8 Diesel Power Innovations for Safe, Clean Trucking

Sometimes you have to toot your own horn to draw attention to your achievements. Why? Because there is so much other noise, and when the cause is worthy you want to draw attention to it, to be heard over the noise of the herd.

This seems to be one of the roles of the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF). They don't toot their own horn, but instead make known the achievements of others who are working to advance clean diesel technology. These achievements seldom get the attention they deserve, hence the DTF keeps beating the drum.

On August 27 they published a story about seven examples of innovation involving diesel engine technology. Diesel advances are being demonstrated that will serve our nation for decades into the future. The article is titled Trucking Into the Future with 7 Innovations in Diesel Power but it actually lists eight areas where improvements are taking place. We'll elaborate on these below.

Whereas electrification and hydrogen are currently being ballyhooed as the future of transport power, improvements in diesel have been taking place and will remain with us going forward. These improvements are both in the engine itself and the fuels of the future.

For years the Department of Energy has been partnering with the trucking industry to move the industry forward. The partnership produced a SuperTruck Program with teams of engineers from engine and truck manufacturers to improve emissions and energy efficiency, the same drivers that were initiated a half century ago. Today the program is in a new phase called SuperTruck II.

The three targets for SuperTruck II are:
--Greater than 100 percent improvement in freight efficiency (relative to a 2009 baseline.)
--Demonstrate a 55 percent or better engine BTE at 65 mph.
--Development of cost-effective efficiency technologies.

Here's one example of what the Cummins SuperTruck II team achieved. Brake thermal efficiency is used to assess how well an engine converts heat from a fuel into mechanical energy. Cummins realized a never before gain of 55 percent brake themal efficiency in a heavy duty diesel engine. SuperTruck II improved CO2 emissions by 50 percent and doubled efficiency.

Here are seven examples of innovation highlighted in the DTF article.

1. Combustion Efficiency: To be achieved by means of new metal components, cylinder and piston designs, bearings, rings, valves, camshafts and more including specialized coatings. (See yesterday's story that mentions Nanoslide cylinder walls.)

2. Engine Management: By controlling combustion events, engines can be optimized in accordance with driving and weather conditions. Some of the innovations here include dynamic skip fire and cylinder deactivation. Recent announcements tout modest reduction of CO2 emissions here.

3. Future Engine Configuration: Most engines today are inline V configurations. Achates Power is testing an opposed piston (OP) engine that some are calling a game changer. OP engines improve efficiency will simultaneously reducing NOx. California likes what is happening with the OP engine that it is helping fund this research which aims to reduce NOx by 90 percent.

4. Electrifying Engine Components: This is another means by which greater efficiencies are achieved. This move may lead to great hybridization in some truck segments.

5. Optimized and Integrated Powertrain: Improvements in the way engines and transmissions work together can also deliver greater fuel savings and reduce emissions.

6. Emission Control System Optimization: Selective Catalytic Reduction systems (SCR) and particulate filters continue to become more efficient.

7. Fuel Revolution: Experiments with biobased fuels have been taking place for decades. Biobased diesel fuels deliver proven reductions in emissions compared to Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel.

8. Synthetic E-fuels: Because a majority of internal combustion vehicles will be around for years to come (even decades), efforts are being made to improve their performance by means of fuels. E-fuels are created using clean electricity and purportedly have the potential to produce climate-neutral outcomes for the majority of vehicles. 

The bottom line: Diesel engines are "poised to continue to deliver the goods and the benefits in the decades ahead."

Read the complete story here:
https://dieselforum.org/policyinsider/trucking-into-the-future-with-7-innovations-in-diesel-power

Photo Credit:  Photo by Robson Hatsukami Morgan on Unsplash  

Nearly Half of All Commercial Trucks Now Powered by Clean Diesel Technology with Near Zero Emissions

Photo by Rhys Moult on Unsplash

Yesterday the Diesel Technology Forum released information from a new study with impressive new numbers regarding the adoption of advanced diesel technology. Nearly half (49%) of all commercial diesel trucks on the road today utilize the newest diesel engine technology, eliminating 202 million metric tons of CO2, 27 million metric tons of NOx ad 1.6 million metric tons of PM. All this has been achieved while simultaneously saving almost 20 billion gallons of diesel and 296 million barrels of crude. 

