Earlier this month, we discussed how biogas engines can help to generate sustainable power, and the role that turbochargers have to play. Accelleron is collaborating with Rolls-Royce Power Systems to support its latest mtu S4000 biogas engine, helping to develop a genset that can deliver a clean, efficient and stable power supply.
In an era where sustainability is increasingly important, biogas is an interesting proposition. Energy is generated by burning fuel produced from the fermentation of organic matter, and as David Cafarelli, Senior Manager OEM Sales & Application Engineering at Accelleron explains, it’s a market that’s as close to carbon neutral as possible.
When fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas are burned to generate energy, new carbon that was previously stored under the ground is released into the atmosphere. With biogas, carbon that already exists in the atmosphere is simply recycled. As such, it’s a market that’s proving increasingly popular.
Power generation and propulsion system specialist Rolls-Royce Power Systems has a key role to play in the market. The company’s latest mtu Series 4000 L64FB biogas gensets have been developed to generate both power and heat, and are setting new standards in efficiency, power density and life cycle costs. Accelleron’s turbochargers are an integral part of the gensets, helping to make them even more efficient.
Helping Rolls-Royce Power Systems to develop biogas solutions
Dr. Carsten Baumgarten, director R&D for power generation gas engines at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, explains: “The new mtu Series 4000 L64FB genset is designed for global use and is extremely robust, with a compact design ensuring the smallest footprint and highest power density in its class.
“Our long-standing collaboration with Accelleron, built on the reliable high performance of their turbochargers, played a vital role in the development and introduction of the new genset.”
Accelleron worked closely with Rolls-Royce Power Systems to help adapt its popular mtu Series 4000 engine series for the particular demands of biogas and will be supplying its high-speed A100-H turbochargers for the new mtu S4000 L64FB biogas gensets. The new gensets will help to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas impact across a range of power generation applications, with the first application delivering power and heating for a starch producer in Thailand.
Adapting the genset for biogas was no mean feat, with multiple challenges to overcome. The need to run efficiently on a wide range of fuel compositions was just one of these challenges, with the composition of biogas varying wildly depending on where and how it’s produced. Accelleron and Rolls-Royce Power Systems cooperated to refine and test the thermodynamic performance of both the engine and turbochargers, adapting design and components to run efficiently irrespective of biogas compositions and ambient conditions.
The modular design of Accelleron’s A100-H high-speed turbochargers enables performance characteristics to match the requirements of biogas applications without altering the turbocharger’s external geometry.
“The modular design concept and high-power density of the A100-H turbocharger series make it ideally suited to cover the wide range of biogas applications covered by the new mtu Series 4000 L64FB genset,” David explains.
This simplified the redesign of the engine, while the use of turbocharger components already within the Accelleron portfolio allowed for a rapid design process.
Flexible solutions for a range of applications
The mtu S4000L64FB genset is available in multiple cylinder configurations and power ratings, which means that Accelleron needs to supply equally flexible turbocharger solutions. The Accelleron A100 series is also available in several sizes, ensuring the mtu S4000L64FB genset runs as efficiently as possible irrespective of configuration.
This new project follows an existing partnership with Rolls-Royce Power Systems, where Accelleron has delivered turbochargers for the mtu S4000 portfolio of gas engines, with over 4,000 engines sold to date.
As David concludes: “The cooperation with Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems highlights the value that Accelleron brings both to engine designers and end users, supporting the new technologies and applications that deliver reliable, efficient power while reducing emissions.
Image credits: Shutterstock/Terelyuk