Climate change and fuel consumption are daily issues. They go hand-in-hand - decreasing fuel consumption not only saves costs, it also decreases carbon dioxide emissions and saves our environment. So a crane control system that reduces the load on the environment while boosting the lifting capacity and cost efficiency of the crane is really good news.
Hiab's latest generation crane control system sets new industry benchmarks by not only increasing lifting capacity and efficiency but also by cutting fuel consumption to lessen the environmental impact.
When designing a crane its maximum rated load is calculated on the basis of the crane's weight and geometry and on the expected lifetime of the steel structures. Lightness can be achieved by design, by using high-strength steels and by using control systems to utilise the full capacity of the structure. Hiab has been in the forefront in design and use of high-strength steels for decades. The continuous development of the control systems has been the basis of Hiab's success in developing productive and efficient cranes.
"It goes without saying that the customer benefits most from a crane that is as light as possible but with the biggest lifting capacity possible. When the crane is light, the truck bed can carry a bigger payload. The transportation of the crane's full weight also requires less fuel", notes Lars Andersson, R&D Manager Structure Mechanic Hiab Cranes.
Hiab's crane control systems Pro and HiPro were designed to meet customer needs for light cranes able to deliver the highest possible lifting capacity. The delivered payload can be increased by up to 20 per cent and have the potential to reduce fuel consumption by up to 40 per cent.
"What's remarkable is that benefits like greater capacity and lower fuel costs don't just boost the customer's profitability, they also make a real contribution to curbing climate change", says Lars Andersson.
A crane needs energy in order to move itself and to lift loads. Most cranes today have a pump that delivers a fixed flow of oil - in many situations a large part of the oil circulates directly back into the tank.
If a customer chooses a fixed pump for a 166 HiPro crane, the oil flow in the hydraulic system is 70-90 litres per minute. This oil flow requires the truck's diesel engine to use three litres of fuel per hour. However, quite often the crane is not used at its full capacity. It may only be turned 90 degrees - from the loading dock to the truck's bed and back - and with 60-per cent speed.
"This would need only 25 litres of oil per minute, so at least 50 litres of oil is circulating in the system in vain. The excess energy used converts to heat in the control system, and since the oil temperature must be kept below 70 degrees, an oil cooler is needed", says Lars Andersson.
Hiab's Pro and HiPro control systems allow the use of variable displacement pumps instead of traditional fixed displacement pumps. A variable pump adjusts the needed oil flow in the hydraulic system based on the needed lifting/lowering or moving speed at any given time.
According to Lars Andersson, replacing the standard fixed displacement pump with a variable displacement pump in a truck with a HIAB XS 288 HiPro crane normally using about 7,000 litres of diesel oil per year would result in a 32-per cent fuel savings, or 2,200 litres. The savings would be even higher in an 800 HiPro crane using 10,000 litres per year with a potential 4,000-litre reduction.
"The greenhouse gas emissions of an 800 HiPro with a variable pump are ten tonnes less per year than with a fixed pump. Ten tonnes is the annual amount of carbon dioxide emissions of four cars," says Lars Andersson.
Although all Hiab HiPro series cranes have the technical prerequisite, just 15-20 per cent of them are currently equipped with a variable pump. Andersson says the reason is that people are more familiar with fixed pumps, and many are not aware of the savings a variable pump can bring.
Installing a variable pump into a new Hiab crane or retrofitting an old crane requires an investment of EUR 1,000-2,000. However, Andersson says the investment soon pays for itself.
"If the price of a litre of diesel oil is around one euro, in a 288 HiPro crane a variable pump would pay for itself in less than 18 months and in the 800 HiPro in just half a year. After that, the annual savings with the smaller crane would be EUR 2,200 and as much as EUR 4,000 with the bigger one," says Lars Andersson.
There are other major benefits too thanks to the ability of the variable pump to keep the oil temperature significantly lower, which means the hydraulic system remains at least 20 degrees Celsius cooler.
"In most cases there is not even a need to install an oil cooler, while the seals, hoses and other parts last longer due to the cooler temperatures", Andersson adds.
"In addition to the savings in fuel consumption a HiPro crane's rated load can be increased by up to 25 per cent, or even more on long outreaches, leading to enhanced productivity thanks to the innovative and intelligent control system", notes Lars Andersson.
Andersson adds: "As a result of dedicated ongoing research and development for over two decades, the control systems of today's HIAB XS cranes automatically control the cranes' lifting capacity for enhanced performance, safety and operator comfort. Our new-generation crane control system raises the bar dramatically by not only increasing lifting capacity and cost efficiency, but also by lessening environmental impact by reducing fuel consumption."