Caterpillar to Supply Tier 4 Engines to JDN Hopper Dredges
Caterpillar Marine also announced it has been selected to power three 3500 cubic meter (4500 cubic yards) trailing suction hopper dredges for Jan De Nul Group with Cat 3500 E IMO III and EPA Tier 4 certified engines. The Cat 3500E features Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) after-treatment technology with closed loop NOx sensing and application optimized performance for minimized owning and operating costs.
The 3500E series builds upon the Cat 3500 engine platform providing customers up to 20 percent greater power density 10 percent greater fuel efficiency enhanced durability and longer life to overhaul while reducing owning and operating costs.
“SCR was the right technology since it introduced minor changes to the engine itself and made use of one of the most proven emissions reduction technologies within Caterpillar. Uptime is not just a buzzword it is the result of more than 160000 SCR installations and 84 million hours of Tier 4 operation accumulated in the Electric Power Machine Rail and Marine industries” said Javier Soria territory sales manager for Caterpillar Marine.
SCR works by injecting urea into the exhaust stream and a catalyst helps convert nitrogen oxide into harmless diatomic nitrogen carbon dioxide and water vapor. The Caterpillar SCR technology is a closed-loop system that senses where the engine is in its operating range and adjusts appropriately reducing consumption.
“This closed looped control along with advanced engine combustion calibration ensures exhaust temperatures are in tolerance for the SCR catalyst” Soria said. “This eliminates the risk of catalyst damage that could occur from higher exhaust temperatures seen in today’s engines.” The engine also uses a turbocharger optimized air system to provide much more back pressure capability allowing for a much smaller SCR system.
“SCRs require minimal to no routine maintenance and most importantly we’ve managed to align their lifetime to meet or exceed major engine overhaul” said Soria.
“Lowering total cost of ownership is one of the most commonly used phrases in the commercial marine industry and it is also one of the hardest to precisely measure” said Jim Mundth account manager for Caterpillar Marine. That’s why Caterpillar has gone beyond traditional models to develop EVA™ (Engine Value Analysis) to accurately capture and compare the total lifecycle costs for engine platforms across multiple engine manufacturers.
Mundth said the EVA tool helps customers make more informed decisions and it supports parameters that aren’t often included in similar analysis tools such as alternative fuels and DEF consumption load profiles across varied power inputs and emissions regulations.
“The key goal of Jan de Nul Group with these new 3500m3 TSHDs was to bring the certified cleanest vessels to the dredging market. We decided to limit emissions below EU Stage V which is the most stringent emissions regulations in the marine industry so we focused on three key aspects: engineering the most efficient engine room optimal power management and making use of exhaust gas aftertreatment systems” said Michel Deruyck fuel coordinator for Jan de Nul Group. “We quickly realized that the Total Fluid Optimization of the 3512E was unmatched and proven. Thanks to all these measures we anticipate yearly savings of half a million liters of fuel per vessel running the engines in fuel optimized mode. That’s nearly a 9 percent cut in our fuel bill but more importantly a direct reduction in greenhouse gas emissions” Deruyck said.
The 3500E is manufactured in Caterpillar’s flagship large engine manufacturing center in Lafayette Indiana serving more than 10000 global customers. Like all Cat engines the 3500E is backed by the Cat Global Dealer Network for equipment parts and service throughout product ownership.
