The triumph of the "tin horse." - diesel locomotives

In the 19th Century, the railroads revolutionized U.S. industry. In the 20th Century, the diesel locomotive revolutionized the railroads--and the revolution continues.

"The diesel locomotive came onto the scene as a new tool at the very time when our railway system was badly in need of just what such a tool had to offer," wrote H. L. Hamilton, founder of Electro-Motive Co., in the September 1956 Centennial edition of Railway Age. "The effect this new tool had is now very apparent."

The dieselization of the U.S. railroad industry cannot be traced to a single event, a single type of locomotive, or a single supplier. Many railroads resisted dieselization until their steam fleets became quite long in the tooth, but economics and market conditions, according to William L. Withuhn, curator of transportation at the Smithsonian Institute, forced them to eventually dieselize. Thus, dieselization can be viewed as market-driven, rather than railroad-driven. The actual transformation from steam to diesel (specifically, diesel-electric) took place over the greater part of three decades spanning the mid-1920s to the late 1950s.

* Early efforts. Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 1000, a 60-ton, 300-hp boxcab diesel-electric switcher developed by American Locomotive Co. (ALCO), General Electric (GE), and Ingersoll-Rand (IR), which entered revenue service in 1925, is regarded as the first commercially successful diesel locomotive. It served CNJ's Bronx Terminal for 32 years. Shortly after CNJ's purchase, the Baltimore & Ohio acquired a similar unit, which was placed in service at the 26th St. yard in Manhattan. No. 1000 now resides at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.

No. 1000, while uncomplicated and unglamorous compared to the superpower steam locomotives being built at the time, was a harbinger of things to come. Oliver Jensen, in The American Heritage-History of Railroads in America, wrote about the advantages of No. 1000 and the diesels that have followed it: "At first, this power was used entirely in switching operations, for which the diesel was ideally suited; it developed maximum power in starting and at low speeds, and it did not have to waste time in taking on huge amounts of water. When new, it spent less time than its steam counterpart undergoing repairs. One did not start a little fire and build it into a big one; one pushed a self-starter."

The development of the "tin horse," as Jensen termed the diesel locomotive, goes back much further than No. 1000. The heart of the diesel locomotive, the diesel powerplant itself, got its name from Dr. Rudolph Diesel, a German scientist and inventor who devised an internal-combustion engine based upon the concept of compression ignition of fuel.

Dr. Diesel was not alone in the development of this type )f powerplant. Charles Ackroyd Stuart obtained an English patent on a compression-ignition engine in 1888, four years before Dr. Diesel. The English firm Hornsby and Company began manufacture of a compression-ignition engine in the 1880s; the design was acquired by the DeLaVergne Refrigerating Machine Co. in 1891, which used the technology to power compressors for a growing refrigeration industry.

Dr. Diesel, meanwhile, began licensing his technology to several German, English, and U.S. firms, which took his basic concept and tried to improve upon it. Many met with failure, but among the successful firms was the Diesel Motor Co. of America, New York, N.Y., founded in 1898 by Adolphus Busch (of Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co., St. Louis, Mo.).

In 1911, Busch, along with Dr. Diesel and the Swiss firm Sulzer Brothers, formed the Busch-Sulzer Brothers Diesel Engine Co., St. Louis, which became one of the largest manufacturers of stationary and marine powerplants in the U.S. The company, however, did not produce a diesel locomotive powerplant until 1935, when it provided a 10-cylinder unit for an Illinois Central locomotive built by GE.

Irrigation agreement for Iveco motors: engine supply agreement with Rainbow Irrigation continues Iveco's North American market growth

Iveco Motors of North America Inc., a Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) company, has announced an engine supply agreement with Rainbow Irrigation Systems, Fitzgerald, Ga., to power a line of Rainbow's centrifugal irrigation pumps.

"Our customers are very concerned with their applications' fuel consumption levels," said Jamie Mann, co-owner of Rainbow. "After researching and testing engines, we realized that Iveco's fuel consumption rates are significantly lower."

