Rolls-Royce Power Systems has acquired exclusive rights to G+L innotec’s cross-charger technology, which implements electrically-assisted charging of off-highway combustion engines above 450 kW.

Through a development collaboration between G+L innotec and Rolls Royce’s MTU Friedrichshafen, the company hopes to offer the new MTU engines by 2021. The electric drive has been installed in turbochargers and component testing was performed. Now the collaboration is preparing the new system for commercial series production.

MTU explains the operating principle of the electric drive:

To provide the turbocharger with electrical assistance, a permanent magnet is installed upstream of the compressor wheel and the electrical winding is integrated into the casing of the compressor. With this arrangement, the air drawn in by the compressor is not obstructed and at the same time the electrical components are cooled by the air. The special feature of this arrangement is the large gap between the magnet and winding. This so-called media gap motor requires specially designed power electronics. This ensures that there is no aerodynamic impact on the charger and also that existing chargers can be adapted easily to enable them to make use of this technology.

Watch an animation of the G+L innotec cross charger or read the technical article in MTZ magazine.

A presentation about the technology at the 2014 MMT Tech Days by G+L innotec CEO Holger Gödeke can be accessed here.

About MTU:

MTU Friedrichshafen is the core business of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, a division of Rolls-Royce plc. Its headquarters are in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Under the MTU brand, the company develops and produces large high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships and heavy land, rail and defense vehicles, as well as drive systems for use in the oil and gas industry and in power generation.