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Foundation
engineering –

designed
for the next generations!

Demand on ourselves.

Construction is responsible for 38 percent of global CO2 emissions.

Yet we shouldn’t fool ourselves: construction will continue polluting the environment and resources. However, we can contribute to minimize these impacts on a large scale.

NATURE DRILL is uniting a strong alliance of researchers, scientists, process managers and construction machinery manufacturers. Everyone works with us on the big picture.

We consider ourselves as a booster in the development of sustainable construction.

Scientific Research and Development

NATURE DRILL pairs up intelligent minds from research and development who are essential for the success of sustainable constrcution. For example, we have been cooperating successfully with the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg in the field of sustainable construction for quite a time. Additionally, a research and test construction site has been launched in Oldenburg to generate future opportunities in the field of `soil as a building material`.

Our motivation

With NATURE DRILL, we started a process that is uniting all the relevant players for the transition to sustainable construction: Intelligent minds from science, research and develop-ment who are breaking new grounds with sustainable materials and processes, as well as well-known manufacturers with climate-neutral construction machinery in their portfolio.

What we want is to pragmatically and rationally identify approaches and opportunities within our area of responsibility and consistently optimize these fields of activity. Changes and savings are not achieved sustainably by any government bans or regulations, yet by innovation, zest for action, personal responsibility and last but not least by economic success.

This is where NATURE DRILL steps in:
We as the project controllers for our two sister companies, (Harald Gollwitzer GmbH and BORAMA Rent GmbH) who operate the day-to-day business and provide the equipment and personnel for the development tests and tests, gather the players, both internal and external.

We coordinate the processes and tests of the equipment manufacturers and building material suppliers, we are the interface to applied science.

Through our cooperation with the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg, we can strengthen and evaluate the results from our construction sites in the laboratory, as well as academically analyze and normatively evaluate new processes.

Harald Gollwitzer

„Everything we do, we do in our own way. We develop our processes on the basis of our own considerations and we want to make our expertise available, because sustainable construction must and can only be a joint, global effort.“

Gollwitzer family

NATURE DRILL is part of the GOLLWITZER Family: In addition to Spezialtiefbau GmbH and BORAMA (rental park), the company completes the family-owned group of companies in Floß with a focus on sustainability.

GOLLWITZER Family operates in the second generation in civil and foundation engineering. The great affinity for machinery and process technology has led to a high level of competence in the management and among the employees. This competence, matched with idealism and openness to change, is a perfect basis for developing or adapting construction processes and systems in terms of sustainable corporate policy and socio-political goals in climate and environmental protection.

Sustainable construction has always been supported by the traditional company GOLLWITZER, however, signs of the times require a new speed of action for the Bavarian foundation engineers. "Rather than to become urged, we actively want to precede and promote new construction processes." And this requires new approaches and developments.

"As a family business, we think on a long-term basis and are not profit-driven. Thanks to our lean organization, we can progress processes and make decisions much faster.
We want to do our part to ensure that the next generations can also build. Environmentally conscious, climate-friendly and sustainable. Foundation engineering – Designed for the next generations!"

Our values

• We are a family
  
• We show appreciation
  
• We enjoy working together
  
• We live loyalty
  
• We are open to changes
  

World´s first on-site comparison of two drilling rigs

NATURE DRILL has launched the world's first comparison test between a battery and a diesel-powered large rotary drilling rig to provide knowledge about the disparities.
In addition to scientific monitoring it is just as important to invest in practical research. Nature Drill took the opportunity to run a field trial on its ADAC construction site in Weiden/Germany. Drilling rigs in this competition were the battery-powered Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged and an identical, but diesel-powered Liebherr LB 16.

Results with the completely emission-free Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged are quite encouraging. The test shows that the Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged is a powerful machine for inner-city construction sites where noise pollution plays a major role. Apart from the fact that its work time without additional battery charging is limited to about 7 hours the advantages of this machine are significantly lower energy consumption and about 25% less heat dissipation.

To ensure comparability of the obtained data, both drilling rigs had to perform half of the specified tasks under identical conditions, i. e. the same soil, the same pile length, the same drilling tools and the same machine operator. The test focused on identifying the performance as well as the economic efficiency of both rigs under the conditions of a real-life construction site. For this purpose, the following parameters have been logged: battery management, drilling performance, economy, energy consumption, CO2-balance, heat emission and noise pollution.

Daily performance

The Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged was able to perform drilling for about 7 hours without any intermediate charging of the battery. During this period 10 piles of 22.3 ft each, i. e. 223 ft were performed. Afterwards drilling work had to be stopped as the remaining battery power was just about 7 percent. During the same period the diesel-powered Liebherr LB 16 couldn`t do any better as 10 piles, however, this machine was able to work much longer taking the advantage of a full work day. After all it ended up with a performance of 12 bored piles, in sum 267.7 ft. In consideration just of the parameter `work time` the diesel-powered rig benefits from its ability to operate significantly longer as its counterpart resulting in a 20% (44.7 ft) higher drilling efficiency.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

The Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged consumed an average of about 600 kWh for 223 ft drilled shafts while its conventional counterpart used up 210 l of diesel for 267.7 ft. Under the assumption of prices of 0.35 Euro/kWh and 1.75 Euro/l diesel the energy cost per drilled ft were 0,94 with the Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged and 1,37 with the diesel-powered Liebherr LB 16.

BATTERY LOAD

The battery-powered drill rig is capable of being charged with power supplies 32A, 63A or 125A. Unfortunately, the construction site in Weiden/Germany wasn`t able to provide a 125A electricity supply, just a 63A connector was available. Charging the battery for approx. 14.5 hours (4.30 pm to 7.00 am), however, resulted in a load capacity of 94% only. Subsequently it would take 15.5 hours to ensure a fully loaded battery meaning that the nightly pause is not sufficient to start work in the morning with a 100% battery load.

HEAT

Liebherr LB 16 unplugged	Liebherr LB 16
Fan 66° C (30.5% less)	Fan 95° C
Engine 80° C (23.8% less)	Engine 105° C
Rest of upper carriage 53° C (18.9% more)	Rest of uppercarriage 43° C
	Exhaust 100° C

Noise

In terms of the noise pollution of the two large drilling rigs a significant difference could be determined. The Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged has an average noise emission of 3 db(A) less than the Liebherr LB 16 meaning that the Liebherr LB 16 is twice as loud as the Liebherr LB 16 unplugged regarding background noise.

Activity	Liebherr LB 16 unplugged	Liebherr LB 16
Machine operation	104 dB(A)	107 dB(A)
Auger cleaning	109 dB(A)	110 dB(A)
Casing lift	101 dB(A)	104 dB(A)

Specific operation noise such as `cleaning the auger` must be disregarded as these occur with both machines. However, it has to be taken into consideration that communities might restrict work schedules with reference to inner-city noise regulations which in turn will result in a reduced daily drilling performance.

Result

The Liebherr LB 16 Unplugged large drilling rig is a very powerful machine for inner-city construction sites. Due to the much lower noise emission it is able to outperform its conventional diesel-powered counterpart.

Even though the working time without intermediate battery charge is limited to about 7 hours it compensates this drawback by a 27% lower energy consumption and a 25% lower heat emission.

Unfortunately, the service life of the batteries is not yet assessable, as there is currently no data on long-term use.

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