Dual fuel system can save trucking operators up to 20 per cent, manufacturers claim.
Australian companies Diesel Gas Connection and Peel Instruments have partnered to provide truck operators with a diesel LPG blend system, converting a range of diesel engines to a dual-fuel alternative.
The collaborators, fitters Diesel Gas Connection and manufacturer and designer Peel Instruments, claim to increase torque and save fuel with an electronically-controlled and monitored LPG injection system, while also reducing emissions, such as particulate matter.
Peel Instruments says the conversion, which doesn’t require an engine rebuild or invasive intervention, provides medium-to-heavy truck operators with fuel savings up to 20 per cent; reduced stopping time due to increased fuel economy; and better engine longevity as oil remains cleaner.
According to Peel, a Freightliner with a 15-litre 620hp Cummins engine is saving $0.10 per kilometre after the conversion, using a 16 to 17 per cent LPG blend.
Mid-sized vehicles, such as six- to eight-litre Hino, Isuzu or Mitsubishi trucks, see a 10 to 25 per cent net gain in diesel consumption, Peel says, while a 5.7-litre Mercedes-Benz bus engine reported savings between 10 and 15 per cent.
The company says during three rounds of testing with a 14-litre, six-cylinder Ford truck, travelling 1,000km on diesel-only, a 10.5 per cent LPG blend, or an 18.5 per cent LPG blend, cost $860.25, $756.57, and $701.45 respectively.
The savings equate to $73,900 over a 500,000km period, including the $5,500 conversion cost.
Peel Instruments says conversions can take place on pre- and post-2003 vehicles. However, emissions testing must take place for the newer engines.