Official inauguration of one of Europe’s most advanced, eco-friendly Test Centres for diesel engines.
MAN-Chief Dr. Uwe Lauber, who heads the company since beginning of 2015, personally came to Frederikshavn to open the all new test centre for diesel engines. The brandnew diesel engine testing facility is strategically-favourable located right at the northern tip of Denmark. Vessels of different sizes can easily reach the MAN Test and Service Center which features a direct access to the water. In recent years MAN Diesel&Turbo Frederikshavn has expanded and modernized its Test Centre for diesel engines and generator sets for ships, power plants and offshore installations. Today some 150 employees are working here. ”Depending on the market situation we will increase our workforce”, says Poul Knudsgaard, Head of PrimeServ Four-Stroke Denmark.
Dr. Lauber: ”We now have one of Europe’s most advanced maritime test centres with, for example, an inclination test bench, which can tilt a generator set weighing 200 metric tons to an angle of 25 degrees while running. These inclination tests are particularly relevant for the offshore sector, which has stringent requirements with regard to reliability and performance in extreme conditions”.
What is the aim with the new test centre?
Dr. Lauber: ”Presently we are only mounting the 32- & 35-bore engines assembled in Augsburg on a baseframe together with a generator (both baseframe and generator is delivered direct from sub supplier to Frederikshavn) in order to make a complete generator set that is then tested here. Complete GenSet’s could not and cannot be tested in Augsburg. When performing the full GenSet test in Frederikshavn we can deliver the ready-to-install product direct to the harbor area in Frederikshavn (in one piece up to 200 tons) and afterwards transported direct to the shipyard. Also the inclination bench tests are only possible here in this new facility”.
”Soon we also will start with the production of our brandnew MAN 175D high speed engine, introduced to the public at the last SMM show in Hamburg, here at the Frederikshavn plant”, says Dr. Matthias Schlipf, Project Manager of MAN 175D, during the inauguration event. ”The site Frederikshavn is the expert center of MAN Diesel & Turbo for small bore engine production and marine system competence (control lever & propellers). Deliveries of MAN 175D engines will start in the early months of 2016”, he continues: ”During early 2015, the first major inspection of one of the prototype engines was carried out, in which the engine was stripped completely apart. The inspection showed very good results, signaling that the engines are ready for the first customer projects. In summary, the engine validation program is on track and hence, several 1000 hours of validation could be ensured before the first engines are in operation. We are sure that we can thereby demonstrate a high standard of reliability from day one”.
The Opening Event
Around 150 MAN business partners witnessed the inauguration ceremony, by pressing the popular button, which was done by the danish prince Joachim. One could see that the Prince was very much impressed to stay next to one of the big MAN gensets. The engine is a 16 cylinder common rail engine type MAN 16V32/44CR. Impressive for him and the other visitors as well is the fact that the test centre is able to recover the energy from the engine testing for the benefit of the local community. This is part of the companies targets on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. As Dr. Lauber continues: ”We convert the energy from the test centre, which would otherwise just go to waste, and as a first step, we use it to heat at least 200 households via the district-heating network”.
Some technical data of the MAN 16V32/44CR.
The engine output power is of 9,600 kW and the electrical output is about 9,400 kWe from the generator (GenSet power at 100%). This corresponds to 13,500 HP (horse power) which equals the power of 100 normal family cars. The power from each single cylinder of the engine equals the power to 6 to 7 family cars. The weight of the complete GenSet is 140 tons.
On the inclination test bench is shown a MAN 7L35/44DF. Engine and generator assembled and tested on a common baseframe – as a complete GenSet, shipped and delivered to the customer as one unit. The engine output power is 3,570 kW (510 kW/cyl). When running at 720 rpm, 60 Hz – this output equals 40 family cars. The electrical generator output is of 3.470 kWe. The fuels burned in this dual fuel engine are both diesel and gaseous fuels.
Heat exchange to the City Grid:
Waste energy from engine testing is the main protagonist in Test Centre Frederikshavn’s heat recycling system. The waste energy is converted to hot water, which heats up homes in the city of Frederikshavn. This way, the inhabitants of Frederikshavn not only benefits from having an international knowledge and service company in its midst, with the resulting demand for local jobs and regional trade, 200 families will also benefit directly from MDT’s engine testing. The maximum heat transfer is around 10,000 kW. Delivered energy to the city grid since commissioning early 2015: approx 2,265 MWh – corresponding to heating of 120 households. The annual target for 2015 will be 200 households. When in full swing (next two years) up to 1,000 households/yearly are heated.
