Alternative fuels will be a key component of the world’s efforts to decarbonise, both in reducing CO2 emissions and switching to carbon-free fuels. In a two-part series, Keith Douglas, our Performance Engineering Director, explains how Bowman’s eTurbo Systems technology can enable lower emissions, the use of different fuels (including blends or hydrogen), and increased efficiency of fuel cells. Read on for part 1: reducing fuel usage and enabling transition fuels, or go to part 2: paving the way for hydrogen and fuel cells!
There is much debate among academics, industry, and governments about the future route to net zero considering today’s energy dependence on fossil fuels. The challenge is hard to fathom - currently the annual consumption of fossil fuels stands at >130,000,000,000MWhr annually.
Looking across marine, power generation, mining, rail, off-road, and on-highway markets there are many millions of power systems in service today, dominated in power ranges < 5MW by fossil-fuel-burning Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs). All of these ICEs need to be improved and upgraded in the coming years to reduce CO2 emissions, but ultimately they must either have their emissions captured or offset, or be replaced with carbon-neutral power systems.
Much investment is being made to find the best approach to eliminate CO2 emissions in these applications and, where battery technology alone doesn’t make sense (due to intrinsic power density and storage limitations), the long-term options focus on using carbon-neutral fuels with hybrid ICEs, or on new power system technologies such as fuel cells (FCs).
Both ICEs and FCs have something in common: they need air to drive, scavenge, and optimise the combustion or chemical process and, to a greater or lesser extent, they produce waste heat. In other words, they need some form of charging or turbocharging system.
It is well established that existing charging and turbocharging systems help to maximise the power density and efficiency of power systems – this has been developing for almost 150 years - but further performance improvements are possible by integrating an electric motor / generator to the turbo system shaft and incorporating power electronics (PE) for control (eTurbo Systems).
Bowman’s eTurbine products deliver CO2 emissions reductions, through heat recovery, of between 4 and 7% on diesel and natural gas (NG) high-speed and medium-speed gensets, preventing millions of tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere from the powergen market each year. More recent developments with Bowman’s new eCompressor and eTurbocharger products provide new degrees of freedom when operating power systems, allowing torque to be intelligently added and/or recovered from the motor / generator shaft, continuously or transiently, with response times measured in milliseconds. This digital control of the eTurbo System speed allows continuous, real-time optimisation of the power system air delivery, regardless of boundary conditions, load profile, or the performance parameter in focus (e.g. power system efficiency, emissions, dynamic manoeuvres, etc.), thus providing further possibilities for the transition for power systems to net zero and beyond.
In the near-term, while industry is working on economical solutions to mass-produce carbon-neutral fuels in the quantities required to replace annual diesel consumption, natural gas can be used as a transition fuel (lean-burn NG combustion produces ~25% fewer CO2 emissions and ~90% less NOx versus diesel). Due to the tight air-to-fuel ratio (AFR) control required to successfully steer combustion between knocking and misfire through the load curve, today’s lean-burn spark ignited (SI) NG ICEs are somewhat limited in their use to applications with only modest transient demands. Bowman’s eTurbo Systems can overcome this restriction by eliminating turbo lag and enabling real-time control of the boost pressure, so that aggressive fuelling changes can be made during transient manoeuvres while avoiding excessive AFR deviations or adverse combustion cycles. In fact, by applying an eCompressor, or an eTurbocharger, SI NG transient load capability akin to today’s best-in-class diesel engines can be achieved. Additionally the eTurbocharger’s ability to harvest power from the shaft at steady-state, means Bowman’s eTurbo Systems enable SI NG ICEs with better efficiency to displace diesels in transient applications. Applications such as datacentres, rail, marine, heavy duty, emergency standby, off-road, etc., can achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions utilising NG ICEs together with Bowman’s eTurbo Systems.
Furthermore, eTurbo Systems can give ICEs an added level of fuel flexibility for dual-fuel or multifuel applications. No two fuels have the same properties, with differences in stoichiometric AFR, combustion rates, and the resultant enthalpy going to the exhaust / turbocharger’s turbine. Thus, when running different fuels, different aerodynamic turbocharger matching would be required to meet the air requirements and optimise the ICE efficiency. eTurbo Systems can help overcome these shortcomings, by intelligently modulating the electrical torque added to, or harvested from, the shaft; real time efficiency optimisation can be achieved using the same turbocharger aerodynamic hardware regardless of the fuels being blended or transitioned. Whether transitioning diesel and NG, or NG and carbon-neutral derived fuels when they become available (such as methanol, ammonia, biogas or hydrogen), the correct amount of air for clean, efficient combustion can be delivered while simultaneously keep the ICE running efficiently without derate. This will be particularly advantageous in the coming decades, when the availability of LNG or carbon-neutral derived fuels wanes during the periods of low production or high demand while capacity is being diverted from oil.
