How Garrett Turbochargers Contribute to the Success of BMW B57 Diesel Engines

A car is the sum of its parts. The performance of each of these parts contributes to the performance of the whole.  Brakes, electrical systems, sensors, transmissions, injectors, spark plugs -- each component has been significantly fine tuned over the past many decades to produce more power and efficiency than ever before while reducing the car's environmental impact.

An Autoevolution article this week takes a deep dive into one specific innovation that has increased the power and efficiency of BMW's B57 diesel engine while lowering emissions. The focus is on the Garrett Turbocharger. The innovation is a variable nozzle turbine. The article is titled "The Tech Behind the Garrett Turbochargers That Keep BMW B57 Diesel Engines Alive."

Here's the story.

Diesel automobile sales in the U.S. dropped off after the Dieselgate scandal of 2015. This event did not, however, disrupt the popularity of diesel cars in Europe. BMW is one of the automakers that sells plenty of diesel-powered vehicles across the pond. The important thing is to satisfy the new Euro 6d emission standards. To do this the company has done a complete makeover of its most popular diesel engine, the 3.0 B57 six-cylinder.

It is now assisted by a mild hybrid system which includes a 48-volt starter generator that provides 11 hp (8 kW) of additional power, author Vlad Radu writes. "More importantly, it optimizes the engine's load range and reduces consumption."

The improvement in efficiency is achieved by means of two-stage variable nozzle/geometry turbochargers. The end result is better fuel consumption and performance.

BMWs 3.0-liter B57 inline-six diesel engine.

Several technical innovations are involved. One has to do with seven ports integrated on the exhaust manifold, six on the exhaust and one on the EGR. The ports address exhaust pressure variations with improvements on both the high and lower pressures of the VNT. We're talking about serious fine tuning here while the engine is in action.

There's some sophisticated electronics involved as well that works together with the two VNT actuators, improving engine responsiveness. "According to Garrett, throttle response and torque deliver are smoother and more powerful when compared to single turbo or conventional two-stage turbo systems," he writes.

Relying on information from Garrett, Radu shares additional benefits. The new system setup improves boost at low rpms. And the setup also reduces the production of harmful gases even before they go through the treatment devices.

Though the two-stage NOx exhaust gas treatment system was introduced in 2012, it has gone through extensive upgrades since that time. These are areas that companies can't sit back on their haunches about. Continuous improvement is the name of the game as they perpetually push the envelope. The BMW is the epitome of sophisticated engineering, inside and out.

The redesigned B57 3.0 liter, with assistance from a 48V hybrid system, produces 340 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, all this while becoming compliant with the EU's stringent emissions standards that have recently come into effect. 

What will they think of next?

Read the full story here: The New Tech Behind the Garret Turbchargers.

Photos on this page: BMW AG

Was This the World's First Diesel Truck?

There's something about firsts that fascinates us. First president. First manned airplane flight. First solo flight across the Atlantic. First man to walk on the moon.

So I found it intriguing to see this article by Cristina Mircea at Autoevolution.com about the First Diesel Truck. 

The first diesel truck was built in 1923 by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG), a company founded in 1890 by German engineer Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Their big project at the time was the development of a small, high speed engine whose speed could be regulated to go faster or slower. Their first such engine was called Daimler's Dream. They sold their first automobile in 1892, which ran on liquid petroleum. It was another three decades before DMG dropped their first diesel engine into a truck.

That first truck was a behemoth, weighing five tons and powered by a four-cylinder diesel OB 2 engine. The engine produced 45 hp at 1000 rpm. It took automaker Benz & Cie a full year to build that truck engine. (Trivia Note: In 2012 Cummins annunced it had built its two millionth diesel engine for Ram trucks alone. Mr Daimler and Mr. Diesel would be astounded at these kinds of numbers.)

According to Mircea, that first Benz diesel truck made quite an impression with regards to fuel economy when compared to petrol engines. It reduced fuel usage by 25% without losing any power. The brown tar oil that fueled it was less expensive. 

