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Caterpillar Marine has this week confirmed the launch of the Cat C4.4 ACERT generator set for commercial vessels.

Designed to provide essential, non-essential or emergency power across a wide range of commercial platforms, the new C4.4 ACERT is a fully electronic power solution said to deliver "improved transient response and better load acceptance". It is also claimed to offer a rated power of 65–99 electrical kilowatts (ekW) at 50 hertz (Hz) and 60–118 ekW at 60 Hz.

"The new C4.4 ACERT shares the same design strategy with the C7.1 ACERT and was engineered to incorporate an 18 percent increase in power density," Seth Charna, Caterpillar Marine product definition engineer noted. "We will continue to sell and support the mechanical C4.4 platform but are pleased to offer customers with specific emissions requirements an electronic configuration of this popular marine power provider."

The C4.4 ACERT is United States EPA Tier 3 and CCNR Stage 2 certified. Designed for fail-safe operation, the ease of use of the C4.4 ACERT is "one of its most praised attributes", according to Caterpillar Marine. Other significant benefits are said to include long service intervals and a simple installation process.

"The C4.4 ACERT is a complete factory package generator set and has accumulated thousands of hours in rigorous validation testing, proving the durability of its legendary Cat yellow performance iron," Caterpillar Marine said.

The Hamburg-headquartered firm predicts that the C4.4 ACERT will be offered as classification-society-approved in late 2014. Manufactured in the United Kingdom, the new C4.4 ACERT is equipped with a high-pressure common rail system and an optional EMCP 4.2 electronic control panel.

The customizable C4.4 ACERT can be tailored to meet customer-specific needs with a wide range of factory-fitted and globally-supported options and accessories, Caterpillar Marine said.

"As a complete Cat packaged solution the C4.4 ACERT generator set offers customers full electronic control, with industry leading power density and low cost of ownership," commented Matt Wilson, Caterpillar Marine sales & marketing manager. "Customers will also note the significant smoke reduction and improved fuel consumption in the new model."

Describing the benefits and features of the C4.4 ACERT, Caterpillar Marine says that fuel consumption is optimized to match operating cycles of a wide range of equipment and applications while maintaining low operating costs.

On the issue of engine fuel, Caterpillar Marine says: "Tier 4 Interim or Tier 4 Final, Stage IIIB or Stage IV engines require ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) fuel containing a maximum of 15 ppm sulfur, and new oil formulations to support the new technology. Cat engines are designed to accommodate B20 biofuel."