With Over 200 dealers in North, Central and South America, Rainbow distributes between 250 to 300 irrigation pump sets a year. Rainbow also manufactures construction, dewatering and hard hose traveler applications, as well as a line of Deere-powered irrigation pumping units, a line of irrigation power units, Deutz-powered irrigation generator sets from 5 to 25 kW, and a line of standby gen-sets from 10 to 300 kW.

Rainbow, said Jaime and Terry Mann, is a highly vertically integrated manufacturer which includes manufacturing its own line of centrifugal pumps. Currently, many of the company's pump and gen-sets go to agricultural dealers, as well as into rental applications. While pumps sets for irrigation are the company's primary product range, in recent years Rainbow has begun to expand into a variety of industrial and construction markets for all its product ranges.

Rainbow will be installing Iveco's NEF 4NA, NEF 4TC, NEF 4TAA, NEF 6NA and NEF 6TAA in its centrifugal irrigation pump sets, which will be used for agricultural irrigation, turf irrigation and industrial applications. The centrifugal irrigation pumps will also have the option of being clutch-mounted or direct-drive.

The NEF 4TC has a gross power output of 99 hp at 2300 rpm, the NEF 4TAA is rated 126 hp at 2300 rpm and the NEF 4NA produces 80 hp at 2300 rpm.

The NEF 4TC and NEF 4TAA are both turbocharged, four-cylinder, inline diesel engines, with the NEF 4TAA being aftercooled. The NEF 4NA is naturally aspirated, four-cylinder, inline diesel. All of the NEF engines have a mechanical injection system and a displacement of 4.5 L.

The NEF 6TAA and NEF 6NA are both 6.7 L, six-cylinder, inline diesels. The NEF 6TAA is a turbocharged, aftercooled diesel with a mechanical injection system and is rated 173 hp at 2300 rpm. The NEF 6NA is naturally aspirated with a rotary pump and produces 109 hp at 2500 rpm.

The activities of Iveco Motors of North America, together with all the other activities around the world, converged in March 2005, in the Trucks & Industrial product line of Fiat Power-train Technologies (FPT). The new sector of the Fiat Group integrates all the group's capabilities and expertise in engines and transmissions.

Iveco Motors of North America began official operation in Carol Stream, Ill., in January 2004. Now entering its third year as an engine supplier for the North American markets, Vincenzo Perrone, vice president and general manager said, "since we started, we have developed good and even growth in every sector in which we are present." Perrone said that for 2005, Iveco Motors of North America finished 40% ahead of its target sales in the power generation, industrial and marine markets.

The company has established a network of 22 engine distributors throughout North America and has established a spare parts distribution warehouse, managed by NewStream Enterprises, in Springfield, Mo., to support its engine applications. "This allows us to provide our customers a faster and more efficient delivery of spare parts in the North American marketplace," Perrone said.

Iveco also signed an exclusive agreement with Impco Technologies Inc., to use Impco's Eclipse low-pressure natural gas fuel system on Iveco's NEF gas engines. Production of the NEF 5.9 L natural gas engine began in November 2005 for use in power generation and industrial stationary applications.

Caterpillar Dealer Identity: Customer Loyalty and an Extraordinary Partnership

Caterpillar is an organization that has fine-tuned its brand and knows its value in the marketplace. The dilemma is giving that value and the associated relationships with customers a dear presence across an international network of independent dealers. Martin Gierke probes the issues surrounding this problem and describes what Caterpillar is doing to partner the corporate brand effectively with the companies that actually sell and service its products.

A relatively small number of events in 2004 quietly marked a significant milestone for Caterpillar Inc. -the 100th anniversary of the technology that led to the formation of the company. The story of Caterpillar dates back to the late nineteenth century, when Daniel Best and Benjamin Holt each experimented with ways to fulfill the promise steam tractors held for farming. Prior to the merger that formed Caterpillar Tractor Co. in 1925, The Holt Manufacturing Company and C.L. Best Tractor Co. had individually pioneered gasoline-powered track-type tractors (Figures 1,2, and 3).

