Regulations drive changes in underground equipment
Published in: Underground Construction
Date: 8/1/2007
By: Griffin, Jeff
Contractor and utility company crews who construct and maintain the nation’s underground utility infrastructure face increasingly restrictive environmental regulations, many pertaining to the equipment they operate and ways it may be used.
Most attention is given to changing regulations on engine emissions and noise levels at which equipment operates. Users of equipment depend on engine and equipment manufacturers to provide machines that comply with federal and state regulations. They also depend on manufacturers to develop equipment that will make it easier to be “green” on their projects.
Several key manufacturers of underground construction equipment were invited to answer questions about how environmental issues affect the designs of their products. Here is how they responded.
Underground Construction: How are environmental issues and regulations aimed at reducing pollution from gasoline and diesel engines affecting designs of your equipment and their components?
Astec Underground, Carl Seeliger, trenchless product manager: “I think any manufacturer of off road construction equipment would agree that the regulations being implemented produce a mixed set of complexities. Of course, we want to do everything we can to reduce pollutants and make our equipment cleaner and more environmentally friendly. At the same time, we must hold a tight rein on costs and keep our prices as competitive as possible both to the dealer and the end user. As we make changes to meet the new industry guidelines, we must monitor our designs and manufacturing practices carefully to ensure we stay cost competitive.”
Caterpillar, Kevin Hershberger, backhoe loader marketing: “Caterpillar is committed to sustainability in the products we develop and sell, and that commitment carries through to Cat remanufacturing facilities which rebuild and recycle machines and components for extended product life and reduced environmental impact. We have invested more than $2 billion in the last 10 years on developing cleaner products, including ACERT Technology, our approach to reduced engine emissions. Currently Tier III engines are in production on many of our machines and will soon be standard in all of our products. Future development programs are already under way to address future Tier 4 regulations for our captive machines as well as Cat engines used in many other applications.”
Ditch Witch, David Campbell, engine and operating systems manager: EPA and EU regulations for non-road diesel engines are having a significant impact on equipment. There are several by-products of reduced emissions which can be broken into four categories: heat, air handling, electronic controls, and after treatment.
“Heat–Many of the adjustments made to diesel engine fuel systems to reduce emissions also divert heat from the exhaust to the coolant. This means the typical cooling system must get rid of more heat than before. The results are a larger, more expensive cooling system, and the larger the cooling system, the larger the engine compartment must be.
“Air handling–As emissions regulations get tighter, engine manufacturers are producing more engines with turbochargers and fewer naturally-aspirated engines. Turbocharged engines offer performance advantages such as larger torque rise and better altitude performance. In some cases a smaller turbocharged engine can replace a larger engine. However, in many cases a turbocharged engine is simply more expensive than its naturally aspirated counterpart. Emission regulations are also driving a trend toward more frequent use of charge air cooling (CAC), also known as air to air inter cooling. Engines with CAC have a heat exchanger between the turbocharger and the intake manifold. The heat exchanger removes some of the heat that the turbo adds to the air used for combustion. Much like turbocharging, CAC has performance advantages. However, there is also added expense and space required to install the heat exchanger.
“Electronic controls have replaced conventional mechanical governors on many non-road diesel engines. These controls contribute to emissions reduction by allowing more precise control of the fuel injection process. They also allow communication between the engine and machine control systems, broadening the possibilities of electronic machine control. However, much as with turbochargers and CAC, these systems add complication and cost to the machines powered by engines using them.
“After treatment–Future regulations will require the use of after treatment devices to control certain regulated emissions. These devices, similar to automotive catalytic converters, will be applied in stages, and eventually all engines above 25 horsepower will require devices to reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions. In addition, engines above 74 hp will require similar devices to control emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Practical technology for these devices is still under development. PM after treatment was introduced on model year 2007 trucks. These vehicles will not see NOx after treatment until 2010. These devices will replace the conventional mufflers on non-road machines, but they will add cost and require more space.
“The bottom line: non-road diesel emissions regulations are driving machine costs up and increasing overall machine size. In addition, many local entities are developing or have in place strategies to reduce emissions from equipment already in use.”
John Deere Construction and Forestry Division, Brian Rauch, director of engineering and technology: “Because of the complexity and frequency of diesel engine emissions regulations, many of our new product programs are sequenced with the regulatory dates. That is, instead of doing independent programs for things such as operator station updates, we are doing these programs sequenced with engine emissions updates. This also limits the number of additional customer-focused projects we have to support. Our challenge is to improve our products–that is, better fuel economy, reduced cycle times or increased durability–beyond the reduction in emissions.”
Vermeer, Mark Cooper, director of specialty excavation: “EPA regulations are affecting the designs of our equipment in a very big way. They are also having a dramatic impact on maintenance techniques that effect our customers. As the industry has moved into Tier III and looking at Tier 4a and 4b, the design complexity has changed significantly. Electronic engines, air to air after cooling, fuel coolers, increased fuel filtration, increased oil filtration and increased air filtration requirements have all been designed into the machine. And Tier 4 will bring on the most significant changes with exhaust treatment and particulate traps. All of the new engine requirements are effecting how our customers service the machines. Each new system has added to the service requirements in cost and complexity. The irony in this is that not only do the machines cost more but they consume more fuel to get cleaner air.”
