Cummins has shown a new heavy engine. The S29, a 29-litre platform built from a clean sheet, was unveiled at the Chongqing Cummins Engine Plant in China and reported on 29 October. It was previewed at the company's analyst day in May, and it is aimed at mining machines.
What It Is Meant To Drive
The reports list haul trucks, excavators, surface miners, bulldozers, wheel loaders and dewatering pumps as the intended uses, and name no customer. According to Global Mining Review, the engine delivers up to 1,300 hp at 2,100 rpm and has a fuel-consumption target of 180 g/kWh at its best point, a figure that is still a development target. The company's pitch is a compact installation that matches the output of larger-displacement engines.
Two site conditions are written into the launch. The engine is rated without derate up to 3,000 m altitude, and it starts down to -25°C without auxiliary preheating. Both matter where mines sit high or cold.
The Fuel List Is The Interesting Part
At launch the engine runs on diesel, on unblended paraffinic fuels that meet EN 15940 (HVO is the best-known example), and on biodiesel blends up to B50. Cummins says natural gas, hydrogen and dual-fuel versions are under development. The emissions design is for China Stage III, which one report equates with EPA Tier 2, and there are non-certified configurations. Availability in regions that accept those configurations is planned for late 2027.
The company calls the platform fuel-agnostic, which in practice means a buyer can change the fuel strategy later without changing the machines. The same question comes up in the genset market, where HVO approval is now a normal line in a data sheet.
A Question For The Next Engine Quotation
Mining is not our field, but the habit carries over to power plants. When an engine maker states which fuels are approved at launch and which are only planned, those are two different lists, and a project should be written against the first. Ask for the date a fuel is released, not only for the fact that it is on the roadmap. See our power generation page for engine-driven plants.
Sources: Global Mining Review, Mining.com.au
