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Air Intake Systems - Application & Installation Guide - Lebw4969-02
Air Intake Systems - Application & Installation Guide - Lebw4969-02
G3300/G3400
= Standard
C-10/C-12
C-15/C-16
C11/C13
C15/C18
C27/C32
= Optional
G3520C
G3500
G3600
3126B
3406E
- = Not 3412E
C175
3500
3600
C-9
Available
C7
C9
Standard Duty
Air Cleaners
Heavy Duty Air
Cleaners - - - - - -
Precleaners - ‡ - - -
Dual Element Air
Cleaners † - - - -
Exhaust Ejectors - - - - - - - - - -
Remote
Mounted Air - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cleaners
Service
Indicator, Trip
Lock Device
Service
Indicator,
Differential - - - - - - - - - - - ‡ - - - -
Pressure Gauge
Intake Air
Silencers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Inlet Air Shutoff - - - - - - - - - - - ‡
- - - -
Air Manifold
Drain Valve - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cold Weather
Boost Control - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Valve
† Standard on select models, Optional on others.
‡ Optional on select models, Not Available on others.
Information contained in this publication may be considered confidential.
Discretion is recommended when distributing. Materials and specifications
are subject to change without notice.
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
Air Cleaners
Dirt and debris are the major source orientation. However, special care
of engine wear. For this reason, air should be used in arranging the filter
cleaners are necessary to remove dirt housing and piping to ensure that
and debris from the incoming air. Any dirt retained in the filter housing is
moving engine part may be subjected not inadvertently dumped into the
to accelerated wear when dirt is engine air supply during air cleaner
contained in the inlet air. Since the service. A vertically mounted air
air intake is one of the primary cleaner with a bottom-mounted
locations where dirt may enter an engine supply pipe is particularly
engine, frequent replacement of air vulnerable to this occurrence. A filter
cleaners may be needed. design incorporating a secondary or
Dirt and debris is introduced into “safety” element which remains
the intake air ducting through: undisturbed during primary filter
change should be used. Its higher
• Residual materials from initial
initial cost is offset by its
fabrication and assembly of
contribution to longer engine life.
the intake air ducts.
• Filter changes. Standard Air Cleaners
• Leaks in the ducting system. The standard air cleaner on most
Caterpillar engines uses a high-
• Intake air flow. efficiency, dry paper element
Engine wear tests have shown that packaged in a low restriction,
dust particles under 1 micron weather resistant housing. They
(0.00004 in.) size have little effect remove 99.5% of AC fine dust and
on the engine. 99.5% of this dust are designed to minimize dust
will pass out through the engine entrance during filter changes. Some
exhaust. newer models use a PowerCore air
Dust particles 1 to 10 microns cleaner featuring a special nanofiber
(0.00004 to 0.0004 inch) in size has element design. These cleaners
a measurable effect on engine life. achieve the filtration goals with
Inlet air dust particles larger than lower restriction to air flow than
bearing oil film thicknesses will the dry paper element design.
seriously affect bearing and piston On most engine models, these
ring life. air cleaners are engine mounted,
Well designed air cleaners are the however, on some engines the air
most efficient way of assuring that cleaners are supplied loose for
only clean air enters the engine and remote mounting. See Remote
harmful particles are not distributed Mounted Air Cleaners later in this
through the engine systems. section. Refer to the engine price
lists for availability of air cleaner
The efficiency of dry-type filters
options on specific engine models.
is not affected by installation
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
The air comes into the precleaner Remote Mounted Air Cleaners
where the dirt and chaff is removed Due to air flow requirements and
from the air. With a slight vacuum, size considerations, it is impractical
the dirt is sucked directly through to mount G3520C and 3600/G3600
the muffler into the exhaust flow air cleaners on the engine. They are
and does no harm to the engine. furnished as shipped loose items,
Refer to Figure 1. and must be remote mounted and
The remaining dust in the air is plumbed by the customer. The air
then removed by the air cleaner cleaner housings may be wall, floor,
before it enters the turbo. or roof mounted with the inlet facing
With this system, consideration downward, or they can be oriented
must be made regarding the location for horizontal entry, but modifications
of exit of the exhaust and the are required to support the elements.
surroundings, as there may be Two element (double) and three
particles in the engine exhaust. element (triple) air cleaner housings
are available. Unlike the dual
Oil-Bath Air Cleaners element arrangement, air flow
Oil-bath air cleaners, while through these elements is in parallel.
sometimes required to meet The double and triple air cleaner
customer specifications, are not housings have optional precleaners
recommended by Caterpillar. and soot filters, to extend element
At best their efficiency is 95% life in severe applications. Examples
as compared to 99.5% for dry-type of remote air cleaner housings are
filters. Their relative ease of service shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3.
and insensitivity to water are
advantages easily outweighed Double Element Housing
by disadvantages, such as:
• Lower efficiency
• Low ambient temperature
limits, low oil level, high
restriction at low air flow (such
as at low idle), and installed tilt
angle may lessen efficiency
further.
