Komatsu claims emission cuts for Hybrid excavator
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The Australian Journal of Mining
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Jun 14, 2011 10:56 AM
Komatsu has developed a 104 kw hybrid excavator engine that it claims can reduce fuel consumption by up to 40%. If replicated in the field, that would mean a 10kg per hour reduction in CO2 emissions compared with an equivalent diesel engine.
Komatsu said the key to theHB205’s fuel consumption and emissions is a “breakthrough” diesel-electric drive system, which uses an electric motor to drive the machine’s swing function and recovers energy during the swing-braking phase of the machine’s operating cycle.
The use of recoverable electric power for the swing function, Komatsu said, allowed it to build the machine with a four-cylinder diesel engine in place of the six-cylinder diesel in its popular diesel-only PC200 excavator.
Komatsu Australia managing director Sean Taylor said “modern equipment must be more fuel efficient and produce fewer emissions, while delivering increased productivity for operators.
“Komatsu targeted the 20-tonne operating weight range for its first hybrid excavator to help achieve a substantial impact on fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions in the largest construction machine market segment.”
The kinetic energy generated during the swing-braking phase is converted to electricity, which is sent through an inverter and then captured by a Komatsu-developed ultra-capacitor.
Komatsu said its capacitors are used in place of nickel-metal hydride batteries that are employed in most hybrid cars to provide fast energy storage and instantaneous power transmission.
In tests comparing the standard PC200LC-8hydraulic excavator to the Hybrid HB205,Komatsu reported that the hybrid model reduced fuel consumption by approximately25-40%, depending on the application.
Taylor said “we believe the provision of funding for future projects needs to be contingent on developers being able to demonstrate their environmental responsibility.”
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