InfraStructures - February 2007 - Gazprom Orders Innovative Engine Technology From MAN

Gazprom Orders Innovative Engine Technology From MAN

MAN Diesel has won its first order for the new gas engine 32/40PGI. In December, the Russian energy provider Mosoblenergogas ordered two engines, including all plant-specific accessories, heat recovery boiler and exhaust gas flues. The engines will be used in a power plant in the Russian capital. Delivery is scheduled for the end of 2007. Mosoblenergogas is part of the Gazprom group and provides companies in and around Moscow with electricity and heat.

Dr. Georg Pachta-Reyhofen, chairman of MAN Diesel's executive board, highlighted the importance of this order: "This engine is a pioneering new development from our company. It combines the advantages of the Diesel and the Otto principle. I am particularly pleased that we have succeeded in a relatively short time in convincing a prestigious customer such as Gazprom of the advantages of this product. We are confident that the gas engine 32/40PGI will be a success on the market."

MAN Diesel unveiled the newly-developed 32/40PGI for the first time at the end of May at the PowerGen Europe Trade Fair. The abbreviation PGI stands for "Performance Gas Injection" and describes a completely new, high-energy ignition system that operates without spark plugs. The 32/40GPI therefore combines for the first time the advantages of a diesel engine, such as high power density and high efficiency, with the low nitrogen oxydes (NOx) emissions of a gas engine. The highly-efficient conversion, into electrical and thermal energy of natural gas is thus possible while at the same time producing only minimal emissions.

In versions with 12 and 18 cylinders, the 32/40GPI offers a performance range of around 5 to 8 MW and is aimed at applications in electrical power generation. The first 32/40PGI has been operating in the combined heat and power plant at MAN Diesel's Augsburg base since 2005 and provides electricity for the high-frequency melting furnaces in the foundry and thermal energy for space heating and production processes.

The development of high-performance gas engines such as the 32/40PGI is driven by the world's growing energy requirements, which are increasingly being met by natural gas. However, the commitment to emissions reductions set down in agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and ever stricter local emissions legislation will also play an increasing role in the operation of stationary power generation plants.

Source: MAN Diesel SE