Turbocharged Direct Injection - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

TDI or Turbocharged Direct Injection is a design of turbodiesel

Turbodiesel

Turbodiesel refers to any diesel engine with a turbocharger. Turbocharging is the norm rather than the exception in modern car and truck diesel engines...

engines, which feature turbocharging

Turbocharger

A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...

and cylinder-direct fuel injection, developed and produced by Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....

. These TDI engines are widely used in all mainstream Volkswagen Group marques of passenger cars

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

and light commercial vehicle

Light commercial vehicle

Light commercial vehicles is a commercial carrier vehicles with a Gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. The formal term within the European Union is Light commercial vehicles. Vehicles which qualify in this category are pickup trucks, vans and 3 wheelers all commercially based goods or...

s produced by the company (particularly those sold in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

). They are also used in marine engine

Marine engine

A marine engine is an engine that propels a ship or boat. Types of marine engine include:*Marine steam engine*Petrol engine or gasoline engine*Diesel engine*Steam turbine*Gas turbine-See also:*Marine propulsion*Engine room*Marine automobile engine...

- Volkswagen Marine, and Volkswagen Industrial Motor applications.

In many countries, TDI is a registered trademark of Volkswagen AG

Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....

Overview

The TDI engine uses direct injection, where a fuel injector sprays atomised fuel directly into the main combustion chamber

Combustion chamber

A combustion chamber is the part of an engine in which fuel is burned.-Internal combustion engine:The hot gases produced by the combustion occupy a far greater volume than the original fuel, thus creating an increase in pressure within the limited volume of the chamber...

of each cylinder

Cylinder (engine)

A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...

, rather than the pre-combustion chamber prevalent in older diesels which used indirect injection

Indirect injection

In an internal combustion engine, the term indirect injection refers to a fuel injection where fuel is not directly injected into the combustion chamber...

. The engine also uses forced induction

Forced induction

Forced induction is the process of compressing air on the intake of an internal combustion engine . A forced induction engine uses a gas compressor to increase the pressure, temperature and density of the air...

by way of a turbocharger

Turbocharger

to increase the amount of air which is able to enter the engine cylinders, and most TDI engines also feature an intercooler

Intercooler

An intercooler , or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through nearly isobaric cooling, which removes...

to lower the temperature (and therefore increase the density

Density

The mass density or density of a material is defined as its mass per unit volume. The symbol most often used for density is ρ . In some cases , density is also defined as its weight per unit volume; although, this quantity is more properly called specific weight...

) of the 'charged', or compressed air from the turbo, thereby increasing the amount of fuel that can be injected and combusted. These, in combination, allow for greater engine efficiency, and therefore greater power

Power (physics)

In physics, power is the rate at which energy is transferred, used, or transformed. For example, the rate at which a light bulb transforms electrical energy into heat and light is measured in watts—the more wattage, the more power, or equivalently the more electrical energy is used per unit...

outputs (from a more complete combustion process compared to indirect injection), while also decreasing emissions and providing more torque

Torque

Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....

than its non-turbo and non-direct injection petrol engine

Petrol engine

A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....

d counterpart.

Similar technology has been used by other automotive companies, but "TDI" specifically refers to these Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....

engines. Naturally aspirated direct-injection diesel engines (those without a turbocharger) made by Volkswagen Group use the Suction Diesel Injection

Suction Diesel Injection

The SDI engine is a design of naturally aspirated direct injection diesel engine developed and produced by Volkswagen Group for use in cars and vans, along with marine engine and Volkswagen Industrial Motor applications....

(SDI) label.

The reduced material volume of the direct injection diesel engine reduces heat losses, and thereby increases engine efficiency

Fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is...

, at the expense of slightly increased combustion noise. A direct injection engine is also easier to start when cold, due to more efficient placing and usage of glowplug

Glowplug

A glowplug is a heating device used to aid starting diesel engines.-Purpose:Diesel engines, unlike petrol engines, do not use spark plugs to induce combustion...

s.

Direct injection turbodiesel engines are frequent winners of various prizes in the International Engine of the Year

International Engine of the Year

The International Engine of the Year is an annual competition for automotive industry internal combustion engines, judged by a panel of automobile journalists from around the world. It is organised by the United Kingdom's largest technical motoring, aerospace and traffic management publication...

Awards. In 1999 in particular, six out of twelve categories were won by direct injection engines: three were Volkswagen

Volkswagen

Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...

, two were BMW

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...

, and one Audi

Audi

Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

. Notably that year, the Volkswagen Group 1.2 TDI 3L beat the Toyota Prius

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation...

to win "Best Fuel Economy" in its class.

