New genset engine 20V 4000 successful on the market

• 40 units of 20V 4000 engine sold since market launch in 2002
• World's most powerful engine for 1,500/1,800 min-1 applications
• Fuel-optimized version consumes around 192g/kWh at full load

Düsseldorf - The new 20V 4000 genset engine from mtu has been well received by the market. Since its market launch in June 2002, more than 40 engines and complete gensets of this type have been sold. The customers include both major genset manufacturers, such as SDMO and Kohler, and also individual users, such as the Norwegian oil company Statoil.

Seven 20V 4000 gensets were sold to a Germany-based large software company. The company uses them to assure the supply of emergency power to its data center. Each of the gensets has an output of 2,875 kVA when required. In addition, mtu engineered and supplied the complete exhaust systems, the fuel supply, cooling, ventilation and silencing. In a second phase, six additional gensets are planned.

mtu supplies four diesel-electric 20V 4000 gensets to the Norwegian oil company Statoil. As from next year, they will be used for supplying emergency power to the firefighting pumps on the "Kristin" drilling rig. The scope of supply includes the complete gensets with an electrical power of 3,300 kVA, as well as the cooling and exhaust systems. This installation is the first offshore application for 20V 4000 engines. Here it is necessary to comply with increased safety standards for such applications. These include furnishing proof that the engine is still capable of operation even when the drilling rig is inclined at an angle of up to 22.5 degrees as a result of an accident. The exhaust gas is cooled by an exhaust gas cooling system to 200 degrees Celsius in order to prevent the gases from igniting. Further requirements which were met by mtu included a very compact construction of the genset, a high power-to-weight ratio as well as complete documentation of all technical characteristics and specifications. The gensets comply with the international standards Norsok and NFPA20.

World's most powerful engine for 1,500/1,800 min-1 applications

With a maximum power output of 3,010 kW, the 20V 4000 is the world's most powerful engine which can be operated both at 1,500 and also 1,800 min-1, which means that it can be used as a generator engine for 50 and 60 hertz applications. For use in operations and regions where strict exhaust regulations are in force, mtu offers the 20V 4000 in an emission-optimized version, in which the engine complies with all currently valid emission regulations, including the German Clean Air Act (TA Luft 1986) and the American EPA Tier 1. Alternatively, the 50 hertz version of the engine can be adjusted for optimal consumption – fuel consumption is then particularly low.

The 20V 4000 is a very light engine, which can be easily accommodated in large building complexes or in offshore applications. This is particularly advantageous where power outputs of up to 3,000 kW are demanded, since up to now this power output class could only be covered by single-engine gensets with medium-speed engines. These are considerably heavier than high-speed diesel engines and therefore have significantly higher installation costs, such as laying foundations and damping mechanical vibrations.

Fuel-optimized version consumes 192 g/kWh at full load

As a genset engine in the fuel-optimized 50 hertz version, the 20V 4000 consumes around 192 g/kWh at full load. In the emission-optimized 60 hertz version, in which the engine complies with the limits of the EPA Tier 1 and the German Clean Air Act (TA Luft), this value is around 203 g/kWh. Oil consumption, at 0.3 percent of fuel consumption, is also very low. Thanks to an efficient oil filter system and the optional additional cleaning system, oil changes are only necessary every 1,000 hours. In operation the 20V 4000 is very user-friendly with long maintenance intervals. The first major overhaul in the operation of continuous power applications is not due until after 30,000 hours.

Innovative technology with maintenance-friendly design

The 20V 4000 is the only engine in its power output class that has a Common Rail injection system. This is the most innovative injection system currently in use in large diesel engines. All the injection parameters that influence combustion can be freely determined. These include the injection timing, the duration of injection and the level of injection pressure throughout the performance map. And this applies not just at a defined engine speed, but to the whole engine speed range. For example, the high injection pressure of 1,400 bar is also available at idle speed, a feature that other injection systems do not offer. The Common Rail injection, in combination with the electronic control system, makes it possible for both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions to be kept particularly low.

The HotModule is already relatively economical compared with other fuel cells. With the HotModule, the company could halve costs per kilowatt output within a few years. However, Michael Bode believes the price still needs to fall further: "The standard in the market is high. At less than EUR 1,000 per kilowatt, gas engine systems now represent the target, although they are considerably less efficient than our HotModule."

A further technical highlight of the 20V 4000 is its turbocharging system. Two high-efficiency mtu turbochargers are used in the 20V 4000. The ZR 205 turbos rotate at up to 48,000 revolutions per minute and transport up to 12,000 cubic meters of air per hour into the combustion chambers. Like all modern engines from mtu, the 20V 4000 is controlled by the electronic engine management system MDEC (mtu Diesel Engine Control). The system enables the engine to be included in an integral control system alongside other drive components such as cooling, transmission, generators, pumps and other components.