BAUER Maschinen GmbH develops Energy Efficiency Package

Reducing energy consumption on construction sites is important not only from an ecological perspective but also from an economic point of view: the lower the pollutant emissions and the costs for diesel fuel, the higher is the efficiency of a construction site. BAUER Maschinen GmbH has dealt with this aspect within the framework of the research project TEAM (development of technology for energy-efficient drives of mobile machines) and has developed a new Energy Efficiency Package EEP, which is now offered as an option with Bauer rotary drilling rigs. In February 2015, BAUER Maschinen GmbH received a sponsorship prize for the EEP, awarded by the German association of the construction industry, environmental technology and machine engineering VDBUM, in the 'construction machinery and components' category.

Up to 30 percent less fuel consumption

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Multiple measures to increase energy efficiency are combined in the EEP and coordinated with each other in such a way that a significant increase in efficiency, and therefore in productivity, is achieved. Extensive before-and-after comparisons prove that up to 30 percent fuel saving is achieved in the winch operation of rotary drilling rigs and up to 20 percent saving is achieved in usual practice while drilling. In addition, the implemented measures also lead to significant noise reduction during operation because the diesel engine and fan are appropriately regulated – an advantage for the environment as well as the operators and workers. The independent operation of multiple functions additionally allows easier handling of the drilling rig and ensures efficient operation.

Energy optimization

The drive system of the main winch of a rotary drilling rig, with its significant share in energy consumption, especially during kelly-drilling, was fundamentally re-engineered. The new system now makes it possible to recover the energy released during the lowering of the tool. Thus, the fuel consumption can be significantly reduced, especially when drilling deep boreholes. Further benefits are increased efficiency during lifting, higher speed and independent parallel operation of several functions (e.g. main winch, feed, swivels and rotary drive). Energy consumption by all ancillary devices, such as fan drives and pressure supply units was optimized. This reduces not only the energy consumption but also the noise emissions. The already low values of pressure loss in the hydraulic hoses and valves of the Bauer machines were further reduced.

Energy consumption of the diesel engine controls was also optimized. The RPM of the diesel engine while operating the ancillary functions (e.g. auxiliary winch) or when in the stand-by mode has thus also been dynamically adjusted. This makes the machine significantly quieter. A special hydraulic fluid with a favorable viscosity over a wide temperature range further increases the efficiency. Prerequisites for the highest energy efficiency are not only the individual measures taken, but also their optimal coordination.

In order to verify the practical applicability, an appropriately modified BAUER BG 30 PremiumLine rotary drilling rig was used in normal operation on a BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH construction site for several months. The machine showed reliable operation with very high productivity and low fuel consumption – the new technology has thus already proved successful in operation on a construction site.