Right now 23 states exceed this average and Indiana leads the pack with 67% of its commercial trucks being 2011 or newer. 

To fully appreciate how significant these numbers are, consider this. The quantity of emissions and fuel savings is equivalent to replacing 43 million cars with EVs or creating a 210,000 acre wind farm (roughly 5 times the size of Washington D.C.).

How many Americans are aware of how much progress has been made in reducing toxic discharge? Throughout the coming decade we will see even greater environmental gains.

"Results from the newest technology diesel vehicles are growing in the form of cleaner air and fewer greenhouse gases in communities around the country," said Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. For those unfamiliar, the DTF is a not-for-profit association that represents leaders in diesel engines, equipment and fuels.

The primary reason all this is important is that diesel-powered commercial carriers are the primary, and favored, way of transporting goods across our ribbons of highway. Reliability, durability, low-cost acquisition and operation, high-value resale and flexibility head the list of reasons diesel-powered trucks are dominant. With the incremental improvements to achieve zero emissions and energy-efficient performance, diesel's contributions to our nation's economic growth are significant and unheralded.

Diesel Technology Forum continues to do important work as advocates on behalf of diesel. We're exceedingly appreciative of their lobbying efforts and all the numbers crunching they do to assemble this kind of encouraging information for the diesel community. 

The full article is a five minute read. You can check it out here.

New Cummins Diesel Engine Fires Off Fabulous Numbers: Clean Diesel Keeps Getting Cleaner with a Little Help from Silicon Valley

Cummins X15: expanding diesel's possibilities.

A recent story by Michael Coates in the Clean Fleet Report was reprinted on SHIFT, a website devoted to sustainable mobility. The article is about Cummins' efforts toward clean diesel.

The author begins by noting what we've been saying many times. There are seemingly countless articles claiming that the internal combustion engine is dead or dying. While investors are throwing their money behind EVs, there are significant advances taking place with the internal combustion engine. While the world prepares for an electric future, there are great strides being made in the realm of diesel.

Coates writes: "While 2045 may still be more that two decades away, emissions advances in internal combustion engines (ICE) are continuing. A new technology may take the already quite clean (especially compared with engines of just a little more than a decade ago) engines to a level that reduces smog-producing emissions while increasing fuel economy and yet not losing any performance."

The new engine concept is a joint effort by Cummins and a Silicon Valley tech innovator, Tula Technology. The two firms  released a study this past month showing how Tula's diesel Dynamic Skip Fire (dDSF) technology reduced NOx by 74% and CO2 by 5% when applied to a current Cummins engine. The Tula software uses algorithms to fire or deactivate a given cylinder on a cylinder event basis. As a result it is able to control exhaust temps that are critical for optimizing emissions control equipment. It reportedly clicked off a savings of 20% in fuel. 

The specific Cummins diesel was the X15, a state-of-the-art engine used in many Class 8 trucks. dDSF is essentially a micromanager of the engine's cylinders. The engine was first put through the paces on the dyno and then road tested, testing that is ongoing. 

According to the Clean Fleet Report, Cummins is not the first to employ dDSF technology. GM began working with Tula in 2018. The joint effort with Cummins, however, has now been going on for a year or more.

The selection of the X15 was quite intentional. This is Cummins' most fuel efficient diesel engine in the Cummins lineup and possibly the most fuel efficient they've ever produced. The target for this Tula-Cummins team-up is to hit 2024 NOx standards without losing this fuel-efficiency milepost.

For long haul trucking fleets that average 100,000 miles a year, even the slightest gains become significant when added up. This is just one more event in an ongoing series of incremental improvements through the application of technology. We look forward to the road ahead. 

