June 14, 2022. The Thermal Machinery Research Center (CRMT) has just certified its methodology in its test cell for the homologation of off-road compressed natural gas (CNG) engines in France.
“The development of this cell is part of the overall strategy of the CRMT for the promotion of retrofitted CNG and Bio-CNG engines, including the RES4LIVE project as part of which we developed an engine for a natural gas tractor prototype. It is a novelty in France”, underlines Daniela Touzé, responsible for Business Development.
“Having a certified cell gives an additional guarantee of quality to the CRMT”, emphasizes Ronan Poupeau, in charge of the CRMT Testing Department. “Our cell was reviewed by an ISO 17020 laboratory. It is quite a long process that took several months. We have been able to validate all the waypoints and are now authorized to issue certified test results that allow us to independently homologate engines at our facilities. Part of the tests are carried out on NRTC (Non-Road Transient Cycle) cycles, equivalent to WLTP for non-road vehicles, with the obligation to respect speed and torque levels in a fairly strict time. With the cell we can carry out all the certification tests for the measurement of contaminants”, he continues.
“Today, the test bench is limited to 250 kW of power. We have also started the integration of a larger generator to be able to cover engines of up to 13 litres”, specifies Poupeau.
For the CRMT, the interest of this cell is to be able to offer a turnkey solution to its clients. “From development to certification, our added value is being able to support our customers until the end of the process. We are targeting several markets. Whether it is manufacturers of off-road engines that already have a gas range and want to be supported to develop other variants, or manufacturers that have never used gas and would like to position themselves quickly”, explains Touzé. “We can also just step into component testing and certification of an engine previously developed and tested by a manufacturer,” she adds.
