MacRobert Award

1998 Finalist

Alstom Engines, Paxman, for the VP185 series of high-performance diesel engines

Alstom Engines have developed a new series of high-performance diesel engines that will be used to power the next generation of high-speed yachts, ferries, high-speed trains and will provide on-board generation for warships. Market competition lead Alstom to the challenge of redesigning their established diesel engines; using innovative engineering they have produced a smaller, lighter, more compact engine with enhanced safety aspects: the VP185.

These innovative engines have a greatly improved power-to-weight ratio than previous designs but are also extremely environmentally friendly: they have a low fuel consumption, produce very low smoke emissions and already meet NOx emissions targets set for the year 2000. This also gives significant benefits to the operator, for example, through using a VP185 engine, high-speed train fuel consumption is reduced by 10%, which in turn could lead to lower public transport costs.

Since its launch in 1993 the VP185 series has set new standards in its power range (1.54 MW) and Alstom currently exports 70% of the engines manufactured.

 

 

Updated July 2012

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