G3600 Hero Image
G3600 Hero Image

Behind the Scenes of the Cat® G3600
A4 Gen 2

Gas compression operations are an essential part of the production process, ensuring pressurized gas can be moved through pipelines for use in communities, commercial stations and beyond. With the introduction of the Cat® G3600 in 1991, Caterpillar delivered an engine with the power needed to support increased gas production while providing the operation and maintenance ease that operators demand. Over the decades, the G3600 has evolved to continue meeting the needs of operators and the energy industry at large. 

Why Choose a Cat G3600 Engine?

The dawn of a new millennium brought a new leap forward with the introduction of the ADEM A3 whole-engine management system on the G3600, establishing a new standard for ease of use and reliability for gas engines. It also proved timely as the U.S. domestic natural gas industry learned to use directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing together to unlock oil and gas held in shale formations. The addition of pad drilling brought multiple wells together, replacing many small wellhead compressors with a single larger compressor and making the G3600 the perfect fit for this new production strategy.

In 2015, the bar for large gas compression operations was raised again with the introduction of the G3600 A4 Gen 1 engine. A thorough redesign of the combustion system brought more power, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improved fuel efficiency and greatly expanded fuel flexibility all at once. The updated ADEM A4 electronics also delivered enhanced input/output capabilities and upgraded operator interface options, while other design details enabled simpler and smarter package integration.

How Does the G3600 Meet Modern Gas Compression Standards and GHG Emissions Requirements?

Today, there are nearly 10,000 gas engines with over 150 million hours in the field, and the latest incarnation of the Cat G3600 — the A4 Gen 2 — can do even more work with the same footprint, delivering an optional 10% power increase with lower GHG emissions compared to the previous model. In contrast to earlier models, the G3600 A4 Gen 2 can1:

  • Reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by more than 32%.
  • Reduce CH4 by more than 33%.
  • Reduce GHG emissions by more than 5%.
  • Reduce HCHO by more than 24%.
  • Reduce CO by more than 13%.

Additionally, the G3600 A4 Gen 2 helps enhance operational efficiency by reducing the number of engines needed to accomplish the same task.

Like its predecessor, the G3600 A4 Gen 2 is built to last for decades. It has the same service intervals as the previous model, with a major overhaul at 100,000 hours. The engine allows for multiple overhaul cycles to help lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and provide engine longevity.

How Does the G3600 Reduce Operating Costs and Improve Fleet Dependability?

Gas compression operators can upgrade G3600 A3 and A4 engines with Gen 2 upgrade kits, which allows assets to remain in the field while lowering GHG emissions compared to the original A3 engine. New pistons, cylinder liners and pre-chambers included in the Gen 2 upgrade can be installed during a scheduled major overhaul to minimize disruption and costs.

Operators can further maximize cost savings by choosing Cat Reman components. With Cat Reman, every component is disassembled, cleaned, inspected and updated with critical engineering improvements and remanufactured with advanced techniques. Only genuine Cat parts are used, and both new and remanufactured components — including short blocks, long blocks, cylinder heads, cylinder packs, turbochargers, crankshafts and more — are backed by a same-as-new 12-month limited warranty.

Cat Reman components are 45-85% of the cost of new, with core return, and support operators’ sustainability objectives2. The remanufacturing process significantly reduces environmental impact by using 65–87% less greenhouse gas emissions and energy and 80–90% less new materials compared to manufacturing new parts3.

The Cat G3600 combines over 30 years of learnings and best practices to deliver unmatched power, fuel efficiency and reliable performance — backed by the extensive global support of the Cat dealer network — for improved gas compression operations. As the industry evolves, the G3600 continues to serve operators’ economic and operational needs.

1 Operation conditions – 85MN, 905 BTU/scf, 100% speed and load, 77F ambient temperature, 500 ft altitude.

2 Cat.com. 2024 Caterpillar Sustainability Report. https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/sustainability/sustainability-report.html.

3 Represents U.S. environmental impacts of gate-to-gate remanufacturing and remanufacturing processes for Cat engines and components, as defined in the 2018 United Nations Environment Programme report “Redefining Value – The Manufacturing Revolution.” Does not include impacts elsewhere in our value chain.

Production of G3600 A4 Gen2
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