Tier 4 small diesels coming from MHI
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has announced the production schedule for its new Tier 4 small diesel engines in the output range of 19 to 74 kW (25 to 99 hp). The Tier 4 compliant D03CJ and D04CJ will begin production in 2013; the Tier 4 interim D04EG is currently available, and the Tier 4 final version will be available in 2015. These engines will be suitable for a variety of construction, agricultural, and industrial equipment, such as compressors, generators, welders, off-highway equipment, material handling, etc.
Compared to the previous Tier 3 compliant models being replaced, the D03CJ (1.655 L) and D04CJ (2.207 L) offer a smaller displacement, while output has been increased. The three-cylinder D03CJ produces up to 41 kW (55 hp) and 165 N·m (122 lb·ft) at 1800 rpm. The four-cylinder D04CJ produces a maximum of 55 kW (74 hp) and 230 N·m (170 lb·ft) at 1800 rpm. Fuel efficiency is reportedly 16% better than the previous engines.
The new Tier 4 interim, four-cylinder D04EG (3.331 L) delivers up to 74 kW (99 hp) and 375 N·m at 1600 rpm, with a power density of 0.22 kW/L. Compared with the Tier 3 engine it replaces, the D04EG offers 12% improved fuel economy. To achieve Tier 4 final compliance in the 57- to 74-kW (76- to 99-hp) range, MHI currently plans to incorporate a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system.
All three new engine models are equipped with high-performance turbochargers, manufactured at the same plant that the engines are produced. Combined with a new optimized common-rail system, the engines achieve an enhanced power density that increases output up to 50% compared with the previous Tier 3 compliant engines, MHI claims.
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The D03CJ (pictured) and D04CJ both feature an optimized common-rail system with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for Tier 4 compliance.
Eaton, NREL team to reduce hybrid-electric-vehicle battery size
Eaton Corp. is developing a power control system for hybrid-electric vehicles (from passenger cars to commercial vehicles) with the goal of reducing by 50% the size of the battery needed. The company on Aug. 27 announced that the work is part of a $2.8 million project funded jointly by Eaton and the U.S. Department of Energy, the latter of which is contributing $2 million. The project is being led by Eaton's Innovation Center team in Southfield, MI, which will work with a team from the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—the former offering expertise in intelligent power management and the latter expertise in battery modeling and prognostics. Specifically, the project aims to significantly downsize the battery through a combination of duty-cycle learning and model-based supervisory optimal control design. Using advanced physics-based battery models developed in partnership with NREL, the hybrid vehicle supervisory controller dynamically balances fuel economy and the health of the downsized battery pack to maximize vehicle performance while minimizing the impact on battery life.
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Using advanced physics-based battery models developed in partnership with NREL, the hybrid vehicle supervisory controller dynamically balances fuel economy and the health of the downsized battery pack.
Cummins broadens SCR dosing via Hilite acquisition
Cummins Inc. has acquired the emissions control assets of Hilite International in Marktheidenfeld, Germany, and made them part of Cummins Emission Solution (CES), positioning the company to serve all major market applications with a Cummins doser. The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) dosing system developed by Hilite will complement existing Cummins aftertreatment technology, including controls, sensors, catalysts, substrates, and packaging. As part of the acquisition, 133 former Hilite employees have joined Cummins; for now, the business will continue to operate from the plant at Marktheidenfeld. “This acquisition puts Cummins in a strong position to meet the needs of current customers and grow into new markets, especially as an increasing number of regions around the world adopt tougher emissions standards,” said Srikanth Padmanabhan, Vice President and General Manager of CES.
New ETI project to increase heavy-duty vehicle efficiency
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), working with Romax Technology, Castrol Ltd., and ANSYS Inc., has announced a £2.5 million project to reduce parasitic losses and increase the efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). The project will focus on improving vehicles’ overall system design, including gears, bearings, surface treatments, lubricant flow, and lubricant composition. Parasitic losses in the lower drivetrain system can account for more than 10% of overall vehicle energy losses; the goal is to cut this loss by 50%. ETI plans to use the technologies developed in this project on a variety of HDVs, including buses, tractors, backhoe loaders, and wheeled loaders. “When we launched our HDV efficiency program, we stated a belief that HDV carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by up to one-third,” said Chris Thorne, Program Manager for Heavy Duty Vehicles at ETI. “This next phase of the program aims to take us closer to that end objective.”
ContiTech expands plastic tubes production in U.S.
