Background Article

C&I / Mining engines

New generation of MTU Series 2000 engines meets

EPA Tier 4 without exhaust gas aftertreatment

The new generation of MTU Series 2000 engines for construction &
industrial (C&I) and mining applications complies with EPA Tier 4
emission limits without the use of any exhaust gas aftertreatment.
Simultaneously, engine performance, fuel efficiency and durability
have been enhanced – and cost of ownership has been reduced.
These engines are powering applications such as excavators, haul
trucks, wheel loaders, heavy drilling units as well as dockside
cranes and mobile cranes.

MTU's product portfolio includes 12 and 16-cylinder Series 2000 engines

covering outputs from 567 to 1,000kW for use in mining vehicles. EPA
Tier 4 engines using in-engine technology only are available in the 783
to 970kW power range. The swept volume per cylinder is 2.23 litres. As
with all MTU engine families, most parts are interchangeable between
the 12V and 16V for efficient spare parts logistics. To suit most
applications, a large variety of options is available, such as different
power take-offs (PTOs) or oil pans. For unique customer requirements,
MTU is ready to develop special solutions.

Reduced cost of ownership

The Series 2000 Tier 4i engines deliver up to 10% better fuel economy
and have extended exchange intervals for major components, such as
injectors and high-pressure pumps. This accounts for 8% lower life-cycle
costs than the previous Tier 2 generation.

Reinforced mechanical components for improved durability

The new Series 2000 engine was designed to build on MTU’s reputation
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for manufacturing highly-durable, long-lasting engines. The crankshaft

and crankcase are reinforced for improved uptime and are good for
more than 230 bars combustion pressure, because of their optimized
structure and material. Forged-steel pistons guarantee increased
strength at lower weight, and ensure lower mechanical noise due to
smaller tolerances. The integrated intercooler and after cooler are
featured with copper cores for better corrosion resistance. Despite all
these enhancements for mechanical strength, and the number of
additional components, the power-to-weight ratio for the new Series
2000 engine is the same as the previous Tier 2 generation.

Available since June 2012

Test engines have endured more than 10,000 hours on MTU test
benches. In November 2011, MTU launched a field trial with a 100-ton
mining truck in South Africa. Leading OEMs successfully installed and
tested prototypes during 2011 in various applications. The Tier 4i version
of MTU’s Series 2000 engine has been available for delivery since June
2012.

MTU’s key technologies for progressive diesel combustion

development
For compliance with Tier 4 limits without any external aftertreatment,
MTU has implemented a combination of four key engine technologies:
 Cooled high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
 Regulated two-stage turbocharging
 Common rail fuel injection
 ADEC (Advanced Diesel Engine Control)

MTU challenges major combustion emissions trade-off

The primary, regulated exhaust emission components are particular
matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOX). Diesel engine developers are
challenged by a physio-chemical phenomenon, known as the PM-NOX
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trade-off. Whenever engineers adjust combustion parameters to help

decrease the emission of either component, the trade-off occurs.
Ultimately, lowering one component leads to an increase of the other.
This phenomenon results from two main parameters in every
combustion process: air-fuel-ratio (AFR) and maximum combustion
temperature. In any fire, a sufficient air supply (i.e. a high AFR) will
prevent excessive smoke formation. However, such lean combustion
produces high-combustion temperatures. This boosts the formation of
NOX.

One approach to overcome this trade-off is to optimize only one of the

two exhaust components within the engine during combustion – while
preventing the other component, which is increased at the same time,
from reaching the external environment. This is typically achieved by
adding an after-treatment unit outside the engine. Increased NOX
emissions must be reduced by an SCR catalyst while increased PM
formation requires a diesel particulate filter (DPF) or a diesel oxidation
catalyst (DOC) to prevent these PM emissions from reaching the
environment.

However, as the technology leader in high-performance diesel engines,

MTU refuses to accept this compromise and has overcome the trade-off.
The solution to overcome the PM-NOX trade-off is keeping the maximum
combustion temperature low for low NOX emissions, while
simultaneously ensuring sufficient AFR for low particulate emissions.
Conventional engine technology simply doesn’t accommodate these
conditions. That’s why MTU has implemented its four key engine
technologies.

MTU patented, donor cylinder EGR for low NOX combustion

EGR is not new to the diesel engine market. It’s been commonly used in
on-highway applications for some time. The key function is to increase
the thermal inertia of the cylinder charge. At a given engine operating
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point, which corresponds to a given injected fuel mass, there is also a

corresponding amount of heat produced during combustion. This raises
the temperature of the cylinder charge. It’s here the recirculated exhaust
gas, which is more than 90% inert gases (gases that don’t actively react),
makes the difference. It provides an additional thermal inertia, leading to
lower maximum combustion temperatures. Therefore, EGR is the most
effective technique available today to suppress the formation of NOX
during the combustion process.

