Cummins Dual Fuel Engines for Drilling - Cummins Engines https://cumminsengines.

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Cummins Dual Fuel Engines for Drilling

Cummins produces the QSK50 dual fuel engine for land-based oil and gas drilling applications. This
innovative engine design allows users to power their operations with 100 percent diesel or a mixture
of diesel and natural gas.

How Does Dual Fuel Work?

In dual fuel mode, natural gas is introduced

into the engine’s intake system. The air-to-
natural gas mixture is then drawn into the
cylinder, just as it would be in a spark-ignited
engine, but with a leaner air-to-fuel ratio.
Near the end of the compression stroke,
diesel fuel is injected and ignites, causing the
natural gas to burn.

A dual fuel engine can operate on 100

percent diesel fuel or the substitution mixture
of diesel and natural gas, delivering the
same power density, torque curve and
transient response as the base diesel
engine.

Benefits of Dual Fuel Engines

In the oil and gas market, fuel is one of the

largest contributors to total cost of
operation. Cummins Dual Fuel engines allow
for impressive reductions in these costs. The
rapid expansion and abundance of natural
gas in some areas of the world provides a
dramatic cost advantage.

The Cummins Dual Fuel QSK50’s

integrated controls optimize substitution rate based on operating conditions, to seamlessly and automatically
transition between diesel fuel and dual fuel modes. The ability to operate on 100 percent diesel fuel or dual fuel
modes provides flexibility based on local availability of natural gas.

Understanding Substitution Rate

A critical parameter for dual fuel operation is the

substitution rate – the portion of total fuel energy
provided by natural gas. A maximum substitution rate
of 70 percent can be achieved with Cummins Dual
Fuel for applications with high load factors.

This figure illustrates substitution rate through the

operating range for a typical well servicing
application. The sweet spot is where the highest
substitution rates are achieved, delivering the

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Cummins Dual Fuel Engines for Drilling - Cummins Engines https://cumminsengines.com/dual-fuel

greatest reduction in fuel costs.

Fuel and Emissions

There is flexibility with the quality of gas an operator

uses. An operator can run on a lower-cost, lower-
quality gas at a lower substitution rate, or use a higher-quality fuel at a slightly higher cost with a higher substitution
rate.

In the United States, dual fuel engines must meet applicable compression ignition emissions regulations. While
specifics may vary, typically an oxidation catalyst to lower carbon monoxide (CO) and non-methane hydrocarbon
(NMHC) emissions is required.

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Related Brochures

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online.

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Dig Deeper:

Oil & Gas

Drilling
Well Servicing
Gas Compression
Dual Fuel
Factory Customized Packages

Cummins Inc, Box 3005,

Columbus, IN 47202-3005 USA

©2014-2016 Cummins Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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