ContiTech Fluid Technology is building a competence center for plastic lines in the U.S., its second plastics competence center worldwide after one in Waltershausen, Thuringia, Germany. The company is investing about $11 million in the existing ContiTech Thermopol hose factory in Somersworth, NH, to help meet demand in North America, with the first construction stage recently going into operation. ContiTech says that orders from Ford and Chrysler are already exhausting the capacities of the first plant, which has been in production since January. A second system has been ordered and is expected to be installed in October. The company expects the number of plastic tubes it produces to increase fourfold by the end of 2013 compared to 2012. The Somersworth plant was more than doubled in size two years ago for the extrusion of turbocharger hoses and the assembly of SCR (selective catalytic reduction) hose line systems for diesel engines. Volume assembly of SCR lines for Cummins started in June, and lines for Caterpillar will follow shortly, according to ContiTech. Previously, only silicone hoses were produced in Somersworth. The expansion of the plastics technology operations will see a third, 6700-m2 (72,120-ft2) production hall built on the grounds, and an expected increase in the number of employees from 220 presently to 335 by the end of 2013.
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The blow-molding line at ContiTech’s Somersworth plant in New Hampshire currently produces about 150,000 plastic tubes annually.
Xinde common-rail system receives patent certificate, already booked up
Weifang Hengyuan Oil Pump and Nozzle Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary company of Xinde Science and Technology Co., Ltd., has succeeded in developing a diesel engine FIRCRI common-rail, electrically controlled fuel-injection system. The company, working in close cooperation with the State Key Laboratory of Engines of Tianjin University since December 2003, has been granted a technical patent certificate, with exclusive intellectual property owned by Xinde. According to Xinde, its system is comparable to the oil injection system of Robert Bosch and Denso and can replace import products. The new product is said to adapt well to China’s oil characteristics and to meet stricter emissions standards than Euro III/IV standards; applications include various types of diesel engines for cars, trucks, machinery, and locomotives. When the system becomes commercially available, it already has been booked up by Weichai Power, Jiangsu Jianghuai Engine Co., Ltd., and Sichuan Emei Diesel Engine Co., Ltd., according to Xinde. The company anticipates the designed production capacity of the phase-I project to be 200,000 sets.
Hyundai Heavy and Magna E-Car to develop Li-ion battery
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Magna E-Car Systems, a global supplier of components and systems for hybrid (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs), agreed on April 2 to form a joint venture named MAHY E-Cell as a platform to co-develop and grow a battery cell and battery pack business. Under the agreement, HHI and Magna E-Car will jointly conduct engineering, design, development, and testing activities with the goal of preliminary validation of battery cell and battery pack technologies for EV and HEV applications. HHI expects the joint venture, which will be owned 60% by Magna E-Car and 40% by HHI, to serve as a stepping stone to enter the Energy Storage System (ESS) business and plans to link its solar and wind power business with ESS as a new growth opportunity. HHI is an integrated heavy industries company with business divisions specializing in shipbuilding, marine engines and machinery, and construction equipment, among other sectors.
Volvo, Deutz explore joint next-gen engine development
AB Volvo and Deutz AG have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the potential to extend their long-term cooperation with joint development of next-generation medium-duty engines for off-highway applications. The MOU also aims at analyzing the conditions for establishing a Deutz majority-owned joint-venture company in China for the production of medium-duty off-highway engines. The production company would support the Volvo Group’s anticipated growth in the off-highway sector in Asia. Both companies must agree on the final terms and conditions in a binding contract before these plans are implemented.
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Shown is the Deutz TCD 4.1/6.1 engine for agricultural machinery.
Horiba supplies test cells for new Cat facility in China
Horiba Automotive Test Systems (ATS) has been contracted by Caterpillar Inc. to provide three heavy-duty test cells and one generator test system for the company’s new production base in Tianjin, China, by the start of production in January 2013. The multifunctional test cells will be used to analyze the high-capacity 3500 Series engines and generator packages of Caterpillar. Automatic guided vehicles will transport test specimens from rigging stations to test cells. Once in place, test specimens will undergo complete functional testing using advanced Horiba equipment. Test cell capacity of up to 3.6 MW will be used in the engine test cells, and the test systems will feature dual-language operator controls in both Mandarin and English. Horiba ATS established a 9400-m2 (101,000-ft2) manufacturing plant in Shanghai/Anting, China, in 2010; this contract accelerates its expansion into the Asian region.
Dana launches Spicer TZL production in China
Dana Holding Corp. recently began production of the Spicer TZL Series, a new line of powershift transmissions for premium front-end loaders manufactured in China. The first Spicer TZL16 transmission rolled off the assembly line in late February at the Dana assembly facility in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. The Spicer TZL16 transmission is engineered for 17-t (19-ton) ZL50 front-end loaders, which account for about two-thirds of the front-end loaders manufactured in China, according to Dana. The supplier has begun development on the Spicer TZL18 transmission for 21-t (23-ton) front-end loaders and the Spicer TMG14 transmission targeted for 110- to 160-kW (147- to 214-hp) motor graders. Production of these products is expected to begin this spring in Wuxi.
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The first Spicer TZL16 transmission has rolled off the assembly line at the Dana assembly facility in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.
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