Detroit Diesel Corp (DDC) will use exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and diesel particulate filters on its heavy-duty engines to meet the The Environmental Protection Agency's 2007 emission requirements. EGR will be used on the DDC Series 60 and Mercedes-Benz engines marketed by the company. A new heavy-duty engine being developed by DDC and parent company DaimlerChrysler, scheduled for release in 2007, will also employ EGR and diesel particulate filters for North American applications.
DDC has built more than 40,000 Series 60 engines with EGR, and the 2004 Mercedes-Benz engines are also equipped with EGR. The firm also has used EGR technology in bus engines since 2000. By 2007, about 300,000 DDC and Mercedes-Benz engines will be operating in North America using EGR technology.
EGR works by circulating cooled exhaust gas back into the engine air intake. This lowers combustion temperature and reduces formation of nitrogen oxide (NOx). The 2007 EPA requirements call for more than a 50% reduction in NOx emissions and a 90% reduction in particulate matter (PM). DDC will use advanced EGR technology to achieve the required NOx reductions in 2007. All manufacturers will use diesel particulate filters to meet the new PM standard.
DDC's 2007 EGR engines are already in development, and the company intends to operate vehicles with the 2007 engines by the end of 2004.