Atlas Copco’s David Stanford talks about some the innovative solutions emerging from the company’s Power Technique business line, with developments being driven primarily by the global group’s commitments to applying science-based targets in its efforts to help meet the Paris Agreement.
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Power Technique’s approach to innovation comes directly from the ambitions of the global Atlas Copco Group for a cleaner and greener society. “As from 2022, the Group has committed to following science-based targeting with respect to emission reductions and global warming. This means that all our operational and product innovation efforts will be geared towards limiting global average temperature increases to an absolute maximum of 2.0 °C and, if possible, to 1.5°,” begins David Stanford, the business line’s regional manager for Southern Africa.
“We have long aimed towards UN sustainable goals and the Paris Agreement. These have been influencing our product development and production for some time now. We are striving to develop products that offer sustainable solutions that are more efficient, greener and, ultimately, carbon neutral.
Power Technique is therefore already using biofuels in the testing of our mobile compressors and incorporating solar energy and other renewable sources for our factories. This to drive global emissions down towards the ultimate goal of net zero,” he tells MechChem Africa, adding that reducing water use, reducing waste and environmental diversity are also key.
“These strategies have already enabled us to reduce our own CO2 emissions by some 28% over the past three years. Not enough, we know, but a clear indication of our commitment.”
In terms of the products and services offered, he says that the business unit is not called Power Technique because it supplies generators. “We see our role as developing and installing products that are powered by their own source, whether that source is electric, diesel, hydraulic or pneumatic. We look at whole systems and applications with a view to identifying the most convenient power option to do the work that needs to be done. Our key focus is on mobile solutions for onsite use in remote locations or anywhere where connected power is limited,” he continues.
“Our power systems drive the tools that construction workers or miners might use on a daily basis to complete project work, and include compressed air to power pneumatic tools, along with hydraulic systems and electrical and diesel drives. Where, in the past, a site was typically powered by diesel driven electrical generators, hybrid solutions that combine solar panels and lithium-ion battery banks with diesel generators are now available for the supply of off-grid electricity – and the use of renewable solutions for mobile applications is advancing.”
Power Technique is mostly associated with the manufacture of mobile power solutions for the construction, oil and gas, mining and general industries. “These are typically deployed in harsh environments where they are expected to deliver cost-effective, reliable power. They are used as mobile rental units for project work, mostly as temporary solutions. But due to power uncertainty across the region, some of our systems become preferred investments in longer-term and, on occasions, permanent installations,” says Stanford.
Power Technique’s product development is aligned with this sustainability strategy. Stanford says the power solution products and services being offered by all Atlas Copco business units strive to help customers meet their own sustainability targets. “A substantial percentage of clients’ greenhouse gas emissions are linked to power products such as those we offer. So we need to be using more efficient products and using them more sparsely. Power should be deployed only when needed and we should then use the most efficient options available to us,” he argues.
Product innovations
“Out of all Atlas Copco business units, we have the greatest challenge. We are dealing with mobility and power sources that often require a fossil-fuelled engine, which is already as efficient as it can be. Engines have never been very efficient power generators, but we need to continue to meet the needs of our customers, while migrating the engine’s functionality into renewable, highly efficient and cleaner power source options.”
Describing a new initiative for diesel driven compressors called PACE – Pressure Adjusted through Cognitive Electronics – he explains that PACE technology allows the pressure to be set while the machine regulates the flow. “This allows a single machine to handle the job of three fixed-pressure machines. If using the compressor to operate handheld tools, then a 7.0 bar pressure can be set and the engine will adjust its output to deliver the demand flow.
“This gives far more flexibility from the engine and compressor, enabling one smaller machine to deliver pressures from 5.0 to 14 bar, and a larger version to be used for requirements from 15 to 25 bar. And if demand is low, the compressor is driven at reduced speed to deliver lower flow, saving on fuel consumption and emissions.
Also on the compressed air side, Stanford cites a “very nice innovation” on one of Power Technique’s smaller products, the SRD Rockdrill. “Our SRD is a small handheld rockdrill for general construction and small-scale quarrying. This type of equipment is seldom seen as needing to be efficient or sophisticated,” he notes. As well as an incorporating a solid cylinder housing design to minimise air leaks, the SRD design allows flushing and drilling to be performed simultaneously. This means that, simultaneously to drilling, the rock shavings are blown clear, which has the effect of reducing air consumption while significantly increasing the drilling speed. These two factors immediately reduce the size of the compressor required and the total power drawn to drive the compressor.
“More work in less time with less air using less fuel guarantees reduced carbon emissions. If simply innovating a tool in isolation, one can get incremental benefits, but innovations that embrace the whole system, and the power driving it, can make a massive difference on all levels. We shouldn’t trip over ourselves by focusing only on the big power consumers,” he tells MechChem Africa.
As additional benefits, the SRD Rockdrill also reduces noise and vibration levels, an HSE and ergonomic advantage that adds another environmental benefit for users of the equipment as well as for other site workers and local residents.
At the heart of the drive to incorporate renewable energy options into its offering, Power Technique has introduced Zenergize, a modular range of lithium-ion battery packs designed to store from 45 to 500 kWh of energy. When supplying electrical energy into a fluctuating load profile, Zenergize makes it possible to use battery storage to supplement demand when it is high and to recover that energy during periods of lower demand.
“The use of Zenergize battery packs also brings solar panels into play, which can simply be added to supplement the energy available to the system. Every kWh added from solar system reduces the load drawn from the generator, increasing the fuel efficiency of the whole system and reducing emissions,” Stanford says.
By carefully balancing the size of each module – the solar panels, the battery pack and the diesel generator – and incorporating smart controls, the most efficient power source can be used at any point in time to supply the demand. At times the diesel generator will have to be used, but at other times the solar panels coupled with the energy from the batteries can be used to fully supply the demand.
“It means our clients never need to run a diesel generator unnecessarily. Zenergize with Atlas Copco compressors forms a total deliverable, modular and flexible solution. If the site requirements change, the generator and its power pack, the Zenergize pack and, if included, the solar modules can be changed to suit,” he adds.
On the engine side, he says hydrogen is being explored as a plug-in substitute for diesel power in these systems. “The system is already migration ready: as other renewable options become available, we can swap out individual technologies and replace them with more modern and greener options.
“We see huge opportunities to get renewable energy into our region. Diesel is no longer the most effective way of getting power to unconnected areas. We are now seeing sales of traditional gensets fall across the African continent and this is sure to drive the adoption of hybrid type systems that use increasing percentages of renewable options,” Stanford concludes.
