Engines: How can we make diesel cleaner?

The industry is working towards the same goal: to build sustainably using sustainable equipment. The engine industry plays a significant role in the emissions emitted on job sites, but that’s not to say the sector’s move to sustainable resources will oust them completely.

Choosing cleaner methods of operation will ultimately reduce emissions on a job site, but what advancements and developments in engine technology will get the sector there?

Michael Lefebvre, manager of global marketing and product strategy at John Deere (Photo: John Deere)

Michael Lefebvre, manager of global marketing and product strategy at John Deere, says that there are two ways that we need to look at engine advancements as we think about the future of the diesel engine – from a clean technology perspective and from an efficiency perspective.

“Both are critical when it comes to the continued viability of internal combustion engines as part of the sustainability journey we’re on as an industry,” says Lefebvre.

From the clean technology perspective, Lefebvre says that as an industry we have made great strides in making the diesel engines of today clean compared to those of 30 years ago and will continue to find ways to make them even cleaner.

“For example,” Lefebvre adds, “With advancements in technology such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel particulate filters (DPF), we’ve seen some significant reductions in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter.”

In addition to investing in low- and near-zero emissions solutions like battery electric, hybrid, and renewable fuels, John Deere says that it is also investing in its diesel engine technology to improve performance and efficiency.

Previous changes to emissions regulations were challenging for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) when it came to equipment design and new packaging requirements for emissions-compliant engines.

John Deere’s JD18 engine (Photo: John Deere)

As the industry prepares for the next iteration of emissions standards, John Deere says that it is optimising its engine technologies now. That means developing solutions that will create new value for customers as well as to help minimise disruption in the adoption of new technologies, such as electric drivetrains and renewable fuels.

When developing its latest industrial engines — the JD4, JD14, and JD18 — John Deere says that they consulted equipment manufacturers to learn more about which engine improvements were at the top of their list.

Efficiency is key

But just as important to the ongoing sustainability journey is what we can be doing to make diesel engines more efficient.

Lefebvre says that a big focus of the industry is on fuel economy and what we can be doing to reduce CO2 emissions.

In recent years John Deere has implemented several key advancements to optimise its engine lineup and emissions performance. The company says that its engines are engineered to achieve low emissions while maintaining optimal performance.

John Deere has been working diligently to meet emissions standards set by regulatory bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States and the European Union’s Stage V standards.

The latest additions to the John Deere engine lineup — the JD4, JD14, and JD18 — are said to all achieve US EPA Final Tier 4 and EU Stage V compliance.

“There are opportunities for us to make diesel engines even more efficient through optimised engine design, improved combustion systems, and engine rightsizing — ensuring that the right engine size or power unit size is being used in an application,” says Lefebvre.

“Rightsizing will help maximise uptime, reliability, and fuel efficiency. This will improve overall customer value, lower fuel consumption, and, in turn, reduce criteria pollutants.”

Lefebvre believes that at the end of the day, diesel engines have a long lifetime ahead of them and will continue to contribute to the toughest jobs around the world.

Perkins kicks off Project Coeus (Photo: Perkins)

He adds that internal combustion engines, along with advancements in battery power and renewable fuels, will help the industry navigate the power landscape of the future.

Everyone’s part of the transition

While many off-highway solutions supporting the energy transition focus on large scale original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with extensive research and development capabilities, UK-based engine manufacturer Perkins has looked towards OEMs with more limited resources and their role as part of the transition.

Perkins is collaborating with Equipmake and Loughborough University’s Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering School in the UK to develop and produce an advanced multi-fuel ‘drop-in’ hybrid integrated power unit.

The power unit, launched in October 2023, is to directly replace its diesel equivalent in terms of power density and response, enabling a wide range of off-highway industrial OEMs, regardless of their size or the application they manufacture, to accelerate their transition to lower-carbon intensity or zero carbon fuels such as hydrogen, methanol, bio-ethanol and other eFuels and harness electrification.

The company says the design will support several fuel types with the initial demonstration of hydrogen.

Perkins is collaborating with Equipmake and Loughborough University to develop and produce an advanced multi-fuel ‘drop-in’ hybrid integrated power unit based on its 7-litre Perkins 1200 Series (Photo: Perkins)

The project, named Project Coeus, will see the design, development and manufacture of a multi-fuel ‘drop-in’ hybrid powertrain, which will directly replace existing diesel solutions in off-highway machines and will support the UK and global off-highway industries to deliver reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

“We are pleased to have secured this opportunity to accelerate the development of advanced off-highway power system solutions,” said David Goldspink, Perkins vice president and general manager.

“This project will explore, innovate and lead the way to solving some of the key challenges facing the off-highway industry’s energy transition and support the transition towards reduced carbon in this key sector.”

As highlighted by both Perkins and John Deere, hybridisation will be crucial in transitioning toward full battery adoption. Many off-highway applications have high energy demands that make full battery electric power sometimes impractical.

However, hybridisation offers a way to reduce carbon emissions by combining an electrification solution with an engine. The diverse needs of the off-highway industry suggest that the industry calls for a range of solutions to meet power requirements across different applications and equipment sizes as the industry moves towards a more sustainable future.