The new Sótero del Río Hospital (Santiago de Chile, Chile) is bound to be one of the largest healthcare facilities in Latin America, and also one of the most sustainable. This project, developed by Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructure, has obtained the Zero Waste certificate, and is now conducting a novel pilot to introduce a hybrid boom truck fueled by green hydrogen into its fleet.
The aim is to improve the efficiency and reduce emissions produced by diesel trucks by implementing a hybrid green hydrogen injection system into the combustion chamber.
The new dual combustion system has been designed in Italy specifically for this vehicle model, as it is the first time it has been implemented in a boom truck. The installation of this kit was carried out by AndesH2, a company that has experience in Colombia and Chile.
"This innovative project arose from the urgent need to reduce the emissions generated by the equipment used on site. Considering that, in the long term, we must focus on progressively forming and shifting a fleet of heavy equipment with zero emissions, including hopper trucks, backhoes, trucks with lifting equipment, among others," explains Rodrigo Fernández, Construction Manager at Sacyr's Metro L7 in Chile.
"Our main purpose is to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of the gradual conversion of Sacyr's current fleet to low-emission equipment, thus ensuring compliance with more rigorous environmental standards and actively contributing to the sustainability of the sector," Rodrigo says.
"Our goal is to evaluate the benefits of introducing synthetic fuels such as green hydrogen," explains Etienne Valdés, R+D with Sacyr Chile's Innovation Department.
The project consists of the implementation of a dual combustion system designed in Italy specifically for the truck model. The installation of this kit was carried out by AndesH2, a company that has experience in Colombia and Chile implementing these modifications and being the first time that it has been carried out on a boom truck.
This process is called dualization or blending of green hydrogen to improve fuel efficiency. The installed kit is connected to the hydrogen tanks and injects the appropriate hydrogen percentages into the engine.
Preliminary first tests have already been carried out using 4 kg of hydrogen for a week in a controlled setting closed to traffic.
"It takes less hydrogen than diesel to reach the same energy efficiency in the engine. The engine is modified to inject 15% hydrogen on average into the fuel. This improves efficiency and reduces the use of diesel, so the engine is more efficient, and produces fewer emissions," explains Etienne.
The use of this fuel poses further challenges. "We have to create a safety plan with this equipment, and, as a second step, homologate the truck for use on public roads. Currently, we are managing an experimental permit certificate through the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, explains the expert.
