Heavy Duty Trucking, May 2019

ing cost and complexity but they will require a fresh start in engine design not just more bolt on components The solutions lie in deep integration of modular and smart components and making use of advanced controls Dorobantu said All we are doing now is increasing cost weight and complexity and thats bad he said Current incremental technology will get us through 2021 but by 2024 we will require something completely different Two areas Eaton is looking at are variable valve actuation and exhaust gas recirculation pumps Variable valve actuation Variable valve actuation technology can change the opening and closing timing of intake and exhaust valves to make the engine more efficient during different operating phases For example forcing the intake valve to stay open slightly longer would allow the engine to draw in more air improving combustion efficiency The same actuator on an exhaust valve could be used to open it slightly earlier while the exhaust gas is at peak temperature This would help maintain higher temperatures and efficiency in the aftertreatment systems VVA also could facilitate cylinder deactivation for instance not as a fuel saving strategy but for NOx reduction By operating two or three cylinders at higher loads WHAT WE LEARNED AT Traditional methods such as exhaust gas recirculation more effective and larger selective catalyst systems and more complex aftertreatment systems have about reached the pinnacle of their effectiveness according to Mihai Dorobantu Eatons director of technology planning and government affairs As Eatons point man on the emissions technology front he is looking at viable alternatives to current systems that can actually improve performance and efficiency while meeting future emissions reduction challenges It looks increasingly likely that in the 2024 2027 timeframe we will face the double challenge of reducing both NOx and CO2 by significant degrees he said The message from the regulators is crystal clear but our response as an industry can no longer be to just add and add and add technology This just increases the cost and the complexity while lowering the reliability of the engines That cannot be the way of the future Dorobantus remarks came during ATAs Technology Maintenance Council 2019 annual meeting in Atlanta March 17 Eaton has been researching solutions at the system level for several years That work has revealed many possibilities for reducTMC The technology part of the name of the American Trucking Associations Technology Maintenance Council is an increasingly important focus of the groups annual meeting but theres still plenty of attention to basic equipment specing and maintenance By Jack Roberts Senior Editor jroberts@ truckinginfo com By Jim Park Equipment Editor jpark@ truckinginfo com HDT MAY 2019 64 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM HOW THE INDUSTRY COMBATS DIESEL ENGINE EMISSIONS EATON IS RETHINKING Eaton believes exhaust gas recirculation pumps left and variable valve actuation right are technologies that can drastically reduce emissions in Diesel engines