Industrial Automation Magazine India

MHIET releases SGP M2000, a new natural gas engine cogeneration system

Published on : Friday 17-03-2023

Achieved electrical efficiency of 44.3%, worlds highest-class for 2,000kW natural gas engine.

Tokyo, March 16, 2023 – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger, Ltd. (MHIET), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, will launch SGP M2000, a new natural gas engine cogeneration system with generation output of 2,000kW. The new package encloses a 16-cylinder natural gas-fired engine modeled G16NB that boasts electrical efficiency of 44.3%, the highest level in the world for a 2,000kW-class, and makes a cogeneration system(1) in a compact packaging. SGP M2000 will be released to the Japanese market starting April 1, 2023.

Compared to MHIETs existing 1,000kW gas engine cogeneration system, SGP M2000s electrical efficiency is 1.8 percentage point higher, which means CO2 emission rate involved in power generation is less. It also features compactness. As a result of an extensive effort to increase the engine output, SGP M2000 is able to give twice as much output as MHIETs existing cogeneration system with an engine of the same displacement, which led to reducing the footprint by 40%. The compactness allows the SGP M2000 to be installed in limited spaces such as buildings in urban areas where installation of large facilities has conventionally been difficult.

To date, SGP M2000 have accumulated 50,000+ running hours on multiple units in total, including one at MHIETs private power plant in Sagamihara premises. From these units, constant performance throughout the year and adequate reliability has been verified.

G16NB was originally developed in a project supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)(2). The worlds top-class electrical efficiency for a 2,000kW natural gas engine was achieved via a variety of new technological approaches such as by means of steel pistons for increased max cylinder pressure, improved fuel combustion in Miller cycle by 2-stage turbocharging system, and optimum control of ignition timing for each cylinder.

A cogeneration system is one of the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) to be further promoted towards carbon neutrality as it is energy-saving and gives less impact on the environment. As it has superior starting performance, it can also help stabilize fluctuation in grid voltage caused by the power generated from renewable sources. In addition, it can respond to blackouts after natural disasters. Therefore the demand towards the cogeneration system is expected to further grow from the viewpoint of disaster resilience.

MHIET is committed to increase the value of DER through marketing of SGP M2000 and help realize a carbon neutral world by actively engaging in developing technologies for utilization of hydrogen on natural gas engines.