Environmental Impact of Diesel Engines

For centuries the argument has raged. Does size matter? Well, if you like great performance, power and copious amount of torque, the answer is a resounding no. At least in the world of diesel engines. Currently being tested on the roads of North America, the X12 is a massive 600LBS lighter than other medium bore engines and has been especially designed for weight sensitive applications and for vehicles where the X15 has more grunt that’s needed for the task. ... read more »

For fleet managers one of the toughest parts of the job is when to rebuild or "put out to pasture" an aging piece of equipment. More often than not those decision are based upon instinct and not grounded by hard analytics. This article will shed some light on the five options feet managers can make when evaluating older pieces of equipment. Purchasing a fleet of work trucks or excavators is only half of the battle. More often than not, the heavy equipment needed to do the job, is the biggest capital expense of an industrial service company. Agriculture, Transportation, Construction, Road Maintenance, Mining, Oil and Gas and Marine industries all rely on their fleets to produce sustainable revenue. The life span of each piece of equipment should be factored into not only the initial cost but variable costs of running the equipment. When a fleet manager is evaluating what to do with an aging piece of equipment they need to adequately understand their options, factor in initial and future costs, analyze the resale and depreciation of the equipment and how to improve efficiency when they can. It is not a decision to be made lightly. ... read more »

It is a surprise that Volkswagen hasn't blamed Rudolf Christian Diesel for their recent woes as if he hadn’t invented the damned diesel engine they wouldn’t have had to cheat the emission figures. What is not in doubt is that the man was an engineering genius.

Diesel was born in Paris in 1858 to Bavarian immigrants but when he was 12 years old his parents were forced to flee France because of the Franco-Prussian war. They settled in London but soon after Diesel was dispatched to live with his uncle and aunt in Augsburg, a relatively small Bavarian city, best known for being the birthplace of Mozart’s parents.

The purpose of this was so that Diesel could become fluent in German whilst being educated at Königliche Kreis-Gewerbeschule (Royal Circle Vocational College), where his uncle taught math. ... read more »

Leading heavy-duty diesel engine manufacturer, Cummins Inc., is pioneering the use of 3D Printing technology to produce and repair critical engine parts. Unlike many manufacturers in the diesel industry, Cummins has its sights on future technology; recently unveiling the first electric engine for semi-trucks. The company believes that in order to thrive in the 21st century it must innovate new technologies rather than adapt to them. Although, 3D Printing is still in its infancy it is becoming more common place for manufacturers due to the potential cost and time to market savings. ... read more »

There is no standard diesel engine for every application. For example there are industrial applications, truck application, electrical power generation, RV applications, heavy duty emergency, pumps and of course marine applications. Although, each engine is slightly different the core design is the same. The exhaust, cooling, electrical and fuel systems are all different in marine engines. This article will discuss the differences between industrial diesel engines and their marine counterparts. ... read more »

Legendary diesel engine manufacturer, Cummins Inc., has unveiled a revolutionary electric powered semi-truck prototype. The declaration comes just weeks before Tesla’s anticipated announcement of their own electric tractor trailer. The Cummins electric semi-truck will be regarded as a Class 7 Heavy Duty Truck Cab with 140 kWh battery pack. ... read more »

This translates into an engine that produces more horsepower and torque per gallon of fuel than a traditional powered gas engine. The announcement is thrilling environmental activists as this means less harmful emissions output per engine as well as less trips to gas station. Diesel engines for passenger vehicles have been widely popular in Europe years but not so much in the American market. Diesels have the perception of being noisy and polluters. The VW Dieselgate Scandal only further solidified the anti-diesel attitude in America. This new gas powered engine would allow all of the advantages of diesel minus any of the image problems. Some industry analysts have speculated that the only drawback could be the safety concerns with regards to fuel leaks through the cylinders. With diesel it is non-flammable unless it is compressed however a raw gasoline leak on the block or valves could potentially cause major engine fires. Hopefully, Mazda engineers have addressed this issue but this technology is in its infancy. Mazda is proactively thinking about its place in the automotive marketplace of the future. The company announced a plan to build electric cars with rival automaker Toyota. Mazda believes that both traditional combustion engines as well as electric engines will be the lay of the land for the foreseeable future. ... read more »

