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Delphi Launches World's First Ammonia Sensor


February 2007
 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING Car News | AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING Headlines

New technology allows closed loop control of SCR systems, reducing pollution and helping diesel operators save money

LUXEMBOURG, February 22, 2007 -- The world's first automotive ammonia sensor has been developed by Delphi Corporation (PINKSHEETS: DPHIQ). The new technology will allow direct closed-loop control of the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems used by an increasing number of diesel vehicles to reduce NOx.

By directly measuring tailpipe ammonia, the sensor allows the injection of urea (an ammonia rich compound required by the SCR system) to be optimised and ammonia emissions reduced. Control of urea injection is expected to become a rapidly increasing priority as SCR levels increase to meet new emissions regulations in both light and heavy duty diesel markets.

"Vehicle exhausts are now many times cleaner than even just a handful of years ago, but that is no reason for not striving for further gains," said Guy Hachey, president of Delphi Powertrain. "With the growth of diesel vehicles using intensive SCR, ammonia emissions are a potential problem that we want to help our customers address before it becomes an environmental issue."
Atmospheric ammonia reacts with airborne compounds such as nitric acid to create dust-sized airborne particles, which can create a smog-like haze. Ammonia emissions from vehicles are currently only a very small proportion of total ammonia emissions, which mainly originate from livestock and factories.

A vehicle's SCR system injects ammonia, in the form of liquid urea, into the exhaust stream ahead of the NOx reduction catalyst. The ammonia reacts with the gas, converting it into nitrogen and water. Unreacted ammonia, known as 'slip', is expelled with the exhaust gasses.

The use of SCR is expected to increase dramatically both in light-duty and heavy-duty applications. The technology is already well established in the European heavy duty truck market and will become increasingly important in the U.S. market to deliver compliance with new heavy-duty regulations to be mandated from 2010. SCR will also be used on passenger cars in the United States to help deliver compliance with Tier II Bin 5 regulations for light-duty vehicles and is expected to increase in popularity in Europe to help meet Euro VI regulations to be mandated from 2014.

Today's SCR systems are open loop, so the urea dose is estimated by the engine control unit using predictive algorithms. To accurately control the dose, systems will need to become closed loop, which will require a post-catalyst sensor. "This can be either a NOx sensor or an ammonia sensor," said Ivan Samalot, chief engineer for exhaust sensors at Delphi's technical center in Brighton, Mich. (USA). "Several vehicle manufacturers have chosen the NOx option, but the sensor technology is cross-sensitive to NOx and ammonia, so can confuse one with the other. The result can be inappropriate dosing decisions that while providing a dramatic improvement on open loop systems do not deliver the benefit achievable by measuring the ammonia slip directly."

Delphi's solution is to combine expertise in oxygen sensors with its materials expertise to develop a new type of ammonia sensor that is ideal for automotive applications. A new ammonia sensitive material, developed at the Delphi Research Laboratories in Troy, Mich., is deposited onto a thick film ceramic substrate similar to the one proven in Delphi's popular oxygen sensors. The sensor is then mounted in a compact, highly durable stainless steel package also based on Delphi's proven oxygen sensor technology.

The new sensor detects excess ammonia in the exhaust gas within a range of zero to 100ppm, allowing the urea dose to be continuously optimized. As well as significantly reducing ammonia slip, this can create financial savings for high-mileage operators who will use significantly less urea. It also allows vehicle manufacturers to eliminate an expensive postoxidation catalyst that would otherwise be needed to remove excess ammonia from the exhaust and allows the size of the SCR converter to be optimized for the application. As well as taking cost out of the aftertreatment system, this feature allows substantially improved packaging. This will be important for the anticipated growth in light-duty vehicle applications and also prevents an increase in back-pressure, which could harm fuel consumption if further aftertreatment systems are added.

The Ammonia Sensor is one of Delphi's many innovative engine management, fuel injection, valve control and aftertreatment solutions. Covering diesel, gasoline and biofuels, Delphi's technologies provide simple, reliable solutions to complex challenges, helping its customers develop vehicles that offer outstanding performance, refinement and emissions at an affordable price. Vehicle manufacturers in Asia, North America and Europe are working with Delphi on development programs incorporating the new ammonia sensor, which is expected to reach production during 2010.

For more information about Delphi, visit www.delphi.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT This press release, as well as other statements made by Delphi, may contain forward-looking statements, that reflect, when made, the Company's current views with respect to current events and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are and will be, as the case may be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to the Company's operations and business environment which may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from any future results, express or implied, by such forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue," the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern; the ability of the Company to operate pursuant to the terms of the debtor-in-possession financing facility; the terms of any reorganization plan ultimately confirmed; the Company's ability to obtain Court approval with respect to motions in the chapter 11 cases prosecuted by it from time to time; the ability of the Company to develop, prosecute, confirm and consummate one or more plans of reorganization with respect to the chapter 11 cases; the Company's ability to satisfy the terms and conditions of the Equity Purchase and Commitment Agreement (including the Company's ability to achieve consensual agreements with GM and its U.S. labor unions on a timely basis that are acceptable to the Plan Investors in their sole discretion); the Company's ability to satisfy the terms and conditions of the Plan Framework Support Agreement; risks associated with third parties seeking and obtaining Court approval to terminate or shorten the exclusivity period for the Company to propose and confirm one or more plans of reorganization, for the appointment of a chapter 11 trustee or to convert the cases to chapter 7 cases; the ability of the Company to obtain and maintain normal terms with vendors and service providers; the Company's ability to maintain contracts that are critical to its operations; the potential adverse impact of the chapter 11 cases on the Company's liquidity or results of operations; the ability of the Company to fund and execute its business plan (including the transformation plan described in Note 1, Transformation Plan and Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, of the Quarter Report on Form 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30, 2006) and to do so in a timely manner; the ability of the Company to attract, motivate and/or retain key executives and associates; the ability of the Company to avoid or continue to operate during a strike, or partial work stoppage or slow down by any of its unionized employees and the ability of the Company to attract and retain customers. Additional factors that could affect future results are identified in this Quarterly Report including the risk factors in Part II. Item 1A. Risk Factors, contained herein. Delphi disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events and/or otherwise.

Similarly, these and other factors, including the terms of any reorganization plan ultimately confirmed, can affect the value of the Company's various prepetition liabilities, common stock and/or other equity securities. Additionally, no assurance can be given as to what values, if any, will be ascribed in the bankruptcy cases to each of these constituencies. A plan of reorganization could result in holders of Delphi's common stock receiving no distribution on account of their interest and cancellation of their interests. In addition, under certain conditions specified in the Bankruptcy Code, a plan of reorganization may be confirmed notwithstanding its rejection by an impaired class of creditors or equity holders and notwithstanding the fact that equity holders do not receive or retain property on account of their equity interests under the plan. In light of the foregoing, the Company considers the value of the common stock to be highly speculative and cautions equity holders that the stock may ultimately be determined to have no value. Accordingly, the Company urges that appropriate caution be exercised with respect to existing and future investments in Delphi's common stock or other equity interests or any claims relating to prepetition liabilities.

Source: Delphi Corporation

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