, Inc., has signed
an agreement with DaimlerChrysler
Corp. to acquire the worldwide opera-
tions of New Venture Gear, Inc., a
supplier of transfer cases and other
drivetrain products. U.S. operations will
be taken over by a joint venture named
New Process Gear, Inc., which will
initially be owed 80% by Magna and
20% by DaimlerChrysler. The European
operation will be acquired directly by
Magna. Closing of the transaction is
subject to various conditions.
Calty Design Research, Inc., has
opened a design studio adjacent to the
headquarters of the Toyota Technical
Center in Ann Arbor, MI. Caltys first
project at the new location will be to
collaborate with the Technical Center
on Toyotas next-generation Tundra
pickup truck.
Delphi has announced nine new
contracts for steering columns. The
contracts feature Delphis standard, rake,
tilt, and telescopic columns in both floor-
and column-shift models. Each of the
columns incorporates Delphis energy-
absorbing technology.
54 JULY 2004 aei
The key components of Siemens piezo gasoline injection system are the engine control unit,
high-pressure pump, and injector (shown in cutaway).
performancean advantage when
installation space between the fuel rail and
intake manifold is small and the jet origin
is required to extend far into the intake
manifold. The design flexibility reduces the
risk of fuel wetting on the intake manifold
wall after a cold start, which increases
unburned hydrocarbon emissions.
One of the injectors performance
features is optimized jet preparation,
with options running from single jets
with cone angles of 10-30 to double
jets with a spread angle of 15 to 30 in
between, or a combination of both
geometries with an additional bent angle
between 5 and 25. Sophisticated dual-
cone jet and bent angle solutions also
help reduce intake manifold wall
wetting. To keep untreated exhaust
emissions low and satisfy stricter
emissions standards such as Euro V, the
DEKA VII injects finely atomized fuel with
average particle sizes of less than 70 m
(0.003 in), depending on injection
pressure and other conditions, and
typical operating pressure of 3 to 5 bar
(44 to 73 psi).
The Pisa operations manufacturing
process is a high-speed exercise produc-
ing nearly one injector every three
seconds. DEKA injectors are assembled in
clean rooms using mostly in-house
manufactured components, one of the
most important of which is the orifice disk.
Its 0.1-0.5 mm (0.004-0.020 in) wide fuel
multichannels are delivered just-in-time to
the six assembly lines. A new injector is
produced about every 1.5 s, which equates
to more than 40 fuel injectors per minute,
or 2500 per hour. Siemens VDO Automo-
tive has satisfied the demand for 15,000
four-cylinder engines per day by
producing 60,000 units.
To improve the quality and efficiency
of the DEKA injector, engineers substan-
tially reduced the number of compo-
nents and changed the injectors design
to eliminate interior seals. Clean-room
assembly ensures that contaminants do
not hinder fuel flow through the seal-
less design, which ensures long-lasting
reliability since there are no rubber seals
and plastic washers to age and wear.
Although quality control inspection
occurs after each assembly step,
employees perform additional quality
checks at the end of production and test
each injector on an automated bench
before it is packaged and delivered to a
customers engine manufacturing plant.
Further injection research will be
required so that European Automobile
Manufacturers Association (ACEA)
members can fulfill their commitment
to lower their vehicle fleets CO2
emissions to a maximum average of
140 g/km by 2008. Although the
growing market share of increasingly
efficient next-generation diesel engines
will help, the ACEA target can be
reached only by lowering gasoline
engine fuel consumption, with one
solution being direct injection. However,
the promise of direct fuel injections
fuel-saving benefits has yet to be fully
realized, according to Siemens VDO
Automotive, primarily due to the
technologys current air- and wall-
guided combustion processes. In
addition, stratified-charge can only be
employed in certain driving situations.
