A prototype 2007 ISL Cummins diesel engine equipped with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), diesel particle filter (DPF), variable geometry turbocharger (VGT), and cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) was tested at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) under a high-load accelerated durability cycle for 1000 hours with B20 soy-based biodiesel blends and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel to determine the impact of B20 on engine durability, performance, emissions, and fuel consumption. At the completion of the 1000-hour test, a thorough engine teardown evaluation of the overhead, power transfer, cylinder, cooling, lube, air handling, gaskets, aftertreatment, and fuel system parts was performed.
The engine operated successfully with no biodiesel-related failures. Results indicate that engine performance was essentially the same when tested at 125 and 1000 hours of accumulated durability operation. Emission data indicate that THC, CO, and PM levels were not significantly different between the B20 and ULSD fuel, and as expected, the emission-grade B20 fuel resulted in higher NOx than the ULSD fuel. Within the expected range, fuel consumption was observed to be higher with B20 than 2007 certified ULSD. There were no failures found on the engine components that were attributable to running B20 biodiesel. The wear and deposits found were normal and consistent with findings from parts that ran with ASTM D975 #2 fuel in similar tests.
