PRESS RELEASE: Cat dynamic gas blending (DGB) technology allows engines to run on both diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG). DGB lowers fuel cost while maintaining diesel power and transient performance.

Steve Igoe, commercial manager for Caterpillar’s gas engine business, said: “We’ve recently completed validation of the retrofit kit on the 785C mining truck with excellent results. The kit will allow customers to reduce fuel costs significantly by using LNG. Natural gas and LNG offer both economic and environmental benefits to the mining industry.”

The 785C retrofit kit is the first DGB system Caterpillar has offered for mining machines, and it will be available for purchase in January 2018 from the global Cat dealer network. Caterpillar will offer additional DGB systems in the future.

“The retrofit kit is built on proven Cat DGB technology and has been used in the oil and gas industry since 2013,” said Igoe. “The retrofit kit offers a peak substitution of up to 85% of diesel with natural gas and gets the same performance, reliability and payload as a diesel truck. This will allow our customers to realise a 20-40% savings on fuel costs, which can represent millions of dollars each year for a large mine.”