With Tier IV emissions regulations nearing ever closer, Sauer-Danfoss, Ames, IA, and Thermal Transfer Products, Racine, WI, are working together to educate decision makers at OEMs with their Tier IV Emissions Seminar tour. The free, full-day educational seminars address increased heat rejection, reduced net power output, exhaust system space requirements and reduced operating speeds.
“Thermal Transfer Products and Sauer-Danfoss independently identified a need to educate not only themselves about the Tier IV Engine Emissions change, but also a need to assist customers in understanding how the change would impact the vehicle cooling, control, and power transmissions systems,” says Rick Sporrer, Technical Services Director, Sauer-Danfoss. The decision to conduct a joint seminar grew out of this research and the recognition of a number of common elements.
“There are fewer engineers to do the work because of downsizing due to the economy, and there’s certainly going to be pressure in the amount of time to get all of the new engines put in place, so the time scale is compressed. Our goal was to do the research, design, and validation for the customer ahead of when they need it so they can pull it off the shelf and it’s already developed and ready to go; this makes it easier for vehicle engineers to implement the solution on their vehicle.”
In order to meet the required emission regulations, a number of engine characteristics will be affected. Engine application operating speeds and speed bands will be reduced. Engine power levels and torque will change, and external heat rejection is going to increase around 30-40%. With EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) systems in place, new Tier IV engines will require additional cooling.
“How can you get more performance with the same size cooling system?” asks Marty Christianson, Senior Project Engineer, OEM Development, Thermal Transfer Products. “OEMs don’t have an infinite amount of space in their equipment, especially with the new aftertreatment devices required to meet the Tier IV emissions requirements. There are different ways to optimize the system now. That’s what we’re trying to demonstrate at the seminars. We can show them a few things TTP can offer to achieve more performance without a significant increase in size by growing the unit internally.”
For the seminars, “our target audience is the OEM design engineer, the OEM purchasing manager, and the OEM marketing leader,” says Sporrer. “The Tier 4 changes are going to affect all areas of that OEM’s business. The design engineer has a new engine to install. The engine after-treatment system will increase the cost of the vehicle, which impacts the purchasing manager. The marketing person must identify how to educate the customer on any new operation and maintenance requirements of the new engine installation.”
Thermal Transfer’s P-BAR, T-BAR, and S-BAR engine cooling systems can increase the efficiency of the heat exchange from the engine and recoup about half of the heat rejection.
Sauer-Danfoss is taking a look at how the fan pulls air through the cooler, showcasing its line of modulating fan drives. “With a hydraulic modulating fan drive, we can match the fan speed and the amount of air flow coming across the cooler to the cooling demand of the engine. That really does two things: that helps the engine run at an optimum temperature and it reduces the power load on the vehicle because we don’t have to turn the fan as fast as a belt would have to turn,” says Sporrer.
Beyond the modulating fan drives, Sauer-Danfoss is looking at vehicle control system solutions and a set of power transmission solutions: how to redirect hydraulic power on the vehicle.
The seminars started November 12 in Minneapolis, MN, and conclude April 1, 2010 in Charlotte, NC. To view the full seminar schedule, click here.
For more information and to register for a seminar, visit www.thermaltransfer.com or the “Seminars and Education” page at www.sauer-danfoss.com/emissions.
