CNG-fuelled truck negotiates tough challenges

CN G-fuelled truck negotiates toug h challenges

Proving that compressed natural gas is not only environmentally friendly but also capable of powering vehicles under the most demanding circumstances, the KAMAZ-master team has once again entered a diesel-CNG dual-fuelled vehicle in the Silk Way Rally to great success. By Adrian Giddings

Summer 2018 saw the 8th edition of the Silk Way Rally take place in southeast Russia. Split into seven stages and covering a distance of over 3,500 km, the gruelling test of driving, navigation and engineering skills against the elements drew teams from across the world to the starting ceremony in Astrakhan on the Black Sea coast on July 20, with the racing proper set to commence the following day.

The KAMAZ-master team have competed in the Silk Way Rally since its inception and once more brought a strong line up of trucks to the competition, fielding six vehicles out of the line-up of 12 entered in the class. Five of their trucks were diesel-powered but of most interest, the sixth was a dieselCNG dual-fuelled hybrid, driven by Sergey Kupriyanov (who, when not racing is Press Secretary to the Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee, Alexey Miller).

New year, new development

KAMAZ-master have been racing successfully with diesel-CNG powered trucks since 2013 but this year they introduced a new iteration of the concept to participate in the Silk Way Rally.

Negotiating off-road conditions at speed presents challenges for driver, navigator and vehicle.

The truck has a 16.16 litre, V8 engine with a turbocharger and intercooler. The engine runs on a 70:30 mix of diesel and CNG, generating 950 horsepower and providing the vehicle with a top speed of 165 km/h. The 2018 model’s engine has 2.3 litres less capacity than the previous version but,

with the addition of the turbocharger and intercooler, delivers more power and the same amount of torque. Overall weight was reduced by using third-generation gas equipment.

The hybrid fuel system has several advantages over straight diesel, reaching maximum power at much lower revs (1,700-1,800 as opposed to 2,500 rpm), an increase of 50 horsepower and a 15%

c “The vehicle… is a veritable monster for off-road travel... It is our way of saying that there is nothing to be afraid of: it is not only safe and eco-friendly but also, as the race demonstrates, efficient,” said Sergey Kupriyanov.

x Success in Kazakhstan was the result of the efforts of the whole KAMAZmaster team.

saving on fuel economy, as CNG is a third of the price of diesel for the same amount of energy delivered.

To handle the long-range requirements of off-road rallying the truck is fitted with high capacity fuel tanks that enable it to carry 1,000 litres of diesel and 356 litres of CNG. In dual-fuel mode the truck can complete 300-400 km race stages before refuelling.

The truck also boasts a state-of-theart-suspension system to cope with the rough and varied racing terrain.

Thorough testing took place before the Silk Way Rally with the vehicle entered first in the 2018 Gold of Kagan rally in April where it performed admirably, proving very reliable and the diesel-gas engine provided excellent acceleration on sand dune sections of the race.

Victory in Kazakhstan!

Kupriyanov’s crew subsequently entered and won the Kazakhstan Rally in June. Speaking after the victory Kupriyanov said “I am thankful to the organisers for the amazing route, the team for the fantastic truck, the whole assistance group for sleepless nights, rivals for mutual help, the crew for patience! It is a team result!”

The KAMAZ-master truck refuelling with CNG at one of the 16 Gazprom filling stations along the route of the Silk Way Rally.

The Silk Way Rally

Taking place annually since 2009 (with a two year hiatus in 2014/15), the Silk Way Rally initially ran between Kazan in Russia and Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. The competition has had various routes over the years, from 2010 to 2013 running wholly within Russia. The return of the race in 2016 saw competitors also facing stages in Kazakhstan and China. This year’s eighth staging of the event saw a further change with the race being split into two, the Silk Way Rally with all seven stages taking place in Russia and a follow up Silk Way China race, scheduled to be run in September at press time.

The race is open to both cars and trucks, both vehicle types separated into categories depending on their characteristics. For further information visit www.silkwayrally.com.

v The 2018 Silk Way Rally took place over seven stages starting in Astrakhan and finishing in Moscow’s Red Square.

Moscow

Lipetsk

Following on from their victory in Kazakhstan they had an excellent showing in the Silk Way Rally eventually coming in fourth in the truck standings behind three other KAMAZ-master vehicles. Though narrowly missing the podium the crew have once again shown that natural gas can be and important part of current and future fuel solutions for even the toughest of applications.

Both KAMAZ and Gazprom, which was both one of the main sponsors and provider of the CNG fuelling the truck, are members of the Russian National Gas Engine Association, which is affiliated to IGU.

Adrian Giddings is a Contributing Editor at International Systems and Communications.

Volgograd

Elista Astrakhan