Cummins Inc. has announced that its B4.5, B6.7 and L9 engine platforms are compatible with certain kinds of renewable diesel fuels.
As reported, both on-highway and off-highway versions of the B6.7 and L9 platforms and all vintages are approved to use paraffinic renewable diesel fuels in North America, meeting the EN 15940 specification.
Compared with conventional diesel fuels, paraffinic diesel fuels can potentially reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 40% to 90% over the total life of the vehicles, according to Cummins.
Cummins says it led an 18-month field trial running 100% paraffinic diesel fuel in order to understand changes in engine performance, aftertreatment effects and fuel system durability. Engine performance remained stable and consistent while using the paraffinic fuel, and customers should not expect to see any differences.
Depending on the application and the engine duty cycle, a fuel economy detriment of 0% to 6% is expected due to the lower density of paraffinic fuels compared with regular diesel fuel.
According to the company, a thorough analysis of the aftertreatment system showed that each subsystem – the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, Diesel Particulate Filter and Selective Catalytic Reduction – remained stable throughout the test, with performance similar to that of regular diesel fuel. The materials in the fuel system equipment are all compatible with EN 15940 diesel fuels, Cummins notes.
“Focused on energy diversity and enabling the power of choice, Cummins has provided another approved fuel option to help the continued reduction of emissions. The use of paraffinic diesel allows customers to minimize their emissions-based footprints without additional capital investment,” says Jim Fier, Cummins vice president of engineering. “Plus, they have the comfort of knowing that Cummins conducted a thorough analysis prior to approval.”
Cummins approval for the use of renewable diesel with B6.7 and L9 engines aligns with
the recent introduction of EN 15940, a final European CEN specification for paraffinic diesel fuels, including hydrotreated vegetable oil, gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids. Operators of Cummins-powered trucks and buses are required to source all paraffinic fuels from high-purity suppliers meeting EN 15940, as this ensures that the fuel contains the necessary lubricity additive for use in a diesel engine.
Other light-duty, heavy-duty and high-horsepower platforms are currently undergoing a similar validation plan on 100% paraffinic fuels, and Cummins will be announcing the results of the studies this year.
