June 14, 2013 - Caterpillar Global Petroleum announced the launch of the Cat G3306B TA gas oilfield generator set for land production applications. The model comes in two ratings: 110ekW (138kVA) @ 50Hz (1500 rpm) and 135ekW @ 60Hz (1800 rpm). “The G3306B is a fully customized factory solution providing our customers with fuel savings without sacrificing performance power,” said Rob Stocker, Caterpillar GP’s technical specialist in gas product development. “Customers will be able to use well site natural gas to power such applications as pump jacks and submersible pumps in a wide range of onshore production applications.” The G3306BTA genset features flexible fuel acceptance and load step capability (near diesel load acceptance). It also offers ambient capability, ranging from 46C at 305m and 44C at 1524m. The package components of the G3306BTA are designed for mobility in the oilfield. The basic working package is created at the factory and Cat dealers are available to customize the genset to meet regional site application needs.

May 24, 2013 - Caterpillar Inc. introduced the next-generation Cat XQ2000 power module, which boasts the Cat 3516B as its core engine platform (more photos below). The new XQ2000 incorporates a variable-frequency drive and high-efficiency fan to improve mechanical efficiency, says Caterpillar, adding that the fan draws 40% less load on the engine at 100% genset load with these improvements. The company developed new exhaust stacks that reduce spacing requirements for sites requiring multiple units, allowing for an increase of 47% onsite power density. With a target of less than 4C temperature rise across the site, the new layout design allows a 1.53kW/sf power density at the continuous rating in 60Hz, and 1.34kW/sf in 50Hz.

The control system, too, has been enhanced; the plant control system has been simplified with less than half of the wiring required for communication between interconnected modules. It also features plant control programming and simulation, allowing complete system testing prior to genset startup. The next-gen XQ2000 control system provides for total site operation and monitoring from a local control room, using TCP/IP protocol, or from any remote site via the internet.

April 19, 2013 - Caterpillar Inc. has entered into a five-year international power projects (IPP) agreement with Zahid Group, which recently formed a new subsidiary company, Altaaqa Global. As an IPP partner, Altaaqa Global will provide multi-megawatt temporary power solutions around the world, supported by partnerships within the worldwide Cat dealer network.

March 28, 2013 - Caterpillar Inc. has introduced a new series of Cat generator sets that promise to deliver the lowest owning and operating costs in their class. The G3516H is the first of the H-Series product line now available for operation on natural gas fuel. Currently offered at 2027kWe power output at 50Hz, the G3516H will include a similar 60Hz rating to be made available later in 2013. The new gensets can be used in industrial and commercial facilities, such as hospitals, data centres, manufacturing plants and greenhouses, as well as in distributed generation power plants by electric utilities. The G3516H offers reduced oil consumption and extended maintenance intervals. Through new product developments that include cuffed cylinder liners, updated valve stem sealing and increased valve train lubrication, the number of maintenance events has been minimized, says Caterpillar. The major overhaul period of the G3516H is 80,000 hours with an in-frame maintenance interval at 40,000 hours.

December 19, 2012 - Caterpillar is offering higher-rated Cat 12CM32C and 16CM32C gensets designed specifically for offshore drilling and production applications, including drillships, semi-submersible rigs, FPSO (floating production, storage and offtake) and production platforms. These generator sets offer 560bkW per cylinder, says Caterpillar, and a 12% increase over the previously available models. The 12-cylinder option offers a power rating of 6720bkW at both 720 rpm and 750 rpm; the 16-cylinder power rating is 8960bkW at both 720 rpm and 750 rpm. The gensets meet IMO Tier II emissions standards, says the manufacturer, and will be available in 2013.

December 19, 2012 - Caterpillar says it will develop a turnkey power plant utilizing 10 Cat G16CM34 natural gas gensets for Alberta Newsprint Co. (ANC) in Whitecourt. The gensets will provide the company with 65MW of total output capacity, making it Caterpillar’s largest power plant installation in Canada.

December 11, 2012 - Glenn Keenan, VP of Power Systems & Energy for Toromont CAT, announced several changes in the organization. Toromont’s Power Systems group’s products range from 40kW to multi-megawatt, and serve an array of applications and customers. Caterpillar and Toromont offer a range of diesel and gas gensets, transfer switches, switchgear, flywheel and battery UPSs.

November 27, 2012 - Caterpillar has introduced a new series of Cat generator sets—the CG product line consists of the CG132, CG170 and CG260 and features electrical outputs ranging from 400 to 4,300 kWe. Available in both 50Hz- and 60Hz-rated models, CG generator sets are designed for extended-duty distributed generation and cogeneration (combined heat-and-power) applications. According to Cat, the CG product line can be operated with complete cogeneration/tri-generation systems and can achieve total plant efficiencies of up to 90%.

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October 3, 2012 - Caterpillar has been selected to provide two cogeneration plants to Markham District Energy Inc. (MDE), an energy company owned by the City of Markham, Ont.

September 30, 2012 - Caterpillar says the latest enhancements to its C15 ACERT and C18 ACERT generator sets have upgraded the overall performance and enclosure options, which are suitable for a wide variety of prime or standby power applications. Rated from 410–700 kVA (365–600 kW), the C15 and C18 diesel generator sets are available in a range of configurations with optional equipment. The new enclosed models feature rear-mounted, side-by-side power and control panels and a standard, integral fuel tank base with drip tray, allowing for eight hours of run time. An optional integral dual wall fuel tank base for total fluid containment is also available.

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