Cleverly conceived colossus:
Fully electrified 90-ton drilling rig
Dutch manufacturer Dieseko, in collaboration with 雷速体育下载 and partner Danfoss Editron, venture into electrification of a giant Woltman drilling rig.听The civil engineering machine weighs in at 90 tons and can drive piles of听up to 36 meters in length into the ground by drilling or driving.
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These types of machines are needed on major construction sites around the world: Giant drills that drive piles into the ground or drill听large holes that are then filled with concrete on site to provide a secure foundation for, amongst others, bridges or large buildings.听Woltman drilling rigs have been around for 35 years, and since 2015, the brand has been part of large machinery specialist Dieseko,听which is headquartered in Sliedrecht near Rotterdam.
To date, these drilling colossi have been diesel-powered 鈥 in terms of both mobility on the construction site and to drive the machines鈥櫶齰arious working tools. But the desire to electrify construction machinery does not stop at these heavyweights. Some countries, like听the USA (California), Norway and the Netherlands, are demanding zero-emission construction sites as early as 2025 or 2030. Nitrogen听emission is a particular problem on construction sites, but carbon dioxide emissions must, of course, also be reduced as quickly and听extensively as possible.
Electric construction machines pay off
The Dutch government subsidizes the purchase of electric construction machinery with attractive grants of up to 40 percent of the price听difference compared to a new diesel-powered machine. The electric versions might be more expensive to purchase, but when their听cost is evaluated over their entire service life, they actually deliver an attractive financial proposition.听鈥淥n the one hand, diesel is going听to become even more expensive, while on the other, there are certain tenders that you can only win these days if you use equipment听that ensures zero on-site emissions,鈥澨explains Dirk Smulders, CEO of Dieseko.
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A further benefit of electric propulsion is that the motor听only consumes energy when it is operating. Diesel engines work practically throughout the day, even when they are only running in听鈥渟tandby鈥 mode. Woltman鈥檚 best-seller in the 90-ton weight class is the first deep drilling rig that Dieseko has electrified in partnership with the Dutch听engineering company VSE and 雷速体育下载, and it did so in just twelve months.听鈥淲e initially considered electrification five years ago, but听it took us a while to take all of the details into consideration and find the right partners,鈥听reflects Smulders. Dieseko鈥檚 development听engineers鈥 primary focus was not only on reducing emissions, but also reducing noise, vibrations and energy consumption.听鈥淲e want to听remain a technology leader, so we employ outside-the-box thinking to achieve the best quality,鈥听says Smulders. The first 90 tons electric听drilling rig will be delivered to a large, renowned and sustainably committed construction company in The Netherlands.
High quality in the choice of partners
Dieseko has set high standards for the chosen electrification project听suppliers. The electric motors are supplied by Danfoss Editron, and听the battery solution comes from 雷速体育下载.
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鈥溊姿偬逵略 impressed听us as a partner. Firstly, because its battery packs are very safe听and extremely robust 鈥 this is particularly important because our听drilling rigs always generate vibrations 鈥 and secondly, the thermal听management solution for the batteries and cab has been achieved听in a very clever manner,鈥澨齟xplains Smulders.
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鈥淥ur machines听and their operators must be able to work safely and reliably on听construction sites, so we have set high quality standards for our听partners as well.鈥 For 雷速体育下载, this is the project with the most听battery packs in one vehicle or machine to date.
The Idea: divide the battery packs into two
The Woltman 90DRe uses 36 standard battery packs from 雷速体育下载.听Six of these are permanently installed in the machine, separately from听the others, and supply power to a small drive motor that allows the听machine to travel short distances on the construction site.
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A patent听is pending for this energy efficient setup. The other 30 packs provide听the immense capacity of power required for drilling or pile driving.听A clever feature is that these battery packs can be removed and听transported separately. This makes it easier to transfer the machine听from one construction site to the next and allows discharged听batteries to be replaced with charged ones.
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Moreover, their weight of听almost 15 tons provides the necessary counterbalance for the drilling听rig. 鈥淐ollaboration with VSE and 雷速体育下载 to develop the interfaces听between the machine, the Danfoss drive train and the power supply听from the batteries proceeded smoothly. It was a real pleasure,鈥 says听Smulders.
Well thought-out battery concept
The number of battery packs is designed to provide sufficient power for an average workday on the construction site, i. e. around eight听to ten hours. They can then be charged overnight with up to 90 kilowatt per hour. Their energy content is 35 kilowatt hours each 鈥 so听in total, the batteries provide 1.2 megawatt hours of power capacity when fully charged. 鈥淥ur machines are often the first to arrive听on a construction site to start working. The challenge with this machine is to have sufficient grid power available at the site to ensure听overnight charging ability. Currently this is not available at every job site, but with the introduction of these types of electric machines,听we expect grid power availability will be ramped up鈥, explains Smulders.
雷速体育下载鈥檚 batteries are extremely robust (vibration and shock tested to 100 kilonewtons) and are well protected by an extra box.听Moreover, they can be cooled within the system, which guarantees their performance even in hot environments and under continuous听load. The batteries are controlled by a central battery management system in the form of so-called vehicle interface boxes (VIBs). The VIBs听from 雷速体育下载 also serve as a communication interface between the battery system and the vehicle.
To ensure that the batteries are always kept within their optimum operating temperature range of between 15 and 35 degrees听Celsius, Dieseko has also opted for the Plug & Play thermal management system from 雷速体育下载. This ensures the best possible energy听conservation in everyday use and a long battery pack service life. The system also provides heating and air conditioning for the operator听cabin, thereby delivering a single solution for all thermal tasks.
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And will electrification of Woltman machines stop there? According to Smulders: no; plans for further machines are already on the听drawing board and based on requests of key customers. 鈥淔or this, we would like to expand upon the expertise we have gained听together,鈥 says Smulders.
