German enterprises hold approx. 30% of the world market of large four-stroke diesel engines. Though these engines are characterised in ship and stationary applications by very good efficiencies, they also produce exhausts with relatively high nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels. At present the high-power engine manufacturers invest substantial effort to reduce pollutant emissions below the forthcoming lower emission limit values. Some of the German high-power engine manufacturers were united, within the FVV working group, to collaborate cost-efficiently in future high-power engine research.

The TUHH was assigned approx. 1.5 million DM to develop and operate a test stand with a modern one-cylinder research engine.  This one-cylinder engine has a nominal power of 440kW and is externally loaded with combustion air through a compressor. It can nevertheless also be operated with a two-stage exhaust gas turbocharger. The engine construction permits peak pressures in the cylinder up to 250 bar.

The very first research project implemented with this research one-cylinder engine was titled: "Influence of the process characteristics on the emissions and fuel consumption of highly supercharged large diesel engines under heavy fuel oil operation" and is described elsewhere here.