Alternative fuels will be a key component of the world’s efforts to decarbonise, both in reducing CO2 emissions and switching to carbon-free fuels. In a two-part series, Keith Douglas, our Performance Engineering Director, explains how Bowman’s eTurbo Systems technology can enable lower emissions, the use of different fuels (including blends or hydrogen), and increased efficiency of fuel cells. Read on for part 1: reducing fuel usage and enabling transition fuels, or go to part 2: paving the way for hydrogen and fuel cells!
There is much debate among academics, industry, and governments about the future route to net zero considering today’s energy dependence on fossil fuels. The challenge is hard to fathom - currently the annual consumption of fossil fuels stands at >130,000,000,000MWhr annually.
Looking across marine, power generation, mining, rail, off-road, and on-highway markets there are many millions of power systems in service today, dominated in power ranges < 5MW by fossil-fuel-burning Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs). All of these ICEs need to be improved and upgraded in the coming years to reduce CO2 emissions, but ultimately they must either have their emissions captured or offset, or be replaced with carbon-neutral power systems.
Much investment is being made to find the best approach to eliminate CO2 emissions in these applications and, where battery technology alone doesn’t make sense (due to intrinsic power density and storage limitations), the long-term options focus on using carbon-neutral fuels with hybrid ICEs, or on new power system technologies such as fuel cells (FCs).
Both ICEs and FCs have something in common: they need air to drive, scavenge, and optimise the combustion or chemical process and, to a greater or lesser extent, they produce waste heat. In other words, they need some form of charging or turbocharging system.
It is well established that existing charging and turbocharging systems help to maximise the power density and efficiency of power systems – this has been developing for almost 150 years - but further performance improvements are possible by integrating an electric motor / generator to the turbo system shaft and incorporating power electronics (PE) for control (eTurbo Systems).
Bowman’s eTurbine products deliver CO2 emissions reductions, through heat recovery, of between 4 and 7% on diesel and natural gas (NG) high-speed and medium-speed gensets, preventing millions of tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere from the powergen market each year. More recent developments with Bowman’s new eCompressor and eTurbocharger products provide new degrees of freedom when operating power systems, allowing torque to be intelligently added and/or recovered from the motor / generator shaft, continuously or transiently, with response times measured in milliseconds. This digital control of the eTurbo System speed allows continuous, real-time optimisation of the power system air delivery, regardless of boundary conditions, load profile, or the performance parameter in focus (e.g. power system efficiency, emissions, dynamic manoeuvres, etc.), thus providing further possibilities for the transition for power systems to net zero and beyond.
In the near-term, while industry is working on economical solutions to mass-produce carbon-neutral fuels in the quantities required to replace annual diesel consumption, natural gas can be used as a transition fuel (lean-burn NG combustion produces ~25% fewer CO2 emissions and ~90% less NOx versus diesel). Due to the tight air-to-fuel ratio (AFR) control required to successfully steer combustion between knocking and misfire through the load curve, today’s lean-burn spark ignited (SI) NG ICEs are somewhat limited in their use to applications with only modest transient demands. Bowman’s eTurbo Systems can overcome this restriction by eliminating turbo lag and enabling real-time control of the boost pressure, so that aggressive fuelling changes can be made during transient manoeuvres while avoiding excessive AFR deviations or adverse combustion cycles. In fact, by applying an eCompressor, or an eTurbocharger, SI NG transient load capability akin to today’s best-in-class diesel engines can be achieved. Additionally the eTurbocharger’s ability to harvest power from the shaft at steady-state, means Bowman’s eTurbo Systems enable SI NG ICEs with better efficiency to displace diesels in transient applications. Applications such as datacentres, rail, marine, heavy duty, emergency standby, off-road, etc., can achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions utilising NG ICEs together with Bowman’s eTurbo Systems.
Furthermore, eTurbo Systems can give ICEs an added level of fuel flexibility for dual-fuel or multifuel applications. No two fuels have the same properties, with differences in stoichiometric AFR, combustion rates, and the resultant enthalpy going to the exhaust / turbocharger’s turbine. Thus, when running different fuels, different aerodynamic turbocharger matching would be required to meet the air requirements and optimise the ICE efficiency. eTurbo Systems can help overcome these shortcomings, by intelligently modulating the electrical torque added to, or harvested from, the shaft; real time efficiency optimisation can be achieved using the same turbocharger aerodynamic hardware regardless of the fuels being blended or transitioned. Whether transitioning diesel and NG, or NG and carbon-neutral derived fuels when they become available (such as methanol, ammonia, biogas or hydrogen), the correct amount of air for clean, efficient combustion can be delivered while simultaneously keep the ICE running efficiently without derate. This will be particularly advantageous in the coming decades, when the availability of LNG or carbon-neutral derived fuels wanes during the periods of low production or high demand while capacity is being diverted from oil.
