Get It Hot, Keep It Hot - Improving Emissions, Fuel Economy & Exhaust Thermal Management
Ever-tightening emissions regulations are on the horizon and these new regulations could put a greater focus on measuring real-world driving conditions.
By 2024 the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is scheduled to tighten regulations to improve NOx emissions technologies that quickly get heat into an aftertreatment system, then keep the system hot, without hurting fuel consumption.
Partnering with leading OEMs, Jacobs is focused on creating technologies that simultaneously achieve lower emissions and better fuel economy. We use the engine’s breathing mechanism, the valvetrain, to optimize thermal management at “the heart” (the engine). Our approach gets the system hot faster and keeps it hot which allows for further simplification of the aftertreatment systems.
Jacobs has been working directly with CARB, EPA and other industry groups to evaluate the emissions goals and have found they are achievable.
Our solution is cylinder deactivation. We turn off the intake and exhaust main events and combine that with turning off injection and we shut down the entire cylinder. We can turn a 6-cylinder engine into a 3-cylinder engine. We take a 15-liter engine and reduce it by half therefore the engine uses less fuel. By making the active cylinders work harder, we increase heat which benefits the aftertreatment systems working to reduce NOx. The heat converts the NOx into less harmful gasses and gets rid of the pollutants.
- Robb Janak, Director of New Technology, Jacobs Vehicle Systems
Lowering Emissions & Delivering Better Fuel Economy
While other emission solutions can decrease fuel economy, Jacobs 2-Step Variable Valve Actuation and Cylinder Deactivation technologies achieve lower emissions, and better fuel economy. *At 1000 RPM, Jacobs solutions show an increase in exhaust temperature of nearly 100⁰ C while still improving fuel consumption by 25%. This solution will help to meet upcoming global emission regulations including the CARB HD Omnibus, EPA Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions standards, and EPA Clean Trucks Initiative, to name just a few. This suite of upcoming regulations will demand lower NOx and lower CO2 emissions, while no longer turning a blind eye to what the tailpipe emits at low-loads or when idling.
Robb Janak explains Jacobs' approach on the HDT Talks Trucking Podcast.
In-engine Solution
Jacobs emission solutions are seamlessly integrated into the valvetrain using technically proven and cost-effective solutions. While CDA adds cost to engine production, the technology lowers the total cost of ownership. This is achieved as the size of the aftertreatment system can be reduced and the need for other emissions technologies can be eliminated. Additionally, CDA reduces fuel costs and the system is designed to last the lifetime of the engine, unlike other emission technologies that need to be replaced or serviced.
In this Diesel Progress International article, Ian Cameron talked to Robb Janak about upcoming regulations and the technologies to help meet them.
Customizable Solutions to Meet Future Regulations
Cylinder Deactivation can turn a six-cylinder engine into a three-cylinder engine, decreasing fuel consumption and keeping the aftertreatment system hot. CDA is customizable as up to three cylinders can be deactivated when needed or when used with Dynamic Skip Fire®, a variable number of cylinders can be deactivated. Recent testing demonstrated a 4% decrease in CO2 along with a 66% reduction in NOx emissions.
Learn more in this recent article highlighting the collaboration between Jacobs and Tula Technology Inc. in the development of Cylinder Deactivation hardware.
