This week Fairbanks Morse Engine is showing off its recently completed research and development (R&D) laboratory to its worldwide sales force, customers and representatives of the marine and power generation industries.

Eighty people are expected for the weeklong series of small-group meetings. Highlights of each meeting will include a tour of the factory and the new R&D lab, and a presentation on a major Fairbanks Morse product development initiative.

New Research and Development Lab  

Driven by the growing market interest in the company’s fuel-flexible power systems, Fairbanks Morse recently commissioned the first phase of its new R&D lab. Built with funding from EnPro Industries (NYSE:NPO), the parent company of Fairbanks Morse, the 7,800 sq. ft. laboratory houses facilities for testing full-size prototype engines up to 6.000 horsepower (4.5MW), and offices and conference rooms.

Engine test facilities are vital to the product development process, enabling engineers to monitor and measure key indicators of engine performance including operating temperatures, pressure, and emissions, and conduct combustion analysis – with varying fuels and under different operating conditions.

Updates and Enhancements to the Legendary Opposed-Piston Engine

Visitors also will receive a report on a major Fairbanks Morse initiative to update and enhance its opposed-piston engine, a design the company pioneered in the 1930s.

“Fuel-flexible, two-stroke, opposed-piston engines offer multiple advantages – fewer moving parts, less maintenance, higher power density, superior fuel consumption and reduced total operating costs, in addition to meeting the EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) most challenging and stringent emissions requirements,” said Jim Connell, vice president of research and development for Fairbanks Morse Engine.

“Our opposed-piston engine enhancement program focuses on increasing the engine’s power and operating efficiencies with the latest in fuel system technology and an advanced combustion and control system, which will make this engine even more attractive in today’s demanding marketplace,” Connell said. “We anticipate that assembly of the prototype engine will be completed in September and our development and durability validation will follow.”

Fairbanks Morse opposed-piston engines are powerful, reliable and durable engines that have logged millions of operating hours. They are widely used in power generation applications and have been a mainstay for emergency power generation in the United States Navy’s nuclear submarines.

About Fairbanks Morse Engine

Fairbanks Morse is the critical power solutions expert – a strategic partner and a trusted source for application-specific, fuel-flexible power systems that deliver optimal performance in mission critical applications. These applications include power generation — base load and standby power plants, and emergency back-up power for nuclear plants; and ship propulsion and shipboard power for the United States Navy and Coast Guard and commercial vessels. Fairbanks Morse reliable engine drive solutions also can be found in a wide range of municipal, institutional and industrial applications. More information is available at www.fairbanksmorse.com.

About EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPO)

EnPro Industries, Inc. is a leader in sealing products, metal polymer and filament wound bearings, components and service for reciprocating compressors, diesel and dual-fuel engines and other engineered products for use in critical applications by industries worldwide.  For more information about EnPro, visit www.enproindustries.com.