250,000 new commercial heavy duty trucks were sold in 2014—more than 95 percent of them powered by clean diesel technology utilizing Selective Catalytic Reduction Systems (SCR) technology, according to Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. Speaking at the 7th Integer Emissions Summit USA organized by Integer Research in Chicago, Schaeffer said this trend is reducing emissions and increasing fuel efficiency across the board from passenger cars to large marine and rail engines.
“SCR-based systems are helping manufacturers balance the competing goals of lower emissions and increased fuel efficiency,” Schaeffer said during his presentation. “They are a ‘game-changer’ that helps ensure that clean diesel power is the technology of choice for the foreseeable future.”
He noted that more than one-third of all commercial trucks (Class 3-8) on the road today in the U.S. are using the first generation new clean diesel technology and nearly 16 percent of all registered commercial trucks are using the latest generation technology featuring SCR.
“In just about five months, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will issue what is already a closely-watched proposal that will establish higher fuel efficiency requirements from commercial trucks in the years ahead,” Schaeffer said.
SCR is an advanced active emissions control technology system that injects a liquid-reductant agent through a special catalyst into the exhaust stream of a diesel engine. The reductant source is usually automotive-grade urea, otherwise known as Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). The DEF sets off a chemical reaction that converts nitrogen oxides into nitrogen, water and tiny amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is then expelled through the vehicle tailpipe.