In 1931, Caterpillar created a separate engine sales group to market diesel engines to other original equipment manufacturers. This group was replaced in 1953 with a sales and marketing division to better serve the needs of a broad range of engine customers. Today, Caterpillar is a leading player in the diesel engine and power generation markets. Engine sales now account for approximately one-third of the company's total sales and revenues. Cat engines power everything from onhighway trucks, buses, ships, pleasure boats, and locomotives to earth-moving, construction, and material-handling equipment. Through generating systems, Cat engines supply power to areas inaccessible to utility power grids, including off-shore oil drilling rigs, remote mines, and isolated communities. Cat generator sets provide emergency power to hospitals, schools, factories, office buildings, and airports. Caterpillar is also the leading supplier of industrial gas turbines through its subsidiary, Solar Turbines Inc., which was purchased in 1981. In 1963, Caterpillar and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. formed one of the first joint ventures in Japan to include US ownership. Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd. started production in 1965 in a new facility at Sagamihara, 28 miles southwest of Tokyo. Renamed Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ltd. in 1987 to reflect an expansion of the original agreement, the joint venture today is the number-two maker of construction and mining equipment in Japan. In early 2003, Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi announced plans to expand into the Asian region.

Following a boom period in the 1970s, the worldwide recession of the early 1980s forced Caterpillar to look at long-term changes to lessen the adverse impact of future economic downturns. Among the changes was a $1.8 billion facility modernization program launched in 1987 to streamline the manufacturing process. Caterpillar also diversified the product line to meet a greater variety of customer needs and to reduce sensitivity to economic cycles.

To better focus on critical product and service areas, Caterpillar made several organizational changes during the 1980s. In 1983, Caterpillar Leasing Company was expanded to offer equipment financing options to its customers worldwide and was renamed Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation. The Caterpillar Tractor Co. changed its name in 1986 to Caterpillar Inc.-a more accurate reflection of the enterprise's growing diversity. In 1990, Caterpillar reorganized into business units, with each accountable for its own results. The company continues to fine-tune the organization, which today includes more than 25 business units.

Caterpillar products are manufactured in 50 US facilities and in 65 other locations, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Poland, Russia and South Africa. In addition to manufacturing, customers around the globe are served by worldwide Caterpillar facilities focused on marketing, research and design, financial products, and training.

Caterpillar is well known for its product support capability, and an extensive network ensures that Cat dealers are able to deliver parts when and where they are needed. A manufacturing and transportation logistics network supports the needs of internal Caterpillar customers, while Caterpillar Logistics Services Inc. builds on the global distribution expertise of the parent company to provide customized distribution solutions for nearly 50 external clients. Cat Logistics operates more than 95 offices and facilities in 25 countries on six continents.

Green power taking hold in South Carolina

Green power purchase programs continue to take hold in the United States for a variety of reasons, some of which include more economical and technically advanced methods for harnessing and generating renewable energy, as well as an increased willingness of utilities to address public demand for power produced from renewable energy sources. One of the more popular and cost-effective methods of generating green power is the use of gases produced as a result of natural decomposition of waste at landfill sites.

While capturing landfill gases for use in power generation is nothing new, the sophistication of the gas collection and cleaning systems has evolved over the years. Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility, started its green power purchase program in 2001 with the opening of the 2.2 MW Horry County generating station near Conway, S.C. This was followed by the opening of the 5.4 MW Lee County generating station, dedicated in April 2005 in Bishopville.

And in March of this year, Santee Cooper commissioned a 5.5 MW gas turbine generating station in Richland County. All three projects are fueled by gas from adjacent landfill sites. As the largest power provider in South Carolina, Santee Cooper directly serves more than 150,000 residential and commercial customers in Berkeley, Horry and Georgetown counties and generates the electricity distributed to more than 665,000 customers in all 46 counties by the state's 20 electric cooperatives. Santee Cooper also supplies power to 31 large industries, the municipal utilities in Bamberg and Georgetown, and the Charleston Air Force Base. With a diverse fuel and energy supply that includes predominantly coal-based generating assets, the company also has a mix of nuclear power, hydro power and gas-fired combustion turbines, as well as its nascent green power initiatives.

