“We’re getting a lot of enquiries from 矿业 customers that have committed to significant ESG targets,狄龙·麦金农说, SMS设备采矿技术经理. “他们问的问题是，我们如何用现有的技术开始减排呢?’”
压力是存在的!
采矿业最近一直备受关注，因为柴油发动机, 传统采矿船队的动力是什么, constitute a significant contributor to greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere. GHG and carbon reduction isn’t just a matter of dealing with regulators – the carbon footprint of a mine impacts the ESG targets of the mine’s customers as well.
生物柴油, 即脂肪酸甲酯, 最常见和最知名的替代柴油燃料是什么. 它是由大豆制成的, 油菜, vegetable oils or animal fats and is blended with traditional diesel fuel to improve the overall GHG performance.
它的使用, 然而, 是有限的, including the potential requirement to significantly modify vehicle fuel systems and fuel stations if the blend of bio-diesel to diesel exceeds 5%. 生物柴油也有可能导致燃料过滤器堵塞, 寒冷天气性能问题, 还有一些长期储存的问题.
With some limitations, 小松 has approved using up to 20% bio-diesel blends in their engines. 
可再生柴油, 或HVO(加氢处理植物油), 与传统的生物柴油相比，有了显著的改进. 它可以作为柴油的替代品(高达100%), with no blend-wall limitations) with no modifications to the vehicle fuel system or fuel station equipment. It is also stable in long-term storage and does not block fuel filters.
“HVO is appealing because it is a drop-in fuel that is very similar to diesel at a molecular level,麦金农说。. “然而，它不含硫，因此被认为是一种更清洁的柴油.” The fuel density of renewable diesel is lower than standard diesel fuel. 正因为如此, it does result in a slight decrease in power (1-2%) and a slight increase in fuel consumption.
While the particulate emissions are lower than diesel, the tailpipe GHG emissions are similar. 净温室气体排放量的显著改善是什么, which take into account the carbon sequestered from growing the crops that produce the fuel. 麦金农说:“这与化石燃料衍生的柴油非常相似。. “区别在于制造柴油的来源.”
可再生柴油目前的价格高于传统柴油, 而且在很多地方供应有限. 然而, with the rising prices of petroleum diesel and market availability set to expand rapidly, 这一差距正在迅速缩小.
小松还批准了石蜡燃料(HVO), GTL, etc) for 小松 engines as long as they follow fuel standards EN 15940 and ASTM D975.
石蜡燃料可以用于带有DPF和SCR的发动机吗? 是的. Approval to use covers engines equipped with or without DPF and with or without SCR after-treatment systems. 关键是要确保燃料符合EN 15940标准.
氢是地球上最丰富的资源之一, 燃烧时零碳排放, 并且可以由绿色能源生产. “康明斯, 我们大型采矿设备的柴油供应商, is working on developing a 中期-term solution for an internal combustion engine to run on hydrogen,麦金农说。. “It will be a compression ignition engine –a cross between a diesel and an internal combustion engine.” The developments of this solution will start with smaller displacement on highway engines to develop a fuel-agnostic engine.
另一项重要技术是氢燃料电池, 它们通过电化学反应产生电力. They share an advantage with batteries because cells can join together to increase power output. The technology has the potential to significantly outperform batteries because energy density is higher, 而不是充电, 它只需要确保燃料供应是可用的. 加油时间将与今天的柴油非常相似. In partnership with Cummins Diesel, 小松 is developing a hydrogen-powered 矿业 truck.
然而，也存在着重大挑战. “The volumetric density of hydrogen is much lower than diesel or gasoline,麦金农说。, “so you’d need a fuel tank about three times as large to get the same capacity and range.”
Another challenge is that most hydrogen today is produced from natural gas and is carbon intense, so green alternatives and the infrastructure to bring it to market will have to be scaled and deployed.
