Clean Engines / Consequences & costs / Consequences & Costs
Consequences & Costs
The Tier 4 regulations are changing the entire portable compressor and generator industry. The new standards require significant changes that affect portable equipment manufacturers, engine suppliers as well as the end user.
Design and performance
Tier 4A / Stage 3B primarily impacts the larger portable compressors and generators. Atlas Copco has redesigned and re-engineered its entire range of large portable equipment to meet the most stringent emission standards.
Size
In the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)/Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) process used to achieve Tier 4A / Stage 3B compliance, heat absorbed by the cooled EGR must be dissipated through coolers with improved performance. This can result in bigger coolers and an increase of outside dimensions.
Because footprint matters, Atlas Copco has developed an EGR solution that integrates the new coolers into the existing Atlas Copco equipment, with limited or no impact in terms of size.
Oil & Fuel
All new technologies that help meet the new emission standards require the transition to ultra‑low sulfur diesel fuel and low ash engine oils. As a result, fuel quality becomes crucial. Machines using the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology must also be equipped with an extra tank for Diesel Exhaust Fuel (DEF/also known as urea).
Service The EGR/DPF process includes an after-treatment system with a particulate filter that must be serviced. The new Tier 4A / Stage 3B regulations limit service intervals for these filters to every 4,500 hours.
Accountability
Engine manufacturers are now held accountable for the exhaust emissions of their products for five years or 3,000 hours of operation (depending on power category), even as the engines are integrated into portable compressors and generators.
Price
The new emission standards will have a substantial impact on equipment value, in turn affecting cost and price. Sales prices across the affected compressor and generator ranges will go up between 35% and 45%.
