By Matthew McVitty, Catalyst Ageing consultant
In our previous blog, we discussed 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 alternatives such as compressed natural gas (CNG), biomethane, ammonia (NH₃) and methanol present an opportunity for the industry. These options can retain important benefits associated with generator sets, including rapid response and availability in remote locations, while potentially reducing certain emissions associated with their operation.
However, introducing alternative fuels can change engine-out emissions and create new challenges for the aftertreatment system. It is therefore important to understand how each fuel could affect catalyst performance and durability.
CATAGEN’s OMEGA reactor technology is particularly suited to testing different alternative-fuel conditions. Instead of 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 on natural gas or methane, representative gas compositions can be introduced into OMEGA for testing without requiring the physical engine.
Typical gases used in OMEGA programmes include NO, NH₃, H₂O, O₂, CO, CO₂, CH₄, natural gas, C₃H₈ and C₃H₆.
OMEGA can also introduce chemical or 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 allows the aftertreatment system to experience 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 the 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, allowing engineers to investigate how the expected exhaust conditions could affect the aftertreatment system.
Testing with OMEGA can therefore progress in parallel with engine development, helping manufacturers identify potential durability risks earlier, reduce development bottlenecks and bring new generator technologies to market sooner.
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