UK engine manufacturer Perkins launched a brand new range of diesel engines for the electric power market, the 1600 series, at Middle East Electricity 2012 in Dubai.
The Peterborough-based firm says the new line-up fills a gap between the company’s current 1300 and 2000 series ranges. The six cylinder, 9.3 litre range offers outputs up to 300kVA (240 kWe) prime power and 330 kVA (264kWe) standby power at 1 500rpm, though the intention is to release a 350kVA (280kWe) standby version later this year.
1600 series engines with Perkins’ proprietary Electropak specification are supplied fitted with suitable radiators, charge coolers, air cleaners, pipes, hoses and mounting feet. The chief benefit of the 1600 series is the combination of a power density and load acceptance normally associated with much bigger displacement engines, while offering a space saving opportunity during installation.
Perkins also introduced a new range of its 400 series engines at Middle East Electricity 2012, targeted at lesser and non-regulated countries. In total, four new engines were launched: the 403A-11G1 offers 9.2kVA prime power at 1 500 rpm, the 403-15G1 is rated at 13.2kVA prime power, slightly less than its G2 counterpart, while the larger displacement 404A-22G1 completes the line up with 20.3kVA prime power.
Speaking at the launch in Dubai, Perkins’ global OEM sales director Trevor Toulson told Critical Power: “We’re targeting this engine for telecoms and residential applications in the non-regulated, Tier III/stage 3B regions such as the Middle East and Africa. We formally used a 2.2 litre, 4 cylinder (404) engine to achieve the same rating which the 403 does with 3 cylinders. We think the power density of the 1.5 litre engine is impressive and it will provide the nominal power required in the telecoms market, which is usually 15kVa.”
At present the regulated, 400 series engines are made in Peterborough, UK, but Toulson expects the non-regulated versions to be additionally manufactured at its factories in Wuxi, China and Griffin, USA. Perkins says it is employing its so-called World Engine Strategy for the 400 series, which means that 95% of the components in the non-regulated engine are identical from the regulated engine.
Additional products for the regulated markets would typically include electronic governing and emissions-compliant diesel particulate filters for the move to Tier IV Final in North America in 2013. Should a Tier IV-compliant engine be resold into Africa in the future, it would thus be easily modified for non-regulated markets, says Toulson.
There is as little technological difference as possible between the A and D versions, says Toulson. “We want our OEMs to be able to package the A and D versions of the 403 with the minimum of fuss. It’s a plug-and-play design with common hook-up points. This simplifies mechanical designs and reduces the cost of ownership by lowering the inventory of spares and reducing downtime.”
A third new engine was on display as Perkins launched the 1106A-70TAG, the latest addition to its 1100 series platform. The 1106A range hits all the main power nodes from 135 to 200kVA prime power and up to 220kVA for standby power and are switchable to 50/60Hz, making them ideal for the rental business.
