LOUISVILLE, KY. Cummins Inc. revealed its medium- and heavy-duty engine lineup for next year—which it said will meet the federal 2014 GHG/MPG rules in January 2013 and deliver up to a 2% fuel-economy improvement over today’s engines—at a wide-ranging news conference held here last evening ahead of the Mid-America Trucking Show.
The engine maker noted that the improvement in fuel economy will come by using the “same proven high-pressure common rail fuel systems, VGT turbocharger and fully integrated electronics” as its existing engines, but base engine improvements will increase mpg by reducing the parasitic loads on engines through high-efficiency water, fuel and lube pump systems.
“Customers can count on Cummins,” said Rich Freeland, Cummins vice president and president - Engine Business. “We met the EPA 2010 standard on time, and our engines have earned their industry-leading reputation for great reliability and fuel economy. Our product development teams are delivering even better products where it counts – to our customers – and our engines are meeting the 2014 fuel-efficiency and GHG standards a full year early.”
(Video: See president & CEO Tom Linebarger talk about Cummins’ approach to fuel economy).
Freeland noted that in addition to its broad diesel lineup from the ISB6.7 to the ISX15, Cummins will continue to offer the Cummins Westport ISL G natural-gas engine and it will introduce the Cummins Westport (Cummins Westport is a joint venture between Cummins Inc. and Westport Innovations) ISX12 G into full production in 2013.
The ISX12 G natural-gas engine is based on the Cummins ISX12 diesel engine platform, the newest member of the company’s heavy-duty engine family. The ISX12 G will operate exclusively on natural gas, and fuel can be carried on the vehicle as either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG), utilizing Cummins Westport’s proprietary spark-ignited, Stoichiometric cooled exhaust gas recirculation (SEGR) technology, first introduced with the 8.9L ISL G.
Five ratings, from 330 to 400 hp. and 1,150 to 1,450 lbs.-ft. torque will be offered at launch. Field-testing is under way, with production expected to begin in early 2013. The ISX12 G will also be the first engine from Cummins Westport to offer optional engine brake capability and will also offer customers the choice between manual and automatic transmissions. The ISX12 G will be manufactured in Cummins’ Heavy-Duty Engine Plant in Jamestown, NY, and will be backed by a Cummins base warranty (2 years, 250,000 miles; 6,250 hours of operation). Extended coverage options will be released closer to production, the engine maker noted.
“This is an important product development for Cummins Westport, given the increasing demand for natural-gas vehicles in the heavy-duty market,” said Jim Arthurs, president of Cummins Westport. “The ISX12 G will offer customers heavy-duty performance, reliability and durability and a choice of either compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas as a fuel.”
Cummins also announced that it has begun development of a 15L heavy-duty, spark-ignited natural-gas engine “to meet demand for on-highway applications that are powered by the cheaper, cleaner and more plentiful fuel.” As natural-gas production grows in North America and the fuel becomes more readily available, noted Ed Pence, Cummins vice president and general manager– Heavy-Duty Engine Business, Cummins believes that there is a strong market for engines powered by an alternative to diesel fuel. “Cummins is committed to making the right investments in the technologies that strengthen our leadership position in natural gas,” he stated.
(Video: Cummins vice president and general manager Ed Pence talks about the work going on to develop a 15L natural gas engine)
Pence said the ISX15 G will be based on the ISX15 diesel engine and will build on Cummins’ technology leadership with spark-ignited, SEGR technology. He said a simple, maintenance-free three-way catalyst will be the only required exhaust aftertreatment. The engine will run on compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas or biomethane and Cummins expects it will be in limited production by 2014.
Cummins Filtration announced the release of its new Fleetguard FF5782 fuel filter with nanotechnology-based filtration media. The first of its kind for fuel filtration, according to the company, the FF5782 was developed specifically to meet the high-performance demands of Cummins QSK high-horsepower engines.
According to Cummins Filtration, the filter traps 98.7% of all particles as small as 4 microns (12 times smaller than the smallest particle visible to the human eye) and exhibits 13 times greater retention of particles during fuel surge and engine vibration than its closest competitor. Fuel surge results from the fluctuation of fuel flow due to the increase and decrease in the engine output, the company noted.
Focused on reducing injector failure by removing harmful particles and by delivering fuel that meets Fuel Injection Equipment (FIE) manufacturers’ suggested ISO 12/9/6 cleanliness level, engines equipped with the FF5782 fuel filter showed no signs of injector wear after more than 190 hours of testing, stated Cummins Filtration. By contrast, an engine in identical condition, using standard fuel filters, showed significant wear after only 50 hours, ultimately leading to premature injector failure.
“The most important and expensive component in today’s high-pressure common-rail fuel system is the injector,” said Kevin Westerson, chief technical officer of Cummins Filtration. “Hard particles in the fuel flow can cause significant wear, disrupting its precise operation, reducing fuel efficiency and leading to premature injector replacement. Our FF5782 fuel filter with nanotechnology-based media protects up to 13 times better than its predecessor, so injectors work better, longer.”
He also said that because the Fleetguard nanotechnology media filter captures and holds particles better than any other filter in the marketplace, engines fitted with this technology will have fewer injector failures and are expected to offer a 25% reduction in the total cost of ownership.
Cummins Filtration also rolled out its Fleetguard filter-recycling management program, dubbed Filtering Change. The company said it is the first filter manufacturer to initiate an internal recycling-management program that empowers customers to be environmentally responsible. The program is aimed at partnering with service centers and fleet locations throughout the United States and eventually globally to reduce the number of metal filter cans and used media elements being dumped into landfills.
The company pointed out that within the past three months alone, the program has seen more than 50 metric tons of previously landfilled metal being recycled, which in turn created an avoidance of 40 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) in the environment.
Cummins is “not just about engines, but also all the subsystems [that make up the engine and its aftertreatment] working together,” said Cummins chairman & CEO Tom Linebarger, wrapping up the news conference. “We see lots of opportunities ahead of us and will continue to focus our technical resources on improving fuel economy. We will be pushing the technology forward” for diesel and natural-gas engines. “Technical leadership,” he added, “is our differentiator.”
