未來幾年，全球大型都市區域將對車輛動力系統的環保和可持續性提出更高要求，北美和歐洲市場預計也將大幅提升對 NOX 和 CO2 的排放限制。在此背景之下，公路和非公路設備對替代燃料動力系統解決方案的需求也將與日俱增。
長期以來，CNH Industrial (凱斯紐荷蘭工業公司) 一直在探索替代燃料動力系統在更多場景中的應用，并可提供一系列基于多種不同替代燃料動力系統的商用車輛，包括天然氣、甲烷、生物柴油及生物乙醇等。替代燃料動力系統解決方案的研發一直是 CNH工業公司研發戰略的重要組成部分之一。另外，其動力系統業務部FPT Industrial (菲亞特動力科技公司) 則可以提供一系列種類豐富的天然氣發動機產品，輸出功率在 136 到 400 hp (101 到 298 kW) 之間，可用于支持包括輕型、中型和重型車輛的多種應用場景，是天然氣發動機市場當之無愧的領跑者。此外，FPT 公司還在進行針對農機設備的天然氣發動機研發，目前也已經進入測試后期。
FPT 公司品牌總裁、CNH 工業公司集團執行委員會成員 Annalisa Stupenengo 表示，“天然氣是最環保的內燃發動機燃料，幾乎可以杜絕潛在有害污染物的排放，從而優化當地空氣質量，并通過大幅降低 CO2 排放，緩解全球變暖。天然氣內燃機的噪聲更低，可以優化車上人員的駕乘體驗。此外，憑借公司的化學計量技術，我們天然氣發動機產品的可靠性和燃料經濟性都能得到保證，總擁有成本 (Total Cost of Ownership) 非常具有競爭力。”
隨著各國政府開始愈發關注降低國內的碳足跡，天然氣作為一種清潔燃燒技術，也受到了越來越多的關注。長期以來，交通運輸領域一直是城市空氣污染的主要來源，占歐洲溫室氣體排放的近四分之一，美國溫室氣體排放的四分之一以上。為了應對這些挑戰，歐洲各國開始堅決向低排放（包括二氧化碳和污染物排放）交通運輸方式轉型，并進一步加強零排放區域的建設。
過去幾年中，美國的天然氣行業經歷了前所未有的發展：與 2005 年水平相比，2013 年，美國的天然氣產量增加了 33%。馬塞勒斯 (Marcellus) 和尤蒂卡盆地 (Utica Basins) 天然氣產量的快速增長對全美基礎設施的建設發展尤為重要。這一趨勢預計將一直持續到 2030 年。美國《能源政策法案(2005)》(Energy Policy Act of 2005 - EPAct) 下設的可再生能源燃料標準項目 (Renewable Fuel Standard Program- RFS) 旨在提高可再生能源燃料的產量，即在 2022 年前將傳統生物燃料的產量提高 50 億噸，先進生物燃料的產量提高 250億噸。在一定程度上，美國天然氣行業的發展也是PEAct法案推動的結果。
在這種情況下，交通運輸領域，特別是城市地區，將需要大量投資，以實現向“零排放推進系統”的轉型，而“NOX 排放幾乎為零的”天然氣發動機將作為一種“有效”替代能源系統，在任何不具備充電基礎設施（原因可能為建設條件不成熟或成本過高）的地區發揮重要作用。在新標準之下，預計公開招標將主要面向具備大規模生產低排放設備條件的制造商進行。
自 1997 年以來，FPT 公司一直在進行“替代燃料推進系統”的研發。Stupenengo 解釋說，“我們的 F1、NEF 和 Cursor 替代燃料發動機已經做好了上市準備，可以支持壓縮天然氣 (CNG)、液化天然氣 (LNG) 或可再生能源（生物甲烷）等多種燃料。這些發動機可適用于商用車輛、客車及其他多種公路車輛。另外，為了滿足非公路設備對天然氣推進系統的需求，目前，我們還在研發多款適用于非公路設備的天然氣發動機原型（比如 NEF 6 NG）。”
目前，FPT 公司的天然氣發動機產品已經過專門優化和校準，可以實現與柴油機相仿的性能，并同時將燃料消耗降低 10 %，CO2排放水平也更低。
Stupenengo表示，“此外，目前我們還正在與 CNH 工業公司的另一家子公司紐荷蘭農機設備 (New Holland Agriculture)，合作開發一款采用替代燃料拖拉機。這款拖拉機的原型為紐荷蘭暢銷全球的 T6 甲烷動力拖拉機。總的來說，替代能源拖拉機可以為全球減排創造新的機會，并協助各地農民實現燃料自給自足。”
與同級別的柴油拖拉機相比，第二代 T6 甲烷拖拉機不但可以降低燃料成本，而且減排水平高達 80%。另外，這款拖拉機還可以通過采用生物甲烷燃料，進一步降低CO2排放。
作為未來最為重要的可持續替代燃料之一，生物甲烷的生產非常容易，生產原料非常易得，包括農業廢料、肥料、植物或食物殘渣等。這種替代燃料動力系統非常適用于農機設備等一系列應用，目前也已經應用至一些公路車輛。
