After the announcement to expand offerings to the oil and gas market in 2021, Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) has met the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stringent Tier 4 requirements to achieve full certification of their dual fuel capability additions to the QSK50 engine. Cummins Tier 4 engines are a trusted reliable solution for the oil and gas industry offering 20,000 hours plus life-to-overhaul, proven with more than eight million hours of operation across the over 1,000 units in the field. With 2.5 million hours in dual fuel engine operation between Tier 2 and Tier 4, the fuel upgrade brings a dependable solution helping customers save on fuel and reduce emissions, while maintaining optimum engine performance.
“Entering production in Q3 this year, this expansion of the QSK50 product line will supply our customers with a future-forward solution that cuts their emissions while continuing to provide proven reliable high-performance operation,” said Patricio Escobar, Cummins Oil & Gas Segment General Manager. “At a time where our customers, and the oil and gas industry, are ever-focused on reducing their environmental footprint and improving their financial performance, our dual fuel engine solution is a great addition to the ultra-low emission power portfolio.”
From cost saving to reduction in environmental impact, dual fuel has a number of key benefits when utilized in oil and gas applications. The reduction in diesel consumption when running in a dual fuel operation, helps to give customers both savings in operation expenses as well as reduce the impact transportation and refining has on the environment. The dual fuel application also provides customers with the reliability of a traditional diesel engine, by offering the same power density and transient response as its diesel-only counterparts, while operating at an optimized substitution rate tailored to the oil and gas market.
Cummins’ dual fuel solution will feature integrated controls, permitting a seamless transition from diesel fuel to dual fuel operation. When the engine is operating in dual fuel mode, natural gas is introduced into the intake system, reducing diesel consumption while maintaining power density, torque, and transient response matched to the base diesel engine.
The Cummins dual fuel solution is achieved via a kit of dual fuel components integrated with the QSK50 Tier 4 final engine. The kit will be available for first fit solutions and as a retrofittable solution to existing QSK50 Tier 4 final engines. Either solution will provide the customer flexibility in their operations, and deliver an improved total cost of ownership that customers have come to expect with a Cummins solution.