First New Tier 2 Engine for European Rivers

Ketels, the Cummins dealer in Gent, Belgium, completed the first European installation of the new Cummins Tier 2 compliant QSK38 M. The engine, delivering 1200 HP at 1800 RPM, has been installed in the inland waterway barge Lambada. The new engine is evolved from the popular and reliable KTA38 that is so well known in the marine world. Then main engine was installed with a new Twin Disc MGX5321DC with 4.96:1 reduction and Kobelt controls. The recently developed Cummins C Command Elite engine control panel system was also installed.

Bernard Ketels also reports that, “We installed a CJC offline filter separator (C.C. JENSEN). However it’s an offline filter, we installed it inline. The PTU1 27/54 MZ-E2PW is an in depth filtration unit and delivers a flow of 785 l/u and is supposed to filter up to 0.85 micron and 3 micron absolute."

The changed designation QSK signals the continuation of the familiar K series of engines while the QS stands for Quantum Series. Speaking for Cummins Marine, Geoff Conrad explains, “To our knowledge this is the first engine series to be certified to meet the EU Marine Standards for inland waterways and it is the first to market with the certification.”

The new engine for the Lambada produces 1200 continuous duty horsepower at 1800 RPM. The QSK38 engine builds on the recognized success of the V12 38-liter KV Series engines. The Cummins QSK38 has taken the legendary durability of the base engine and enhanced it with the proven technology of the Cummins Quantum System electronics and Modular Common Rail fuel system also found on its Tier 2 QSK50 and QSK60 engines. This performance and technology upgrade ensures not only Tier 2 emissions compliance but also quieter operation, better fuel economy, smoother power delivery and better idle stability. The modular common rail fuel system features a simplified design that provides constant high injection pressure regardless of engine speed or load conditions. Benefits include significantly reduced noise and vibration for quiet operation, idle stability and improved low-end torque.

Among other design improvements of the new engines, the triple-wall water-cooled exhaust manifold features an air gap between exhaust gas and jacket water to maintain thermal efficiency while cooling engine surface temperatures. Design is a fabricated single piece construction that eliminates potential exhaust leakage.

Vessel operators who have known the original KTA38 over the years as a highly reliable and cost effective engine will be reassured to know that the new QSK38 shares 70% of its parts with its antecedent.

Bernard Ketels’ grandfather Florimond sold his first Cummins Engine in 1946. A few years ago, after spending several decades on a river barge, that engine, a 115 HP HMR-6-M, was bought back by the family. Today it rests in the Ketels’ Ghent showroom while Bernard and Johan Ketels carry the family’s business forward with a new generation of Cummins engines.