Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - February 2022 - 3

EDITORIAL
Bill Visnic
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Ryan Gehm
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EDITORIAL
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Combustion engines carry on in construction
A recent virtual panel discussion reminded
me that we ought not forget the propulsion
workhorse of our industries: the
good ol' diesel engine. It's sometimes
easy to forget in the avalanche of EV
and fuel-cell developments - quite a
few detailed in this very issue - that
combustion engines will continue to
power the majority of on- and off-highway
vehicles at least for the next decade.
To further improve ICE efficiency during
this powertrain-diversification process,
engineers and R&D departments still are
plugging away (pardon the pun) at engine
and fuel advancements.
" For most of the sectors of the construction
industry, diesel is the technology
of choice particularly for the largest
construction machines and equipment, "
said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of
the Diesel Technology Forum, which
hosted the virtual event with industry
leaders. " Diesel is still evolving, and it will
continue to do so in the future with even
lower emissions and greater efficiency. "
Decarbonizing sectors such as construction
is already possible by expanding
the use of low-carbon biodiesel fuels, the
experts agreed. Ray Gallant, VP of product
management at Volvo Construction
Equipment, stressed that there is no single
solution. " So, battery electric on the
small equipment is a fairly easy transition
to make. We'll follow that up with fuel-cell
electric, where you generate your electricity
on board through a hydrogen fuel cell.
But there's always going to be a place for
internal-combustion engines using alternate
or low-emission fuels, " he said.
Cummins' construction market director
Jeremy Harsin provided some perspective
on the reality that many fleets
are still burning diesel at the lower-tier
levels. " It feels a little weird to still be
talking about Tier 3 product [from the
2006-2011 timeframe], " said Harsin. Due
to the longevity of construction equipment
in the market - up to three times
the life of on-road vehicles - " this Tier 3
population is still very relevant and definitely
is going to offer an opportunity to
reduce emissions just through natural
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
fleet turnover as we move forward. "
" We've painted ourselves into a tight
little emissions box [Stage V emissions,
dual-certified for U.S. and Europe] that we
call 'near-zero-emissions' diesel, " Harsin
continued. For its Performance Series
engines introduced in 2018, Cummins
moved beyond " just the architectural bits "
and started to add more advanced features
like stop-start technology. " That's
going to be representative of what's coming
out in any new equipment that would
serve a Western market, " he said.
The fuel system continues to be an
important part of the equation, said Alex
Freitag, Bosch's director of diesel systems
engineering. " The trend that we see
in the industry is having multiple injections
and digital rate-shaping (DRS) via
injections to shape the heat release rate
on the engines, " he said. " Temperature
management becomes one of the key
parameters to really keep emissions under
control under all conditions. " One
promising measure often applied to onhighway
vehicles but also suitable for
off-highway, according to Freitag, is 48V
systems. " Everybody thinks of fuel-consumption
improvement with 48-volt systems,
but it can also help with EGT temperature
management, " he said.
Beyond " compression-ignition product
renewal, " including the use of renewable
fuels and biodiesels, the potential adaptability
of spark ignition within a diesel
engine should be further explored, said
Jon Gilbeck, John Deere's global manager
of construction equipment product
marketing and planning. A spark-ignited
engine increases renewable-fuel options,
he noted, and reduces aftertreatment
complexity. Propane, green hydrogen
and ethanol are some viable options, as
is hybridization where it makes sense.
The best path forward achieves the
goal of zero emissions by 2050, Harsin
said, " implying more of a rational, gradual
phase-in as [technologies] start to
make sense. " That's plenty of time for
combustion engines to continue to
evolve and make a positive impact.
Ryan Gehm, Editor-in-Chief
February 2022 3
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - February 2022

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