San Piero is a part of the development
network working on the next generation
of direct gasoline injection, including
injectors that will enable the reduction of
fuel consumption by up to 20% starting
around 2006. The Piezo Direct Injection
(PDI) system is based on piezoelectric
actuation technology and enables the
first-ever spray-guided combustion
procedure. Fuel can be injected directly in
front of the spark plug more of the time
with the new system, greatly expanding
Sound design from Boysen
It used to be that sound was merely a
by-product of engine and vehicle
development. Car makers and exhaust
system suppliers confined themselves to
meeting the legal noise limits and
eliminating undesired noise. Those days
are over. For todays luxury and sports
cars, a sound that is typical of the brand
and the model is now an essential part
of the cars character. The sound of the
BMW 645Ci is the result of a systematic
design process.
The exhaust system of the BMW 645Ci, with twin asymmetrical rear
silencers, was tuned by Boysen to create a desired sound image.
56 JULY 2004 aei
the range of stratified operation. How-
ever, the spray-guided combustion
processes place much greater demands
on injection pressure, dynamics, jet
preparation, and feed precision, hence
the need for further development.
The core components of the PDI
system are the innovative piezo-injector,
newly developed high-pressure fuel
pump, and a new engine control unit.
Fitting a piezo-actuator directly on
the nozzle needle improves injector
dynamics, allowing a nozzle needle to
complete its full stroke in only 0.2 ms.
Piezo injectors allow multiple injections
in the light and medium load range to
ensure stable combustion with little
fluctuation. In stratified operation, fuel
feed precision is enhanced by the piezo
elements ability to partially or com-
pletely open and close the injector.
Precision is improved even with short
injection pulses, the maximum deviation
between individual injected quantities of
fuel being just 2%. The combination of
injector switching speed and precision is
the key to improved control of injection
and enables late ignition timing in
stratified-charge mode without misfiring.
In an ideal case, the acoustics of a
car are just as unmistakable as its
appearance, said Bjrn Koch, Acoustic
Engineer at Boysen, a German exhaust
system specialist. Sound design
includes all those measures that modify
the sound of a vehicle in a targeted
manner by emphasizing the desired
frequency ranges and suppressing the
undesired frequencies, he added. Since
engine noise frequencies change their
composition with the engine speed, the
Boysen engineers measured the BMW 645Ci tailpipe noise on an
acoustic rolling test stand.
Clean combustion is ensured by an
extremely fine atomization of fuel. At a
high gasoline injection pressure of
about 200 bar (2.9 ksi), average fuel-
droplet diameter is only 15 m (590
in). Together with injector nozzles
that open into the cylinder, the
atomization results in an optimally
prepared mixture cloud at the spark
plug under nearly all conditions. The
high injection pressure is enabled by a
new axial piston pump with extremely
efficient dose control. Pump friction is
reduced by thorough lubrication and
bearing technology to ensure low
pump drive power requirements and
high overall drive efficiency.
The 32-bit engine control unit (ECU)
that manages the overall system has
among its expanded functions a freely
definable needle stroke length and
speed and multiple-injection control
with up to three injection pulses per
cylinder and working cycle. If an engine
is equipped with appropriate sensors,
the ECU can individually adjust the
injectors needle for each cylinder.
Kevin Jost
exhaust system has to be tuned to
various frequency bands.
The target specification for the BMW
645Ci was to create a completely new
sound image that matches the character
of the luxury sports coupe, said Koch.
There was to be a conscious effort to
disregard the engine sound of the old
6-Series and vehicles of other brands.
The aim was to achieve a subjectively
pleasant, sporty, V8 sound that is also
clearly audible inside the car.

Acoustic engineers at Boysen use a
dummy head to make realistic
recordings for subjective evaluation
of the noise inside a vehicle.
The raw noise is provided by a 4.4-L
V8 engine, the same power unit installed
in the BMW 545i and 745i models. But
it doesnt sound anywhere near as
powerful in those cars, said Koch. In
keeping with the specifications at the
time, we tuned the exhaust systems for
those two cars with the emphasis more
on comfort than on sportiness.
Kochs colleagues from the computa-
tion department used computer tailpipe
simulations to develop the concept for
the exhaust system of the coupe. The
system has a dual-line design, consisting
of two air-gap-insulated steel manifolds,
two close-coupled catalytic converters,
New Hyundai tech center to support growth
Up to now, we have been concentrat-
ing on EPA certification testing and
vehicle validation, but this is not
enough for us to increase our sales in
the United States, said Won Suk Cho,
President of the Hyundai Kia America
Technical Center, during ground-
breaking ceremonies for a new
technical center that will be more
than five times the size of the
existing facility.