How are engine emission and noise regulatory requirements affecting your company?
Astec, Seeliger: “Since the majority of changes affect the horsepower sizes of equipment we manufacturer, it had a considerable impact. These changes require significant additional man hours to incorporate into our design and manufacturing process. But it is also an opportunity to encourage us to keep a close eye on manufacturing, testing and final delivery to the customer.”
Caterpillar, Hershberger: “It is an increasing challenge to deliver machines which meet regulatory requirements and performance expectations at a price the market can support, but Caterpillar has, and will continue to deliver products which meets those needs through ongoing product development. In 2006, for example, we invested $1.35 billion in research and development. That works out to more than $5 million every working day.
“Currently a significant amount of that development is directed toward reduced emissions and sustainable development.”
Ditch Witch, Campbell: “Complying with engine emissions and EU noise regulations requires a significant amount of engineering resources. Roughly 20 percent of our equipment design staff is involved in activities related to these regulations.”
Vermeer, Cooper: “Our company is currently using one third to one half of its engineering resources to design Tier III engines. So up to half of our resources are used to keep our product line current. This directly impacts our company’s ability to develop new products and features that have value in the market place.”
Is equipment changing to make it more feasible to work in environmentally-sensitive areas such as wetlands, hillsides and where construction could cause erosion and other problems?
Astec, Seeliger: “Most definitely. Machines are being designed to handle all kinds of ground conditions, along with hydraulic systems being filled with an approved environmentally-friendly lubricant.”
Caterpillar, Hershberger: “Cat machines have long been involved in environmental projects throughout the country and world. For example, our low ground pressure (LGP) undercarriage systems enable our machines to work in soft underfoot, such as wetlands restoration. Dozer blade attachments such as slope boards improve our capability to do terrace work for erosion control, and excavator options such as long-reach boom and stick arrangements allow for low-environmental impact work in a variety of applications.”
John Deere, Rauch: “Clearly our customers are looking for competitive edges in productivity and uptime. A key part of these requirements is operating in a greater range of environments and conditions. We are seeing an increased desire for higher floatation designs, such as rubber track designs, water trucks for dust control, biofluids and engine after treatments.”
Vermeer, Ed Savage, underground segment manager: “We are continuously working to reduce ground psi on all units. Noise reduction is also a continued initiative.”
What about EPA regulations to prevent pollution by storm water runoff from construction sites where soil is in any way disturbed?
Astec, Seeliger:” ‘Silk’ fencing has become the trend due to regulations. It is required on many construction sites where soil is being disturbed.”
Are dust and disposal of excavation spoil, disposal recovered directional drilling fluids and other materials issues?
Astec, Seeliger: “The recovery and disposal of directional drilling fluids has always been an issue. Each municipality has different standards concerning disposal and some are stricter than others. A contractor has to know each one before starting a job in each location. So if you have a mobile HDD crew following the work cycle, the foreman has to be very knowledgeable and have a multitude of equipment at his disposal to meet every set of disposal guidelines.
“We want to help our customers solve problems not be part of it; we want to be seen as the solution provider for any HDD problem that comes along. Our newly introduced rock hammers, for example, for drilling through tough ground conditions, use air and considerably less fluid than conventional HDD systems.”
Ditch Witch, Campbell: “Disposal of spoil and drilling fluid affects our customers in certain locales. Many of our customers use vacuum excavators as part of compliance efforts.”
John Deere, Rauch: “Fugitive dust from job sites is frequently identified by our customers as a burden that needs to be managed. This has spread from an issue primarily in the southwest and west to a broader area.”
Vermeer, Cooper: “From the track trencher side of the business, we believe that dust is an opportunity. As blasting restrictions drive the market towards trenchers, dust suppression will be required to allow our machines to integrate into densely populated areas. As far as spoil, I think it is more a question of logistics, he who has to handle it and move it less wins. Typically, when soil is turned into a slurry, it has stricter guidelines for disposal, which does make it more costly to get rid of. Future innovations could help in this area.”
Are there significant new regulations expected in the near future that will affect equipment manufacturers?
Caterpillar, Hershberger: “Emissions requirements are already in place through 2014. New regulations are seldom announced with short-term enactment dates. Since many regulations require new technology development by the manufacturers, there is the practical aspect of time required for research and development. In addition, regulatory agencies need to create and develop methods for monitoring adherence to regulations, whether through inspections, testing or manufacturer certification. As a result, timetables can sometimes be longer than we all desire. To help ensure that worldwide progress continues in improving sustainability, Caterpillar has joined the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, and supports global initiatives to improve the environment.”
Ditch Witch, Campbell: “Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) regulations are beginning to consume additional engineering resources. The European Union is on the forefront of these regulations. In short, EMC regulations attempt to ensure that the control systems on mobile equipment neither affect nor are affected by other electronic equipment. Typical examples of ‘other electronic equipment’ are cell phones and two-way radios.”
John Deere, Rauch: “We continually look around the world at emerging regulations and environmental concerns. We expect to see increased regulations related to enhancing the operator environment and making the machines less intrusive to the environment–both while it is operating and when it is has completed its functional life.”
Vermeer, Cooper: “We believe that dust, visibility and vibration will be areas requiring significant improvement in the future.”