The latest incarnation of New Holland’s NH2 hydrogen-powered tractor was given a world preview at Agritechnica 2011.
“The new NH2 has evolved from the concept that won the Gold Innovation Medal at SIMA 2009,” New Holland’s Riccardo Morselli said. “It has been developed in collaboration with CRF, a process that has involved equipping the new machine with all of the features required to ensure it will deliver the kind of performance associated with a conventional diesel tractor, both in the field and on the road.”
Derived from the New Holland T6.140 production model, the new tractor has fuel cells that deliver double the power of the original – increased from 67-134hp – as there are now three stacks developing a total of 384 units rather than the first model that had two stacks providing a total 256 units.
The number of on-board electric motors remains the same, one for traction and one to operate the PTO and auxiliary circuits, but their rated power and torque has been doubled.
Each of the new electric motors has a power output of 134hp, with continuous torque of 950Nm and maximum torque of 1,200Nm. The top crankshaft speed is 3,000rpm, and efficiency at maximum power output is a staggering 96 per cent.
Naturally enough, to keep the increased number of fuel cells in operation and ensure the tractor can keep working for longer (up to three hours, depending on the load); a bigger hydrogen tank has been installed. The tank of the new NH2 can hold a generous 8.2kg of hydrogen at a pressure of 350 bar, opposed to 2.4kg for the previous model.
Other new features include a 12kWh, 300V battery, with peak power output of 67kW, the new continuously variable transmission, replacing the conventional manual gearbox, a suspended front axle, and the inclusion of front loader mounting points as standard.
Performance levels of the new NH2 are more than equal to those of a tractor similar size with a conventional engine. However, it offers one enormous advantage: the tractor produces zero harmful exhaust emissions, only heat and water vapour.
With a top speed of 50km/hr, pulling power comparable to that of a standard 120hp diesel tractor, and a hydraulic system that delivers a maximum of 113 lit/min (the same as that of the T6.140 model from which it derives), the new hydrogen-powered NH2 is a genuine farm tractor, comprehensively equipped and ready to work.
The operational debut of the new NH2 is scheduled for summer 2012 on the La Bellotta farm at Venaria, near Turin, which is New Holland’s first Energy Independent Farm. This concept centres on the ability of farms to produce electrical energy from natural sources that have a low environmental impact, and to store it conveniently in the form of hydrogen for subsequent reuse.
The project, initiated by New Holland and implemented in collaboration with a consortium of 13 partners, is partly funded by the Italian Ministry for Economic Development.
Three methods are being evaluated for hydrogen production: the first is the electrolysis of water, its decompositon into oxygen and hydrogen, using electrical energy produced by a photovoltaic system already installed on the farm; the second method is that of small-scale, steam reforming of natural gas (should this prove practically feasible and economical, it would be possible to use the methane produced by the digesters of the one MegaWatt biogas generator that has been in operation at La Bellotta for over a year); and the third method, and the most innovative of all, is exploiting the dark anaerobic fermentation of biomass, biological process generating a blend of gases that contains a significant proportion of hydrogen.
For more information visit: www.newholland.com.