In addition to taking a year to build the engine, it actually took 12 years to design a compact engine that could work. Keep in mind there was a brutal four year war in there  which no doubt interfered some.

So it was that DMG produced its first air-injected diesel truck in 1923. Mircea writes that it took the diesel truck 10 days to get from DMG's plant in Berlin to get to their Stuttgart plant and back to Berlin. This was considered an "enormous" distance at the time, which helped sell their trucks to the public. (Today it is easily less than a seven hour drive.)

According to a Daimler media release, their "first series built diesel truck finally debuted at the commercial vehicle show in Amsterdam in February 1924." Its prechamber diesel engine had an output of 37 kW (50 hp) at 1000 rpm.

For what it's worth, DMG merged with Benz & Cie three years later (1926) to become Daimlet-Benz. "Daimler AG is now the second largest German carmaker after Volkswagen," Mircea writes.

* * * 

Links

The Autoevolution feature

Daimler Media account

Diesel Powered Vehicle of the Week: The Peugeot 908 RC Concept Car

The history of Peugeot stretches all the way back to the era of Napoleon, birthed during the Napoleonic Wars in 1810 as a steel foundry than manufactured saws and hand tools. By the end of the 19th century they were making a variety of things including bicycles. With the dawn of the 20th century the transportation industry was born, and the company began making motorized cycles and automobiles. This wing of the company broke off to become its own entity in 1926.

Unlike Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, the Peugeot brand never gained a serious foothold in the U.S. Nevertheless their cars won numerous awards in Europe, including European Car of the Year at least six times. 

Within the auto industry there's a mystique about Concept Cars where ideas get unveiled at major car shows. Sometimes this unique specimens become a reality in a future iteration of a brand. Sometimes they do not. The car we're talking about today never made it to the street, but as a Concept Car is definitely generated buzz. We're talking about the Peugeot 908 RC Sedan Concept with a V12 diesel engine. 

The story that caught my eye was Vlad Radu's "15 Years Ago, Peugeot's Crazy 908 RC Sedan Concept with V12 Diesel Power" at the Autoevolution website. Radu details how the car came to be, and what made it such a stunning piece of machinery.

"While it didn't make it into production, Peugeot's 908 RC concept was a beautifully designed mid-engined sedan powered by a monstrous twin-turbo V12," Radu writes. "Even more surprisingly, the powerplant was designed for Peugeot's Le Mans race car, drank diesel and produced an astonishing amount of torque."

The 908 RC was introduced at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. The intent was "to create a luxury vehicle with an imposing design and make it outrageously fun to drive." Hence, we have a futuristic design with an imposing Le Mans-spec engine.

The engine is what gets your adrenaline flowing. It was a V12 HDi DPFS (diesel Particulate filter system) that had been developed for the 2007 24 hours of Le Mans. The engine was rated at 691 horsepower and generated 885 lb-feet of torque, which Radu staes is higher than the peak torque of our current-dya Pagani Huayra Roadster BC or the ll-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S. (These two each produce 774 lb-ft.)

Due to its 100-degree V angle construction the car had a low center of gravity. The two particulate filters made it environmentally friendly, as well.

Because of its exceptional torque, the engine required a more muscular gearbox. The six-speed gearbox selected was an electronically controlled sequential system placed directly under the engine. It was designed to tame the wildest beast.

The interior of the car was high-tech, yet elegant. Ergonomically it was a winner as well, and the touch-screen integrated all the cars functions. Passengers in the rear were treated to a multimedia entertainment center experience as well. 

The only real drawback was price. The concept was enticing, but how big of a market would their be? Though Peugeot chose not to move forward on the 908 RC, they learned a lot from the experience, and whet the appetite for a future Peugeot in many hearts and garages.

Here is the full story, with lots of photos, of Peugeot's Crazy 908 RC Concept Car.