FPT Exhibiting New NEF 6 Cylinder Natural Gas Engine at Agritechnica

FPT Industrial is displaying for the first time in Europe its new NEF 6 cylinder Natural Gas engine at Agritechnica (Hannover, November 12-18 - Hall 16 - Stand C35). The new NG prototype from FPT Industrial is "Naturally powerful" and represents the ultimate clean energy solution specifically designed for agricultural applications.

Leveraging more than 20 years’ experience in Natural Gas engine development, and proven with over 30,000 units sold globally, FPT Industrial is also a pioneer in the introduction of Natural Gas technology in the off-road segment, with customized engine performance and design for tractor installations.

This NG engine delivers the same performance as diesel engines, in terms of power, torque, durability and maintenance intervals, therefore delivering the same in-field performance and operations to end-users. In real agricultural working conditions CO₂ emissions are reduced by a minimum of 10% when compared to a standard diesel tractor, and become nearly zero when using biomethane. Moreover, polluting emissions are reduced by 80% on average when compared to a standard diesel engine.

Stoichiometric combustion technology, which has been implemented by FPT Industrial since 1995, ensures the correct chemical balance between air and methane in all working conditions, and supports clean combustion and low emissions. The technology is enabled by FPT Industrial’s proprietary control strategy, specific piston design and multi-point injection (e.g., methane is injected in the intake manifold through a set of dedicated methane injectors and then air-gas mix is ignited by the spark plug in the combustion chamber).

Optimized combustion improves engine efficiency and leads to 10-30% operating cost savings when compared to diesel. Efficient and highly stable spark-ignited combustion reduces vibration and engine noise, up to -5 dB compared to conventional diesel engines. Emission compliance is reached with a maintenance-free three-way catalytic converter, a simple and smaller solution than the ATS required by diesel engines, not requiring DPF or SCR systems. The engine structure maintains a robust design for tractor installation, with diesel-based design, high resistance structural block and oil sump integrated in the tractor chassis. A specific water-cooled turbocharger ensures reliability coping with higher exhaust gas temperatures.