The future of glow plugs

The emissions limits for diesel engines in Europe will continue to drop in the future: the emissions standard Euro 5 will take effect in the year 2010. To comply with this standard, diesel engines will have to get by with even lower nitrogen oxide and particle emissions. Presumably, the extensive use of particle filters in new cars will be inevitable. Glow plugs with good intermediate glow properties – such as the NHTC glow plug from NGK – will be necessary to prevent cooling of the filter in deceleration phases.

At the same time it can be assumed that the injection pressure will increase drastically. This enables finer atomization and more effective utilization of the diesel fuel. It also means that the glow plugs have to withstand high pressures and ensure efficient combustion. NGK researchers are therefore already working to develop production processes and materials that will comply with these requirements.