The current 33,000-ft2 (3000-m2)
Michigan technical center will be
replaced in June 2005 by a 190,000-ft2
(18,000-m2) center in a nearby commu-
nity to support the development
namely competitive analysis, emissions,
and durability testingof current and
new Hyundai and Kia vehicles for the
U.S. market. But the long-term vision
may mean powertrain and platform
58 JULY 2004 aei
two front silencers, one middle silencer,
and two rear silencers. For the sound
design, the acoustic engineers concen-
trated on the middle silencer and the
two rear silencers. The front part from
the manifold to the front silencers is
identical to the system in the 545i
and 745i vehicles.
The firing order and ignition timing
determine the low-frequency composi-
tion of the tailpipe noise, and the
manifold and catalytic converters have
only a minor influence, said Koch. The
two front silencers also function
primarily as pipe interruptions to
prevent resonances.
Throughout the development project,
two different front silencers and around
ten different middle silencers were
designed, built, and tested. For the rear
silencers alone, about two dozen
variants were tested. In this project,
more than half of the variants were built
on the basis of subjective fine-tuning. An
important role was played by effects that
we are not yet able to measure on the
computer, said Koch.
The acoustic engineers measured the
exterior noise, composed of tailpipe and
surface-borne sound, at precisely defined
positions behind the vehicle. To measure
interior noise, the engineers used what is
called dummy head measuring
technology. Realistic recordings with the
dummy head allow a subjective evalua-
tion of the interior noise. The skill lies in
technical support. At the moment,
we are thinking vehicle development,
said Cho.
An additional 85 people will be
hired when the new technical center
opens. And the 125-person staff for
2005 is projected to more than triple
by decades end. In 2010, we are
going to have 400 people, primarily
design and test engineers, said Cho,
who noted that one of the reasons for
remaining in Michigan is the availability
of very well experienced engineers.
The two-stage, $117 million project
will facilitate the company reaching its
goal of selling one million units in the
U.S. by 2010. Hyundai Motor Com-
pany has high aspirations for the U.S.
market, and this facility will play a vital
role in supporting the development,
design, and manufacture of vehicles
designing source noises in such a way
that the driver has appropriate acoustic
feedback without the noise becoming
irritating for the other vehicle occu-
pants, said Koch.
To give the sound of the BMW 645Ci
the desired sporty quality, the acoustic
engineers from Boysen raised the sound
level compared to the luxury models. The
separation of the exhaust flows from the
left- and right-hand cylinder banks, the
reduction of the middle silencer volume,
and the expansion of the pipe cross
sections, particularly for the internal
pipes in the rear silencers, all contributed
to making the coupe noticeably louder.
The developers tuned the characteris-
tic sound image of the V8 engine by
giving each of the two parallel rear
silencers a slightly different interior
structure. This asymmetrical design results
in a targeted phase displacement of the
noise from each tailpipe. Due to their
firing order, the two cylinder banks1 to
4 and 5 to 8sometimes produce noise
in antiphase, said Koch. So our aim in
designing the rear silencers was to
emphasize the differences without
reinforcing the undesirable side effects.
Koch is convinced that sound design
will become increasingly important in the
future, and he is sure that the subject of
sound design still has a long way to go.
People will hear about it much more in
the future, he said.
David Alexander
Superior Township becomes the new
Michigan home to the Hyundai technical
center in 2005 as a replacement for an
existing facility in nearby Pittsfield
Township.
for this country, said S.K. Kim,
President of Research and Develop-
ment for Hyundai Motor Co.
Kami Buchholz
Keeping it clean and smooth
The rear-screen wiper is an essential
feature on many types of vehicle. The
wiper must function in all weather
conditions and with any number of
materials that might be thrown onto
the glass, including liquids, dirt, and
ice. Smooth, quiet operation is
also desirable.
