Making a mining engine

Customer demands for higher-speed diesel power provided the motivation behind the design of MTU's new 20-cylinder engine.

In 1996, the culmination of a joint-development alliance between Germany-based MTU Friedrichshafen and Michigan-based Detroit Diesel Corp. (DDC) resulted in the simultaneous introduction of two important engine series into the heavy industrial market: the 2000 series (2.0 L/cylinder) essentially derived from the Mercedes-Benz OM 500 engine and for which DDC was responsible, and an all new 4000 series (4.0 L/cylinder) for which MTU was responsible. By incorporating common standards and common suppliers, both engines have benefited from cost containment, application development, and market penetration, according to the companies. In 2001, 700 4000 series engines were entered into service, while 2000 series production accounted for 3100 engines, the highest production volume to date.

A great deal has changed in the engine market since 1996. Now, both MTU and DDC are part of DaimlerChrysler Powersystems Off-Highway, but MTU still remains very much a manufacturing power base for high-speed diesels, supplying not only established markets like marine and rail but also expanding markets like power generation, especially in Europe and Asia. For very-high power demands, the 4000 series is well positioned for further market penetration in diverse applications such as mining. To further broaden application versatility, an all-new 20-cylinder version of the engine was recently introduced that includes several additional manufacturing and operational improvements.