Green power is offered to residential customers in blocks of 100 kWh each. Because it costs more to produce green power than by conventional means, a $3 premium is charged on a customer's electric bill. Commercial customers are offered green power in blocks of 200 kWh each for a $6 premium.

"We know that the landfill gas is the best option in South Carolina for what's called a renewable energy source," explained Elizabeth Kress, principal engineer of capital projects for Santee Cooper. "We have started with the landfill gas and we have a plan in place to go out to 11 different landfill sites across the state and develop those landfills into projects. We will now have four of the 11 after June."

The state is growing at a tremendous rate, which makes planning for future energy needs critical. South Carolina's population is increasing about 3 to 4% annually and the state is expected to have five million residents by 2025. Santee Cooper's growth rate in its direct serve area has averaged 3% over the past five years.

"We've taken our renewables program in the order of least cost first," Kress said. "We're looking at the other renewable resources out there to see what does make sense. So we're assessing all the resources out there, including other types of biogas, solar and wind, but we know the landfill gas is a good option so Santee Cooper has moved ahead strong with that.

"The premium paid for green power is being used to reinvest into other green power projects."

The Lee County generating facility was recently recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) as a 2005 LMOP Project of the Year. Other team members recognized include GE Jenbacher, the supplier of the generator sets, and Allied Waste, the operator of the landfill. The Lee County plant is expected to grow to 12 units, producing 21.6 MW by 2010. Santee Cooper expects to have a total of 54 MW of green power online by 2012.

The Lee County generating station, Santee Cooper's second green power generating facility, was dedicated in April 2005 and consists of three 1800 kW GE Jenbacher gas engines for a total output of 5400 kW. The LEANOx J616GS gas engines, manufactured at GE Jenbacher's facilities in Austria, drive 4160 V Kato Engineering generators at 1800 rpm through Eickhoff speed increasing gearboxes. The engines have N[O.sub.x] emissions of 0.5 g/bhp-hr under normal operating conditions.

Other major components at the Lee County site include Woodward SPMD synchronizing systems, Thompson Technology generator breakers, SEL generator protection relays, Eaton Cutler-Hammer motor control centers, Silex silencers, radiators from Sutton Stromart and vibration isolators from Getzner. The ExxonMobil Pegasus gas engine lube oil flows through Tranter plate frame heat exchangers.

Regenerative exhaust filters clean up Virginia power plant: reducing visible smoke in growing area goal of $1.1 million project

Like many electrical power plants built in pre-emissions times, the VMEA Generation Plant in Manassas, Va., was originally built in a remote area, literally "out in the country." Built in 1990, the 24 MW plant has 16 Caterpillar 3516A-powered generator sets providing peak electrical power for the city of Manassas and the other VMEA members, all nearby municipalities. The 12,600 sq.ft. plant is owned by the Virginia Municipal Electric Association (VMEA), a seven-member purchase power group.

Over time, the area around the plant has been developed, said Jamie Hester, generation supervisor for the power plant. An industrial park is now close by, and more recently a highway bypass routes thousands of people past the plant daily.

With environmental concerns becoming increasingly important for such facilities and a top priority for the City of Manassas Utility Dept., a two-year study was conducted by Aegis Environmental, Richmond, Va., to reduce visible smoke from the VMEA Generation Plant.he result was a $1.1 million project to install 16 regenerative exhaust filter/silencer systems at the plant. Manufactured by CleanAIR Systems, Santa Fe, N.M., the first filter/silencer was installed as a pilot project in late 2005. Results from the pilot installation showed a 90% reduction in visible emissions. The remaining 15 filter/ silencers were due to be installed by the end of April.

Founded in 1993, CleanAIR is an integrated manufacturer of complete emission control systems for almost all types of engines for both mobile and stationary applications.

For the VMEA installation, the CleanAIR filters are a custom-designed regenerative exhaust filter and silencer package specifically designed to fit into the same installation envelope as the exhaust silencers they are replacing. CleanAIR took a flat "race track"-type silencer design and redesigned and repackaged it to fit the vertical installation required at VMEA.