The typical rear-wiper system is a
device consisting of a unidirectional
electric motor with a shaft-mounted
worm gear, a mating helical gear, and a
mechanical crank mechanism. The crank
mechanism creates reciprocating motion
at the balance link, which translates into
a bidirectional, limited-angle rotation of
the output shaft. This electromechanical
design has many limitations, with its
high mechanical complexity, multiple
wear points, and inflexible performance:
wipe angles and park positions are fixed
by the linkage design.
Johnson Electric began develop-
ment of a rear wiper without a me-
chanical mechanism in 1990, and the
first-generation product was launched
on a 1994 production vehicle. This
design proved the technical feasibility of
an electronic wiper system, and resulted
in a 15% reduction in mass over the
traditional mechanical system. The
microprocessor electronic control unit
directed four power MOSFETs (metal-
oxide-semiconductor field-effect-
transistors) controlling power to the
gear motor. Ramping up the voltage to
the motor at the start of a wipe cycle
and down at the end of the cycle
provided soft start/stop capability. The
general operation relied on the micro-
processor to optimize the system
motion by precisely controlling the
motor. Bidirectional wiping action was
achieved without linkages by electrically
reversing the direct-drive gear motor.
The first-generation system used a
control method that resulted in sudden
speed and direction changes at each
end of the wiper travel. Analysis
showed that substantial improvements
in noise and end-of-travel position
accuracy could be achieved by using a
sinusoidal, rather than trapezoidal,
60 JULY 2004 aei
A typical current rear wiper is a complicated
device consisting of an electric motor with a
shaft-mounted worm gear, a mating helical
gear, and a mechanical crank mechanism.
motion profile. However, the sinusoidal
motion profile required a more
sophisticated sensing system. To meet
this need for the second-generation
system, new sensing technology was
designed using a 16-pole magnet
attached to the motor shaft, and two
Hall sensors that send rotor position
signals to a microprocessor.
The final development step was the
integration of the electronics into the
gear motor assembly. In order to
accomplish this, the electronics package
size had to be drastically reduced. The
final design reduced the part count to
just 14six active and eight passivea
reduction of 80% from the original 68.
Reliability was also enhanced with the
integration of 52 components into the
mixed signal (analog/digital) ASIC
(application-specific integrated circuit).
The ability to use one motor for
many vehicle platforms and still provide
vehicle-specific performance features
provides real cost advantages. The new
The second-generation rear wiper system
from Johnson Electric has electronic control
and was developed for a passenger vehicle
scheduled for 2004 production.
design provides additional flexibility in
program timing with the ability to
simultaneously adjust to system design
changes and market trends. The
advanced electronic control system
makes it possible to offer changeable
systems to enhance customer value and
adjust to environmental and vehicle
conditions. The performance and
reliability of the technology has been
proven through rigorous testing.
The new wiper system is completely
programmable for optimum perfor-
mance on different vehicles and for
different customer requirements.
Disruptions on the wipe surface, or at
the end of the wipe angle, are auto-
matically handled. The motor starts
softly with smoothly increasing speed
and reaches peak speed at the glass
mid position. The motor then deceler-
ates smoothly until it reaches the end
of travel, where motor reversal occurs.
The advanced sensing system allows
absolute precision during wiping
of 0.2.
In addition to improved perfor-
mance, the second-generation rear
wiper gives a 40% reduction in mass
and a 20% reduction in size over the
old mechanical system.
David Alexander
 >>Concept to Reality

CAN oe Independence for pickup trucks

For CAN, LIN
MOST, FlexRay
TM Historically, the leaf-sprung solid axle has
been the untouchable symbol of
ruggedness and load-carrying ability for
working trucks. However, a small
Ne
Versionw engineering team at Dana Automotive
5.0!
Systems Group has developed a full-
perimeter rear frame section with an
independent axle, double A-arms, and
coil springs. The objective: provide an
assembly-line exchange independent
rear suspension (IRS) option that would
give a smoother ride and better han-
dling, such as for those pickups that will
be mainly for personal use.
