PSA Says New EGR System Boosts Fuel Savings 10%

PSA Peugeot Citroen claims its D-EGR exhaust gas recirculation system reduces both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline engines by 10%.

EGR systems reduce the formation of oxides of nitrogen by lowering combustion temperatures. Cooler combustion temperatures also can improve engine efficiency. Such systems route 10% or more of exhaust gas back into the intake manifold.

The D-EGR system, which features a relatively high 14:1 compression ratio, was developed in partnership with the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Tex. It extracts combustion gas for recirculation from one cylinder that is fed a richer air-fuel mixture than the other cylinders. The recirculated gas is then distributed to the intake manifold to all cylinders.

PSA says the richer fuel content of its system's recirculated gas improves combustion compared to lower-compression systems that route non-enriched exhaust gases through the intake manifold.

The D-EGR system also reduces engine pinging (auto-ignition of the air-fuel mixture under high engine load conditions), according to the company.

PSA says the technology will become standard in all the company's gasoline engines by 2018.