MTU has patented donor cylinder EGR: a cooled, high-pressure system,

characterized by donor cylinders. In the new Series 2000 engine, only
four cylinders on the 12-cylinder models supply exhaust gas to the EGR
system. The 16-cylinder engines use five donor cylinders. At maximum
EGR rate, they “donate” 100% of their exhaust gas for EGR, while the
remaining cylinders supply the turbochargers. The advantage is that only
the donor cylinders have to work against high backpressure, when they
are actually pumping the exhaust gas into the intake system. In
turbocharged engines, the pressure level in the intake system is always
higher than in the exhaust system. That’s why exhaust would never flow
without force into the intake system. Therefore, less sophisticated EGR
systems must make compromises. Conventional high pressure EGR
must use mistuned turbochargers or throttle flaps – to produce a vacuum
in the intake, or to increase the backpressure in the exhaust system – in
order to ensure the flow of exhaust gas into the intake. These solutions
naturally increase the pumping losses and are not quite capable of
increasing engine efficiency. MTU eliminates these disadvantages with
its donor cylinder EGR, which can achieve EGR rates up to
approximately 30% at unmatched efficiency.

MTU solves additional limitations of conventional EGR

Engine owners, as well as maintenance staff, have experienced other
disadvantages of less sophisticated, conventional EGR systems. MTU’s
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advanced approach avoids the problems of typical EGR, which include

deteriorated fuel efficiency, visible black smoke, intake systems and
intercoolers clogged with soot, and heavy soot in oil problems that lead
to much more frequent oil changes. This last issue is so prevalent that it
has forced lube oil manufacturers to develop special additive
formulations to make their lube oils more soot-tolerant.
All of these problems can be traced back to the same root: the PM-NOX
trade-off. The implementation of EGR, without accompanying measures
to maintain a sufficient AFR, will always lead to a lack of oxygen for
combustion. There are two reasons for this phenomenon: first, the
recirculated gas simply occupies a part of the cylinder volume, which in
turn is not available for air. Second, during on-going combustion, the
lowered combustion temperature handicaps the oxidation of particulates.
That’s why MTU implemented a second key technology.

Regulated two-stage turbocharging for low-soot combustion

If the given cylinder volume is partly occupied by the recirculated
exhaust gas, how could it accommodate a sufficient amount of oxygen to
achieve a low soot combustion? The only solution is to increase the
density of the cylinder charge by means of a greater degree of
turbocharging. A single-stage turbo can’t deliver that at reasonable turbo
efficiency. The two-stage turbo system for the new Series 2000 engine
features a high pressure stage with one turbo connected in series to a
low pressure stage with another two turbos. A waste gate regulates
turbo pressure. Charge air cooling is also comprised of two stages: an
intercooler between the low and high pressure stages, and an after
cooler between the high pressure stage and cylinder inlet.

Extraordinary throttle response and high-altitude capability

The two-stage turbocharging system ensures extremely low-soot
combustion, despite the presence of the EGR. There is no visible black
smoke at the exhaust, which indicates there isn’t enough soot to spoil
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the lube oil or pollute the intake system. This means, MTU has
overcome the major drawbacks of conventional EGR systems. Apart
from exhaust quality, two-stage turbocharging gives the engine
extraordinary load pick-up and dynamic behaviour. While operating at
high altitude, it also has excellent tolerance for low air density. The
16 cylinder variant of the new Series 2000 engine is able to develop
100% of its rated power without any reduction up to 5,000m (16,000ft),
while the 12 cylinder requires no power reduction up to 4000m (13,000ft)
and only moderate reduction between 4,000m (13,000ft) and 5,000m
(16,000ft). The maximum torque is constantly available from 1,100rpm
up to 1,600rpm, while rated power is also constantly available from
1,600rpm up to rated speed of 2,100rpm. This gives the engine a high
elasticity, making it ideal for mechanically driven equipment like dump
trucks.

Common rail injection for combustion process control

Total control over the combustion process is key to meeting the stringent
exhaust emission limits of Tier 4, while ensuring very good fuel efficiency.
It’s mandatory to freely control the start, end, rate and pattern of the fuel
injection during the ongoing firing cycle. This is only possible with fast
reacting, electronically controlled injectors, which are continuously
supplied with fuel at controllable pressure. Recognizing the limitations of
mechanical injection systems regarding these requirements, MTU
developed the world’s first common rail system for high-speed diesels,
with Series 4000 in 1996. Today, common rail injection is widely used –
from small automotive diesels up to the largest diesel engines in
container ships. In the bundle of MTU’s key technologies for Tier 4, the
common rail system helps to reduce both exhaust components. Due to
the maximum injection pressure of 2,500 bars, its high-quality
vaporization of fuel ensures good mixture with the air, contributing to low
soot combustion and high fuel efficiency.
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Advanced Diesel Controller – the new ECU 9

The described key technologies offer a high degree of flexibility in
combustion control. Compared to their predecessors, there are many
more parameters, sensors and actuators to be managed by the new
ECU (Engine Control Unit). This ensures compliance with EPA
regulations and certification. For convenient integration in OEM
machinery, the new ECU 9 also offers an integrated SAE J1939 CAN
interface, as well as closed loop fan control for two independent fans,
plus plenty of calibratable inputs and outputs.

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