CAT® 3512E TIER 4 DYNAMIC GAS BLENDING (DGB)™ ENGINE WINS U.S. EPA AWARD

At Caterpillar, we take pride in what we do and what we make possible – from the quality of our products and services to the people who stand behind them. But what matters to us most is how we help customers build a better world. 

The Cat® 3512E engine system is a powerful example of that commitment. The 3512E with DGB is the first and only Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) engine in the industry certified to U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final emission standards. And, it’s a recent recipient of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2020 Clean Air Excellence Award in the Clean Air Technology category.  

WHAT IS THE CLEAN AIR EXCELLENCE AWARD? 

This is the 17th year that the EPA has recognized individuals and organizations for their innovative efforts with clean air projects. In selecting recipients for the award, the EPA considers criteria such as the technology’s ability to encourage a reduction in emissions, the innovative and unique quality of the technology, and positive efforts that promote continuous and sustainable outcomes. “Our winners’ inspirational dedication to environmental protection is a model for all of us, and we look forward to many more years of clean air innovation and collaboration,” said Anne Austin, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

Learn more about the Clean Air Excellence Awards and the 2020 winners here. 

WHAT IS DYNAMIC GAS BLENDING?

Dynamic Gas Blending engines can utilize both natural gas and diesel fuel to power an application depending on which is available, lowering their total cost of ownership. In an oil and gas well service operation, customers can capture gas that would otherwise be expelled from the operation into the atmosphere and use it to fuel the engine. When gas is not available, diesel fuel can be used. This innovative dual-fuel technology enables the engine to automatically maximize the amount of natural gas used to displace diesel and offers the industry’s best diesel displacement rate of up to 85%. This means an engine that burns 100 gallons of diesel an hour in 100% diesel mode can burn as little as 15 gallons an hour in dual-fuel mode. 

It’s also the only DGB engine in the industry available with automatic start-stop technology that can cut nonproductive idle time by 60% and fuel consumption by 8.5%. The 3512E Tier 4 Final DGB engine can help customers reduce their diesel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while maintaining the power, performance, reliability and ease of maintenance and packaging they expect from Cat diesel engines.

THE TEAM MEMBERS, PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS BEHIND THE INNOVATION

The engine’s technological advancement is a testament to the experience and capability of the team who made it possible.

“This product aligns with long legacy of innovating on behalf of our customers and reflects our commitment to help customers achieve their goals for sustainability/ESG and total cost of ownership,” said Vice President Tana Utley who accepted the award on behalf of Caterpillar at a virtual event in January. “Many Caterpillar engineers, myself included, have built a career on the journey to reduce diesel emissions from heavy equipment to near-zero levels. Dynamic gas blending is another game-changing step on our journey to help customers build a better world. I’m proud of our development team for their hard work and deep expertise as well as our manufacturing team whose skills build this complex engine system with the highest quality and reliability”.

THE POTENTIAL IMPACT FOR GOOD

The 3512E DGB engine provides a lower fuel cost, a smaller environmental footprint and robust diesel performance. To meet the needs of our customers, Caterpillar offers both new factory sales of the 3512E DGB as well as retrofit kits to enable the use of DGB technology on existing 3512E diesel engines. For well service operations in the Permian basin alone, conversion to the 3512E DGB engine has the potential to:

• Save up to 970 million gallons of diesel annually
• Reduce flaring emissions by 58% annually
• Lower equivalent CO2 emissions by 45% annually 
• Decrease diesel truck traffic by 18 million miles annually