Cummins awarded diesel emissions-reduction project

Jan. 5, 2006
Cummins Inc. will participate in a public-private partnership led by the California South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to demonstrate advanced diesel engine emissions-control systems meeting the EPA 2010 on-highway standard.

Cummins Inc. will participate in a public-private partnership led by the California South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to demonstrate advanced diesel engine emissions-control systems meeting the EPA 2010 on-highway standard.

Next-generation Cummins aftertreatment research and technology will be utilized on the ISL 9-liter engine to verify the emissions reduction capability of a combined system incorporating both a Diesel Particulate Filter and Nitrogen Oxides Adsorber.

"We are very pleased to be awarded this project after a competitive bid based on both technical and cost criteria. This clearly highlights the confidence that the California SCAQMD and other agencies have in Cummins ability to meet very challenging technical requirements with commercially viable solutions as we look ahead to the EPA 2010 emissions standard," commented Christine Vujovich, Cummins Vice President - Marketing and Environmental Policy.

"The SCAQMD is strongly committed to achieving clean air standards, but is also sensitive to the technical challenges this presents and the impact on business. We are looking forward to closely collaborating with them on this project. Cummins is uniquely positioned in this respect with the ability to design, manufacture and integrate both the engine and next-generation aftertreatment system all from within our own resources. Not only does this reduce development time, but it also enables us to realize both installation and on-road performance efficiencies."

The project is focused on demonstrating very low emissions reduction for waste-collection vehicles operating in urban areas. Cummins ISL has proved to be a highly successful engine in these applications by offering heavy-duty levels of performance from a compact, low-weight 9-liter package.

The engine technology employed must reduce Particulate Matter emissions to 0.01 gram per brake horsepower hour (g/bhp-hr) and Nitrogen Oxides to 0.2 g/bhp-hr. The program will require a durability evaluation to ensure the test engine final build meets the demanding duty cycle associated with a refuse collection vehicle.

The SCAQMD focus is to have the cleanest engines commercially available as early as possible in order to meet clean air deadlines. To this end, SCAQMD sponsors research and demonstration of both diesel and alternative fuel engines such as the Cummins Westport ISL G natural gas engine to meet EPA 2010 standards.

"We've already seen great strides made by natural gas engine manufacturers and announcements that these natural gas engines will meet very tough 2010 emissions standards by 2007," said Dr. Barry Wallerstein, SCAQMD Executive Officer. "This collaborative research will give added assurances that diesel technologies will make similar strides. Multiple fuel technologies meeting the 2010 standards as early as possible will provide fleet operators a variety of choices to meet their needs and help advance the state of knowledge on advanced engine control technologies. Scheduled for release in 2007, ISL G shares the same platform as Cummins ISL diesel engine, offering the flexibility of mixed diesel and natural gas-powered fleets with a high degree of base engine commonality. Early introduction of these advanced engines will provide valuable information from fleet operators on performance to assure a smooth transition in 2010," Wallerstein added.

An interagency funding agreement between the SCAQMD, California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will contribute $1,450,000 toward the cost of the project. Cummins development and testing costs are anticipated to cost almost twice this amount over the two-year project schedule. This reflects the commitment of the company to public-private partnerships focused on achieving environmental progress.