EMISSIONS & IT4


EMISSIONS AND TIER 4 PART2 Health Benefits


First and foremost, cleaner air is good for everyone. That may sound like common sense, but research shows that remarkable health improvements, especially respiratory, have been made because of changes to clean air standards. Studies show that efforts taken by the EPA have reduced air pollutants, mostly the two worst ones: particulate matter


(PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). By the end of 2010, the EPA estimated that NOx emissions would be reduced by about a


million tons per year. That’s the equivalent of removing 35 million passenger cars from our roads. Even better, by the year 2030, the EPA estimates that annually, cleaner air will prevent 12,000 premature deaths, 8,900 hospitalizations and 1 million lost work days.


So the health benefi ts are all positive, but what exactly has the EPA been doing since the fi rst clean air nonroad diesel rules took effect in 1995? The EPA’s primary goal was to create a national program designed to reduce harmful emissions from nonroad diesel engines. To do so, they encouraged equipment manufacturers to implement


EPA STANDARDS FOR NONROAD EQUIPMENT


Understanding exactly how the EPA emission standards impact nonroad equipment — such as Bobcat products — can be diffi cult to understand, and even more challenging is determining what manufacturers — including Bobcat — are doing to their equipment to make it compliant with the EPA regulations. The rest of this article will attempt, on a high level, to explain the implications of EPA nonroad emission standards and the technologies available to help companies like Bobcat meet Interim Tier 4 and Final Tier 4 regulations.


engine and fuel controls to eliminate or


minimize PM and NOx levels from diesel engine exhaust.


Let’s take a look at the fi ve individual tiers since they took effect:


Tier 1


Tier 1 was the fi rst set of emission standards adopted and regulated by the EPA for new nonroad diesel engines. The goal of Tier 1


was to reduce NOx emissions from nonroad diesel engines by approximately 30 percent. The time frame for Bobcat equipment was 1998 to 2004, depending on the engine horsepower. For Bobcat, meeting the Tier 1 requirements meant some simple modifi cations to the engine combustion system. It changed how diesel fuel burned in the engine cylinders.


Tier 2


In 2004 the next step in nonroad diesel regulations took effect. The goal of these regulations was to reduce NOx, PM and


hydrocarbons. Tier 2 lasted from 2004 through 2007. Again, Bobcat met these requirements. In some Bobcat machines, Tier 2 standards were achieved by incorporating a direct fuel injection design (known as direct injection). Additional methods were implemented to help meet the Tier 2 requirements. Direct injection was helpful in improving fuel effi ciency and lowering overall operating costs for some Bobcat owners. Direct injection improved engine heat rejection to the machine’s cooling system, therefore some engines operated at cooler temperatures to improve the engine’s life.


Note: This did not apply to every Bobcat machine. Tier 3


In 2008 the EPA Tier 3 regulations took effect. These emission regulations applied only to Bobcat equipment with engines greater than 75 horsepower. Bobcat equipment with lower horsepower engines jumped from Tier 2 to Interim Tier 4 or Final Tier 4. The goal of Tier 3 targeted NOx again; to reduce it by approximately


(Continued on page 6)


By the end of 2010, the EPA estimated that NOx


emissions


a million tons WOULD BE REDUCED BY ABOUT


4 WORKSAVER BobCatalog 2011 per year.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54