Catalytic reduction | Machines meet standards without filtering or recirculating exhaust
DENVER, Colo. — It’s the blue Kool -Aid only for Case IH.
The company chose to use only selective catalytic reduction early in the emissions reduction game and they are sticking with that decision.
It appeared five years ago that to achieve mandated emissions standards, all heavy equipment systems running diesel engines would eventually have to recirculate some exhaust gasses back through the motor combustion processes, treat their exhaust to a high temperature re-burning with a urea compound to reduce nitrogen oxide and likely still filter it for particulate matter.
Case IH has reached the end of the path to 2014 Tier 4B emissions standards and the only thing added to its high horsepower diesel engines to get emissions down is selective catalytic reduction, or diesel exhaust fluid, being added to the exhaust stream at a catalytic converter.
Leo Bose of Case IH said the company has managed to achieve those numbers by managing the combustion system in the engines well enough that only an advanced form of single treatment is required.
By avoiding exhaust gas recirculation, the company’s tractors should have longer periods between oil changes and reduced engine wear, along with not requiring filter system maintenance.
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Last week at a Denver, Colorado, launch of its 2014 lineup, Mitch Kaiser of Case IH’s high horsepower tractor division said the process hasn’t come without development costs and additional hardware to the exhaust stream.
Jim Walker, head of Case IH for North America, said that when Tier 4A standards were met, most companies could also point to some horsepower benefits and improved fuel efficiency from the new engines, offsetting the higher price of the machines.
He said Tier 4B also adds to the price of new machines, with fewer benefits for the producer than when Tier 4A came in.
The company has released a nearly 700 horsepower version of is popular Quadtrac and 17 other tractor models for 2014.
Look for more on Case IH’s new lineup next week in The Western Producer.
