Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) this week said it achieved an industry milestone by beginning production and supply of the first EPA Tier-4 Interim and EU Stage IIIB certified engines and aftertreatment for early installation by off-highway equipment customers. The latest-generation QSB6.7 and QSL9 engines are built at the Cummins Rocky Mount, N.C., plant for customers in North America and East Asia, with the Darlington, U.K., plant supplying European customers.
The new emissions regulations take effect Jan.1, 2011, for engines over 173 hp (129 kW), with particulate matter reduced by 90 percent and cxides of Nitrogen by almost 50 percent compared with the current Tier-3 and Stage-IIIA standard.
The QSB6.7 engine is certified to a higher power output of 300 hp (224 kW), while the QSL9 engine increases output up to 400 hp (298 kW). The 6.7-liter and the 9-liter engines have received EPA and EU emissions certification as integral systems with Cummins Particulate Filter exhaust aftertreatment, enabling a unique level of integration and packaging efficiency.
Before finalization of the engine build specification for production release, the QSB6.7 and QSL9 underwent an extensive series of field tests on commercial operations to validate performance and in-service reliability. The engines achieved up to 5-percent improved fuel efficiency and faster engine response, boosting machine productivity.
"With the production release of the QSB6.7 and QSL9 engines for 2011 emissions, Cummins builds on its early leadership in Tier 4 development work, concept installation and field testing," said Hugh Foden , executive director, Cummins off-highway business. "Although much of the Tier-4 emissions technology is new to the off-highway industry, it is not new to Cummins. Key enablers, such as the Cummins Particulate Filter after-treatment, exhaust gas recirculation and variable geometry turbochargers were available from within Cummins’ own technology portfolio and successfully used with our EPA 2007 on-highway engines.”
In addition to approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and European Union regulatory agencies, the QSB6.7 and QSL9 engines have also received California Air Resources Board certification to enable 50-state compliance. Further information on Tier-4 emissions is available on the Web at www.tier4.info.
Headquartered in Columbus, Ind., Cummins Inc. is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems.
