Unique Underfloor Drive Units: MTU Friedrichshafen PowerPacks soon available with Soot Particle Filter

• Soot particle filter integrated in silencer available as an option on 6H 1800 PowerPacks.
• Underfloor drive units meet EU Stage 3A emission limits.
• 315, 335, 360 or 390 kW of compact power
• More than 400 PowerPacks ordered in 2006 alone

Friedrichshafen/Berlin - From 19th to 22nd September 2006, MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH will be showing off its internationally successful underfloor rail PowerPack with 6H 1800 at the world’s largest rail exhibition InnoTrans in Berlin. Currently the most powerful in the range, the 390 kW unit on exhibition incorporates the new EcoLife gearbox from ZF Friedrichshafen which is particularly competitive.

The mtu PowerPack combines all the individual drive sub-assemblies on a single raft to form a complete functional unit. Diesel-mechanical and diesel-hydraulic units are coupled with a gearbox. Diesel-electric drives have a generator. The drive block is mounted on the raft together with all the necessary sub-assemblies including fuel, oil and air filters, exhaust silencer and the entire cooling system with hydrostatic pump, motors and cooler fans. Also incorporated are assemblies which do not form part of the vehicle drive unit such as a compressor for the braking system, one for the aircon cooling circuit and a generator for train electricity.

The extremely flat design of the units, which can be mounted in any of three different raft versions, makes mtu PowerPacks the ideal underfloor drives for railcars and push-pull trains. Their compact, modular construction reduces the overall weight of the drive system and allows straightforward removal and refitting for maintenance. System interfaces have been kept to a minimum to facilitate standardized solutions and produce clear cost savings overall. Another benefit for customers is that mtu is responsible for the entire system.

mtu PowerPacks available with soot particle filter as an option

As an option, mtu PowerPacks are also available with a soot particle filter which is integrated in place of the silencer and performs silencer functions. The particulate filter, which was co-developed by mtu, works on the wall-flow principle. These soot particles, predominantly consisting of carbon, react at temperatures above 350°C with residual oxygen in the exhaust and the catalyst to form carbon dioxide. The continuous regeneration process involved means that the filter can operate for several thousand hours before it needs cleaning.

Even without diesel particulate filter mtu PowerPacks already comply with the EU Stage 3A emission limits which come into efffect in 2009. With the filter, they also meet Stage 3B specifications for soot particle emissions due to come in from 2012.

315, 335, 360 or 390 kW of compact power

mtu Powerpacks with engine type 6H 1800 have now been on the market for three years and are gradually replacing their highly successful predecessor, the 6R 183. With around 3,000 of the older-generation 275 kW and 315 kW underfloor units sold, the 6R 183 had set the pace in the railcar marketplace since 1998. The latest and more powerful generation is mtu’s response to the changing demands of rail customers who now run longer trains at higher speeds with shorter stop/go duty cycles and therefore need even greater performance from their compact underfloor units.

The new and more powerful engines are not only intended for new vehicles but also for repowering older push-pull trains. “That is why we took great care to ensure that the latest PowerPacks will fit the same footprint as their predecessors and that the interfaces match”, explained Dr Gerd-Michael Wolters, Executive Vice President, Engineering & Operations at MTU Friedrichshafen.

In line with the single-source drive concept, mtu also supplies the matching electronics. The PowerLine automation system takes care of control, regulation and monitoring processes for the entire drive plant. This modular electronics system guarantees optimum adaption of the drive to the multi-faceted operating conditions which prevail in rail applications. PowerLine facilitates straightforward integration in both new and existing vehicle control systems. Its integrated safety system enables PowerLine to adapt engine performance automatically and to stop the engine in an emergency. Enhanced (remote) diagnostics functions and intelligent CAN-Bus technology are two of the system’s other benefits.

PowerPack Sales Hit: Customers order over 400 underfloor drive units from MTU Friedrichshafen in current year

Day in and day out, another mtu PowerPack comes onto the market in the rail sector; 2006 alone will see more than 400 of these drive units. “We are particularly proud of the order from the Korean vehicle manufacturer Rotem”, said Rainer Breidenbach, mtu Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing. “On the one hand, this is our first success in gaining an Asian manufacturer as a customer and on the other hand, the size of the order, for 120 PowerPacks with an option for a further 60, is extremely impressive”, explained Mr Breidenbach. “And in addition, the PowerPacks will be driving diesel railcars for Irish Rail which is yet another new success story for us.”