Once the engines are manufactured in Friedrichshafen, they are subsequently built into complete systems at MTU’s Augsburg factory.
“Here in Augsburg, the majority of our people now work on the Series 4000 – not just in production, but on R&D activity as well. Our engineers are continuously working on improving the efficiency and performance of the system,” said Bernhard Bächle, head of the Augsburg manufacturing unit.
Series 4000 gas engines are used in array of application, ranging from pure power generation to combined heat and power production, which boosts the systems’ overall efficiencies towards 90%-plus.
Engine model on the market since 2003
Production of the 3000th gas genset is a symbolic milestone for Rolls-Royce, highlighting the growing demand for small and flexible gensets. The very first Series 4000 test gas engine was used at MTU's cogeneration plant 2 in Friedrichshafen back in 2003 – and one year later the engine model went into full production.
In the early years, the gas genset was mainly used to power greenhouses nurseries, especially in the Benelux countries, while in Germany the gas engine systems are mostly ordered from municipal utilities for use in CHP plants whereby the heat is sold to the local industry.
Rising demand for gas gensets to balance renewables
The current mark-4 version of the Series 4000 gas engine can be supplied as a natural gas, biogas or special gas engine with 8, 12, 16 or 20 cylinders, covering a power range from 800 to 2,600 kW and running for up to 8,000 hours per year, depending on the application.
“Today, flexible gas gensets are increasingly used in demand to compensate for the natural volatility of solar and wind power by generating what is referred to as load-balancing power and also for decentralized energy generation in emerging markets,” explained Andreas Görtz, Vice President, Power Generation at Rolls-Royce.
“As one of the core elements of our microgrids – autonomous, decentralized power grids – gas systems can make a significant contribution to the move towards renewable energies.”