EU Stage V Update

EU stage V went into effect last year and we wanted to have an expert explain what impacts we might see as  facility owners and managers.  Joining us today from his home in Northern Ireland is Gareth Osbourne to bring us the details.

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Transcript

Lou: Intro: Good Day and welcome everyone to Power Bytes!  I am your host Lou Signorelli and Power Bytes is your destination Podcast for power generation conversations.  As always please know how much we appreciate you, our listeners.  We hope you find our topics helpful and interesting.  There are several ways for you to get in touch with the show. You can send us an email at powerbytes@cat.com or visit us at Cat Electric Power on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Please remember to subscribe and leave comments wherever you listen to our show… it really helps.

 Lou: There have been some new regulations affecting mobile power equipment that went into effect last year and we wanted to have an expert explain what impacts we might see as facility owners and managers.

Lou: Joining me today from his home in Northern Ireland is Gareth Osbourne.  Gareth is the Rental Engineering Manager for Cat Electric Power.  As such, Gareth is globally responsible for Caterpillar rental generator product planning and execution. Gareth has been with Cat for 25 years and is a Mechanical  Engineer from Ulster University and holds an MBA from the university of South Carolina.  Thanks for joining us Gareth!

 Gareth: Hi Lou, thank or inviting me along to talk about generator set mobile emissions and their impact to users

Lou: So let's start with a bit of level setting.   The former or old set of EU regulations were titled Stage IIIA and now we are migrating to Stage 5?  When did this go into effect?

 Gareth: That’s correct genset were regulated to EU Stage IIIA, some other applications like construction equipment was regulated to EU Stage IIIB and Stage IV, For most engines that change occurred on 1st Jan 2019, There was an exception 56-130bKW which migrated to EU V in 1st Jan 2020. There was a transition period that allowed equipment manufactures a period to continue building generators or other machines with engines that where purchased before the regulation effective date.

 Lou: What drove the need for the new standard? 

 Gareth: The overall internet is to improve air quality one item that interesting on EU V emissions is a more stringent particulate matter standard compared to similar regulation in North America, showing the focus .

Lou: Does it apply to all "off road" applications? Permanent or Rental or both?  

 Gareth: Its important to think about EUV regulation as mobile vs stationary, Many people think rental and assume if I own the generator not an issue but if the operator plans to move it must meet Non road emissions applicable to the year the unit was produced. There was some misconceptions that the unit was considered stationary of if was in a fixed location for 12 months, The regulation clarification the position is if you intend to move the unit even after 12 months you need to use a Non road emissions compliment product. A good example of an exception would a stationary unit that placed on the west side of a building like a warehouse t provide emergency power. It was designed to be located in that position with dedicated cable runs and a transfer switch but over time the warehouse needs to expand on its west side and the unit is relocated to the North side of the building and reconnected in a permanent fashion

 Lou: Does it apply to only certain power nodes? If so, is there a plan to expand this to larger power levels?

 Gareth: EUIII3a did not regulate products above 560bKW, remembering that that us engine kW not electrical KW. EUV removed that upper power caps so all units regardless of size must meet EU V.

 Lou: So, without getting into the minutia, can you help us understand some of the most impactful changes that owners need to be mindful of?

Gareth: (List the top 5-6, then we can break them down.

DEF/AdBlue - The generator may be the only thing that is engine drive on operators site, like a concert of festival so you may not think of Ad Blue/DEF when refueling

DEF Storage and management - Freeze at -11 Deg C, Degrades >32DegC, Corrodes some materials and hence necessitates the need for stainless steel and composite tanks, lines and fittings

Inducements and emergency use, Thermal management and low load running

 Lou: Ok, let's start at the top.  What is DEF/AdBlue and what does it do? 

Gareth: DEF of Diesel exhaust fluid is a mixture or urea and deionized water , it is used in part of the aftertreatment system called the SCR or Selective Catalytic reduction. The DEF is added to the hot exhaust stream which turns DEF to Ammonia and Cardon Dioxide, Inside the SCR the Ammonia and CO2 react with the Nitrogen Oxides to create harmes and safe Nitrogen and Water.  

 Lou: And the storage can be a challenge as well from what you said?

 Gareth: Unlike Diesel fuel DEF has a finer operating temperature range, It freezes at -11Dec C which means on a cold day the owners refill bottles may be frozen solid, conversely above 32Dec DEF starts to degrade which means the same volume of DEF will not convert as much NO or N and H2O in the selective catalytic reduction system. DEF is nontoxic but will encourage plain steel to rust so it is important that tanks, line and fittings are constructed with stainless steel or composites

Lou: Gareth, you mentioned "Inducements and Emergency Use".  Fill us in, what do you mean by that?

Gareth: With EU Stage V engines there is a series of new alarms and alerts specific to the emissions control technology, There alerts are there to inform the owner that the machine is not running within emissions tolerance, Low DEF level is the one may users will see in practical operation. If you don’t refill the DEF tank the machine can not convert NOx to N and H2O in the SCR. There other inducements including tampering with the emissions control technology. If a inducement occurs the operator will be given a time to address the issues before the machine goes into a shutdown state. In an emergency situation you can force the genset to continue to run for a limited period while an inducement is active. This is called a Emergency inducement override and each use must be reported back to the relevant authorities typically via the equipment OEM.

Lou: How does thermal management come into play as it relates to EU5?

Gareth: To ensure the Aftertreatment system has adequate heat to perform its has been necessary to manage the exhaust temperature within specific limits to suit the chemistry specific to the SCR and DPF system, This can mean additional on engine systems such as intake throttle valves, Exhaust backpressure vales, air heaters and even dedicated burners on the aftertreatment system 

 Lou: Running at low load has always been a challenge for engines.  It can lead to slobber and have other negative impacts.  Does EU5 make matters worse?  What do I need to know as an owner?

 Gareth: It lead on from thermal management, EUV introduces SCR and Diesel particulate filers for many users. The DFP collections particulate but becomes full over time, using hot exhaust gas it regenerates converting soot to ash making room for more soot and ensuring no additional restriction on exhaust backpressure, The SCR will collect Sulphur over time it also need hot exist has to remove the excess suppler to ensure the SCR surface to free to reach and convert NOx. At low loads the additional attachments to assist in thermal management may not be able to elevate the exhaust temperate to a point where regenerations take place, that could result in an inducement. Period or low or no load are ok but the machine should see periods of higher load though the day

Lou: Well, there you have it folks! I’d like to thank Gareth Osborne for sharing his expertise with us today.  And thank you for joining us today on Power Bytes.  

For more information on EU5 and other important information please visit cat.com/EU"V". Remember to like, comment, and subscribe to the show, it really does help.  

Until next time, have a great rest of your day!