Cummins Turbo Technologies, a specialist in turbocharger technology, revealed a suite of near-market and future technology capable of improving the fuel efficiency of any modern diesel engine by at least 6% at Busworld Kortrijk.
The shift in focus – from emissions driven innovation towards technologies which prioritise fuel economy – highlight Cummins Turbo Technologies’ belief that the industry has now reached the tipping-point at which global engine and vehicle manufacturers are developing products designed to insulate customers from rising fuel prices.
Executive Director for Product Line Management & Marketing, Mark Firth said: “Our close working relationship with customers has informed the research and development shaping our future product range and has led to the creation of technologies we are revealing here. Holset turbochargers are the component of choice for many international automotive customers because we don’t simply provide them with off-the-shelf products. We develop advanced technological solutions which are ‘fit for market’ – in other words they are developed in partnership to meet customers’ specific requirements.”
The trend towards engine downsizing – which sees engine and vehicle manufacturers aiming to maintain or increase the power outputs from their products, while making them smaller and lighter – represents a significant engineering challenge and among the next generation technologies being revealed to meet it were:
- A Waste Heat Turbine Expander prototype – which captures what would otherwise be lost energy, in the form of heat, from a number of sources on board the vehicle and turns it into useful mechanical (25kW) or electrical (5kWe) power that is capable of reducing vehicle fuel consumption 5% and delivering fuel savings of up to $5500 per annum.
- A Next Generation Variable Geometry Turbocharger – based on a validated platform that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual customers without reengineering, which is 2kg lighter and substantially lowers initial cost than the model it replaces while featuring a high efficiency compressor stage, delivering improved fuel economy.
- An Inverse Impeller which replaces conventional designs and, through the use of flow optimization software, has the capability to improve compressor stage efficiency by 1% on its own – delivering a $160 per annum fuel saving for on-highway applications.
- A Super Map Width Enhancement ‘collar’ which enhances map width by 15% and facilitates engine downsizing, improves driveability, widens the operating range, aids efficiency mapping and delivers fuel savings.
- Rolling Element Bearings – Cummins Turbo Technologies has developed its own, high durability, low friction ball-bearing solution which improves both transient response and lowers fuel consumption – delivering a 1% improvement in overall turbocharger efficiency.
- Holset Rotary Turbine Control (RTC) – patented flow channelling technology that directs exhaust gas to selected ‘ports’ for limited exhaust control capability. RTC is integrated into the turbine housing within Cummins Turbo Technologies Modulated 2 stage (M2) and Serial 2 stage (S2) products.
While Cummins Turbo Technologies anticipated future technologies would attract a great deal of interest at Busworld, it also exhibited currently available turbocharging solutions which can be tailored to meet the demands of any vehicle duty cycle or market regulation.
Mark Firth added: “We are known for providing a wide range of innovative, reliable and durable turbochargers which can be seamlessly integrated into a variety of vehicles and engines, Which is why we are also exhibiting our latest US13/14 compliant products for customers seeking more immediate solutions to forthcoming emissions targets.”
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