Alternative-Fueled Truck Demonstration Natural Gas Program: Caterpillar G3406LE Development and Demonstration

US Transportation Collection1995PDFResearch PaperHemsley, Geoffrey V.Modetz, Henry J.Acurex Environmental CorporationNational Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (U.S.)California Energy CommissionSouth Coast Air Quality Management District (Calif.)Southern California Gas CompanyTrucking Research InstituteNational Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.)CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaCompressed natural gasFuel gasFuelsInternal combustion enginesNatural gasSpark ignition enginesTrucksFR-94-123NREL/TP-425-6969In 1990, the California Energy Commission (CEC), the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), and the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) joined together to sponsor the development and demonstration of compressed natural gas (CNG) engines for Class 8 heavy-duty line-haul trucking applications. This program, complementing an existing methanol-fueled heavy-duty truck demonstration program, became part of an overall Alternative Fueled Truck Demonstration Program whose goal was to advance the technological development of alternative-fueled engines. In 1992, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), joined the partnership to cosponsor the development and demonstration of CNG heavy-duty engines for trucking applications. At the start of the Natural Gas Program, the development of natural gas heavy-duty engines was in its infancy and all engine manufacturers were concentrating on transit bus applications. Only one manufacturer, Caterpillar, Inc., was willing to develop an engine suitable for demonstration in a heavy-duty line-haul trucking application. In 1991, Acurex Environmental Corporation, as program manager for the Alternative-Fueled Truck Demonstration Program, issued a subcontract to Caterpillar to develop a CNG version of Caterpillar's 3406 industrial gas engine. Following its development, the G3406LE prototype engine was installed in a Ford LTLA-9000 AeroMax tractor operated by the Vons Companies, Inc. (Vons). The demonstration continued for 14 months, with the vehicle accumulating more than 48,270 km (30,000 mi).121