China has a notorious reputation for extremely polluted air. The air quality is so bad most days that citizens must wear masks outdoors. As the country evolves, tackling the emission issue has become a primary issues for the government. It was announced on June 30th that China will join the rest of the modern world by banning general diesel fuel with Sulphur containing more than 50 parts per million. The diesel fuel will ban will affect tractors, ships and off-road vehicles rather than automobiles. ... read more »

Electronic engines get a bad rap in the heavy duty diesel engine world due to the amount of issues that can go wrong with them. However, the good news is that if you have an electronic Caterpillar engine you can easily obtain more horsepower and torque via the ECM. Re-rating an engine is an electronic process of powering up or down the default horsepower via the electronic control module (ECM). Re-rating a diesel engine is the easiest way to beef up an engine without digging into the hard internal parts. You can do modifications to the engine by changing out the pistons, injectors, the camshaft or damper. Adding an updated turbo is also another way to increase HP. However, these modifications are expensive and may not work as required which we will discuss later in this article. ... read more »

The Cummins N-14 is a great engine; quite possibly the best Cummins engine ever produced. These engines are the stuff dreams are made of if you’re an old school guy looking for reliability. No doubt, the N14 is part of “1,000,000 mile club”. The engine features the best of engineering fundamentals mixed with one of the first electronic control system. First designed in the late 1980s it was sent into full production in 1991. The N14 engine is the follow up to the vastly popular Cummins 855 Big Cam which was produced 1976-1985. Cummins listened to it customers and designed a more powerful version of the 855 while maintaining a similar profile and bore/stroke architecture. Overall, the biggest structural difference between the 855 and N14 is the air-to-air cooling system changes but both engines are very similar. ... read more »

We all know of the emissions issues that surround the diesel engine community. It has been a battle between the EPA, Manufacturers and Consumers for well over 20 years now. Physics.org has just broken a story that might revolutionize the industry in terms of emissions control. Scientists at Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering have developed new technology that further converts NOx exhaust into harmless nitrogen and water. The problem with current emissions technology is that it doesn’t fully burn emissions particles a lower temperature points. The standard Selective Catalytic Reduction System (SCR) takes exhaust gas and further recirculates it through the combustion chamber to burn off larger hydrocarbon chains. ... read more »

In the heavy duty equipment world there has always been an unspoken battle between the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and the Aftermarket and/or Independent Dealers. The rift goes back roughly 100 years when the first automotive dealers began popping up in mass. Ford, GM, Chrysler as well as long gone brands like Plymouth, Auburn and Hudson all kept an efficient supply chain including the service department, dealership, wholesaler and manufacturer. ... read more »

More than 5 months ago the State of Colorado made history with the debut of the first self-driving tractor trailer test drive in the U.S. The test paired up infamous beer produce Budweiser with Uber Technologies. The tractor trailer was packed with 50,000 beers and drove successfully from Fort Collins, CO to Colorado Springs, CO a trip that encompassed over 120 miles. The journey was accompanied by the Highway Patrol and encountered no problems. ... read more »

At the turn of the century there was a lot of buzz around a new diesel engine being produced at Caterpillar, one that could meet the growing emissions requirements enacted by the EPA. The Caterpillar C7 Engine was supposed to be the “golden child” in Caterpillar diesel engine lineup; one that combined raw horsepower with computer controlled clean emissions. However, sometimes things don’t go according to plan. The engine was produced from 2003 to 2009 and was installed primarily in over the road medium duty class 8 trucks. All of the big players in the trucking industry hopped on board hoping the CAT C7 was going to live up to the hype. Paccar Freightliner, Ford and GMC all purchased the engine in droves ... read more »

On Thursday, January 12, 2017 the Environmental Protection Agency set forth motions to open an investigation against automaker Fiat Chrysler over allegations of cheating emissions regulations with their diesel engines models. The EPA stated that the automaker knowingly used undisclosed software that allowed excess emissions on 104,000 diesel powered Jeep SUVs and Dodge Ram Trucks between model years 2014-2016. ... read more »