Zeppelin Austria

Zeppelin Austria tested the impact of New Shell Diesel* on dirty nozzles in a field trial in Austria, in which the nozzles of a chain dredger 323D were taken out, inspected and reinstalled unchanged. 

After 177 hours of testing with New Shell Diesel*, the results showed: 

• Fuel consumption decreased by 8.8% 
• Engine performance improved in all ranges of pressure.

The hydraulic pump test is used by Zeppelin Austria to calculate the engine power in kW by measuring the pump throughput at 3 fixed pressure points with engine rpms fixed at highest level.

To test the effect of New Shell Diesel* on new engines, Zeppelin Austria installed new nozzles into a chain dredger cAt 320D and measure the performance after 257 hours of operation. 

To compare the results of New Shell Diesel* and standard diesel, standard diesel was tested with the same test-set up as new Shell Diesel.

After a normal running in period with decreasing fuel consumption – which is usually seen with new nozzles – Zeppelin Austria found that fuel consumption of the CAT 320D test engine stabilised and stayed at the low level with New Shell Diesel*.

In comparison Zeppelin Austria found that with the standard diesel quality the engine performance started to decrease early in the operations.

Zeppelin Austria’s test results showed a difference in performance and fuel consumption of new shell Diesel compared to the standard grade: 

• Improved engine performance
• No increase in average fuel consumption

^{* Refers to Shell Diesel with fuel economy formula. Product name may vary per country. Known as Shell FuelSave Diesel, Shell Diesel Extra, New Shell Diesoline Ultra in other markets.}

Interview with Joachim Gneis, continuous improvement manager, Zeppelin Austria

Why did you start using New Shell Diesel?

Industry standards are rising constantly. We as a market leader are driven to continuously develop our vehicles in order to respond to increasingly strict emission standards, more bio content in diesel and the customer demand for more efficient equipment. The standards for fuels are rising too. In the construction sector, our machinery needs to stay in peak condition even when the hours pile on to be able to deliver the required performance and meet emission standards. We saw an opportunity to achieve this with New Shell Diesel.

Tell us more about the challenging conditions  in which construction machinery operate.

A big challenge is that construction machinery does not get as much cooling through head wind as on-road vehicles. This results in higher temperatures of the engine and fuel, which supports the formation of deposits on nozzles. The bio content in diesel effects these deposits even further.

How did New Shell Diesel help you to address  these challenges?

We found that New Shell Diesel clearly prevented build up of deposits on nozzles, which are intensified through the bio content in diesel, thus helping to prevent efficiency loss in the engine. Moreover, the performance of the nozzles stayed closer to its original, manufacturing level.

And what about vehicles which were already in use for a longer period?

In our field trial, New Shell Diesel cleaned up the dirty nozzles and brought their performance closer to the performance level of new nozzles.

Did you experience other benefits as well?

We were surprised how significantly we were able to reduce fuel consumption with new Shell Diesel! Our results showed fuel savings of nearly 9%. That is impressive!

How important for your company are your CO2 emissions values?

In the construction sector, reducing emissions becomes increasingly important. We are keen to reduce our environmental footprint and also help our customers reduce their emissions too. By lowering fuel consumption with New Shell Diesel, we were able to produce less CO2.

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