Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2023 - 21

CONEXPO 2023 FEATURE
Cat also designed the C13D for use at altitudes of up
to 12,000 ft. (3,658 m), which reportedly is double the
elevation as for legacy Cat engines. The C13D was
tested and certified for use in ambient temperatures
as hot as 140 deg F (60 deg C) and as cold as -40 deg
F (-40 deg C).
" We're just announcing this engine [at CONEXPO],
but we've got something north of 6,000 lab hours on
this engine already, " Stratton said. " It's meeting all the
performance targets, so when I tell you what this engine
is going to do, I'm not just guessing. The teams
are proving it every day in our labs in Mossville, Illinois,
and around the world. "
" This is the first engine in this size range that we've
done completely digitally, " Stratton continued. " Before
we ever made the first part, before we ever turned the
first bit of diesel fuel, before we ever put this engine in a
lab, we had extensive testing and validation in the virtual
world. We literally can run thousands of different pistonring
liner simulations over night with our capability. "
Engineering explained
Engineering improvements compared to the outgoing
13-liter engine include the modularization and elimination
of components in anticipation of configuration adjustments
required for future tiers of emission standards
in the U.S. and EU. Caterpillar states that this design
consideration permitted the omission of these components
without relocating customer connection points.
The company also claims a reduction in the number
of leak joints by more than 45% and that the C13D's
lower fluid consumption allows for extended service
intervals up to 1,000 hours for some applications. The
C13D can operate on renewable liquid fuels such as
100% HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), B100 distilled
biodiesel and B100 standard biodiesel. Additionally,
the engine's architecture is designed for adaptation of
natural gas and hydrogen fuel systems.
" The core architecture - the block, pistons, connecting
rods, crankshafts and even how we sculpt the
cylinder heads - when we were designing it for diesel,
we had full intention to be able to convert it into a hydrogen
and a natural-gas application in the future, "
Allen Chen, product marketing manager for the C13D
engine, Industrial Power Systems division, told SAE
Media following the engine's reveal. " That's why we're
saying it's future-protected, for those alternative gaseous
fuels, for spark ignition. This is our launching
platform; it's not going to burn it right now, but when
customers want it and they're ready for it, we'll be
ready for them. "
Additional improvements for the C13D include a new
rear gear train, stiffer core architecture and a commonrail
fuel system that reduces noise by a claimed 3 dB
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
Mark Stratton stressed that Caterpillar is dedicated to diesel during the reveal
of the new C13D engine.
compared with the C13D's predecessors. Engine-mounted aftertreatment
and cooling packs also will be available from the factory to reduce
installation and validation costs, Stratton said.
" How come it takes so long to design, for example, a cylinder head? "
Stratton said when discussing the subtleties involved in designing a
single component. " We analyze the harmonics over and over again of
the block, of the gear train, of the head, of all the components to try to
reduce the vibration that creates noise and harshness and the sounds
that your customers hear every day. We only do this [design an all-new
engine] once every 30 years, so we're going to do it right. "
April 2023 21
Caterpillar revealed its new C13D off-highway engine at Allegiant Stadium in
Las Vegas on the eve of CONEXPO 2023.
BOTH IMAGES: SAE/RYAN GEHM
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2023

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