GE has pipped rival engine manufacturers MAN Diesel & Turbo and Wärtsilä at the post by being first into production with a two stage turbocharged power unit. It results from a collaboration with specialist turbocharger maker ABB Turbo Systems and is said to offer major output and efficiency increases. The new engine is GE’s response to a perceived growing global demand for high-efficiency distributed power generation, and is scheduled to be available worldwide by the summer of 2011.
Initially it will be applied to only one power unit in the GE range, its Jenbacher J624 gas engine. In this combination it increases energy output by 10% and electrical efficiency by 1 percentage point compared to the single turbocharged version. It is claimed to offer customers greater efficiency and flexibility, especially for projects in hot, humid environments and for combined heat and power applications .
Jaap Noordam, owner of Red Harvest, a large greenhouse plant operator in The Netherlands and the pilot customer for the first new engine, commmented: ‘We are proud to be the pilot customer ... the new engine not only provides us with higher efficiency, but also offers us higher flexibility for our CHP operations.’
With the new system, the J624 achieves an increase from 4 MW to 4.4 MW and offers an efficiency rating of 46.5% Improved efficiency is acknowledged as being critical for the competitive cost of electricity and for the reduction of CO2 emissions in a carbon-constrained environment.
‘GE ... has become the first gas engine manufacturer using two-stage turbocharging technology, enabling us to offer our customers significant performance improvements. While this technology initially is being applied to our largest gas engine ... eventually it will be offered with other engines in our portfolio’ said Prady Iyyanki, CEO gas engines for GE Power & Water.
Introduced by GE in 2007, the J624 was the world's first 24-cylinder gas engine for commercial power generation. Its suitability for applications in countries with hot and humid conditions derives from the advanced boost pressure, which allows the user to significantly push the gas engine operating range and maintain full output and efficiency at high ambient temperatures and high altitudes. In the latter case 2-stage turbocharging guarantees the engine’s performance by compensating for the reduced air density. ‘We view this enabling technology as a key for future success in the gas engine business.’ said Mr Iyyanki.
Two-stage turbocharging offers a much higher charging efficiency, which significantly contributes to the engine's overall increased efficiency. In addition to the higher charging pressure, this technology also significantly improves the power density of the engine allowing it to run beyond 22 bar BMEP (brake mean effective pressure).
Applications for the new engine include CHP, trigeneration and special applications using natural gas fuel, as well as a wide range of non-natural gas fuels.
•This development would seem to be among the first applications of the ABB two-stage turbocharger. ABB is also working with Wärtsilä on a similar project for large diesel engines by collaborating in a joint development programme. (MPS, May 2010). The two companies are planning to initiate a major pilot project with a customer in the near future.
MAN Diesel & Turbo has also made public recently its interest in two-stage turbocharging. MAN (which unlike other engine makers manufactures its own turbochargers) and ABB participated in a German government funded R&D programme on two stage turbochargers, and have since developed their own versions of the technology.
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