MWM Gensets with Fast Ramp-Up Option

With its output of 4,500 kW_el, the TCG 2032B V16 is one of the most powerful MWM gensets. The units are mainly used in power plant projects of independent power producers with an output of up to 50 MW_el. More than 740 power gensets with an output of approximately 2,850,000 kW_el have already been installed around the globe. The gas engine is able to run on natural gas and boasts outstanding reliability and low maintenance costs. Due to the fluctuating capacities of renewable energies such as wind or solar energy, many gas power plant operators have switched to flex operation. To efficiently utilize the higher income potential, quick and flexible availability of the gas genset output is vital.

The 16-cylinder version of the MWM TCG 2032 genset offers a software option for fast ramp-up. This option allows the operator to switch between normal and fast genset ramp-up in a flexible manner. The new fast ramp-up (FRU) option makes it possible to start the genset speedily. The process takes less than five minutes from the ramp-up request to 100 percent load on the network. These fast ramp-up times are achieved with a special software option (available for the MWM TCG 2032B V16 gas engine with voltages of 6,000 to 11,000 V with a network frequency of 50 Hz for natural gas operation) that can be used whenever necessary.

The benefits of the fast ramp-up option for gas power plants that run in flexible mode are especially significant in areas such as the UK STOR (Short Term Operating Reserve) market or the provision of control energy. Thanks to the fast genset ramp-up, network operators can call off energy within a very short time in order to address load peaks in the grids. In this way, load changes in the national power grid can be balanced in a fast and flexible manner. With its MWM gas engines, Caterpillar Energy Solutions enables the reliable provision of electricity on short notice.

Due to their quick availability, diesel gensets used to be the solution of choice for this form of network backup. However, the requirements and standards have changed in this area as well. In view of increasingly stringent emission requirements, solutions involving gas engines have become more popular. Moreover, gas engines excel in terms of their efficiency, which has meanwhile reached very high levels.

Unlike conventional applications in which MWM gas gensets run continually, engines used in STOR applications only run several thousand hours a year. As these reduced operating hours involve more ramp-ups, the maintenance intervals have been adapted to this flexible operation. With its MWM gas engines, Caterpillar Energy Solutions thus offers suitable solutions for every customer and application scenario. See www.mwm.net for more information.

Also available with fast ramp-up option: gas generator set MWM TCG 2032B V16. Source: Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Germany

—Frank Fuhrmann, Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Mannheim/Germany