Development of a prototype eCompressor for the fast-starting of gas fuelled generators
Lead Participant:
BOWMAN POWER GROUP LIMITED
Abstract
The UK national grid and the majority of power grids globally, rely to some extent on internal combustion engine generator sets (gensets) to provide 'peaking' power provision when demand peaks, or to back fill renewable sources such as wind or solar when unavailable. Where there is a gas grid, gensets are gas fuelled but otherwise, they often still use diesel.
It is advantageous for these gensets to be able to ramp to full power quickly, which diesel gensets are very capable of. However, gas gensets have poor response times ramping from a cold start to full power, and when accepting large load increases whilst running. This is why diesel is the normal choice for backup power, especially for critical infrastructure such as hospitals or data centres even if gas is available.
Bowman has developed a solution to dramatically improve gas genset responsiveness. With this 'fast-start' eCompressor (FSEC) technology, much faster cold engine load ramp times can be achieved - reduced from a few minutes to less than 10 seconds. This transformational change in performance can make gas gensets viable for backup where diesel is currently used and enable existing gas gensets to be much more responsive to improve power grid resilience and stability. This latter point is important as UK National Grid is introducing new incentives for faster starting and other countries are expect to follow suit. Furthermore, FSEC technology can help with the transition of gas gensets to future zero carbon fuels which have more onerous requirements for combustion air.
Bowman will develop a TRL6 prototype and evaluate it on a test bench against a full range of performance requirements defined by operators and for certification in various global territories.
Where the combustion engine remains the optimal solution for power generation, FSEC technology will be an enabler for transition from diesel to gas in the near-term, improve the performance of gas gensets and also accelerate transition to other gas fuels of the future such as green hydrogen or ammonia.
It is advantageous for these gensets to be able to ramp to full power quickly, which diesel gensets are very capable of. However, gas gensets have poor response times ramping from a cold start to full power, and when accepting large load increases whilst running. This is why diesel is the normal choice for backup power, especially for critical infrastructure such as hospitals or data centres even if gas is available.
Bowman has developed a solution to dramatically improve gas genset responsiveness. With this 'fast-start' eCompressor (FSEC) technology, much faster cold engine load ramp times can be achieved - reduced from a few minutes to less than 10 seconds. This transformational change in performance can make gas gensets viable for backup where diesel is currently used and enable existing gas gensets to be much more responsive to improve power grid resilience and stability. This latter point is important as UK National Grid is introducing new incentives for faster starting and other countries are expect to follow suit. Furthermore, FSEC technology can help with the transition of gas gensets to future zero carbon fuels which have more onerous requirements for combustion air.
Bowman will develop a TRL6 prototype and evaluate it on a test bench against a full range of performance requirements defined by operators and for certification in various global territories.
Where the combustion engine remains the optimal solution for power generation, FSEC technology will be an enabler for transition from diesel to gas in the near-term, improve the performance of gas gensets and also accelerate transition to other gas fuels of the future such as green hydrogen or ammonia.
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| BOWMAN POWER GROUP LIMITED | £490,960 | £ 343,672 |
Participant |
||
| INNOVATE UK |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Ben Curtis (Project Manager) |