2016 年，FPT推出了 Cursor 9 CNG 天然氣發動機，這也是目前市面上最強勁的 9-L 天然氣發動機產品。這款發動機在 2000 轉時的功率輸出為 400 hp；1200 轉時的最高扭矩輸出高達 1700 N·m，而且排放水平完全滿足歐六法規要求。依維柯 (Iveco) 集團曾在歐洲市場推出了首款適用于長途運輸任務的 Stralis NP 天然氣卡車。這款Stralis NP卡車即采用了 FPT 公司的 Cursor 9 天然氣發動機，并配備了雙液化天然氣儲罐，續航里程可達 1500 公里 (930 英里)。
未來，天然氣燃料動力系統可能會面臨哪些挑戰？Stupenengo 簡要表示，“我們希望可以在非公路設備市場中，為替代燃料動力系統找到更多的應用機會，但由于壓縮天然氣和液化石油氣燃料的能量密度相對較低，我們可能不得不面臨自動化水平受限的挑戰。而在歐洲絕大部分地區和美國地區，有關生物氣燃料的法規及相應基礎設施均不成熟。此外，盡管我們認為天然氣發動機在全球新興市場中的潛力非常巨大，但我們的天然氣產品還尚未打入這些新興市場。未來，憑借我們在天然氣發動機領域的領先優勢以及 CNH 工業公司其他姐妹公司提供的強力支持，FPT將堅持繼續進行替代燃料發動機研發和產品繼續優化。”
本文內容基于對 FPT 品牌總裁、CNH 集團執行委員會成員 Annalisa Stupenengo 的采訪，屬于《卡車與非公路工程》“高管視角（Executive Viewpoints）”年度系列報道的一部分。
The demand for greater environmental sustainability in urban areas coupled with the upcoming reforms that are expected to drastically reduce limits on NOx and CO2 in North America and within the European Union signal a growing requirement for alternative power solutions in both on-road transport and further afield in the off-road machinery segments in the years to come.
Alternative fuels are a key part of CNH Industrial’s product development strategy as the company continues to research their uses as well as provide an existing range of market-ready commercial vehicles powered by natural gas, biomethane, biodiesel and bioethanol. Its powertrain business, FPT Industrial, is a market leader in natural gas engines, offering the broadest engine range with solutions from 136 to 400 hp (101 to 298 kW) for light, medium, and heavy vehicles. The brand is also in the advanced stages of trialing natural gas engines for agricultural equipment.
“Natural gas is the most eco-friendly fuel for internal combustion engines. It improves local air quality by nearly eliminating potentially harmful pollutants and mitigates global warming by significantly reducing CO2 emissions. It also lowers engine noise. Furthermore, natural gas offers a competitive Total Cost of Ownership thanks to the well-tested reliability and fuel economy of our stoichiometric technology,” said Annalisa Stupenengo, Brand President of FPT Industrial and a member of CNH Industrial’s Group Executive Council.