History

The first passenger car to be powered by direct injection was the 1986 Fiat Croma 2.0 TD i.d. (Turbo Diesel iniezione diretta pump was developed by Bosch in accordance to the Fiat's engineers specifications).
The first Volkswagen Group TDI engine was the Audi

Audi

-developed 2.5 litre R5 TDI – an inline five-cylinder engine (R5), introduced in the Audi 100

Audi 100

The restyled C2 Audi 100 was launched in 1976, with an in-line five-cylinder engine...

in 1989 – and this variant is still used today in Volkswagen Marine applications. The TDI arrangement has been enhanced through various stages of evolution – by improving the efficiency of the turbocharger, increasing the pressure at which fuel can be injected, and more precisely timing when the injection of fuel takes place. There have been a few major 'generations', starting with what are known as "VE", and "VP" engines, which use a distributor-type injection pump

Injection pump

An Injection Pump is the device that pumps fuel into the cylinders of a diesel engine or less typically, a gasoline engine. Traditionally, the pump is driven indirectly from the crankshaft by gears, chains or a toothed belt that also drives the camshaft on overhead-cam engines . It rotates at half...

. In 2000, the Pumpe Düse

Unit Injector

Unit Injector is an integrated direct fuel injection system for diesel engines, combining the injector nozzle and the injection pump in a single component...

(PD, variously translated "pump nozzle", "unit injector", "pump injector") TDI engine began to appear in Europe

Europe

, eventually coming to North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

a few years later.

The Pumpe Düse design was a reaction to the development of high-pressure common rail

Common rail

Common rail direct fuel injection is a modern variant of direct fuel injection system for petrol and diesel engines.On diesel engines, it features a high-pressure fuel rail feeding individual solenoid valves, as opposed to low-pressure fuel pump feeding unit injectors...

fuel injection systems by competitors - an attempt by Volkswagen Group to create an in-house technology of comparable performance that would not require any royalties to be paid. While Pumpe Düse engines had a significantly higher injection pressure than older engines, they are slightly less refined when compared to the very latest common rail and, with the original solenoid-operated unit injectors, weren't able to control injection timing as precisely (a major factor in improving emissions). Some current PD TDI engines now use piezoelectric

Piezoelectricity

Piezoelectricity is the charge which accumulates in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure...

unit injectors, allowing far greater control of injection timing and fuel delivery. From the 2009 model year

Model year

The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....

onwards, TDI engines using the common rail

Common rail

(CR) technique, again with piezoelectric injectors, are now used in various Volkswagen Group models. The CR engines are available in many sizes, including 1.2, 1.6, 2.0, 2.7, 3.0, 4.2 and 6.0 litres, with outputs from 75PS to 500PS from these engines.

Motor racing

A motor racing

Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...

version of the common rail TDI engine made an impact in 2006 when it was used in the Le Mans Prototype

Le Mans Prototype

A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...

(LMP) Audi R10 TDI, which won the 12 Hours of Sebring

12 Hours of Sebring

The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...

and 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

, becoming the first diesel-powered car to win either of those endurance races. Fuel economy was a significant factor, as the car did not have to refuel as often as petrol engine

Petrol engine

A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....

d race cars in the race. The car was fueled with a special synthetic V-Power diesel from Shell

Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...

.

In 2007, SEAT

SEAT

SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....

– with the León Mk2 TDI at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben

Motorsport Arena Oschersleben

The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is long race track with a width of 11 – 13 meters and elevation changes of 23 metres. The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde , Northern Germany...

in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

– became the first manufacturer to win a round of the World Touring Car Championship

World Touring Car Championship

For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...

(WTCC) series in a diesel car, only a month after announcing it will enter the FIA

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...

World Touring Car Championship with the León TDI. SEAT's success with the León TDI was continued, and resulted in winning consecutively 2008 World Touring Car Championship

2008 World Touring Car Championship season

The 2008 World Touring Car Championship season was the fifth World Touring Car Championship season, the fourth since its 2005 return. It began on March 2, and ended on November 16, after twenty-four races...

and 2009 World Touring Car Championship

2009 World Touring Car Championship season

The 2009 World Touring Car Championship season was the sixth FIA World Touring Car Championship season, the fifth since its 2005 return. It began on March 8, and ended on November 22, after twenty-four races...

both titles (for drivers as well as for manufacturers).

in 2008, SEAT

SEAT

SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....

– with the León Mk2 TDI at Donnington Park in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

- became the first manufacturer to win a round of the British Touring Car Championship

British Touring Car Championship

The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...

(BTCC) in a diesel-powered car, Jason Plato

Jason Plato

Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing car driver currently competing in the BTCC for Silverline Chevrolet. He is a two time BTCC champion having previously won the series in 2001 when driving for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the championship 8 times...

won race 1 of the weekend and Darren Turner

Darren Turner

Darren Turner is an English racing driver. He was McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year in 1996. He is a former test driver for the McLaren Formula One team, but has raced primarily in touring cars and sportscars since 2000. He spent 2 years in the DTM for Keke Rosberg's...

won race 3.

Fuel

TDI engines operate on diesel fuel (also known as petrodiesel), or B5, B20, or B99 biodiesel

Biodiesel

Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....

subject to manufacturers' prior approval.

