Most Scania engines produced during the past eight years can now be guaranteed to run on the renewable fuel, Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME), according to Scania.
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The truck maker has completed long-term tests can now guarantee operating reliability on 100% RME for all its trucks with engines featuring unit injectors. This is around 300,000 vehicles.
RME is a fuel with diesel-like properties that is made from rapeseed oil in a chemical process. It can be used as a fuel in Scania’s diesel engines without any modifications at all. The fuel is renewable and thus makes no net contribution to carbon dioxide emissions.
Compared with diesel, rapeseed fuel has a somewhat lower energy content, which in turn means slightly higher fuel consumption and lower engine power output. Scania’s own field and laboratory tests show that RME has somewhat higher emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), while emissions of carbon monoxide and soot particles are lower than for diesel.
The biggest obstacle for RME appears to be that rapeseed cultivation capacity is insufficient to cover the transport industry’s considerable needs.
“Calculations in Europe show that utilisation of all land available for rapeseed cultivation within the EU would result in fuel production to meet no more than 10-15% of the demand for commercial vehicle fuel requirements,” said Scania’s engine development manager, Jonas Hofstedt.
Against this background, a standardised blend of 5% RME in diesel fuel is at present the most viable prospect today from the environmental and economic viewpoints.
Since RME has higher viscosity and greater density than diesel fuel, more frequent oil-change intervals are required to ensure that the engine oil does not become diluted.
As an alternative to running on 100% RME, Scania has already previously guaranteed operating reliability with RME blends of up to 5 percent in regular diesel fuel.
“The comprehensive tests we have conducted show that the quality of RME as a fuel is decisive for the engine’s performance and operating reliability,” said Hofstedt.
One condition is therefore imposed, that the RME used must meet the applicable European standards, EN14212 for 100% use or the regular diesel standard EN590 for a 5% blend.
