الوصف
The Woodward 8407-537 is a specific part number for a TecJet™ 52 Gaseous Fuel Metering Valve. It’s an integrated, digitally-compensated control valve and actuator system designed for precise fuel flow regulation in natural gas and dual-fuel engines.
WOODWARD 8407-537: TecJet™ 52 Gaseous Fuel Metering Valve (Older Generation / Customer Protocol)
The Woodward 8407-537 is a sophisticated, all-in-one component that combines a fuel valve and its electronic actuator. It is part of the TecJet™ 52 series, known for its accuracy and responsiveness in managing gaseous fuel delivery to engines. This particular part number belongs to an older generation (likely non-RoHS compliant) and is typically configured for a customer-specific or proprietary communication protocol.
Product Overview
- Product Type: Gaseous Fuel Metering Valve / Integrated Valve and Actuator
- Manufacturer: Woodward
- Series: TecJet™ 52
- Function: Precisely controls the mass flow rate of gaseous fuels (such as natural gas, biogas, LPG, or low-BTU specialty gases) to an internal combustion engine. It receives a fuel rate demand signal from a main engine control system and accurately adjusts its internal valve position to deliver the exact required flow.
- Key Features:
- Integrated Design: Combines the valve and the electronic actuator into a single unit, simplifying installation and wiring.
- Digital Compensation: Features onboard electronics that automatically compensate for variations in gas pressure and temperature. This ensures accurate mass flow metering regardless of fluctuating gas supply conditions, crucial for optimal engine performance, efficiency, and emissions control.
- High Response: Engineered for fast and precise adjustments to fuel flow commands, enabling the engine to accept large load steps without losing speed.
- Feedback Sensors: Incorporates internal sensors to continuously monitor critical parameters such as fuel pressure, temperature, and valve pressure differential. This data is used for internal control loops.
- Valve Size: The “52” in TecJet 52 indicates a nominal valve size of 52 mm.
- Input Voltage Range: Typically 18–32 Vdc.
- Weight: Approximately 14.7 kg (32.5 lb). Note that newer Gen II versions are lighter (approx. 17 kg / 38 lb with different mounting options).
- Temperature Ranges:
- Steady State Ambient: –20 to +85 °C (–4 to +185 °F)
- Long Term Storage: –40 to +40 °C (–40 to +104 °F)
- Communication Protocol: The 8407-537 is listed as being for a customer-specific protocol or may have been used with a specific internal Woodward protocol that isn’t one of the widely standardized ones (like EGS-01, EGS-02, GECM, or CANopen). This is a very important detail for replacement or integration.
- Generation: This is generally a non-RoHS compliant version from an older generation of TecJet 52.
Detailed Description
The Woodward TecJet™ 52 valve, including the 8407-537, has been an important component for gaseous and dual-fuel engines. It enables them to operate efficiently, with high performance, and meet emission standards.
Key characteristics of the 8407-537:
- Precise Fuel Metering: The valve dynamically adjusts fuel flow based on real-time engine load and speed demands. By accurately controlling the fuel quantity, it helps maintain the optimal air/fuel ratio for efficient combustion, minimizing fuel consumption and reducing harmful emissions.
- Closed-Loop Control: Integrated electronics and sophisticated control algorithms, coupled with internal feedback sensors, allow for precise closed-loop control of fuel delivery. This provides excellent accuracy, stability, and repeatability.
- Robust Construction: Built to endure the demanding conditions of engine environments, including high levels of vibration and wide operating temperature extremes.
- Communication: Communication to the TecJet valve typically occurs over a CAN link, where the engine control system sends demand signals. However, for the 8407-537, the specific higher-layer protocol (how the data is structured over CAN) is customer-defined or proprietary, which makes direct interchangeability with standard protocols challenging without a matching control system.
Applications
The Woodward 8407-537 TecJet™ 52 valve would have been applied in various engine systems running on gaseous fuels, particularly those developed for specific customers or applications that adopted this particular part number:
- Natural Gas Engines: Used on four-cycle, turbocharged engines for power generation (generator sets), marine propulsion, and industrial applications.
- Dual-Fuel Engines: Where engines can switch between or combine liquid and gaseous fuels.
- CHP (Combined Heat and Power) Plants: Ensuring efficient and clean operation of gas engines.
- Compressor Stations: For gas engines driving compressors in pipeline and industrial processing applications.
Compatibility and Replacement Notes
When dealing with the Woodward 8407-537, it’s crucial to understand its context due to its older generation and specific protocol:
- Obsolescence: As of current information (July 2025), the 8407-537 is explicitly listed as a non-RoHS, older generation part number that is being inactivated. This means direct sales and repair options may be very limited or discontinued.
- Replacement: The official replacement for the 8407-537 is the 8407-602. This is a Generation II (Gen II) TecJet 52 model.
- Backward Compatibility: The Gen II TecJet 52 valves (like the 8407-602) are designed to be 100% backward compatible with older TecJet 50 Plus and TecJet 52 valves (including the 8407-537). This is a significant advantage, as it means you should be able to replace an 8407-537 with an 8407-602 without requiring engine recalibration, thanks to factory flow testing and robust design.
- Protocol Match: Even though the 8407-537 used a “customer protocol,” the 8407-602 is the designated replacement, indicating that Woodward has ensured the communication compatibility for this specific upgrade path.