• Oil carry-over, which is the oil
becoming airborne in the air
intake system whether resulting
from overfilling or increased air Figure 2
flow, can seriously affect
turbocharger and engine life,
and may actually become an
engine fuel.
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
Example B
Using the same engine but with
paper air cleaner elements that offer
approximately 0.99 efficiency
(e = 0.99).
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
Figure 4
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
Figure 5
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
Figure 6
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
Figure 7
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
Figure 9
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
Figure 10
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
Additional Considerations
the other end to a straight length
Service Indicators of pipe immediately upstream of
Vacuum sensing devices designed the turbocharger.
to indicate the need for air cleaner
servicing are commercially available Intake Air Silencers
and when added to the air intake A Caterpillar air intake
system, serve a vital function. There filter/silencer is available for use
are two types of sensing devices, with 3600 diesel engines. It cannot
both recommended for use. be used with G3600 gas engines
Service indicators are installed due to turbocharger orientation.
directly into the intake air ducting
and sense the pressure differential
between the air in the intake ducting
and the air outside the ducting.
It must be noted that in
installations using outside air for
combustion, engine room pressure
and outside, or atmospheric,
pressure is not always the same.
The indicator must be installed so
that it senses the air in the intake
duct on one side and the air from
where it was drawn on the other.
Figure 12
Trip Lock Device
The trip lock device indicates that The filter/silencer provides good air
the air cleaner condition is either filtration, but it should only be used
satisfactory or in need of service. in a clean engine room environment
When in need of service, it typically (filtered air). The customer is
will have a red display. This type of responsible for ensuring the engine
mechanism uses a spring-loaded room air is suitably filtered.
diaphragm to measure the pressure
differential between the clean and Unless specifically designed for
dirty side of the air cleaner. The trip such a purpose, intake air silencers
or latching type is preferred and should be remote mounted from the
available on most engine price lists. turbocharger inlet as shown in
Figure 12.
Differential Pressure Gauge
The direct reading differential Air Inlet Shut Off
gauge indicates the actual pressure Air inlet shut-off is a feature
differential across the intake air specific to the diesel engine air
filter. One end of the gauge is intake system. It provides a positive
connected to the air inlet duct and means of stopping the combustion
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
The Variation in Air Temperature High pressure gas engines are not
(VAT) would then become: affected by these changes to the
V∆T = |-11°C - 11°C)| = 22°C same extent as low pressure gas
(V∆T = |-20°F - 20°F| = 40°F) engines. This is because the supply
gas temperature remains relatively
constant at most installations and
The density of the air would then the thermostatically controlled
decrease, resulting in a lower air-fuel aftercooler maintains a fairly
ratio of 13.67. The lower air-fuel constant air temperature to the
ratio would result in reducing the carburetor. Since these two
percent O2 in the exhaust to 6.5%. temperatures are not subject to
The graph in Figure 13 shows how large changes, the air-fuel ratio
NOx changes as a function of remains relatively constant.
percent O2 in the exhaust. The
There are two primary methods of
increased air temperature in our
controlling VAT, controlling the air
example would increase the NOx
temperature and using a gas-to-air
emissions to 8.8 g NOx /bhp-hr,
heat exchanger.
which is an increase of 440%.
Controlling Air Temperature
To maintain a 2.0 g NOx /bhp-hr
One method of controlling air
level, VAT must not exceed 5.5°C
supply temperature is to regulate the
(10°F).
engine room temperature. However,
this approach is not recommended.
It is difficult to regulate an engine
room to a temperature that is both
comfortable to work in and high
enough to provide a constant air
temperature to the engine. For
example, an installation expecting a
32°C (90°F) ambient temperature,
will need to regulate the engine
room to about 38°C (100°F) at all
times. Also, engine rooms having
large service doors that, at times,
must be left open while the engines
are running, will not maintain the air-
fuel ratio while the doors are open.
The preferred method is to use
duct work to supply a temperature
Figure 13 regulated air supply to the engine.
See Figure 14. This system uses
jacket water to heat the air to the
temperature set by the thermostat.
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Application and Installation Guide Air Intake Systems
Figure 14
©2008 Caterpillar®
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Air Intake Systems Application and Installation Guide
Reference Material
The following information is
provided as an additional reference
to subjects discussed in this guide.
SEBD9317
Engine News 2003/01/01.
SEBU8100
C175 Series Generator Sets
©2008 Caterpillar®
All rights reserved. Page 25
LEBW4969-02 ©2008 Caterpillar Printed in U.S.A.
All rights reserved.