Cummins Westport Inc, a joint venture of Cummins Inc of Columbus IN and Westport Innovations Inc of Vancouver, British Columbia, has won $760,000 (US $477,000) in financing to improve heavy-duty vehicle fuel pump and storage technology for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
This financial assistance award was provided by the United States Department of Energy's Chicago Operations Office in cooperation with DOE's Office of Transportation Technology and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Funding is intended to support expanded use of LNG for heavy-duty trucks and buses and lessen US dependency on imported oil.
A goal of the one-year program is to develop and demonstrate an advanced-design integrated fuel tank and pump system for vehicles fueled with LNG, which must be maintained at temperatures as low as -160° C (-260° F). As part of the program, Cummins Westport will develop technology to enable refueling with LNG at its maximum-density state, to provide the longest possible vehicle range and hold time for a given fuel tank size. Technology developed by Cummins Westport for on-board storage will eliminate the need for pressure-increasing equipment at LNG refueling stations.
ISXG and ISMG engines incorporate direct-injection and fuel management technologies. In road trials mainly in California, ISXG engines in 17 trucks recently passed combined service of 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles). Compared with their diesel counterparts, the Cummins Westport ISXG and ISMG will have the same performance but lower emissions of oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter, and carbon dioxide.
