Nissan unveils new Dual Injector System to boost efficiency

We've said it before and we'll say it again – the internal combustion engine has a lot of life left in it. While we fully expect electric cars to make an impact in time, the reality is that the ICE's reign as sales leader won't be coming to an end for at least the next several years, possibly with a little assistance from biofuels. With that in mind, even mild efficiency improvements are always welcome to Otto's good old four-stroke engine.

Nissan believes its new Dual Injector System will offer a fuel mileage increase of roughly four percent, a small but important improvement. While larger displacement powerplants will be blessed with direct injection, small-bore motors will get the Dual Injector System. The Japanese automaker says the technology, which splits the fuel squirting duties through twin intake ports, reduces the diameter of fuel droplets by a substantial 60%, thereby improving vaporization.

Besides the obvious benefit of improved efficiency, Nissan claims its Dual Injector System costs 60% less than comparable direct injection technology. Plus, the system allows for a 50% reduction in the amount of rare precious metals in the catalytic converter. Check out the press release after the break for all the techy details.

PRESS RELEASE:

Nissan Introduces New Dual Injector System for Improved Fuel Efficiency in Small-Displacement Engines

TOKYO (July 14) - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the development of a Dual Injector system designed to improve fuel efficiency in small-displacement gasoline engines. The new fuel delivery system, the first of its kind in the world*1, uses an injector for each port rather than one per cylinder - speeding up fuel vaporization, reducing the amount of unburned fuel and reducing hydrocarbon emissions. Nissan will introduce the new system in production vehicles starting early in fiscal 2010.

While most current gasoline engines utilize one injector per cylinder (furnishing fuel to two intake ports), the new Nissan Dual Injector system doubles the number of injectors per cylinder. This reduces the diameter of the fuel droplets by about 60%, resulting in smoother, more stable combustion.

The system also adds continuous valve timing control on the exhaust side to conventional intake-side control, improving heat efficiency, reducing pumping losses and raising fuel efficiency by up to 4%*2 in sync with the dual injectors.

While similar in theory to "direct-injection" systems, which also inject fuel directly into cylinders, such direct injection systems are difficult to use on small-displacement engines because they require a high-pressure pump that complicates system design, making component layout less cost-efficient. In contrast, the Nissan Dual Injector system is lighter and structurally simpler because it furnishes fuel at normal pressures, reducing cost by about 60% compared to direct-injection engines of similar displacement.

The new Dual Injector system also uses half the amount of rare metals in the catalyzer while maintaining the efficiency of the catalytic conversion system. That number could potentially be reduced to 75% in combination with the ultralow-rare-metal catalysts that were introduced in 2008.

"We consider it important to further improve the fuel efficiency of gasoline engines as demand for gasoline and other internal-combustion systems continues to increase around the world," said Shuichi Nishimura, Corporate Vice President, Nissan Powertrain Engineering Division. "By widely applying the Dual Injector system on small-displacement engines, we hope to help reduce CO2 emissions and conserve rare metals."

Nissan has been addressing a wide range of actions under "Blue Citizenship," which represents the company's desire to protect the blue planet and to be a corporate citizen that can live symbiotically with people and society. These efforts range from such global issues as the environmental protection to contribution to communities, promoting diversity and making personal mobility available to as many people as possible. Nissan continues promoting the "Nissan Green Program 2010," based on the "Blue Citizenship" spirit by introducing effective technologies, products and services into the market.

*1: Mass production passenger cars (Nissan's research).
*2: Compared with Nissan gasoline-powered engines in the same class.