The regenerative exhaust filters at the VMEA plant are part of CleanAIR's Permit Filter system. A catalyzed diesel particulate filter verified by CARB for Level 3 (greater than 85%) particulate matter reduction on emergency standby generators, the Permit Filter system also reduces emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and odor by greater than 90%, said CleanAIR's Daniel Serrano.

He said the design of the Permit Filter controls PM by removing particulates of carbon from the engine's exhaust. The filter is made of a cordierite ceramic honeycomb with thousands of parallel channels. To control the flow of exhaust gas, 0.5 in. long plugs are placed in the end of half of the channels, forming a checkerboard pattern.

Plugs are also placed in the other end of the filter to form the same checkerboard pattern, offset by one. This checkerboard arrangement of plugs forces the exhaust gases through the porous, thin ceramic honeycomb walls. When the gases carrying the carbon particles flow through the fine pores of the walls, the carbon particles are filtered out of the exhaust gases.

Serrano said the process of particulate matter collection begins as soon as an engine is started and continues while the engine is operating. As the carbon particles are collected on the ceramic walls, the backpressure of the system increases. The filter substrate has a catalyst coating that allows the filter to regenerate by oxidizing the trapped particulate into gases, mostly C[O.sub.2], that can pass through the filter.

Regeneration occurs when the exhaust gas temperature increases enough to initiate the oxidation of trapped particulate in the filter, with those temperatures varying depending on the sulfur content of the fuel.

CleanAIR also said that the catalyst coating reduces CO and HC. As the exhaust gases come in contact with the catalyst, a chemical reaction takes place that oxidizes the gases. The oxidation process turns carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons into water and carbon dioxide.

The Permit Filter catalyzed diesel particulate filter is packaged with the race track-type silencer that CleanAIR redesigned for the vertical installation required at VMEA. The filter/ silencer package is housed in a 304 L stainless-steel shell and achieves a sound attenuation of 27 to 35 dB(A), the company said.

Serrano said typically the filter package can be incorporated into a variety of configurations depending upon the specific application requirements.

The most basic configuration is a packaged filter with cones on both inlet and outlet ends. Typical sound attenuation for this design is 12 to 20 dB(A). Replacement muffler designs are used for applications where space is too tight to add the filter separate from the existing muffler. Special inlet or outlet configurations, or brackets can be used that will allow the filter to replace an existing muffler

Atlas Copco adds 25 kW gen-set

Atlas Copco, through its Atlas Copco Compressors Inc. business, has recently begun production on the new 25 kW QAS 30 generator set. The new gen-set is positioned at the lower range of its 15 to 288 kW QAS series generators and is targeted primarily at the rental market.

The new unit joins the John Deere-powered 25 to 120 kW portion of the QAS series and is powered by a 2.4 L four-cylinder Deere 4024TF270 turbocharged diesel engine rated 43 hp at 1800 rpm. QAS units at the top (144 to 288 kW) and bottom (15 to 35 kW) end of the QAS series are equipped with MTU Detroit Diesel and Yanmar engines, respectively. On the QAS 30, Atlas Copco has paired the Deere engine with a high capacity fuel filter/ water separator, Donaldson two-stage air cleaner and API radiator.

Electrical output is provided by a Newage BCI 184 G alternator that delivers 25 kW (31 kVA). The alternator has 12 leads, class H insulation with marine impregnation and operates at 1800 rpm at 60 Hz. A brushless excitation system and three-phase sensing automatic voltage regulator (AVR) are also integrated into the drive, which Atlas Copco said provides rapid response to load changes and optimizes starting capabilities.

The control panel for the generator is protected behind a lockable door with gauges for oil pressure, coolant temperature, fuel level, running hours and engine speed/frequency. A Hobut voltmeter and ampmeter are integrated into the terminal along with a Merlin Grien potentiometer and Red Dot GFCI receptacles. Remote start/ stop is standard, along with LED indicators for high coolant temperature, low coolant level, low oil pressure, overspeed, overcrank and undervoltage, plus a warning indicator for charging system failure.

The panel also incorporates three-pole circuit breakers with high and low voltage operation, which Atlas Copco said offers protection against overload and short circuiting. Quick fix electrical connections can be made at the terminal board while a lockable voltage selector configures the generator's phase and voltage output. There is also an emergency stop button which shuts down the engine and trips the main circuit breaker.

