Waukesha Engine recently entered the commercial demonstration phase of its APG natural gas-fired engine, which was formally introduced at the Power-Gen International exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., in December.

The new platform, based on the company’s VGF Series engines, is a culmination of extensive research and product design and has been developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Advanced Reciprocating Engine Systems (ARES) program.

Several engines are presently in commercial demonstration. One unit was also paralleled to the local grid and used to provide electricity for the company’s Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S.A., test lab and manufacturing facility.

The APG program’s goals are to go after the very large segment of the power generation market that demands high efficiency, low emissions and lower operating costs simultaneously.

As a packaged generator set, Waukesha’s new APG Enginator is a 16-cylinder, turbocharged, intercooled, lean combustion power generation unit capable of producing 1000 kW at 50 Hz — 1500 r/min, respectively. Electrical efficiency has been pegged at 42.7% at 50 Hz.

The APG engine has a mechanical output of 1036 kW at 50 Hz — from a bore and stroke of 152 x 165 mm. The 13 730 kg APG engine features a 428 L lube oil capacity, a single ABB turbocharger design and a two-stage intercooler for improved heat recovery characteristics.