In fuel efficiency, and clean emissions when run on biodiesel, or when converted vegetable oil

Vegetable oil used as fuel

Vegetable oil is an alternative fuel for diesel engines and for heating oil burners. For engines designed to burn diesel fuel, the viscosity of vegetable oil must be lowered to allow for proper atomization of the fuel, otherwise incomplete combustion and carbon build up will ultimately damage the...

(which should NOT be used on the later PD engines without prior conversion, since irreparable damage will result), TDI engines are among the best on the market. A 2007 Volkswagen Jetta Mk5 with a 1.9 TDI engine and a five-speed manual transmission

Manual transmission

A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...

, for example, achieves 5.2 L/100 km on the European combined-cycle test, while a six-speed direct-shift gearbox

Direct-Shift Gearbox

The Direct-Shift Gearbox , commonly abbreviated to DSG, is an electronically controlled dual clutch multiple-shaft manual gearbox, in a transaxle design - without a conventional clutch pedal, and with full automatic, or semi-manual control...

(DSG) automatic version reaches 5.9 L/100 km.

Newer TDI engines, with higher injection pressures, are less forgiving about poor-quality fuel than their 1980s ancestors. Volkswagen Group's warranty does not cover damage due to bad fuel (diesel or bio), and has in the past recommended that only mixtures up to 5% biodiesel (B5) be used. Volkswagen Group has recently permitted mixes up to B20, and has recommended B5 be used in place of 100% petroleum-based diesel because of biodiesel's improved lubricating properties.

In North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, No. 2

Fuel oil

Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...

diesel fuel is recommended, since it has a higher cetane number

Cetane number

Cetane number or CN is a measurement of the combustion quality of diesel fuel during compression ignition. It is a significant expression of diesel fuel quality among a number of other measurements that determine overall diesel fuel quality.- Definition :...

than No. 1 fuel, and has lower viscosity

Viscosity

Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...

(better ability to flow) than heavier fuel oils. Some owners in North America, where cetane levels are generally poor (as low as 40), use additives, or premium diesel, to get cetane numbers closer to the standard levels found in the European market (at least 51) where the engine is designed. Improved cetane reduces emissions while improving performance, and may increase fuel economy.

New ultra low-sulfur petroleum-only diesel

Ultra-low sulfur diesel

Ultra-low-sulfur diesel is a term used to describe diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulfur content...

recipes cause seals to shrink and can cause fuel pump failures in TDI engines; biodiesel blends are reported to prevent that failure.

Lubricants

For many Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....

Diesel engines, Volkswagen AG requires that motor oil

Motor oil

Motor oil or engine oil is an oil used for lubrication of various internal combustion engines. The main function is to lubricate moving parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.Motor oils are derived from...

lubricants must only meet VW505.00, 505.01, 506.00, 506.01, or 507.00 officially approved standards. 'Generic' oil standards such as the American Petroleum Institute

American Petroleum Institute

The American Petroleum Institute, commonly referred to as API, is the largest U.S trade association for the oil and natural gas industry...

'API', or European Automobile Manufacturers Association

European Automobile Manufacturers Association

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association is the main lobbying and standards group of the automobile industry in the European Union. It is the follow on organization to CCMC in 1996....

'ACEA' may not be recognised, nor approved by VW - so, depending upon the specific engine, oils bearing these generic approvals should not be used, except when the oil has also been granted one of the specific VW approvals. One known exception is the 1998 US market New Beetle TDI, where VW specified the use of oil bearing the API CD certification. The API states that current CH-4 and CI-4 certified oils may be used in place of the older CD certified ones.

Many formulations of motor oils from most brands are now "VW Approved" to the above standards. However, there does exist a few unapproved "off brands" that print the VW number on the label, effectively 'claiming' to meet the said standard, but hide in small type the word "recommended". Volkswagen AG only carries out in-house testing on motor oils to grant the necessary approvals; if Volkswagen AG, therefore, has not carried out such tests (or if a submitted oil has failed their tests), Volkswagen AG will not grant approval. Volkswagen Germany and Volkswagen of America freely publish up-to-date lists of currently approved oils on their respective websites, along with the technical resource, erWin. Volkswagen AG does not permit any independent testing facility to grant their own VW standards.

External links

VolkswagenAG.com - Volkswagen Group corporate website
Polkowice (Poland) Plant Sustainability site - engine plant
Audi-TDI-chronicle.com - official Audi history and timeline of the TDI engine
TDI Curious - a Volkswagen Canada official blog exclusively dedicated to the TDI technology
myTurboDiesel.com - a turbodiesel technical forum and "how to" page for Volkswagens
TDI Club - A comprehensive source for all TDI information
VW Golf TDI - Review and blog about a 2002 Volkswagen Golf TDI by Paul Vachier, an independent owner. Last update regarding the car's performance appears to be from 2005.
ClubeTDI.com Portuguese Forum - Club TDI Portuguese - technical forum

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