JENBACH, Austria--GE Energy's Jenbacher gas engine business is presenting a world's first today: the 4-MW, J624 GS Jenbacher gas engine, the first 24-cylinder unit.
The engine, successfully running on the test bench in Jenbach, represents a quantum leap in gas engine technology and builds on GE's expertise in advanced high-speed gas engine technology for commercial on-site power applications.
The new engine provides the same fuel flexibility (including landfill and coal mine gas or alternative fuels like biogas, sewage gas and industrial waste gas) and high reliability offered by the entire Jenbacher gas engine portfolio.
Initially, the new engine will be operated with natural gas, and its first customers will be greenhouse operators in the Netherlands. The power and heat created by Jenbacher gas engine cogeneration systems in greenhouses are used in various ways. The electricity can provide the power for the artificial lighting and/or be fed into the public grid, the heat efficiently meets the greenhouse's heating requirements, and the CO2 of the engine exhaust gas can be used as a fertilizer for the plants. In the next step, this engine will be used for coal mine gas solutions. Coal mine methane is highly associated with the greenhouse gas effect, and Jenbacher engines that utilize the gas can offer a high potential to reduce CO2 emissions.
Growing demand for more powerful units
GE is already a leading provider of engines with outputs between 0.25 MW and 3 MW. In introducing the new 4-MW engine, the latest Jenbacher type 6 unit, GE meets a growing demand from its customers for a more powerful gas engine for various applications.
"We are excited about the introduction of our new 4-MW, 24-cylinder engine to GE Energy's Jenbacher product line," said Steve Bolze, President of Power Generation for GE Energy. "GE Energy is committed to providing a broad diversity of technology solutions required to support the growing demand for electricity around the globe. Our Jenbacher gas engines offer great application flexibility and world class technology to help customers meet this need."
"We are very proud to introduce the new J624 GS as the newest member of our family of highly reliable, durable and flexible Jenbacher type 6 gas engines," said Prady Iyyanki, CEO of GE Energy's Jenbacher gas engine business. "Our new J624 GS is designed to help us address our customers' expanding output efficiency requirements for power generation, based on Jenbacher well-proven technology concepts."
Iyyanki added, "To illustrate the capacity of our new model: With an electrical output of 4 MW, a single J624 GS can meet the electricity requirements of about 9,000 European households. Additionally, used as cogeneration application, the engine produces about 3.6 MW of heat -- allowing for overall plant efficiencies of up to 90%. To do so, the engine needs about 870 m³ of natural gas an hour."
As more industrial customers around the world seek to enhance their energy security with on-site power plants, and output needs are growing, the highly integrated and standardized J624 GS package offers a cost-effective solution.
The new J624 GS will be built in GE's recently expanded gas engine manufacturing facilities in Jenbach, Austria, which has been seeing a sharp increase in worldwide demand for power generation with gas engines.
About Jenbacher gas engines by GE Energy
GE Energy's Jenbacher gas engine business, based in Jenbach, Austria, is a leading manufacturer of gas-fueled reciprocating engines, packaged generator sets for power generation and cogeneration systems. Patented combustion systems coupled with advanced engine and plant management systems enable customers to meet stringent emission standards while offering high levels of efficiency, durability, and reliability.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (NYSE: GE) (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2006 revenue of $19 billion. Based in Atlanta, Ga., GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE's corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.
GE's Jenbacher biogas, landfill gas and coal mine methane engines have received GE's ecomagination certification, underscoring the environmental and economic benefits offered throughout the entire Jenbacher product line.
As part of GE's ecomagination initiative, GE Energy is constantly focusing on expanding the fuel capabilities of its equipment. GE's Jenbacher engines operating on waste gases provide environmental benefits while providing customers with a technology that can generate carbon credits in certain regions. GE's carbon monetization team provides assistance to our customers in assessing whether monetization opportunities are available to further reduce the operating cost of power generation.
Contact
GE Energy
Martina Streiter
Jenbacher gas engines
+43 5244 600 2470
[email protected]
or
Masto Public Relations
Ken Darling or Tom Murnane
+1 518 786 6488
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Rick Kennedy
GE Aviation
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+1 513 243 3372
+1 513 607 0609