Emission statement

Since the US government announced its Tier 4 emissions regulations and the European Union said that crane engines would have to comply with the upcoming Stage 4 standard, the issue for many crane owners has been whether compliance with these regulations would put them at a disadvantage in an increasingly globalised market. Undoubtedly engines will be cleaner in these two regions, but with the rest of the world not under the same rules, they are now out of sync with many other nations.

"We are keen to encourage world standards," says Cummins' director off-highway sales Bryden Clewlow, "this is the case with Europe and the US, but countries such as China and Brazil remain very different in their approach. If for example Europe went alone the repercussions would be massive, the potential increase in costs would be very bad. This is why there is a lot of effort being invested in keeping the regulations the same, and that going forward everyone is aligned."

Even so, this is a difficult process and some countries are completely unwilling to participate. This means that in regions where such legislation is being brought in industry co-operation with the authorities will be even more crucial, Clewlow continues: "We work closely with the US Environmental Protection Agency EPA in regards to emission's regulation, making sure it progresses at the right pace. If progress and regulations move too fast companies come up with alternative solutions to avoid the technology, such as using older engines".

Manufacturers have been working on a variety of solutions to ensure engines comply with regulations, as owners consider the state of the engines in their fleet's. Clewlow continues: "There is no singular solution to making more energy efficient engines, there are many different methods in creating machines which meet regulations but still fit within cranes easily. The company looks to make compromises with the customers on every engine, each of the different environmental and efficiency regulations catered for".

"As often happens with developments in engine technology, the automotive industry was the first to shift in this direction, now the off-highway vehicles are following suit, these typically must have more rugged components suited to difficult environments. Space is crucial when it comes to large equipment, manufacturers want to keep machines looking the same as much as possible and weight is also limited. There is not a lot of room for large new cylinders and so on."

How these new engines fit with crane designs has been in the plans mof anufacturers for a while now as Jerry Maloney global product director of Manitowoc explains: "Basically with the new regulations the whole package has got bigger. We have spent a lot of engineering hours working on the engine, we have to examine the size and weight carefully. Currently, we are working on the Tier IV engines for next year."

"Work begins on new engines three to four years from start to finish. On crawler cranes we work exclusively with Cummins and we co-ordinate closely with them to get the best possible engine. The power systems team at Manitowoc is in constant contact with the engine manufacturers, it's a worldwide endeavor because regulation varies from region to region as does the access to particular types of fuel".

Fuel is also a cause for concern for the American Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) who released a bulletin warning of the greater static electricity ignition hazards associated with use of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), the fuel used in low-emission engines.

Seeing how crane engines evolve in order to adapt to the new regulations is going to be an issue that will be of constant interest to those in the lifting industry, and with the government bodies already looking towards the next sets of regulation it is one that will surely run on and on.

Product Review

Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta says that its new range of engines offer complete commonality across the range. All models are developed around the same base engine design and available in stage II to stage IV emission levels, which the manufacturer say puts them in a unique position.

Palfinger
Loader crane manufacturer Palfinger recently launched Palfinger Hybrid, an engine solution for cranes in sensitive places of deployment.

Cummins
For EU Stage IV / EPA Tier 4 emissions regulations for diesel engines Cummins said that they fell they can present a product range with a clear advantage for all types of crane and lifting equipment. The regulations require a major reduction in emissions, bringing particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen to near-zero levels.

Eminox
Eminox's Continuously RegeneratingTrap (CRT) system is designed to virtually eliminate Particulate Matter, Hydrocarbons and Carbon Monoxide from diesel engine emissions. Eminox said that they utilise proven SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology to reduce the fourth major pollutant, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx). The combination of these technologies in SCRT provides a system which reduces all legislated diesel engine emissions.

Liebherr
Liebherr said it had undertaken significant modification work in the engine development area in order to ensure that its engines comply with the Stage IV and Tier 4f exhaust emission regulations. This has been an issue of outstanding importance for the manufacturer for a while now.

Tognum
To meet the Off-Highway Emission Standards EU IV and EPA Tier 4 final, as of 2014 Tognum will be offering the newly developed engines of the Series 1000, 1100, 1300 and 1500. These MTU brand diesel engines will deliver outputs ranging from 100-460kW and are designed to power agricultural and forestry machinery, and construction and special-purpose machines. Based on the mediumheavy and heavy-duty commercial vehicle engine families OM 93x and OM 47x, Daimler AG was commissioned by MTU Friedrichshafen to further develop these as off-highway engines. This engine platform is also the base for the Detroit engines DD13 and DD16 as well as the Fuso engine 6R10.

Johnson Matthey
Johnson Matthey said that most of its DPF products are 'full flow' or 'wall flow' filters that are based on ceramic cordierite technology that is obtained from established global producers. One of the main differences between the different Johnson Matthey products is the type of regeneration that is used to clean the collected particulate from the filter.