Swedish companies Alfa Laval and Haldex have started joint technical and commercial work on cleaning crankcase gases from diesel engines, a service both expect will increase as diesel engine emission regulations become tougher.
The companies said the intention is to combine Alfa Laval's separation technology with Haldex's manufacturing and marketing expertise to offer crankcase gas elimination products in Europe and the U.S.
"Future demands for cleaner air will require manufacturers of diesel engines to clean also the crankcase gas that is ventilated from engines," said Sigge Haraldsson, president & CEO of Alfa Laval. He added that the company's conceptual solution, based on existing separation technology, should help ventilate crankcase gas almost without external pollution.
Haraldsson added that regulations to require crankcase gas cleaning are under discussion in Europe and the U.S. and will be implemented in the next few years. In the U.S., total engine emissions, not just tailpipe emissions, have become a greater focus of regulations in 2007.
In terms of market size, Haraldsson said the global production of 5- to 16-liter diesel engines reaches approximately 2.5 million units annually. For commercial vehicles in Europe and the U.S., some 1.2 million engines are produced annually.
