30 milliseconds with almost no stic-
tion or hysteresis, an infinite number
of steps in resolution,” said Fisher.
“We are utilizing a new generation of
technology. We have a design that is
voice-coil actuated, which allows the
valve to be not only fast but extremely
long lasting. Previous valves used for
air-fuel ratio control don’t allow you
to react to changes in load or even
changes in heating value of the gas
very quickly.”
According to Fisher, past solu-
tions often involved adopting a valve
designed for another application; not
necessarily for natural gas or for the
specific flows and pressures required
for stationary gas engines.
“This resulted in unreliable valves
that offered only a limited range of
control and valves that often stick or
malfunction,” said Fisher. “In the past,
there wasn’t much verification of emissions compliance for gas engines. As
the EPA and state agencies begin
enforcing continuous emissions compliance, the fuel control valve technology becomes more central to long-term compliance.
“The electronics to manage the
AFR control is sometimes integrated
into a stand-alone driver or controller and sometimes it is included in
an engine control system or a PLC
(programmable logic controller). In all
of these cases, a common problem
has been how to control the amount
of fuel to the engine.
“Companies that are good at creat-
ing an electronic box to control the
AFR often still have to go out and find
a valve that will work from their device
to control the gas. We are the oppo-
site. We are a gas valve company,”
said Fisher. “We start off thinking
about the valve and how to make it
smooth-acting and fast.”
The GV 1 is designed to be eas-
ily adapted to work with a variety of
air-fuel ratio controls, carburetors or
mixers, said Fisher. It can be con-
trolled with a PLC. It works with turbo-
charged or naturally aspirated engines
and can be used with a variety of gas
types such as biogas, landfill gas and
FUEL CONTROL
field gas, as well as standard natural gas. Operating temperatures are
- 40° to 185°F. The GV 1 is designed
to be Class 1 Div. 2 compliant. For
turbocharged applications, the GV 1
can operate from zero to 2 psi above
boost pressure.
“There is customization available to
this. This valve is designed for OEMs
and packagers, and we are happy
to modify it for their specific needs,”
said Fisher. “For example, the inlet
and outlet adapters can be modified
for 1 in. pipe or 1. 5 in. pipe. As far as
electrical, the customer might have
certain things they want. If an OEM
came to us with a specific need, we
would make a special version of this
valve as long as it’s feasible to include
that requirement or feature.”
The valve will include an integrated
pressure transducer. Fisher said the
GV 1 will operate as an electronic
variable pressure control valve with
zero droop.
“The concept is that using our valve,
people who want to do their own air-fuel ratio on their PLC or their panel
can use the GV 1 to be their interface
to the engine,” said Fisher.
The GV 1 brings a slight change to
Continental Controls’ product portfolio. The company has made its name
offering high-end, highly integrated,
complex products.
“The GV 1 takes us in a different
direction than we have historically
gone,” said Fisher. “Traditionally, a
company’s products tend to evolve
from a simple product to a very complex product. You build a base of
simple products and eventually come
up to a very complex product. As a
company, we have gone the opposite
direction. Our product line has targeted complex, very specialized products in the past. With the GV 1, we will
expand our portfolio to now include a
broader baseline of products.” dp
To Request More Information
On This Company Go To
DIRECTLINK
at www.dieselprogress.com
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