Alternative fuels will be a key component of the world’s efforts to decarbonise, both in reducing CO2 emissions and switching to carbon-free fuels. In a two-part series, Keith Douglas, our Performance Engineering Director, explains how Bowman’s eTurbo Systems technology can enable lower emissions, the use of different fuels (including blends or hydrogen), and increased efficiency of fuel cells. Read on for part 1: reducing fuel usage and enabling transition fuels, or go to part 2: paving the way for hydrogen and fuel cells!
There is much debate among academics, industry, and governments about the future route to net zero considering today’s energy dependence on fossil fuels. The challenge is hard to fathom - currently the annual consumption of fossil fuels stands at >130,000,000,000MWhr annually.
Looking across marine, power generation, mining, rail, off-road, and on-highway markets there are many millions of power systems in service today, dominated in power ranges < 5MW by fossil-fuel-burning Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs). All of these ICEs need to be improved and upgraded in the coming years to reduce CO2 emissions, but ultimately they must either have their emissions captured or offset, or be replaced with carbon-neutral power systems.
Much investment is being made to find the best approach to eliminate CO2 emissions in these applications and, where battery technology alone doesn’t make sense (due to intrinsic power density and storage limitations), the long-term options focus on using carbon-neutral fuels with hybrid ICEs, or on new power system technologies such as fuel cells (FCs).
Both ICEs and FCs have something in common: they need air to drive, scavenge, and optimise the combustion or chemical process and, to a greater or lesser extent, they produce waste heat. In other words, they need some form of charging or turbocharging system.
It is well established that existing charging and turbocharging systems help to maximise the power density and efficiency of power systems – this has been developing for almost 150 years - but further performance improvements are possible by integrating an electric motor / generator to the turbo system shaft and incorporating power electronics (PE) for control (eTurbo Systems).
Bowman’s eTurbine products deliver CO2 emissions reductions, through heat recovery, of between 4 and 7% on diesel and natural gas (NG) high-speed and medium-speed gensets, preventing millions of tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere from the powergen market each year. More recent developments with Bowman’s new eCompressor and eTurbocharger products provide new degrees of freedom when operating power systems, allowing torque to be intelligently added and/or recovered from the motor / generator shaft, continuously or transiently, with response times measured in milliseconds. This digital control of the eTurbo System speed allows continuous, real-time optimisation of the power system air delivery, regardless of boundary conditions, load profile, or the performance parameter in focus (e.g. power system efficiency, emissions, dynamic manoeuvres, etc.), thus providing further possibilities for the transition for power systems to net zero and beyond.
In the near-term, while industry is working on economical solutions to mass-produce carbon-neutral fuels in the quantities required to replace annual diesel consumption, natural gas can be used as a transition fuel (lean-burn NG combustion produces ~25% fewer CO2 emissions and ~90% less NOx versus diesel). Due to the tight air-to-fuel ratio (AFR) control required to successfully steer combustion between knocking and misfire through the load curve, today’s lean-burn spark ignited (SI) NG ICEs are somewhat limited in their use to applications with only modest transient demands. Bowman’s eTurbo Systems can overcome this restriction by eliminating turbo lag and enabling real-time control of the boost pressure, so that aggressive fuelling changes can be made during transient manoeuvres while avoiding excessive AFR deviations or adverse combustion cycles. In fact, by applying an eCompressor, or an eTurbocharger, SI NG transient load capability akin to today’s best-in-class diesel engines can be achieved. Additionally the eTurbocharger’s ability to harvest power from the shaft at steady-state, means Bowman’s eTurbo Systems enable SI NG ICEs with better efficiency to displace diesels in transient applications. Applications such as datacentres, rail, marine, heavy duty, emergency standby, off-road, etc., can achieve significant reductions in CO2 emissions utilising NG ICEs together with Bowman’s eTurbo Systems.
Furthermore, eTurbo Systems can give ICEs an added level of fuel flexibility for dual-fuel or multifuel applications. No two fuels have the same properties, with differences in stoichiometric AFR, combustion rates, and the resultant enthalpy going to the exhaust / turbocharger’s turbine. Thus, when running different fuels, different aerodynamic turbocharger matching would be required to meet the air requirements and optimise the ICE efficiency. eTurbo Systems can help overcome these shortcomings, by intelligently modulating the electrical torque added to, or harvested from, the shaft; real time efficiency optimisation can be achieved using the same turbocharger aerodynamic hardware regardless of the fuels being blended or transitioned. Whether transitioning diesel and NG, or NG and carbon-neutral derived fuels when they become available (such as methanol, ammonia, biogas or hydrogen), the correct amount of air for clean, efficient combustion can be delivered while simultaneously keep the ICE running efficiently without derate. This will be particularly advantageous in the coming decades, when the availability of LNG or carbon-neutral derived fuels wanes during the periods of low production or high demand while capacity is being diverted from oil.