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The Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) DELTA engine has been specifically designed for the North American market. The advanced engine technologies being pursued for this engine enables its applications to the light truck/SUV vehicles for personal transportation as well as for the light commercial use, such as urban delivery vans. This paper reports on the progress attained so far in engine development. The next stage is currently under way resulting in Generation 1.0 DELTA engine technology. The results of various technology assessments on Generation 0.X hardware are reported. Further, the Generation 1.0 design and its potential will be briefly presented. It is concluded that the DELTA engine technology, including breakthrough advancements, is viable for practical applications to meet future light-duty and heavy-duty emissions with potentially attractive commercial features.

Exhaust emissions from heavy-duty truck and bus diesel engines have been legislated from 1970 to 2010. Smoke emissions continue to be controlled but exhaust odor regulations were never promulgated. Gaseous emissions (oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons) were regulated in 1973 and particulate matter first regulated in 1988. Throughout this period there has been cooperation, lawsuits, statement of principles, Consent Decrees and now The Clean Diesel Independent Review Panel. If the 2010 rulemaking remains in place, diesel emissions of NOx and PM will have been reduced 99% from uncontrolled levels.

The extensive reliability engineering program performed during the development of the DDEC I and DDEC II systems is described. This program insured that established reliability goals would be met and objectively demonstrated before the DDEC systems were released to the marketplace. Reliability goals representing the most stringent customer expectations were established at the program start. Then a formal reliability growth test program was performed that included running on engine dynamometers, at selected domiciled truck locations and in a broad range of customer revenue service vehicles.