10-01-2010, 11:03 PM
I understood the Genset engines are driven by the idea not to reinvent something that exits but use what is available on the market.
Traditional a new engine generations starts with a new engine. Huge amount of time and money is invested to get a better engine than ever. The Genset approach is different. There are literal millions of diesel engine - generator sets in daily use for lots of use. Virtual every body needing electricity but having not wall plug has a Genset. If you take one or more existing Genet together with standard trucks you get a locomotive.
The problems came up when they learned about the difference in use. The traditional use is like a little power plant. The load varies but is in general stable. Not so a switcher. The load may run up and down between 0% and 100% multiple times in a minute. The little power plants had not been designed for that use. It needed some time (years) to keep the positive characteristics of the small power plants in the engine environment.
Traditional a new engine generations starts with a new engine. Huge amount of time and money is invested to get a better engine than ever. The Genset approach is different. There are literal millions of diesel engine - generator sets in daily use for lots of use. Virtual every body needing electricity but having not wall plug has a Genset. If you take one or more existing Genet together with standard trucks you get a locomotive.
The problems came up when they learned about the difference in use. The traditional use is like a little power plant. The load varies but is in general stable. Not so a switcher. The load may run up and down between 0% and 100% multiple times in a minute. The little power plants had not been designed for that use. It needed some time (years) to keep the positive characteristics of the small power plants in the engine environment.
Reinhard