Mitsubishi buys Pratt & Whitney Power Systems

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has concluded an agreement with United Technologies Corporation (UTC) of the U.S., under which MHI will acquire Pratt & Whitney Power Systems (PWPS), the small and medium-size gas turbine business unit of Pratt & Whitney (P&W), an aero-engine manufacturer.

(PWPS's GTPS FT8 Mobilepac can be easily transported and installed)

MHI and UTC, P&W's parent company, signed the agreement earlier this week. MHI, which has focused its gas turbine business principally on large-capacity, high-efficiency systems, will diversify its power generation product portfolio with the acquisition of PWPS.

PWPS's aero-derivative gas turbines, widely used for emergency power generation applications, have a compact design and rapid start-up time. Over 1,700 units have been delivered to date, worldwide. Going forward, growth is anticipated in applications requiring a flexible power source complementary to a renewable-energy power source. Robust market demand is also expected as small power sources for application in emerging markets.

The industrial gas turbine FT8 from PWPS is economical, and consists of a gas generator GG8-3 and the power turbine PT8. The gas generator delivers energy rich exhaust gas power turbine, where it is the mechanical connection turbine through a flexible coupling to the driven load (generator), performs useful work. Other products offered by PWPS are the Swiftpac30 and Swiftpac60. While the Swiftpac30 includes one unit GTU, the Swiftpac60 includes two gas turbine units.

PWPS engages primarily in the engineering, assembly and sales of aero-derivative gas turbines and also provides gas turbine services and engineering, procurement and construction services of related power generation systems. The company has approximately 430 employees and owns a majority share of Turboden s.r.l. of Italy, a manufacturer of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbines, which will also be included as part of the acquisition.

PWPS US operations will be aligned with Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (MPSA), headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida. With the addition of flexible and reliable small and medium-size offerings to its product portfolio through the acquisition of PWPS, MPSA will now be able to meet broader customer needs through combinations of those units and high-efficiency machines.

Turboden's ORC turbines have the capability to generate power or supply hot water using a relatively low-temperature heat source, e.g. biomass, factory waste heat or geothermal energy. Until now the company has sold more than 300 units in 20 countries, primarily in Europe. In Japan, increasing opportunities are emerging to use this technology in biomass and geothermal applications.