JCB invest £80 million in clean engine technology
JCB have made one of the biggest investments in their history to develop what they claim will be the off-highway sector’s cleanest engine, in readiness for incoming emissions legislation.
The company has invested around £80 million in researching and developing a new combustion system for the new JCB Ecomax T4 4.4-litre engine – the latest generation of JCB Dieselmax engine.
According to JCB, the investment has delivered an industry-first solution that eliminates the need for any exhaust after-treatment and delivers cost savings for mid-range customers.
The engine is now undergoing full in-field testing before going into production in 2012 to meet Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim legislation.
To achieve this next round of emissions regulations, JCB Power Systems worked closely with research and development specialists Ricardo to perfect the combustion process and have utilized cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to clean up the exhaust gases before they are passed from the engine.
In addition, fuel system and electronics specialists Delphi have helped JCB to develop an electronic control system that will ensure the engine stays within its intended parameters even as the components settle throughout their design life.
The engine design is also future-proofed, as the structural architecture, componentry and systems will remain the same for Stage IV/Tier 4 Final regulations in the future, at which time exhaust after-treatment for NOx reduction may be unavoidable, say JCB.
Key benefits of the innovation are said to include: reduced fuel consumption, reduced cost of ownership and better reliability.
Alan Tolley, JCB’s director of engine programmes, said: ‘The expectation for the first part of Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim legislation was that to achieve these really low particulate levels you needed to fit a diesel particulate filter (DPF).
‘Our strategy…has been to meet Tier 4 interim emission standards without a DPF, 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 to deal with them later.
‘The real end-user benefits come in the shape of reduced cost of ownership, reduced fuel consumption and better reliability.’
The company has invested around £80 million in researching and developing a new combustion system for the new JCB Ecomax T4 4.4-litre engine – the latest generation of JCB Dieselmax engine.
According to JCB, the investment has delivered an industry-first solution that eliminates the need for any exhaust after-treatment and delivers cost savings for mid-range customers.
The engine is now undergoing full in-field testing before going into production in 2012 to meet Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim legislation.
To achieve this next round of emissions regulations, JCB Power Systems worked closely with research and development specialists Ricardo to perfect the combustion process and have utilized cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to clean up the exhaust gases before they are passed from the engine.
In addition, fuel system and electronics specialists Delphi have helped JCB to develop an electronic control system that will ensure the engine stays within its intended parameters even as the components settle throughout their design life.
The engine design is also future-proofed, as the structural architecture, componentry and systems will remain the same for Stage IV/Tier 4 Final regulations in the future, at which time exhaust after-treatment for NOx reduction may be unavoidable, say JCB.
Key benefits of the innovation are said to include: reduced fuel consumption, reduced cost of ownership and better reliability.
Alan Tolley, JCB’s director of engine programmes, said: ‘The expectation for the first part of Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim legislation was that to achieve these really low particulate levels you needed to fit a diesel particulate filter (DPF).
‘Our strategy…has been to meet Tier 4 interim emission standards without a DPF, 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 to deal with them later.
‘The real end-user benefits come in the shape of reduced cost of ownership, reduced fuel consumption and better reliability.’
