GE Transportation Announces New High-Speed Diesel Engine Program

GE Transportation announced a new high-speed diesel engine program that will serve the locomotive, marine and power generation segments. The engine platform, which was announced at the Innotrans trade show, is designed will provide improved fuel efficiency and reliability, as well as lower lifecycle costs.

The platform will consist of 12- and 16-cylinder configurations, with a maximum-rated power of 1865 kW (2500 hp) and 2500 kW (3350 hp) respectively. The design will meet the emission standards for both the European Union’s Stage 3 A/B and the International Union of Railways’ UIC Stage 1/2. The engine is ideal for shunter and light-weight locomotive markets, according to GE. The first engine will be delivered in 2019. Kazakhstan Temir Zholy is the first customer to receive the new engine, which will power the 300 shunter locomotives ordered in early 2018.

“This new, high-speed engine will be a game changer for our customers,” said Dominique Malenfant, Vice President of Global Technology for GE Transportation. “They will enjoy reduced operating costs and increased availability with this engine. It will generate annual savings for customers of up to US$12 000 in diesel and US$4000 in services.”

Compared to similarly sized locomotive engines, GE Transportation said its high-speed engine will offer a 5% better total cost of ownership. It will be 5% more fuel efficient, saving customers more than 6000 gal. of diesel per year. The engine also will reduce maintenance costs by 10%and provide 184-day service intervals. Overhauls will be on 10-year intervals, the company said.

“We are leveraging our expertise and technology in the medium-speed engine segment to create a smaller, power-dense engine platform for products such as shunters and light-weight locomotives,” said Malenfant. “This new program will open up new segments for our business.”

The combination of a powerful engine at a smaller size and weight makes the platform suited for regions like Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand, which require lighter locomotives.

“GE technology is the primary driver for developing Kazakhstan’s rail industry,” said Kanat Alpysbayev, Chairman of KTZ. “The high-speed engine will provide our new shunter fleet with the performance and maintainability needed to conduct our operations in a cost-effective manner.”

GE Transportation is developing the platform for application in multiple segments. At 7.40 lbs. per horsepower, the design will be 40% more powerful per pound compared to a medium-speed engine, the company said. It also will be digitally ready with remote prognostic capabilities to improve performance and reliability.

The core architecture of the engine platform was jointly developed with GE Distributed Power, incorporating decades of high-speed engine experience across the Jenbacher and Waukesha product lines. GE Distributed Power is targeting a serialization of the technology to introduce a range of stationary gas engine operating potentially as soon as 2020, the company said.