How do we make... old engines new again?

Whether in locomotives, gensets or ships - mtu engines are used wherever reliability and performance are required under extreme conditions. But even the most robust engines eventually reach their limits. After a few years and - depending on the application - between 10,000 and 100,000 operating hours, it's time for a fresh start: the engine needs a major overhaul. One of the best ways to do this is the ultra-modern, standardized mtu remanufacturing process, or Reman for short. In this process, old engines are completely dismantled, put through their paces, repaired and prepared for a second life. But how exactly do we turn old into new again?

With practiced dexterity Maik Kahlmeier, a technician at the mtu Reman Technology Center in Magdeburg, loosens a bolt on a huge twelve-cylinder mtu Series 4000 engine. "This is the heart of it," he says, pointing to the massive crankcase weighing over two tons. The engine has already clocked up well over 30,000 operating hours - in a locomotive somewhere in the world. Now it is being completely dismantled, cleaned and polished piece by piece.

The hall is full of heavy engineering charm. There are workstations everywhere, with engines in various stages of the remanufacturing process: In one part, some are already as shiny as new, while others in the neighboring hall are still covered in a thick layer of rust and signs of wear. "The special thing about our work is that we breathe new life into every engine - and protect the environment at the same time," explains Maik Kahlmeier, as he loosens the last screw on the crankcase with an impact wrench.

3,600 tons less CO2 per year thanks to Reman

Maik Kahlmeier  is proud of his job. "It's nice not just to talk about sustainability, but to actively live it," he says. Because in the mtu Reman process, every engine component that can be reused is reconditioned. Only those parts that can no longer be reconditioned according to the current state of the art are disposed of properly. This process saves raw materials, emissions and energy. "At our Magdeburg site alone, we save 3,600 tons of CO2 per year," says Marc Goldschmidt, who is responsible for the reman and overhaul business with mtu engines at Rolls-Royce.

The mtu Reman process is the same at all locations - whether in Aiken in the US or in Magdeburg in the heart of Germany. Used engines and components are overhauled everywhere - with precision, passion and the guarantee that they will run like a new engine again afterwards. The process consists of six steps.

Step by step back to peak performance: the mtu-Reman process in six steps

1. Dismantling and cleaning: First, the engine is completely dismantled. Each component is thoroughly cleaned and any paint, rust or dirt is removed - of course only if the parts are still in an acceptable condition.
2. Diagnostics: Measurement, inspection and evaluation of all parts, including laboratory analyses of fluids and materials if necessary, reveal the condition of the engine in detail. Every component is put through its paces. If necessary, brand-new components replace the worn parts.
3. Reconditioning: The engine and its components are mechanically reconditioned and overhauled in the factory. Rolls-Royce works together with the original manufacturers or certified suppliers to ensure the proven quality.
4. Assembly: The individual parts are reassembled with the utmost precision - using reconditioned or factory-refurbished spare parts, of course.
5. Acceptance test: Time for the endurance test! The engine - just like a brand new engine - has to prove itself in a demanding test run on the test bench. Operating conditions such as extreme loads and high temperatures are simulated here.
6. Final touches: Finally, the engine is primed, painted and carefully packaged before it is shipped to the customer.

Deposit system ensures parts availability in the mtu Reman process

The engine is then not returned to its previous place of use. In the mtu Reman process, customers  do not  usually receive  their own engine back, but a  new reman engine  that has been built from factory-reconditioned and new components and is ready for immediate use. Above all, this saves time, as customers do not have to wait for their own engine to be overhauled. The replacement engine can be delivered immediately. As all replacement engines undergo the same strict mtu Reman process, all remanufactured mtu engines are in the same, technically as-new condition - regardless of the condition of the engine sent in. However, this system only works if there are always enough spare parts available for the remanufacturing process. For this reason, customers who receive a replacement engine or components must return the corresponding used parts to Rolls-Royce.  

The advantages of remanufacturing: sustainable, economical and fast

Marc Goldschmidt summarizes the advantages of remanufacturing. The process is

• sustainable because it reduces material consumption and thus conserves resources
• economical, because a reman engine is cheaper than a new engine - and with the same warranty
• quickly, because customers receive a new Reman engine   immediately and do not have to wait for their own engine to be overhauled.  

Thousands of components, engines and systems are overhauled, repaired or remanufactured in the Rolls-Royce Reman & Overhaul Centers every year - and the trend is rising. PowerPacks for railcars in particular, but also mtu Series 2000 and 4000 engines used in trains or gensets, are completely overhauled at Rolls-Royce Power Systems in a standardized process, fully refurbished and then reused - ready for the next tens of thousands of operating hours.