The QAS 30 has a zinc-treated enclosure with a powder-coated paint finish to resist corrosion. Dimensions on the unit are 81 in. long, 38 in. wide by 47 in. high when skid-mounted. Dry weight is 1970 lb. Atlas Copco has lined the enclosure with foam for sound attenuation and added flexible isolators, which keep transmitted vibration from the powertrain to a minimum. Airflow circulation was also engineered to provide a reduced noise level throughout the unit, bringing the noise emissions on the QAS 30 to 63 dB(A) at 23 ft. and 75% load.

Available as either a skid- or trailer-mounted unit, the QAS 30 has 110% fluid containment, the company said. Skid-mounted units are capable of full-shift operation without refueling, which according to Atlas Copco is 25 hours at 100% load. Trailer units include an auxiliary fuel cell that extends operation to 24 hours.

Standby power for engine production plant - generator sets at Kohler Co.'s plant in Hattiesburg, MS

When Kohler Co. established its new engine manufacturing plant in Hattiesburg, Miss., the company, through its Generator Div., planned on installing an emergency standby power system. The new plant's layout would also include plans to parallel with the utility for peak shaving and curtailable-rate savings.

Opened in January 1998, the production facility in Hattiesburg currently assembles Kohler's Command single-cylinder, vertical shaft engines. The air-cooled, four-cycle gasoline models are the mainstay of the company's product line and are used in a variety of consumer and commercial mowing equipment. The engines are also used to power agricultural, construction and recreational equipment, as well as selected models of Kohler generators.

Mississippi Power Co., the local utility, worked closely with Kohler's management and facilities engineering group to develop a standby generating system that would benefit both the company and the utility. With these guidelines, Kohler Power Systems began designing and manufacturing the generator sets and necessary paralleling switchgear. The final installation called for two generator sets operating in parallel with one another and the utility grid.

Each of the generator sets is housed within Pritchard Brown sound-absorbing, weatherproof enclosures with exhaust air ducted upward to aid in reducing the sound level near the sets. The enclosures incorporate 2500 gal. sub-base fuel tanks and 3 in. of acoustic insulation. Harco round pancake-style silencers were selected so they could be placed within the low-profile enclosures to further improve installation aesthetics. The silencers were also insulated to reduce the heat build-up in the enclosures.

The generator sets were installed in a courtyard near the plant and are positioned at a 90 [degrees] angle so the intake air is drawn from the side away from the plant, further reducing noise. Each enclosure is 33 ft. long, 13 ft. high and 12 ft. wide.

Two utility power lines were brought in underground through the courtyard to matched pad-mounted transformers that step down the utility voltage of 12,470 V to 480 V to match both the generated voltage and the plant utilization voltage. All synchronization and paralleling occurs at the 480 V level.

Kohler's paralleling switchgear contains two utility main circuit breakers, a main bus tie circuit breaker, two generator output circuit breakers, two tie circuit breakers that serve to isolate the generating system totally from the utility - if necessary - and 16 distribution (feeder) circuit breakers that distribute the power to the various areas of the plant. Power factor correction capacitors will ultimately be used as Kohler's engine plant expands in its production capability and more production machinery is added. These will be automatically added to maintain an overall plant power factor in excess of 95 percent.

Kohler Power Systems' engineers designed the switchgear, produced all the necessary drawings to build the assembly, and assisted in manufacturing the switchgear. The switchgear incorporates Cutler Hammer DSII drawout breakers. The generator sets and switchgear were systems-tested at Kohler's Wisconsin facility prior to installation at the Hattiesburg site.

The gen-sets' digital controllers, the Kohler Decision Maker 340, maintains communication among the generator sets, paralleling switchgear, and outside communication links. With the Decision Maker 340 controllers and operator interface terminals on the switchgear, together with PLC controllers in the switchgear, a communications system was implemented, allowing the generator sets and switchgear to be monitored locally and from Kohler's generator plant in Wisconsin. Synchronizing, load sharing and load transferring are accomplished using Woodward DSLC, and MSLC digital synchronizers and load controls. Utility intertie protective relaying is combined in a Beckwith multifunction relay.

