Scania has announced it is partnering with quarrying company Holcim and hydrogen company HYDI to reduce emissions on its heavy vehicles in the Pilbara.
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Announced via a press release on June 11, Holcim Australia revealed that it was retrofitting HYDI Hydrogen on Demand HY2500 units onto its Scania R620 V8 Euro 5 prime movers that form road trains to deliver its quarry materials to concrete batch plants. The units function by producing hydrogen on demand for controlled delivery to internal combustion engines, with Holcim seeing a reduction in fuel consumption by up to 15 per cent – a mere fraction of the benefit, according to Logistics Manager for Aggregates Western Australia at Holcim, Adam Evans.
“On top of the fuel consumption figures, excitingly, we’re seeing the additional emission reductions of 17 per cent less carbon dioxide, 80 per cent lower diesel particulate matter, 22 per cent lower nitrogen oxides, and 25 per cent lower carbon monoxide,” said Evans. “We are also exploring options to have HYDI units installed on other equipment including diesel generators and heavy mining equipment.”
His comments were echoed by Scania Australia’s General Manager for Mining, Robert Taylor, who said Scania’s onboard management systems confirmed the efficiency of the HYDI units.
“Holcim has seen fuel performance savings estimated at 15 per cent when hauling payloads up to 100-tonnes in three-trailer combinations,” he said. “The reductions in fuel burn and reductions in emissions, is entirely in line with our aim at Scania to reduce emissions during the entire working lives of our products.”
The HYDI unit produces hydrogen from distilled water using electrolysis via a proton exchange membrane. The unit draws a low electrical input from the host engine while in operation. Hydrogen supplements the diesel fuel to create a cleaner and more complete combustion process with the amount of hydrogen produced optimised for the capacity and application of the engine.
Developed in Australia over more than a decade, the technology delivers improved machinery performance by increasing torque, a reduction in fuel consumption, a cleaner burn that reduces engine soot and extends oil and filter service intervals, and lower harmful emissions. The system provides the capability to transition heavy, diesel-powered machinery into cleaner, more cost-efficient equipment at a fraction of the cost of replacement.