Highlighting clean diesel

The Diesel Technology Forum highlighted the evolution of diesel power as workhorse and economic engine through the transformation to near zero emissions with a future focus to help California and the US as a whole meet energy and climate goals at the EPA 10^th annual West Coast collaborative meeting.

Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum said at the event, ‘clean diesel is a national success story and for the last 10 years the West Coast Collaborative has played a key role in bringing stakeholders together. This will form a solid foundation for the future as attention shifts to increasing the penetration of new technology diesel engines and reducing carbon dioxide along with smog precursor NO_x. The inherent efficiencies of diesel technology coupled with the use of more renewable fuels and technology advances ensure it a continued key role in the future for California and beyond.’

Meeting the challenge

Schaeffer continued, ‘the future challenges for any advanced fuel and technology are to meet near zero emissions performance, increasing fuel economy mandates, customer need and demands, ROI, affordability, reliability, and maintainability, and make it all work in the real world. Clean diesel is meeting these challenges today and can meet these challenges for tomorrow.

‘Diesel technology plays a central role in the California economy, contributing more than US$ 13 billion on an annual basis here. To the broader US economy, diesel technology and fuels add US$ 483 billion in value and about 1.25 million jobs nationwide and are a high value export, accounting for US$ 46.2 billion in exports in 2009.

‘Diesel’s economic importance here in California is matched only by its progress in reducing emissions and improving California’s air quality.’

Particulate matters

Schaeffer also pointed out at the event that today in Southern California more fine particles come from brake and tire wear than from all on road diesel engines. He said that because of the major advancements in diesel fuels, it would take 60 of today’s new diesel trucks to equal the particulate emissions of just one made in 1988.

Schaeffer concluded, ‘over a decade ago the diesel industry was challenged to fundamentally transform its technology to meet near zero emissions levels. Meeting these emissions challenges has delivered tangible benefits to air quality and public health and will continue to pay dividends in the months and years ahead as more of the new generation technology replaces the old. These accomplishments represented here today have also now positioned diesel as a key technology in a sustainable future here in California and around the world.’

Edited from press release by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/08092014/clean-diesel-meeting-the-challenge/