Tier 4 off-highway rules set: it starts in 2008, with new standards phased in through 2015; the age of aftertreatment dawns

The diesel emissions box is now officially small; make that very, very small. On May 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially announced the Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule, or Tier 4 off-highway to the rest of us. It also, almost officially, inaugurates the age of aftertreatment since most engine manufacturers, as it stands today, said it will require some sort of device after combustion to meet these new and very stringent standards (see accompanying tables).

Standards for new diesel engines will be phased in starting with the engines under 25 hp in 2008, and move up the horsepower charts until all but engines over 750 hp have to meet both N[O.sub.x] and PM standards in 2014. Off-highway engines over 750 hp will have one additional year to meet these new emissions standards.

Tier 4, said EPA, is expected to cut emission levels from construction, agricultural and industrial diesel-powered equipment by more than 90%. The rule, EPA said, complements the Clean Diesel Truck and Bus Rule announced December 21, 2000, which will place a fleet of heavy-duty trucks and buses on American highways that will be 95% cleaner than today's trucks and buses. On-highway compliance requirements take effect with the 2007 model year.

Maybe most importantly to the engine community, EPA also said the new rule will also remove 99% of the sulfur in diesel fuel by 2010, resulting in dramatic reductions in particulate matter from all diesel engines. By EPA's estimate, diesel fuel currently contains about 3000 ppm sulfur. The new rule will cut that to 500 ppm in 2007 and 15 ppm by 2010.

"We are going to make that burst of black smoke that erupts from diesels a thing of the past," EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said. "We're able to accomplish this in large part because of a masterful collaboration with engine and equipment manufacturers, the oil industry, state officials, and the public health and environmental communities."

EPA's release announcing Tier 4 noted that, "the non-road rule represents an unprecedented commitment and collaboration that included the White House, EPA, the Office of Management and Budget, the environmental community, states and local governments, engine and equipment manufacturers, refiners, technology companies, and other groups and associations."

And in fact, most of the responding press releases from engine manufacturers acknowledged this cooperation.

Low hanging fruit - Top Dead Center - shakeout looms in hot electric generator market

There is little doubt that power generation is going to be one of the baseline engine markets for at least the rest of this decade and likely beyond.

The fundamentals are simple. Our need for quality electricity has passed absolute. If the power goes out, most businesses grind to an expensive halt. Rebooting a data center, or not being able to run CNC machines, cash registers or just plain old computers, means business doesn't happen. We don't need power, we require and demand it, and at a high quality level.

Because the power available from utilities appears to be finite for now, it has lead to the growth in what many are calling distributed power or distributed generation. A definition that is ever changing.

Originally linking existing standby sets together electronically to provide additional kW or MW without adding new units, distributed power is now seen as almost any generator set not operated by a utility. Distributed to the point of use.

Last year was a pretty decent year for power generation, at least through June. California's perceived power woes had manufacturers tossing engines and generators of all sorts into truck trailers and sending them over the Rockies as fast as they could be built. With the advent of plug and play controls, a generating system became a fast moving reality.

Where the scenario becomes familiar is in some of the grandiose numbers and projections being thrown around. Optimism has zoomed past high to crazy People are getting into the business that couldn't spell EPG a year ago. The smell of money is in the water.

One company was billing itself at a recent show as a "leading manufacturer of power generation enclosures and systems." Close scrutiny revealed that a year ago they were making metal outbuildings for farms, but an order for 16 large gen-set enclosures on a rush basis put them into the EPG system and elevated them to "leading manufacturer" status.

Gen-set packagers are coming out of the woodwork. Skid, engine, generator, controls, business plan. Silencer manufacturers are making catalysts for gen-sets, catalyst manufacturers are making silencers. All to meet the EPG boom.

It's dot.com and equipment rental II. The same unbridled enthusiasm, the same price and margin crushing competition. In some cases, the same people. All, of course, supported by a well researched, infallible "business model."