Natural gas is getting more attention as governments look to reduce their nation’s environmental footprint. Transport is the main cause of air pollution in cities representing almost a quarter of Europe's greenhouse gas emissions and over a quarter in the United States. Europe's answer to these challenges is an irreversible shift to low-emission mobility in terms of carbon and air pollutants—and further on, the enforcement of zero emission zones.
The U.S. natural gas industry has undergone a change of unprecedented magnitude and pace, with production increasing by 33% between 2005 and 2013. The rapid growth of production in the Marcellus and Utica Basins has been most important for infrastructure, a trend that is expected to continue to 2030. This has been stimulated in part by the Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS) created under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct). It aims to achieve higher volumes in renewable fuel categories such as Conventional Biofuel by 5 billion tons and Advanced Biofuel by up to 25 billion tons by 2022.
As a result, transportation, especially urban, could require significant investment in order to evolve towards zero-emission propulsion systems, while a “near 0 NOx” natural gas engine could represent a valid alternative in all the areas where electric infrastructure is not available or too costly. With new standards, public tenders are foreseen to be most accessible to manufacturers that are equipped to produce low-emission machines on a large scale.
FPT Industrial has been developing alternative propulsion systems since 1997. “Our market-ready F1, NEF and Cursor engines can be powered by natural gas in its compressed (CNG), liquefied (LNG) or renewable form (biomethane). These engines can be fitted into commercial vehicles, buses and other on-road applications. We are developing prototype engines (such as the NEF 6 NG engine) to satisfy the future demand for natural gas propulsion in the off-road sectors,” Stupenengo explained.
In terms of key projects, the brand is working on natural gas engines that deliver diesel-equivalent performance, while reducing fuel consumption by 10%, optimizing engine and calibration to reduce CO2 emissions.
“The development of a tractor that runs on alternative fuels together with New Holland Agriculture, also part of CNH Industrial’s brand portfolio, is an on-going project that we are proud to be pioneering with prototypes of the New Holland T6 Methane Power tractor working at farms in various international locations. This opens up great opportunities for achieving overall greenhouse gas reduction targets, and will enable farmers to become fuel self-sufficient,” said Stupenengo.
The second-generation T6 Methane Power tractor can bring down fuel costs, has 80% lower polluting emissions than a standard diesel tractor, and can further reduce CO2 emissions by using biomethane.
Increasingly seen as one of the most important and sustainable alternative fuels for the future, biomethane can be produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, plant material or food waste. It is ideal for applications such as agriculture and can already be used to power on-road vehicles.
Regarding recent important milestones, 2016 saw the launch of the Cursor 9 CNG, the most powerful 9-L CNG engine on the market. It offers up to 400 hp at 2000 rpm, and torque up to 1700 N·m (1254 lb·ft) at 1200 rpm. At the same time, its emissions are lower than that of a Euro VI. Off the back of this, we saw the European introduction of the Iveco Stralis NP (Natural Power): the first natural gas truck suitable for long-distance missions. The truck is fitted with a Cursor 9 engine, with a dual LNG tank, guaranteeing a fuel range of up to 1500 km (930 mi).
So what are the future challenges that face this powertrain business? Stupenengo sums it up succinctly: “As we explore opportunities for alternative solutions in the off-highway market, we are faced with different hurdles such as how to combat the limitations of autonomy due to the low energy density of CNG and LPG. Legislation for biogas is premature across many parts of continental Europe and the U.S. together with the plans for their supporting infrastructure. It also has yet to be introduced in emerging markets where we see great potential for natural gas engines. That said, we are optimistic that our leadership in natural gas engines and the synergies offered by our sister brands in the CNH Industrial portfolio will provide us with the authority and solutions that we need to further develop and evolve our products.”
FPT Industrial submitted this interview with Annalisa Stupenengo, Brand President of FPT Industrial and a member of CNH Industrial’s Group Executive Council, for Truck & Off-Highway Engineering’s annual Executive Viewpoints series.
Author: Annalisa Stupenengo
Source: SAE Truck & Off-highway Engineering Magazine
Cursor 9 CNG 天然氣發動機
FPT 公司品牌總裁、CNH 工業公司集團執行委員會成員 Annalisa Stupenengo 表示，“天然氣是最環保的內燃機燃料?！?/span>