CASE STUDY INTRO
Lloyd Diesel performed a comparative analysis study on several Fuel Tanker Trucks for the purpose of verifying the effectiveness of LDT Duty Cycle Programming.
UNITS IN STUDY
Unit #1205 did not receive LDT Duty Cycle Programming*
Unit #1373 did not receive LDT Duty Cycle Programming*
Unit #1467 received LDT Duty Cycle Programming
*These Units feature stock, dealership settings.
During pilot, all three units have been to be used in their regular application and route for approximately 180,000 miles of use.
FUEL TANKER DUTY CYCLE SUMMARY
Duty Cycle Programming adjusts certain ECM parameters and settings specific to a truck’s use and application to improve the efficiency of the Aftertreatment system. As fuel tanker trucks, all these Units share the same Duty Cycle application, and drive similar routes. Fuel tanker trucks idle repeatedly and are always utilizing PTO. It is confirmed by the Service Manager that all trucks performed similarly prior to providing Duty Cycle Programming, and that Units #1205 and #1373 reflect the average performance of the fleet in general. For the purposes of this study, this provides a very near like-for-like comparison, with the only differentiating factor being Duty Cycle Programming for Unit #1467.
FUEL FINDINGS
FINANCIAL BENEFITS
Unit #1467 shows a near 1 mpg advantage over the other two Units in average fuel economy. This equates to a savings of approximately $5,600 per 100,000 miles (at current 11/2016 CA diesel price average of $2.837). Amortized across the average truck life of 500,000 miles, across an entire fleet (100 trucks), the savings would exceed $2 million.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The environmental impact of this type of petroleum displacement is significant as well. In this scenario, Unit #1467’s carbon footprint improvement over the fleet average results in a lifetime carbon footprint reduction of over 100 tons for just this one truck!
- Unit #1205
- Unit #1373
- Unit #1467
LDT OPTIMIZED
At first I was skeptical about the service but once we saw the positive changes in Fuel Ecomony, Regen Intervals and Repair Costs, we were very satisfied with LDT's Optimization Service. If asked, we would recommend LDT and their service.
REGEN FINDINGS
REGEN EFFECTIVENESS
By our standards, a regen is considered “good” when both intake and outlet temperatures meet our effective temperature range. Unit #1205 only completed 3 “good” regens out of the last 10 regens, while Unit #1467 completed 7 “good” regens out of the last 10 regen attempts.
While Unit #1373 demonstrates effective, “good”, regens from a temperature standpoint, it is important to notice the average time between regen attempts.
REGEN FREQUENCY
Comparing the trucks, Duty Cycle Programming was able to nearly double the time between regens for Unit #1467. So, while Unit #1373 has been providing “good” regens, it is having to regen over twice as frequently as the LDT Unit to maintain a clean DPF. Additionally, LDT’s Duty Cycle Programming eliminates the need for a forced/manual regen.
| REGEN HISTORY (out of 10 regens) |
Unit #1205 (non-LDT) |
Unit #1373 (non-LDT) |
Unit #1467 (LDT DCP) |
| Average time between regen | 48 hours | 42 hours | 94 hours |
| Average intake temp | 932.9 | 1069.9 | 1079.3 |
| Average outlet temp | 876.5 | 1066.7 | 1075.5 |
| Average DPF inHg *Acceptable Range: 0.75-2.5 inHg *Optimal Range: 0.75-1.5 inHg |
1.4 | 1.22 | 1.86 |
| “Good” regens | 3 | 9 | 7 |
| “Ok” regens | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| “Bad” regens | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| “Incomplete” regens | 3 | 0 | 0 |
CONCLUSION
Across nearly identical applications, Unit #1467, with LDT Duty Cycle Programming, demonstrates significantly better fuel economy and Aftertreatment efficiency compared to the stock dealership settings of the other trucks. With LDT, your DPF will last at least the factory recommended 225,000 miles before needing to be cleaned, saving your fleet the expense and downtime of more frequent cleanings.
These improvements will result in noticeable and significant savings in fuel expense, maintenance costs, and downtime while also resulting in an appreciable and positive net impact on the environment. These benefits will continue to grow as LDT Optimization is adopted across the entire fleet of Fuel Tanker trucks.
In simple terms, as reported to us by the Service Manager, Seth Parry, the LDT Optimized truck consistently outperforms the rest of the fleet, with no Aftertreatment related repairs or downtime.