How diesels powered storm cleanup efforts - diesel-powered equipment used to rebuild North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Fran

ight towers, tub grinders instrumental in recovery operations after Hurricane Fran; "the diesel's finest hour"

When a natural disaster such as a hurricane strikes, simple commodities such as electricity and lighting become critical requirements for search and rescue operations. Then once the immediate demands are met, the emphasis shifts to questions of cleanup, restoration and reclamation.

It is interesting that in all of these cases, the diesel engine has become a key factor. Indeed, times of crisis are often the diesel's finest hour, as everything from small portable gen-sets to air compressors to massive machines used for search, rescue, recovery and recycling are more often than not powered by diesel engines.

A good example is when Hurricane Fran ravaged the state of North Carolina in September of last year. The killer storm came ashore at night, taking out the utility power grids almost immediately. Literally thousands of diesel-powered machines were immediately pressed into emergency service, providing power and light where needed. Months later, more diesel-powered machines were still at work for cleanup and reclamation activities.

Since Fran did the majority of its destruction before dawn, the most pressing need was for illumination. Untold numbers of people were rescued by the light supplied from truck- and trailer-mounted portable light units. Property damage was reduced because temporary repairs were made to damaged or threatened structures by crews using the same type of lighting.

Later on, portable light systems played an integral role in the cleanup operations, which went on continuously for nearly four months.

The storm roared ashore at Topsail Beach, N.C. The eye of the storm crossed that area about the time the first winds were whipping upon Raleigh, 135 miles inland. By the time Fran moved into Virginia and Washington, D.C., the winds had subsided somewhat. But in the meantime, North Carolina had been buffeted to the tune of more than 28 lives and $4 billion.

In Wake County, rescue and recovery operations were underway before the storm winds stopped. Hundreds of thousands of downed trees, some hundreds of years old, took out all electricity. This was especially true in the city of Raleigh where damage exceeded $9.2 million.

In the period that followed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was assigned the enormous task of coordinating recovery operations. In one storm-related irony, the Corps of Engineers' Robert Cagle, who was appointed area recovery engineer in charge of the Wake County area, lost part of his house and all his garage in Wilmington, N.C., to the storm's fury.

One of the Corps' first projects was to assemble private contractors and subcontractors to do the actual cleanup work. At the forefront was Phillips & Jordan, Inc., a large, nationally-known land-clearing company that had done similar work following Hurricane Andrew in South Florida. The company has also participated in other smaller hurricane restoration work.

Portable lighting was the first essential for nighttime waste collection and reduction. The Corps of Engineers' emergency procedures manual set forth the minimum amount of light required for safe working areas under various conditions, requiring a minimum of 3 ft. candles of illumination at any general outdoor work site. Extra lighting was required in office areas and where equipment maintenance and repairs were being made at night.

An immediate call went out to construction equipment rental companies in the Raleigh area to round up all available lighting units. The Hertz Rental Corp. and Resco Rents operations in Raleigh both responded. Resco supplied more than 40 Coleman light towers and 100 pieces of other equipment, machines ranging from skidsteer loaders to wheel loaders. The equipment came from 16 various Resco locations, some from as far away as Kentucky.

Hertz supplied 30 Ingersoll-Rand light towers to Phillips & Jordan in the Wake County area and provided 200 pieces of heavy equipment in the Raleigh area alone. Some of this equipment came in from as far away as Michigan and Texas just for the Hurricane Fran cleanup.

The majority of the light systems utilized were Ingersoll-Rand Model L6 and L8 portable light towers. The L6 units are powered by Kubota D905 BG diesel engines, which drive Leroy-Somer 6 kW generators powering four 1000 W metal halide (MH) lights. The L8 units are driven by Kubota D1 105BG diesels, which drive 8 kW Leroy-Somer generators supporting four 1500 W lights. The masts supporting the lights telescoped up to 30 ft. high.

Each of the Phillips & Jordan collection and reduction sites had between 5 and 12 self-contained light towers. "The Ingersoll-Rand portable light towers were lifesavers," said Randy Perkins of Ashbrift, Inc., a grinding subcontractor to Phillips and Jordan. "They turned night into day. We would have been hard pressed to do our night work safely without them