Related Links

Cummins Won't Let Diesel Die
Cummins and Tula Work Together To Advance Diesel Tech
The New Cummins Heavy Duty Diesel

Let's Stay the Course on Clean Diesel: Progress Is Being Made

A lot of Americans are unaware of how much progress has been made in terms of eliminating pollutants like nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Did you know that the new diesel trucks are so clean that it would take 60 of today's new generation diesels to equal the emissions from one truck sold in 1988? New technology diesel engines and the increased use of biobased diesel have contributed to noteworthy carbon reduction and clean air gains. 

All this has been documented, according to a recent Earth Day announcement from the Diesel Technology Forum. "Today, diesel remains the dominant technology in long-haul trucking, powering 97 percent of Class 8 big-rig trucks in the United States. A growing percentage of diesel-powered commercial trucks rely on the newest-generation diesel technologies, which deliver near-zero emissions performance while using less fuel."

The announcement begins by acknowledging the new emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling the climate challenge. To do this requires thinking through solutions and timetables that are customized to the realities of our time. Timetables have to correspond. But progress has already been extensive.

Today, more than 43 percent of commercial Class 3-8 vehicles utilize the newest generation technology (2011 and newer model years), up 6.8 percent over 2017. Since 2011, these nearly 5 million new-generation commercial diesel trucks "have already delivered reductions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide (CO2)) in an amount equivalent to eliminating 26 million light-duty vehicles from the fleet or converting those to all electric vehicles." In other words, more than 18 million tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 126 million tons of CO2 have been removed.  

In short, tremendous progress has been made, and there's more to come.

Furthermore, in addition to the reduction in greenhouse gases, the advances in diesel technology have produced significant gains in fuel economy. From 2014 to 2018 530 million barrels of oil were saved in Phase 1, according to the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Phase 2 rules will save nearly 2 billion barrels of oil from now till 2027.

 As diesel technology evolves, the four trends are defining the direction advances will take. First, increasing energy efficiency. Second, achieving low emissions. Third, expanding the use of renewable biodiesel fuels. And fourth, hybridization. We live in a world which depends on the transportation of goods. To effectively do this while meeting tomorrow's climate and clean air challenges will require continued innovation and efforts in trucking, marine, agriculture, construction and freight rail applications.

The steady progress in carbon reduction and clean air gains has been somewhat remarkable. It has also been fairly unheralded. This is why the Diesel Technology Forum strives to get the word out and works hard to increase awareness of its mission. 

Read the full Earth Day announcement here:  
ACCELERATING TURNOVER TO NEW TECHNOLOGY DIESEL ENGINES, INCREASED USE OF BIOBASED DIESEL FUELS ENSURE STEADY PROGRESS ON CARBON REDUCTION, CLEAN AIR GAINS 

Continued Investment and Innovation Helps Advance Diesel Engine Technology

This past week the Diesel Technology Forum submitted comments to the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee about ways in which technologies are being developed to decrease emissions and the progress being made. The following information was gleaned from a press release pertaining to these hearings.

* * * 

The presenters began by outlining some of the achievements of past investments in research regarding diesel efficiency and emissions. These investments have not only improved air quality and lowered greenhouse gases, they have also created jobs. 

Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum began his remarks by giving a nod to Rudolph Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine, whose birthday was just a few days later. He would have been 163. Many are unaware of the significant role diesel engines play in the global economy, chiefly due to innovation, investment and continuous improvement.

“Today diesel engines are delivering substantial benefits to society in the form of efficient and clean power," said Schaeffer. "Thanks to sustained research and investment from leading manufacturers, suppliers and fuel producers, advanced diesel engines have undergone a fundamental transformation in environmental performance while boosting energy efficiency." 

Many critics of big government are unaware of the vast scope of the various branches of government and their functions. One example of this is the DoE's SuperTruck Program. The SuperTruck Program is a partnership between manufacturers and government that has produced new understandings about combustion and emissions reduction. "The SuperTruck program has translated fundamental research into new commercial technology on the road today that enables trucks to use less fuel and emit fewer greenhouse gases and other emissions," Schaeffer said. 

