InnoTrans 2002: mtu presents most powerful high-speed locomotive engine

• InnoTrans 2002: mtu presents most powerful high-speed locomotive engine
• Key technologies developed and manufactured in-house
• Common Rail system for low consumption and low emissions
• Efficient turbocharger system ensures favorable power/weight ratio
• Fully electronic engine management system

Berlin - At InnoTrans 2002, mtu presents its new 20V 4000, a locomotive engine which, with 2700 kW rated power, is the most powerful high-speed diesel engine on the locomotive market. Furthermore, with its Common Rail injection system, fully electronic engine management and efficient turbocharger system, the 20V 4000 is also the most advanced engine in its class.

The compact 20V 4000 provides locomotive manufacturers with new options, because they can now build even more powerful and faster locomotives while, however, retaining a four-axle design. The new engine complies with the stringent environmental protection regulations (limits on exhaust and noise emissions) which must be met by rail operators. The 20V 4000 follows a trend which has been emerging for some years: larger trains with more and more weight require higher engine power outputs for traction and the train's power supply. The new engine will in future enable rail operators to pull heavy trains with one single locomotive instead of two, something which will have a positive impact on the economic efficiency of train operation.

Key technologies developed and manufactured in-house

In order to respond to the increased and further increasing demands on engines - low emissions and economy of operation combined with high performance - mtu attaches great importance in the development phase to those components which enable its engines to meet those demands: injection system, turbocharging and electronics. All three of these technology components are developed and manufactured in-house at mtu. This is what distinguishes the company from its competitors. In the case of the 20V 4000, as with other mtu engines, all the engine components are rigorously matched to each other already during the development phase.

In 1996 mtu became the first diesel engine manufacturer in the world to introduce the Common Rail injection system into series production engines. In today's automobile industry, the Common Rail system has established itself as the standard in diesel engines. The system was developed by mtu in collaboration with its subsidiary L'Orange GmbH, from where it also sources the components. The development and production of the turbochargers as well as of the electronics for the new 20V 4000 are likewise concentrated in-house at mtu.

Common Rail system for low consumption and low emissions

The experience gathered by mtu with the Common Rail system since 1996 has been incorporated into the development of the injection system for the 20V 4000. The system makes it possible for all of the injection parameters - injection timing, injection duration and injection rate - to be freely determined. This allows the fuel consumption and also the exhaust emissions to be favorably influenced across the entire performance map. The high injection pressure of 1400 bar results in low exhaust emissions and, more especially, in low emissions of particulates. The high degree of flexibility with regard to injection timing and injection pressure has a beneficial impact on fuel consumption across the entire power curve. The engine can be adapted to special customer requirements, such as changes in power output or exhaust emissions, without changes to the hardware and simply by adapting the software, this making it possible to achieve short development times. The high degree of modularity of the injection system results in great ease of maintenance.

Efficient turbocharger system ensures favorable power/weight ratio

The turbocharging technology employed has a crucial influence on the power/weight ratio, fuel consumption and performance values of a diesel engine. A new mtu exhaust-gas turbocharger of type ZR 205 was developed for the 20V 4000 and has been integrated into the engine concept from the very beginning. Its thermodynamic characteristics have been optimally matched to rail applications. The high charge-air pressure of the ZR 205 results in clean combustion and a high power density of the engine. Its wide performance map and high efficiency have a favorable influence on the engine's fuel consumption across the entire performance map.

Fully electronic engine management system

The 20V 4000 is equipped with the MDEC (mtu Diesel Engine Control) electronic engine management system, which has been optimally matched to the engine. MDEC is the central control unit for the Common Rail system and allows the injection parameters to be adjusted depending on the speed and operating state of the engine. It therefore contributes to low fuel consumption and low exhaust emissions throughout the entire engine speed range. The control unit incorporates the speed governor, the control of the Common Rail injection system, sequential controls - such as starting -, the engine monitoring system and application-specific functions. The optional display of the engine operating values provides the operator with an overview of the operating state of the engine. The system has an open system interface, which guarantees the integration of the engine into an overall drive system. The company additionally offers further MDEC-connected components, such as an intelligent display in the driver's cab. This indicates all the important operating values of the engine and those of adjacent components which are measured by the electronic engine management system, such as engine speed, injected fuel quantities, temperatures and pressures. Consequently, the locomotive driver is provided with a complete picture of the instantaneous operating state of the drive. The system also opens up the way to remote diagnosis of the drive. A radio modem allows the collected data to be transmitted to central service depots, which can then plan maintenance work earlier than before and can also get work schedules and tools ready for use even while the locomotive is on the move. This makes it possible significantly to reduce the downtimes of locomotives.

Technical data of the 20V 4000 - Rail
Power output, max.	2,700 kW
Displacement	89.81 liters
Displacement per cylinder	4.49 liters
Bore	165 mm
Stroke	210 mm
Rated speed	1,800 rpm
Dimensions (L x W x H)	3516 x 1421 x 2078 mm
Weight (dry)	9440 kg
Power/weight ratio, min.	3,5 kg/kW
Fuel consumption	212 g/kWh (emission optimized, complying to UIC)
Injection	Common Rail system 1,400 bar
Turbocharging	2 mtu ZR 205 turbochargers
V-angle	90 degrees
TBO	max. 30,000 hours
Cooling	Dual-circuit