Fairbanks Morse Engine and Achates Power team up on opposed-piston engines
31 October 2013
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Fairbanks Morse Model 38 opposed-piston engine. Click to enlarge. |
The leading manufacturer of opposed-piston engines, Fairbanks Morse Engine (FME), an EnPro Industries company, has signed a joint development and licensing agreement with Achates Power, Inc., the developer of a family of two-stroke compression-ignition opposed-piston engines (earlier post), to reduce emissions and fuel consumption of Fairbanks Morse proprietary diesel and dual-fuel opposed-piston engines.
The Fairbanks Morse Model 38 opposed-piston engine was designed and developed for a wide array of electrical power generation and heavy industrial applications. OP engines are propelling ships, driving locomotives, powering natural gas compressors, running chillers and pump drives, and producing electricity in a variety of marine and stationary applications.
FME OP engines also provide standby power in critical applications, including take-home power for nuclear submarines, emergency reactor cooling in nuclear power facilities, and emergency power for vital life support and telecommunications networks.
The Model 38 features an 8-1/8" bore and 10" stroke and can come in configurations of up to 12 cylinders, with power ratings up to 4,410 bhp (3,289 kW) for turbocharged dual-fuel models.
In the early 1990s, Fairbanks Morse Engine introduced dual-fuel combustion technology that reduced NOx exhaust emissions to levels previously achievable with only lean-burn spark-ignited gas engines. When equipped with Enviro-Design technology, Fairbanks Morse engines utilize pre-combustion chambers to reduce the quantity of pilot diesel fuel required for ignition. Enviro-Design technology is available with the company’s Opposed Piston, FM-MAN 32/40 DF, and the Colt-Pielstick PC2.5/6 engines.
Achates Power began modernizing opposed-piston engines in 2004, inspired by the record-setting Junkers Jumo 205 diesel aircraft engine. After more than 4,500 hours of dynamometer testing, the company has demonstrated brake thermal efficiency of 47.8% while meeting the most stringent, global vehicle emissions standards.
The benefits of two-stroke, opposed-piston designs are well-known: fewer moving parts, less maintenance and reduced operating costs. Fairbanks Morse opposed-piston engines have logged millions of operating hours and proven their reliability and durability under a wide range of conditions. We anticipate that enhancing our field-proven opposed-piston engines with the latest fuel system technology and advanced combustion system from Achates Power will improve engine power and efficiencies and make these engines even more attractive for today’s demanding marketplace.
—Fairbanks Morse President Marvin Riley
This announcement closely follows the recent selection of Fairbanks Morse by Ecopetrol, the primary oil and gas producer in Colombia, to provide five opposed-piston, two-stroke, dual-fuel engine-driven crude oil pump sets and auxiliary equipment for the Ayacucho-Covenas pipeline.
It also comes after news of key strategic Achates Power milestones, such as the close of its Series C financing; formation of an Industry Advisory Board; a joint contract with AVL Powertrain Engineering to develop the Next-Generation Combat Engine for the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC); and selection as the first runner up in Securing America’s Future Energy “Energy Security Prize”.
OMG Fairbanks Morse is still in existence. They go back to 1823.
Posted by: dursun | 31 October 2013 at 10:03 PM
That's debatable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairbanks-Morse
"There are three separate corporate entities that could be considered successors to the company, none of which represent a complete and direct descendant of the original company. All claim the heritage of the Fairbanks Morse and Company."
Posted by: ai_vin | 01 November 2013 at 07:39 AM