POWER GEN REPORT IV
Leveling The Playing Field
This is all changing. Higher specific
outputs from natural gas engines are
being facilitated by better combustion, higher pressure gas availability
and direct-injection gaseous fuel systems, along with new spark drivers
and improved means of combusting
the gaseous fuel. There are a variety
of alternatives in the market. Some are
even using micro-pilot injection using
diesel fuel to provide the higher cylinder pressures and the fast combustion
that normally sets things in motion.
Other technical enhancements including advanced turbocharging and
aftercooling are all geared toward driving natural gas engine combustion thermal efficiencies past 45% and toward a
50% efficiency target.
Of course, the cost for these high-
performance units has traditionally
been a major obstacle, but the cost of
the technology is offset by the lower
cost per horsepower for the base
engine structure. This is no secret. The
folks at Power Solutions International,
for example, have been cranking out
automotive-based gasoline-to-natural
gas conversions for years and have
thus facilitated a good deal of the pen-
etration of natural gas standbys into a
wide range of residential and smaller
commercial applications. Almost every
Whole Foods store in the country
has a natural gas-fired backup system
powered by a PSI-supplied modified
automotive engine.
2008
Diesel 71,973
Natural Gas 75,643
Total 147,616
Source: Power Systems Research
U.S. Gen-Set Production Outlook — Natural Gas and Diesel Fuels
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
57,829 49,585 53,716 59,047 62,127
55,861 58,654 65,919 73,644 79,392
113,690 108,239 119,635 132,691 141,519
2014
63,249
84,185
147,434
2015
65,366
88,800
154,166