As developed, the IRS module has
the Dana Model 44 independent axle,
said Aaron Stange, the engineering
Enterprise Wide leader, who worked with six engineers
part-time and finished the job in under a
Solution from year. The module is not limited to light-
The Dana IRS module uses tubular aluminum
duty operation. If necessary, a larger axle
OEM thru Supplier could be installed to increase towing
crossmembers over the rear differential,
which are joined to the steel frame rails by
capacity, and changes in shocks, springs, magnetic-pulse welding.
Model and Simulate and sway-bar bushings could be made to
Network Behavior increase load capacity, he added. The An additional potential application
module was designed to adapt to would be those SUVs built on pickup
Verify the Module locking differentials and even four- truck frames. Although such models as
Performance (In- wheel-steering. the Ford Explorer and Expedition,
the-Loop) Against originally built on pickup frames, now
have frames and IRS, other SUVs do not.
the Model The Ford IRS is built up on the assembly
line, not installed as a bolt-in module.
Specific module and network For SUVs built on the same assembly line
behavior problems are identified, as pickup trucks, a bolt-in IRS module as
without question, and with ease in an alternative would provide great
the early build stages. Reduces cost flexibility to the manufacturer.
and time delays at 'crunch time'! The Dana module is a lightweight
design, using aluminum for upper and
lower control arms, knuckles, differential
housing, and two crossmembers. The
aluminum crossmembers are joined to
the steel frame rails with Danas mag-
netic-pulse welding, a cold-welding
process that uses an electromagnetic
USED BY field to force one metal into another. The
THOUSANDS amperage used is very high, but because
WORLDWIDE! the process is instantaneous, there is no
temperature buildup. Magnetic-pulse
welding lends itself to tubular parts, and
The Dana IRS module for pickup trucks and this process for aluminum-to-steel is also
truck-based SUVs has the Dana Axle Model used by Dana for aluminum-tube/steel-
44 independent axle, and includes vented-
rotor disc brakes, aluminum control arms, end driveshafts.
www.vector-cantech.com and knuckles. Paul Weissler
Vector CANtech, Inc.
39500 Orchard Hill Pl. Ste 550
Novi, MI 48375 USA
(248) 449-9290
Circle 262
62 JULY 2004 aei
Optis gets the LEDs out
The Audi Le Mans quattro concept car LEDs, and the simulated results had to be with the companys CAD software CATIA
was first shown at the 2003 Frankfurt presented so as to correspond to the V5, from Dassault Systemes.
Auto Show. A showcase for new technol- automotive industry lighting standards in The Speos software from the French
ogy, one of the features was the use of force, thereby ensuring the immediate company Optis was chosen. The
LED (light-emitting diode) headlamps. LEDs validity of the headlight. The software training carried out in Optiss
have been around for some time, but not needed to be easy to learn and integrated consultancy offices in Stuttgart lasted
used in production for automotive lighting.
Known for long life, robust construction,
and low power consumption, the design
issue has traditionally been brightness.
Audi turned to Ruetz, an engineering
company specializing in the design and
building of prototypes. We got a
development request from Audi concern-
ing the feasibility of a low-beam headlamp
in LED technology using the design space
of an A6 headlight, said Clemens Stberl,
Project Engineer at Ruetz.
The Le Mans quattro concept car was
to be designed with the traditional front
headlight bulb replaced by a series of LEDs
for improved driver visibility. The new
headlight design had to meet European
standards in order to be approved. Given
the timeframe and the limited number of
cars to be produced, the manufacturer
wouldnt have either the time or the
budget necessary to make multiple
prototypes before approval. Use of a
virtual prototype and simulation software
therefore was essential.
The choice of software was guided by
several criteria. It had to include a library of

At Akebono, world-class brake NVH engineering results in innovative,

The Audi Le Mans quattro concept car
features the use of LED headlamps
developed by Ruetz with the help of SPEOS
software from OPTIS.
dependable friction materials and foundation brakes of superior quality
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See our Capabilities pg 116-153 Circle 263 aei JULY 2004 63

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three days and was followed by a two-
day practical session during which work
was started on the project.
