Eden Energy (ASX: EDE) U.S. subsidiary Hythane Company has started development of a spark-ignited engine conversion system for renewable biogas, in response to requests from major potential customers in the U.S.
New gasification technology developed for cellulosic or wood-based biomass can produce a syngas that comprises more than 60% hydrogen, which requires precise handling and control.
Due to the wide flammability range and low ignition energy of hydrogen, large volumes of mixed syngas and air must be avoided in the engine intake system, to reduce the risk of pre-ignition and intake backfires.
The potential for abnormal engine operation or mechanical damage precludes the use of the conventional air mixer/carburetion systems that are used in most large industrial natural gas engines.
Hythane Company will use its experience with hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines to develop and market engine conversion systems for large stationary generator sets (gensets) used for distributed electrical systems or combined heat and power production.
The company has produced a range of hydrogen engine products over the past 20 years, including a 1.5 litre Honda engine for an unmanned Navy submersible, four 2.5 litre Ford Ranger pickups, one turbocharged, three supercharged and a 70 kilowatt generator set in a Bluebird hybrid electric bus.
The new dedicated hydrogen/syngas genset control system under development will target the range from 200 kilowatts to 2000 kilowatts.
Eden recently announced that the market for the current OptiBlend kit has been expanded to include converting stationary diesel engines to dual-fuel diesel/biogas or syngas fuel feedstocks.
OptiBlend, also produced by Hythane Company, is a dual fuel system that displaces up to 70% of diesel with natural gas in diesel engines, offering major cost savings. This now looks to be expanded to engine-driven generator sets.
The new dedicated syngas engine and fuel control systems will complement this market, with spark-ignited generators that don’t require any fossil fuels for operation.
The market for biogas conversion systems is growing, driven by concerns over climate change, fossil fuel use and energy independence, along with recent advancements in the production of biogas equipment, improving performance and lowering costs.
Rising diesel fuel prices are also prompting companies to look for better long-term solutions for power generation.
Article originally published at: http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/23085/eden-energy-to-launch-biogas-engine-conversion-system-to-meet-us-demand-23085.html
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