UIC Certification for mtu Rail Engines

• First engines in performance and exhaust emissions class to be certificated
• 12V, 16V and 20V 4000 R43 achieve UIC certification
• Mechanical quality inspection verifies minimal wear
• Exhaust emissions inspection confirms Emissions Stage IIIA

Friedrichshafen, 8. October 2008. The Tognum Group has been awarded UIC certificates 623 and 624 for its mtu 12V, 16V and 20V 4000 R43 rail engines. This makes these engines the first in the world in their performance and exhaust emissions class to gain UIC certification. The UIC inspection procedure, which includes an endurance run as well as tests to determine exhaust emissions, verified both the engines’ mechanical quality and compliance with the stringent demands of Stage IIIA emissions standards. UIC certification for the 8-cylinder version of the engine is imminent. Series 4000 rail engines cover a performance range from 1,000 to 3,000 kW.

The UIC Certificate is recognized by the organization’s 200-plus members worldwide as the seal of quality for outstanding rail products. UIC regulations meant that the 20-cylinder version from the new engine series underwent an endurance run which included overload conditions. This "extreme test" serves to verify the engine’s resistance to wear and load and involves subsequent disassembly and inspection of the unit by UIC experts. The UIC Standard 624 exhaust emissions procedure tests and verifies emission values analogously with the European Stage IIIA. mtu’s 12V, 16V and 20V 4000 R43 units are the only engines in the 1,000 to 3,000 kW class to have gained this UIC certification.

The mtu rail drive units achieve nitrogen oxide emission values below the 6.0 g/kWh limit which comes into force from 2009, and they do so by employing in-engine technology such as the Miller cycle, without utilizing exhaust gas aftertreatment methods. The Miller technique involves closing the inlet valves earlier than is otherwise usual during the combustion process and results in lower combustion temperatures and a consequent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions. The new combustion optimization techniques used on Series 4000 rail engines also achieve significant reductions in particle emissions.