Written By Matthew McVitty, Head of Business Performance, CATAGEN Green Emissions Testing
In our previous blog, we explored the outlook for the generator market. Diesel generators represented the majority of sales in the report’s 2022 base year, but interest in gas and alternative-fuel generators continues to grow.
Hydrogen-powered generators and fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), biomethane, ammonia (NH₃) and methanol present new opportunities for the industry. These options can retain important GENSET benefits, including rapid response and operation in remote locations, while potentially reducing certain emissions.
Alternative Fuels Create Different Emissions Challenges
Changing the fuel can alter engine out emissions, exhaust gas composition and operating temperatures. This can create new challenges for the aftertreatment system and affect catalyst performance and durability.
Understanding these effects early is important when developing a new alternative fuel GENSET.
Reproducing Alternative Fuel Conditions with OMEGA
CATAGEN’s OMEGA reactor technology is well suited to testing different alternative-fuel conditions.
Rather than burning fuel in a physical engine, OMEGA creates a controlled synthetic-gas mixture that can reproduce representative engine out conditions for the required fuel and application.
For example, if a generator is designed to operate using natural gas or methane, representative gas compositions can be introduced into OMEGA without requiring the physical engine.
Typical gases used in OMEGA programmes include NO, NH₃, H₂O, O₂, CO, CO₂, CH₄, natural gas, C₃H₈ and C₃H₆.
Representative Thermal and Chemical Ageing
OMEGA can also introduce chemical and poisoning compounds that may be present during in-field operation. CATAGEN has experience working with sulphur and phosphorus compounds, as well as introducing engine oil directly into the reactor.
Alongside reproducing representative engine out gas compositions, CATAGEN can vary the flow rates and temperature profiles expected from a generator. This exposes the aftertreatment system to representative thermal and chemical conditions through a controlled, accelerated ageing programme.
For applicable programmes with an 8,000 hour useful life target, accelerated ageing can reduce the time and cost associated with accumulating equivalent exposure through conventional in-field operation.
One of the main benefits of this capability is its use during the development of new alternative fuel engines.
When the physical engine is not yet ready for catalyst ageing, OMEGA can act as a surrogate engine. This allows engineers to investigate how the expected exhaust conditions could affect the aftertreatment system without waiting for the completed engine.
Testing with OMEGA can therefore progress alongside engine development, helping manufacturers identify durability risks earlier, reduce development bottlenecks and bring new generator technologies to market sooner.
Discuss your alternative fuel requirements and speak to one of our engineers.
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