Cummins Unveils New Engine Technologies

Cummins Inc. has unveiled a new electronic calibration system for its engines, designed to generate lower levels of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). These calibrations will be available on 1996 to 1998 Cummins M11 Plus or N14 Plus engines, the company said. The program will be formally unveiled along with a special promotion at the Mid-America Truck show on March 22. “We are providing our customers with a way to positively impact the environment today,” said Martha Brooks, Cummins vp/gm for its truck and bus business. “This truly is a win-win for customers. It will allow our truck customers to achieve lower NOx levels immediately with no reduction in performance or reliability.” Cummins also said it has achieved an important milestone in the development of cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology required to meet future emissions requirements, which are legislated at 2.5 grams oxides of nitrogen (NOx) plus non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC). This technology was successfully demonstrated on the next generation of the Cummins B series engine and is also being applied to its other medium-duty and heavy-duty products, which are currently in field test, the company said. Cummins said it achieved a 2% improvement in fuel economy compared to its current product, reduced NOx by 50%, and reduced the time of unaided cold starts over 80%. In addition, the throttle response of the engine significantly improved from today's product as a result of the variable geometry turbocharging, it said. Exhaust gas recirculation technology allows for a portion of exhaust gas to be reused, effectively reducing exhaust emissions. To take advantage of this technology, Cummins used the variable geometry turbocharging (VGT) system developed by its wholly owned subsidiary, Holset.