Crashing waves, biting spray and freezing temperatures. Lifeboats are usually called out when the wind is at its strongest, the waves at their highest and other vessels cannot cope with the conditions. So that the lifeboats do not become rescue cases themselves, they are self-righting in case they capsize. “We design our engines specifically to cope with such extreme conditions and to make sure that there is always enough oil available to coat the moving parts with a lubricating film, we also test them on a special tilting test stand,” explained Dr Carsten Baumgarten, Test Team Leader for Series 2000 engines. The engines are tilted over at angles up to 45° on the special test stand and subjected to all load and speed combinations. The tests enable the developers to answer questions such as what the oil pressure is, how much air there is in the oil or how much oil there is in the engine’s blow-by, which is fed back into the intake air via the crankcase venting system. Engines that are used in haul trucks or excavators have to be able to operate at inclinations up to 15° in any direction. For marine engines, that figure is significantly larger in some cases. In armored vehicles, some <strong>MTU</strong> engines are required to operate at inclinations as extreme as 45°. To do so, they are equipped with a special type of drysump lubrication system. The oil is pumped continuously from the sump into a smaller reservoir from which it is delivered to the engine. This ensures that sufficient oil always reaches the engine lubrication points. So that vehicles – be they tanks or haul trucks – function reliably even in the thin air at altitudes above 4,000m, they are equipped with a special high-altitude kit. The engines in the lifeboats of the British Royal National Lifeboat Institution, for instance, have things even harder. They have to be able to roll over around their own longitudinal axis and still keep running. No easy undertaking, because overturning could potentially cause the engine oil to run out through the crankcase venting system and so find its way into the cylinders, where it would burn uncontrollably. <strong>MTU</strong> designers have therefore designed the crankcase venting system and the engine oil cavities so that the oil cannot run into the intake system if the engine completes a 360° rotation. ***** The lifeboats of the British lifeboat service, RNLI, frequently have to put to sea when other craft would capsize and the conditions are at their worst. Emergency power in an earthquake And what if there is an earthquake? Emergency generator sets – regardless of whether they provide the backup supply for nuclear power plants, data centers or hospitals – must not fail even in such conditions. In California the earth moves 10,000 times a year; and quakes are far from a rarity in the rest of the world, so they are something that <strong>MTU</strong> <strong>Onsite</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> gensets have to be able to contend with. The developers at <strong>MTU</strong> <strong>Onsite</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> in Mankato, USA, therefore recently simulated an earthquake on a special test stand at UC Berkeley PEER Labs in northern California. A 3,250kW <strong>MTU</strong> Series 4000 genset was placed on a special platform and then subjected to the violent effects of an earthquake. Prior to and directly following subjecting this unit to the considerable stresses it will encounter during an earthquake, the unit was tested under load and performed its intended function of supplying power to critical loads. This qualified the genset to adhere to compliance with the International Building Code (IBC). IBC is increasingly referenced as the standard for seismic qualification in specifications in the US when a unit must perform after a seismic event. ***** Up to the limit <strong>MTU</strong> developers recently carried out the ultimate extreme endurance test on a Series 890 engine. They simulated a descent down a mountain road and increased engine speed up to failure point. “At 5,555rpm we had to abort the test due to a mechanical fault,” said Frank Skrzypinski, <strong>MTU</strong> team leader for Engine Trials. And was it still approved? “Yes,” answered Skrzypinski with confidence. “Because that is 800rpm above the maximum speed of 4,700rpm that the engine was designed for.” Words: Lucie Maluck Pictures: Dennis Gering, Robert Hack, Tognum, RNLI
Technology <strong>MTU</strong> developers can tilt engines over to an angle of 45° on a test stand. In that way they can simulate the conditions on steep ascents or descents or in heavy seas. More on this ... Video clip of earthquake simulation on the test stand Don’t have a QR code reader? Log on to http:// bit.ly/TCDUwq ONLINE <strong>MTU</strong> Report 03/12 I 25
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