The next phase of US emissions and fuel consumption regulations for medium and heavy duty trucks, officially titled ‘Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles – Phase 2’ (referred to from this point forward as ‘GHG Phase II’), was outlined in June 2015. Among the key technologies that could help fleets reach the targets is waste heat recovery (WHR), a technology that is expected to be especially relevant in the latter years of GHG Phase II.
Target in focus
Formerly known as Norgren, IMI Precision Engineering is a leading supplier of motion and fluid control technologies. It believes WHR systems will be instrumental for the automotive industry as it looks to reduce its carbon footprint. In fact, the company recently stated, “WHR is the single biggest opportunity for large commercial vehicles to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) legislation and deliver fuel efficiency gains for the operator.”
Capturing and reusing energy that would otherwise be lost thermally, WHR systems can improve the efficiency of vehicles whilst simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions. The technology can be implemented on vehicles that use conventional internal combustion engines (ICE) as well as those with hybrid systems.
Speaking to Megatrends, Mark Sealy, Engineering Director, Commercial Vehicle Sector at IMI Precision Engineering discussed the proposed rules for US GHG Phase II, and explained how WHR systems could be influential as fleets look to meet the requirements.
“What we’re now focusing on in Europe and the Americas is the next agenda, which is the fuel efficiency, CO2 and general GHG reduction initiative. This is bringing with it projects such as natural gas programmes, tyre inflation ideas, and aerodynamic solutions. WHR systems are now of strong interest too,” he observed.
He suggests that trucks need to find small savings in several areas to be able to hit the GHG Phase II regulations. Realistically, what sort of savings can heavy-duty commercial vehicles (HDCVs) hope to achieve when using WHR systems? “We’re targeting 4% fuel saving initially,” Sealy predicts. “We see 5% as a possibility in the longer term. It all depends on how complex you want the systems to be. We think the first systems to be adopted will deliver a 3% to 4% fuel saving, with others that are more developed recording around 5%.”
A mandatory must-have
After examining the proposed GHG Phase II regulations, IMI Precision Engineering came to the verdict that WHR systems will be influential in the near future: “Our interpretation of the GHG Phase II regulations, although they are not finalised, is that pre-series adoption of WHR will happen by 2021. We think that’s the earliest date that the technology will be deployed, and it will probably be one or two pioneers in the field.”
The early adopters, or “pioneers” will use “fairly simple” first generation systems, benefitting from the 3% fuel savings that Sealy previously described. Systems that enable savings of around 5% will be exclusively built for the “long-haul segment,” he adds.
After these initial spells of use, he expects progress to commence rapidly, with WHR systems becoming “a fairly wide scale option by 2024”. Looking further ahead, he is confident that WHR will be mandatory on trucks in the Americas by 2027, based on EPA requirements.
Sealy suggests that future European GHG emissions and fuel consumption legislation is likely to follow the proposals set out by the US government, adding that “big companies are reluctant to launch products in two parts of the world simultaneously, so there is bound to be a gap. But the motivations are also the business case in Europe, because fuel prices are higher.”
Essentially, he outlines a tiered approach to WHR uptake, which reflects the EPA’s hurdles which see GHG targets becoming more stringent in 2021, 2024 and finally 2027, when they reach their peak.
Overcoming barriers
Before WHR systems become mandatory, and even before they see initial uptake, Sealy admits there are a number of issues that must be addressed: “One is that working fluids aren’t yet regulated. There is no standard of approved regulation for using working fluids in these super-heated conditions on vehicles. We’re told that this isn’t a deal breaker, but nevertheless, all the regulatory bodies have to work out the standards and the tests.”
The second is the cost issue, which continues to be a problem for WHR systems. But, like most technology, Sealy is confident that as volume production increases, the price of the systems will fall: “The equipment is prohibitively expensive for the amount of yield today, although it’s pretty close – one can imagine that one more round of simplification, a bit of volume, and another hike in diesel prices and we’re there,” he predicts.
Finally, durability remains an issue with WHR systems, and “after Euro VI, nobody wants to bolt another piece of complexity onto a truck that has any reliability issues. It’s a matter of time and patience. If we can go through a couple of winters with the same piece of equipment, I think the fleet operators will be convinced.”
