John Deere Diesel Tech Shows How Companies Adapt

This is a story about John Deere that illustrates the evolution of diesel technology from the dark ages to what it has become today. The John Deere slogan, "Nothing Runs Like A Deere," helped create an army of loyal fans in the agriculture industry. We've heard stories of farmers who were buried wearing their John Deere caps. 

The article is titled Making History By Leaving Little Behind. The story outlines the company's continuous development and adoption of new technologies to meet increasingly stringent market demands, most specifically related to emissions regulations and requirements. 

Similar stories could be written about Cummins, Navistar, Caterpillar and others, so in one sense the John Deere story is not entirely unique. On the other hand, the graphics in this story are incredibly enlightening and help show the transformation that the diesel industry has undergone. We encourage you to follow this link and check it out. It shows the remarkable advances all diesel engine manufacturers have achieved when it comes to a cleaner environment, most specifically pertaining to NOx reduction and particulate matter (PM).

The story here is a detailed presentation of the technical hurdles that John Deere worked out to meet ever more stringent emissions standards without sacrificing performance. That last phrase is the second half of the equation that can't be disregarded.

The best way to see the achievements of modern diesel engine builders is to look at the baseline of 1996. These engines used a higher-pressure fuel system, multiple aspirations, 2- or 4-valve cylinder heads, larger displacements, engine callibration and directed top liner cooling to improve oil control. In addition to emissions compliance, the customer experience included improved fuel efficiency, increased power and higher peak torque, among other things. Compared to where the regulators wanted to take things, though, they had a long ways to go.

From 1996 to 1999 the company set about to hit the first set of more stringent targets that were to go into effect in 2000.

What's interesting is how the manufacturers and Federal agencies worked together to achieve these improvements. Reasonable government officials understand that technological development takes time. The industry had four years to comply, not four months or four weeks. Tier Two kicked in in 2001 with its twin objectives of 50% reduction of particulate matter and 20% reduction of Nitrous Oxides.

The next target for NOx was to go into effect in 2006, an additional 40% reduction. 

On top of this the 2011 targets were an additional 90% reduction in PM and 50% in NOx. In addition to optimized engine calibration and a high-pressure fuel system, new advances included series turbochargers, smart exhaust filters, exhaust temperature management (ETM), several technologies to keep things cooler and ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel (ULSD). 

The 2014 target was an addition 80% reduction in NOx. 

These graphics illustrate the remarkable progress that has been achieved over the past 25 years when it comes to improvements in diesel technology. 

Follow the link at the end of this article to see full size.

In each iteration, the objective has been to meet emissions regulations without sacrificing performance. Kudos to the engineers who behind the scenes who have so doggedly dedicated themselves to meet these targets for the benefit of all.

Here is where you can find all the details for each stage.
https://www.deere.com/en/campaigns/engines-and-drivetrain/diesel-engine-technology/

Diesel Engines Are Here To Stay

Photo: MathKnight. Creative Commons.

Earlier this week 365 News, a communications arm of CONEXPO-CON/AGG, published a story titled Diesel's Not Done. The six minute read touches on a range of themes relevant to diesel owners and people in the diesel industry. 

The main point of the article is this: Whereas electrification has taken center stage and captured the media spotlight, the benefits and attributes of diesel technology are many and will continue to make a contribution for years to come.

Engine makers have made great progress in reducing diesel emissions for for the past several decades. This is a trend that will continue. At the same time, innovative thinking is also producing many new and interesting developments. 

The important thing for manufacturers like John Deer and others in this market segment is to ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of certain fundamental values. Those values include the importance of uptime and reliability. 

Michael Lefebvre, manager, global marketing support, John Deere Power Systems, says that these are exciting times because of all the technical advances being incorporated into engine design. Many of the advances in this high tech era "include  leveraging virtual analysis and telematics data, using digital tools and advanced simulation, and streamlining overarching power systems in the vehicle." 

“Engines will become smarter and more capable – not only in terms of lower emissions or higher power, but by being more reliable to run in the way applications demand,” Lefebvre said.

The Emissions Question

How low can emissions go? The past focus as has been on reducing NOx (nitrogen oxide) and particulates. In the future, the focus will be on reduction of CO2, said Christer Hedström, a director at Volvo Penta. Hedström said that environmental impact and engine performance are two sides of the same coin. You can't focus on one at the expense of the other.

The truth is, though, that diesel engines have never been cleaner. Marketing communications director Steve Nendick of Cummins stated that the their engines are not only more powerful that ever, they simultaneously meet the toughest global emissions legislation.

Electrification
After detailing the advances that have taken place in exhaust aftertreatment systems, the author underlines another main point, that although diesel technology is not going away any time soon, there will be increased adoption of electrical power that brings benefits to customers.

“We have already started to see electrification where the energy demand is relatively small and where there are good charging possibilities during a standard working day,” Hedström said.

“I think we’ll see electrification move into applications where there is an increased energy demand, but it will take some time before we’ll see it in the high-power, high-energy demanding applications.”

Overall power solutions will need to balance the mechanical, hydraulic and electric power systems, as well as cost. 

A variety of fuel sources are being explored, including
--advanced diesel
--hybridization
--full electric
--hydrogen fuel cell technology

The bottom line in this informative article is diesel, for the time being, has many advantages. Tim Burnhope, chief innovation and growth officer at JCB, noted that currently going all electric is cost prohibitive. People are simply unaware of the power needs of today's heavy equipment. It would cost $208,000 for a single lithium-ion battery large enough to power a 22-ton excavator for an eight-hour shift – not to mention the vast amount of carbon-dioxide produced in the battery’s manufacturing process.

“Diesel, on the other hand, contains more energy than petrol, natural gas, a variety of battery types and many other fuels or power sources,” he stated. “In fact, by mass, diesel contains around 54 times more energy than current lithium-ion batteries.

“Diesel is safe to be delivered to the site easily – even in remote locations,” he said. “Finally, with their high-torque nature and robustness, diesel engines are perfectly suited to heavy-duty applications, including use in construction equipment.”

If you consider the remote areas where much of this massive equipment must operate, you'll recognize that these places are quite far off the grid. Traditional internal combustion engines will remain the only solution for the foreseeable future.

* * * 

This article is an attempt to summarize an important story from 365 News. You can read the full account here at Diesel's Not Done.

https://news.conexpoconagg.com/news/Diesel-s-not-done/643.article?utm_source=newsletter&urm_medium=CONEXPO-CON-AGG-365-CONEXPO-CON-AGG-365-11th-March-2021&utm_term=conexpo365