With Speos we tested a variety of
optical principles for one lighting mod-
ulereflector, lenses, and different
arrangements of the LED, said Stberl.
The preliminary studies were the base for
further development. We decided to
continue with a lens-based solution. Optis
supported the LED-coding and re-
engineering of the FRAEN-Lens. In the next
step we created an illumination for the
complete headlight. Here again we had a
Red Dot keeps cool
A new air conditioning (A/C) refrigerant
will begin to replace R-134a by the start
of the next decade, as part of efforts to
reduce global-warming emissions, but
which one? The U.S. EPA and the
Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO)
want to give advocates of R-152a the
chance to demonstrate that it should be
the choice.
The system supplier is Red Dot, U.S.
manufacturer of systems and parts for
off-road equipment and heavy-duty
trucks, and the AGO is lining up Austra-
lian fleet operators to equip the demon-
stration vehicles for testing this year. The
U.S. and Australia, although not signato-
ries to the Kyoto Protocol on global
warming, promote voluntary projects in
their countries and have forged an active
partnership. Stephen Andersen of EPA,
Ward Atkinson, chair of the SAE Interior
Climate Control Committee, and Gary
Hansen, Engineering Vice President of
Red Dot, developed the program.
Andersen brought the proposal to the
U.S.-Australian partnership.
Australia was chosen because, for
openers, it has a hot climate and
Red Dots Gary Hansen shows Rachel
Clarke of the Australian Greenhouse
Office the rooftop unit developed for
testing of off-road Australian vehicles.
few possibilities in assembling and
arranging the lighting modules. We tested
this with Speos.
The first test prototype of the headlight
used 24 LED modules, and had only low-
beam functionality. For the concept car the
low-beam used nine and the high-beam
eight modules, thereby eliminating
numerous problems linked to mounting
and space restrictions, and also reduced
purchasing costs. Approval was obtained
after building a single prototype.
David Alexander
rugged environment, and the applica-
tions offer good test conditions,
explained James Shevlin of AGO. Up to
50 rooftop units will be installed on
logging and mining vehicles, according
to Rachel Clarke of AGO.
Off-road equipment operates at low
speed, which reduces ram airflow and
places a premium on efficient system
operation. For the test, the Red Dot 9727,
a rooftop unit, was selected and is being
modified to resolve R-152a safety issues,
which arent severe but cant be ignored.
R-152a offers some inherent effi-
ciency advantages over R-134a thanks to
its much lower molecular weight, but is
very mildly flammable (it will burn with a
flame but not with a spark). In fact, its
rated as non-flammable when used in
aerosols and as a computer dust-off
product. The Red Dot 9727 needs only
10 oz (280 g) of R-152a, vs. 16 oz
(450 g) of R-134a.
However, EPA is cautious, so Red
Dots rooftop unit uses an intelligent
temperature-sensing system to evacuate
all refrigerant from the evaporator (the
only part in the passenger cabin) to
provide a safe system shutdown in case
of a major leak.
Theres a superheat temperature
sensor in the evaporator outletlow-
pressureline to the compressor. If the
sensor measures high refrigerant tempera-
tures for the operating conditions,
indicating a leak, it signals a control
module to turn on a low-refrigerant
indicator. If the temperatures go still
higher, indicating a severe leak, the system
logs a trouble code and goes into the safe
shutdown. The A/C wont come on until
the code is cleared.
 Red Dot No. 9727 rooftop unit,
converted to run on R-152a, has an
electronic thermostatic expansion
valve and a check valve in the
discharge line to trap refrigerant in
the condenser and receiver-dryer for a
safe system shutdown. An intelligent
superheat sensor used to determine
refrigerant charge level also enables a
control module to determine when the
evaporator has been emptied on
shutdown.

The system has an electronic thermo-

static expansion valve in the refrigerant
liquid line and a check valve in the discharge
line between compressor and condenser. So
all refrigerant (including what is drawn out
of the evaporator) is trapped on shutdown
between those two points (primarily in the
condenser and receiver-dryer).
