International diversified resource company Astra Resources, through its wholly owned subsidiary Astra Mining, has acquired a majority share of a company that supplies a clean-burn, cost-effective diesel injector system to complement its growing stable of carbon efficient businesses. Green Diesel Corp was formed to supply the global requirement of a clean-burn, cost-effective Diesel Injector System that satisfies the current and planned International Government legislation on Diesel engine emissions using the Kukler Fuel Injector System.North America is considered to be an early adopting market of Green Diesel’s technology, as the company has developed its technology for engines specific to this region. Further development of Green Diesel technology for European engines will open-up the European, Asian and the Middle Eastern markets.

Astra CEO Dr Jaydeep Biswas says the acquisition is a strategic move designed to complement the company’s focus on carbon efficient businesses, aimed at offsetting its mining and steel making portfolio.

“Green Diesel is an Australian based environmentally conscious company committed to making a difference by providing cleaner air through its technology and to exceed the global EPA standards,” Biswas says. “Technically referred to as a High Pressure Diesel Injection System (GDI), the product is being developed for commercial sale to satisfy market demand for a clean-burn, cost-effective diesel injector system.

“Green Diesel is commercialising the GDI technology in the traditionally conservative global motor vehicle engine market to demonstrate its use across multiple engines and types, promote it to government authorities, and to build alliances with Tier 1 suppliers and after market suppliers.

“Astra will benefit twofold from this acquisition, firstly from the financial upside of the commercialisation process, and secondly from the carbon credits offset against the technologies outcome.”

Green Diesel was incorporated in 2002, with its formation made possible by many years of R&D valued at $8 million, resulting in demonstration engines using the GDI injector system.

In a diesel engine the piston initially only compresses air in the cylinder. The diesel fuel is added at the exact time of calculated peak compression. Diesel fuel is added directly into the cylinder, containing very compressed and hot air, resulting in spontaneous ignition.

Modern diesel engines inject the fuel into the cylinder by a common rail system (with pumps driven by the engine) at some 1,930 bar. Diesel engines, as a result, develop more torque than petrol engines, so they are generally used for haulage requirements.

For diesel engines both the timing of the injection of the fuel and the injection pressure significantly impact on the performance of the engine.

In GDI, far higher fuel injection pressures (11,030 versus the 1,930 bar found in the best of the current diesel products) are developed using the initial cylinder compression to power the hydraulic-electronic injection of the fuel into the engine. GDI also injects fuel in multiple stages.

Stage one injects a small amount of fuel to the compressed air starting the combustion process. In this stage the fuel acts like a spark plug in a petrol engine, igniting the rest of the fuel rather than the fuel exploding on its own.

The remaining fuel is injected in a microscopic amount of time later. GDI eliminates much of the stress in the diesel engine, enabling existing petrol engines to be converted to diesel. This conversion from petrol to diesel fuel is simplified, as GDI uses no high-pressure pump. Maximum pressure is reached at the first revolution, even under cold start conditions.

Astra Managing Director Silvana De Cianni says GDI is the first diesel technology to use ultra high-pressure fuel and is approaching USA and European mandatory targets for reduction in particulate emissions of 92.5% for diesel engines.

“Green Diesel’s GDI is nearing this objective with a system that is low maintenance, extremely cost effective, easy to handle and not cumbersome,” Ms De Cianni says. 

“To date GDI has provided 30% more power, increased engine torque by 30%, and improved fuel economy by 30%, when compared to existing fuel systems. It also reduces engine structural stresses by 60%.

“GDI also enables the economic conversion of petrol engines to diesel power and has demonstrated high reliability with no fuel system wear observed on an engine running on a dynamometer for 1 million miles.”

Independent performance and emissions of GDI technology have been conducted at the University of Melbourne by Emeritus Academic E.E. Milkins. Green Diesel plans to partner with Ricardo’s Research Institute, UK, to conduct the final stage of research for GDI.  Green Diesel GDI technology has also been accepted into the Australian Technology Showcase (ATS) and was also in the ATS Commonwealth Games Exhibition Award. The Department of Industry and Innovation (VIC) has committed to promoting Green Diesel nationally and internationally.

The company is working to develop links with potential partners including two major motor manufacturers, both globally and in Australia. One manufacturer has loaned Green Diesel an engine and four cylinder heads, with the company offering to supply all pollution and power documentation to the manufacturer at the end of the research.

 “GDI has markets in both diesel and petrol engines, and is uniquely positioned to exploit sub-categories within each of these as the injection system is suitable for diesel, bio-diesel, petrol motor conversion and LPG, all of which are global markets,” Biswas says.

“The USA has the strictest and most advanced pollution control standards for the control of pollution from large trucks.  The European Union has a similar set of standards due for implementation in the near future, however, the USA already has their standard in place.”

According to Green Diesel the European market is approaching saturation point, as 60% of all vehicles sold are diesels. The market for diesel is however expected to grow in Eastern Europe.

In Asia the South Korean, Indian and Chinese markets are all predicted to experience growth in diesel engines sold.