GAS ENGINE

GREG FELIZARTA
 GAS ENGINE – a gas engine is an internal combustion
engine which runs on a gas fuel, such as coal gas,
producer gas, biogas, landfill gas or natural gas

Generally the term gas engine refers to a heavy-duty industrial engine

capable of running continuously at full load for periods approaching a
high fraction of 8,760 hours per year, unlike a gasoline automobile
engine, which is lightweight, high-revving and typically runs for no more
than 4,000 hours in its entire life. Typical power ranges from 10 kW
(13 hp) to 4 MW (5,364 hp)
BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT GAS ENGINE

THERE WERE MANY EXPERIMENTS

WITH GAS ENGINES IN THE 19TH
CENTURY BUT THE FIRST PRACTICAL
GAS-FUELLED INTERNAL
COMBUSTION ENGINE WAS BUILT BY
THE BELGIAN ENGINEER ÉTIENNE
LENOIR IN 1860. HOWEVER, THE
LENOIR ENGINE SUFFERED FROM A
LOW POWER OUTPUT AND HIGH
FUEL CONSUMPTION.
HIS WORK WAS FURTHER RESEARCHED AND IMPROVED BY A
GERMAN ENGINEER NIKOLAUS AUGUST OTTO.

IN 1867 OTTO PATENTED THIS IMPROVED DESIGN AND IT WAS

AWARDED THE GRAND PRIZE AT THE 1867 PARIS WORLD
EXHIBITION. THIS ATMOSPHERIC ENGINE WORKED BY DRAWING
A MIXTURE OF GAS AND AIR INTO A VERTICAL CYLINDER. THE
WORK IS DONE WHEN THE PISTON AND TOOTHED RACK
DESCEND UNDER THE EFFECTS OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
AND THEIR OWN WEIGHT, TURNING THE MAIN SHAFT AND
FLYWHEELS AS THEY FALL. ITS ADVANTAGE OVER THE EXISTING
STEAM ENGINE WAS ITS ABILITY TO BE STARTED AND STOPPED
ON DEMAND.
 Typical application

■ Stationary - Gas engines are rarely used for standby applications, which remain largely the
province of diesel engines. One exception to this is the small emergency generator often
installed by farms, museums, small businesses, and residences. Connected to either
natural gas from the public utility or propane from on-site storage tanks, these generators
can be arranged for automatic starting upon power failure.
■ Transport - The natural gas engines are getting more into the marine market, as the lean-
burn gas engine can meet the new emission requirements without any extra fuel treatment
or exhaust cleaning systems.
 Technical details
■ Fuel-air mixing - A gas engine differs from a petrol engine in the way the fuel and air
are mixed. A petrol engine uses a carburetor or fuel injection but a gas engine often
uses a venturi system to introduce gas into the air flow. Early gas engines used a
three-valve system, with separate inlet valves for air and gas.
■ Exhaust valves - The weak point of a gas engine compared to a diesel engine is the
exhaust valves, since the gas engine exhaust gases are much hotter for a given
output, and this limits the power output. Thus a diesel engine from a given
manufacturer will usually have a higher maximum output than the same engine
block size in the gas engine version.
■ Ignition - Various ignition systems have been used, including hot-tube ignitors and
spark ignition. Most modern gas engines are essentially dual-fuel engines. The main
source of energy is the gas-air mixture but it is ignited by the injection of a small
volume of diesel fuel.
Thermal efficiency
Gas engines that run on natural gas typically have a thermal
efficiency between 35-45% (LHV basis). As of year 2018, the best
engines can achieve a thermal efficiency up to 50% (LHV basis)
Engine cooling

Two most common engine types are an air-cooled engine or water cooled engine. Water cooled
nowadays use antifreeze in the internal combustion engine
Some engines (air or water) have an added oil cooler.
Cooling is required to remove excessive heat, over heating can cause engine failure, usually from
wear, cracking or warping.

Gas Consumption Calculation

The formula shows the gas flow requirement of a gas engine in norm conditions at full load.

Where:
Q, is the gas flow in norm conditions
P, is the engine power
n, is the mechanical efficiency
LHV is the Low Heating Value of the gas