The safe shutdown also is used for
normal system turnoff, so no refrigerant
remains in the evaporator in case a leak
develops later. If the condition of the system
remains normal, it turns on again.
Red Dot and AGO also plan to install
secondary-loop R-152a systems in heavy-
duty trucks. The refrigerant loop (the
primary) chills liquid coolant (anti-freeze and
water) in a secondary loop, within a dual
heat exchanger. Because that dual heat
exchangerand the rest of the refrigerant
loopis outside the passenger cabin, no
safety systems are needed in case of a leak.
The chilled coolant is circulated by a
pump to in-cabin heater core-like cooling
coils. Aside from the in-cabin cooling coils
and underhood compressor (and possibly an
accumulator), the Red Dot system is in a
single box.
Although the secondary loop has a slight
operating lag and some efficiency loss
through the dual heat exchanger, it permits
multiple cooling points in the cabin without
additional refrigerant lines. The over-the-
road trucks with sleeper units will be the
ones to use the feature.
Paul Weissler

aei JULY 2004 65

TI pumps it up
The industrys first dual-channel,
single-stage (DCSS) fuel pump employs
two rows of turbine blades to provide
two parallel pumping paths, compared
to a conventional single-stage pump
with an impeller and a single row of
outer edge blades. That difference
essentially makes the product line an
on-target match for the high fuel
pressure needs of advanced direct-
injection gasoline engines.
TI Automotive currently produces
about seven million gasoline fuel
pumps annually, but the companys
executive responsible for worldwide
commercial activity believes that DCSS
fuel pumpsentering production in
2005 for 2006 vehicle model year
applicationswill shake up the status
quo. We expect this product line to
replace our existing gasoline fuel
pumps 100%, said Brian Lindsay,
Managing Director, Commercial and
Purchasing, Global Fuel Systems Group,
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66 JULY 2004 aei
Circle 266
The use of two parallel pumping channels in
the new fuel pump from TI Automotive
improves pumping efficiency by 50% over a
single-channel turbine pump.
TI Automotive. Lindsay thinks the DCSS
family of fuel pumps will claim that
feat by 2010.
A typical single-stage turbine provides
a maximum pressure of approximately
5 bar (72 psi) and flow rates of 180 L/h
(48 gal/h) with an
operation efficiency rate
of about 20%. What
were going to is a 150 to 250
liter per hour flow rate at four to
six bar of pressure at an efficiency of
25 to 30%. This combination is a
quantum leap for a turbine pump, said
Manouchehr Kambakhsh, Vice President
of Global Advanced Engineering at the
TI Automotive Technology Center
GmbH in Germany.
With parallel pumping paths and an
impeller with unique curved-leaning
blades, the DCSS fuel pump helps
reduce fuel turbulence and increase
pump output. We worked with
computational fluid dynamics models to
find geometry that creates the least
amount of flow disturbances as the fluid
particles are accelerated through the
high-pressure flow channels,
Kambakhsh said, referencing more than
nine months of development time spent
addressing that issue.
Use of a 39-mm motor, which also
powers the companys single-stage
family of pumps, gave the two-year
program a time advantage. We already
had a reliable pump motor, so we were
able to shave development time right
there, said David Ford, Director of
Advanced Fuel Delivery and Application
Engineering. The pump motor is mated
to a 50-mm inlet housing.
In hot fuel testing, the DCSS showed
an 8% flow loss, compared to single-
stage turbine pumps that typically show
flow losses ranging from 12 to 32%.
Not only do we need to deliver a cooler
fuel, but engine-mounted, direct-injection
pumps hold high tolerances, and if they
are exposed to high temperatures, the
varying coefficients of thermal expansion
in the pump material can create lockup,
said Ford. In a durability payback, the
pump runs at lower speedsmeaning
less motor brush wearbecause the new
design provides increased fuel flow.
Production of the DCSS pump will
take place in the U.S. and Germany. The
company is investing $16 million for
automated assembly lines and equip-
ment. Initial users of the new product,
according to TI Automotive, include
DaimlerChrysler, Nissan, and BMW.
Kami Buchholz