Machine maker JCB has announced a line-up of Tier IV compliant diesel engines that don’t require a particulate filter or urea injection to meet the new European and US emission standard.
The company has invested around US $140 million in researching and developing a new combustion system for the new ‘Ecomax’ 4.4 litre engine, which in an industry first, dispenses for the need to have exhaust treatment.
The power unit is now undergoing in-field testing before going into production in 2012 to meet Tier IV interim/Stage 3B rules which are to become mandatory across Europe, the US and elsewhere within two years.
In the Middle East, a lack of urea-based exhaust fluid, and low grade, high sulphur diesel would render particulate filter and exhaust treatment technology largely useless.
Alan Tolley, the engine programme director at the UK-based firm said: “The expectation for the first part of the [new] legislation was that to achieve these really low particulate levels you needed to fit a diesel particulate filter, but when you look at that technology for our particular part of the market, namely mid-range construction equipment, we see there are some real disadvantages with that solution, in particular increased fuel consumption through increased back pressure to the engine. Also, in many applications, load cycles are light and the DPF doesn’t self regenerate so you have to force it to do so and it needs fuel to do it.
“Our strategy therefore has been to meet Tier IV interim emission standards without a filter, but also to achieve this without any exhaust after-treatment. We have focused our research and development efforts on a high efficiency combustion system; in other words we have made sure we don’t create the pollutants to start with rather than try and deal with them later. This approach also gives us very low fuel consumption levels.”
Tolley’s remarks came as the company was previewing a number of new items ahead of the Bauma machinery show in Munich next month.