Research enables us to prepare for a cleaner, sustainable future. It takes investment to learn how to couple hybrid-electric technology with battery storage systems or to find the boundaries of thermal efficiency. We're still scratching the surface of our understanding regarding the full possibilities of renewable biodiesel fuels. We don't really know how much we still don't know.

* * * 

These kinds of hearings are significant because the legislators who make decisions regarding Federal spending need to understand what is possible and not possible in the short-, intermediate- and long-term futures. Schaeffer pointed out that although zero-emissions solutions are the objective, few are available today. This is why analysts predict that diesel engines will "continue to dominate the trucking sector well beyond the 2030 timeframe." 

Other key highlights that were made during the hearings included the following.

Diesel is an Economic Driver: According to research commissioned by the Diesel Technology Forum, industries that produce diesel technology and use these technologies generate $275 billion in economic activity.

Diesel is a U.S. Manufacturing and Skilled Workforce Success Story: Nearly a million diesel engines were produced in 2019. It takes a highly skilled workforce to produce these engines and an ever larger force to keep them runing.

New Technology Diesel Engines Deliver Clean Air Benefits Today: New technology diesel engines have eliminated more than 26 million tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) already since 2010. New diesel trucks are so clean that it would take more than 60 new-generation diesel trucks to equal the emissions from one truck sold in 1988.

New Technology Efficient Diesel Engines Are Delivering Major Greenhouse Gas (CO2) Reductions Today: More efficient diesel trucks now on the road since 2010 have already saved 12 billion gallons of fuel and eliminated 126 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2011 and 2018. This is equivalent to taking 26 million cars off the road for a year.

* * * 

READ THE FULL STORY HERE:

Continued Investment, Innovation in Advanced Technology Diesel Engines Sustains Clean Air and Climate Progress

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/continued-investment-innovation-advanced-technology-165900489.html

How Big Is the Diesel Market? It's Bigger Than You Think and Getting Bigger

Photo by Tomasz Frankowski on Unsplash

From childhood I've always been interested in the future. How about you? Not that there's anything wrong with the present, but sooner or later today will be long gone and the future will be our home. As a result, we find ourselves thinking about things like will people one day live on the moon or will cars float above the ground like a hover board in Back to the Future? 

That latter image came from the bck of a cereal box when I was a boy in the Sixties. They made it seem like this would take place in the 1980s. We would not only wear out tires, but would also be able to ride across rivers and lakes. Or so we imagined.

As far fetched as that all sounds, here is something that many people could not imagine: that loud, smelly diesel engines would not only get quieter but actually reduce emissions to near zero.  

The fact that this has been happening during the course of our lifetime has hardly received any fanfare, yet it's been happening. This is one reason why diesel is still a growth market. 

According to a recent article in MENAFN,  the diesel engine market will experience a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% per year for the next four years, to more than $332 billion dollars. The article briefly explains what diesel engines are and why this growth will continue.

An article about Clean Diesel in Diesel Technology Forum goes even further out in its projects. The forum authors write:

Diesel is projected to retain a dominant role, thanks to continuous improvement in emissions reductions and improving efficiency.

Today’s cleaner diesel fuels, advanced engines and effective emission controls combine to achieve near zero emissions for fine particles and smog forming compounds like oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Clean diesel’s proven energy efficiency and ability to use renewable fuels position diesel as a key technology to achieve cleaner air, lower greenhouse gas emissions and a sustainable environment around the world.

Cleaner diesel fuel, advanced engines and effective emissions control make up a new generation of diesel. It's clean diesel.

For more information, watch the video and read What Is Clean Diesel

While reading up on all these things I came across this statement at yet another site. By 2027, heavy-duty diesel trucks in the U.S. will deliver a majority of the anticipated 1 billion tons of CO2 reductions, thanks to improved fuel economy standards.

This is a topic that I am researching right now because of a couple articles I have read that seem to be excessively critical of diesel trucks right now.  The efficiency improvements in diesel engine technology have been nothing short of phenomenal. 

Have a great day and enjoy your ride.