Skip to main content

Noise and dust get a cool reception with iNDr

Hydraulic excavators move with a lot of power generated by a large engine and, like a truck, this will overheat if not properly cooled. To keep things running smoothly, several cooling components are built into the design, such as the radiator, oil cooler and intercooler, which all need wind to function properly.
February 28, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
To create a wind pathway, the company started with an enclosed duct connecting the air intake port to the exhaust port, and laid out all the cooling components and the engine inside it
Hydraulic excavators move with a lot of power generated by a large engine and, like a truck, this will overheat if not properly cooled. To keep things running smoothly, several cooling components are built into the design, such as the radiator, oil cooler and intercooler, which all need wind to function properly.

Unlike a truck, which sucks in air as it travels, the excavator stays mainly in one place while working, requiring a fast-spinning fan to provide the cooling components with the wind they need.

The fan and the cooling components are seen as parts of one overall cooling system, and now 5895 New Holland Kobelco has introduced "the next step" in cooling system evolution: its exclusive iNDr (integrated noise and dust reduction cooling system), which it says is a "world first."

Several things can be done to improve a cooling system's effectiveness, but excavators need more than just cooling efficiency, and in today's market there is high demand for compact designs that cannot accommodate large cooling components, says New Holland Kobelco.

"Large cooling fans are noisy, and large intake ports not only leak even more operating noise into the surroundings but also allow dust to penetrate, making cleaning difficult. Hydraulic excavators are evolving in the direction of smaller swing radii, lower noise, and easier maintenance, and these goals all conflict with the need for greater cooling efficiency. In the past, the ideals of quiet operation and easy maintenance have often been sacrificed in order to keep the engine cool."

According to the company, in contrast to conventional systems, which use a large fan near the intake port to cool the engine, iNDr creates a 'wind pathway' that naturally introduces air into the system with a fan located further inside the machine. Air transmits heat, carries dust, and vibrates with sound.

"Control the air, and all other problems can be solved. "This is what the wind pathway approach makes possible. To create a wind pathway, we started with an enclosed duct that connects the air intake port to the exhaust port, and laid out all of the cooling components and the engine inside it. This is the basic iNDr concept. Because the air can only enter and exit at certain, concentrated points, it becomes much easier to reduce noise and prevent dust penetration."

Acoustic engineers at New Holland Kobelco started in 2001 to work on the Ultimate Low-Noise Project (a 10dB reduction in operating noise), "a tremendous challenge that some said was impossible."

Different noise standards apply to hydraulic excavators, depending on engine, but because iNDr allowed New Holland Kobelco to build excavators that are much quieter than regulatory requirements, it needed a new term to show that conventional noise categories do not apply: Ultimate Low-Noise.

New Holland Kobelco models equipped with iNDr include the E70BSR, E80BMSR, E135BSR, E150B Blade Runner (all 95dB declared, 93dB measured value), and E225BSR and E235BSR (both 97dB declared, 95dB measured value).

This is compiled from a fuller report containing more technical information and details of the development of iNDr, which can be found at %$Linker: External 0 0 0 oLinkExternal www.worldhighways.com world highways false http://www.worldhighways.com/ false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Hidromek’s HMK140W wheeled excavator
    January 6, 2017
    Like other models in Hidromek’s crawler and wheeled excavator range, the HMK140W wheeled excavator has a new ‘Opera’ control system and cabin design, said by the firm to improve the comfort of the operator, while making the machine easier to handle.
  • Hidromek’s HMK140W wheeled excavator
    February 7, 2012
    Like other models in Hidromek’s crawler and wheeled excavator range, the HMK140W wheeled excavator has a new ‘Opera’ control system and cabin design, said by the firm to improve the comfort of the operator, while making the machine easier to handle.
  • Bridge and tunnel concrete testing vital for longevity
    July 9, 2012
    Modern technology is making testing more efficient and reliable, increasing productivity and reducing costs, as Patrick Smith reports A few years ago, visual inspection of an 18-year-old bridge by ARRB in Australia identified considerable cracking in the precast, prestressed deck planks as well as in the cast in situ deck overlay. Laboratory examination indicated that the deck planks and the deck overlay were suffering from a strong case of alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR). Testing of concrete cores drilled
  • Eaton introduces Hydre-MAC radial piston motor
    January 6, 2017
    Eaton has launched a radial piston motor suited for offshore, marine, metal recovery, mining, pulp and paper, and off-highway stationary applications. The Hydre-MAC is a low-speed, high-torque, direct-drive, radial piston motor with a cam lobe design. The motor uses less energy to deliver more power when needed. The Hydre-MAC motor, created using a MacTaggart Scott heavy-duty motor design, combines MacTaggart Scott’s motor expertise with Eaton’s industry knowledge – particularly in oil and gas, mining