This episode focused on a technology that is growing in popularity. It's called Dynamic Gas Blending or DGB. Joining me today to talk about DGB is Graeme Mawhinney.
**Note: “3516B Series DGB generator set models and associated DGB retrofit kits are not suitable for use in EPA regulated territories”
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This episode focused on a technology that is growing in popularity. It's called Dynamic Gas Blending or DGB. Joining me today to talk about DGB is Graeme Mawhinney.
**Note: “3516B Series DGB generator set models and associated DGB retrofit kits are not suitable for use in EPA regulated territories”
Email us: powerbytes@cat.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/cat-electric-power/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caterpillar.Electric.Power/
Lou: Good Day and welcome everyone to Power Bytes! I am your host Lou Signorelli and Power Bytes is your destination Podcast for power generation topics. As always please know how much we appreciate you, our listeners. We hope you find our topics helpful and interesting. There are several ways for you to get in touch with the show. You can send us an email at powerbytes.com, visit us at Cat Electric Power on Facebook or LinkedIn. If you enjoy your time with us today, please leave us a 5-star rating wherever you listen to your favorite podcast; It really does help
Lou: Today we are going to focus on a technology that is growing in popularity. It's called Dynamic Gas Blending or DGB. Joining me today to talk about DGB is Graeme Mawhinney. Graeme had his PHD from Queens University in Belfast. His 20 year career with Caterpillar spans a wide variety of assignments from acoustic research, alternative fuels and now to overseeing defining new products in the greater than 1MW space for Caterpillar.
Graeme, thanks for joining us.
Graeme: Thanks Lou, delighted to be with you today …
Lou: Graeme, let's start with the basics. What is Dynamic Gas Blending? And who would benefit most / leverage it to best impact
Graeme:
So Dynamic Gas Blending (or DGB for short) is Caterpillar's "Dual Fuel" technology.
When we talk about a compression ignition "Dual Fuel" engine we are typically referring to an OEM Generator which has a "Dual Fuel" kit retrofitted to it. This is a proven technology and there are many 3rd party dual fuel kits available on the market today.
A dual fuel kit allows gas, normally pipeline natural gas, to enter the normal air system of the engine in a controlled fashion. The gas then makes it way into the cylinder and is ignited by a small pilot injection of diesel.
In this way the gas provides a portion of the energy for the engine and reduces the amount of diesel consumed by the engine. This is what we mean when we talk about diesel substitution rates.
Lou: So is Dual Fuel the same as Bi-Fuel ?
Graeme:
That’s a great question Lou and is something where there can be some confusion. They are similar … but different !
A "Bi-Fuel" engine can run on 100% gas where a "Dual Fuel" engine cannot. The dual fuel engine requires that small diesel pilot injection to ignite the gas where "Bi-Fuel" engine does not.
Lou:
OK, thanks for clearing up the terminology ! So DGB is a "Dual Fuel" kit and as such cannot run on 100% gas ?
Graeme:
That's exactly right Lou. DGB can substitute up to 70% of diesel with natural gas and does so from about 40% to 90% of its rated power output
Lou:
OK so what is different between DGB and all these other kits on the market today ?
Graeme:
Well, a couple of things really differentiate the DGB technically :-
Firstly and most importantly is Engine Protection
The DGB system uses innovative in cylinder dynamic pressure sensors to very carefully monitor individual cylinder combustion and prevent pressures and temperatures exceeding allowable limits.
Lou: That's sounds fascinating. This technology can monitor and adjust the fuel substitution rate in real time?
Graeme:
Yes! Which in large part enables the second thing I wanted to talk about - Diesel substitution levels !
Diesel substitution levels are the great financial "So What !"
The whole point of this technology is to substitute expensive diesel with less expensive gas ! The higher the diesel substitution levels, the more money our customers save on fuel bills !
A very important point to make though is that this substitution shouldn't come at the price of the longevity of your generator's engine! Some of the systems on the market today are add-ons, they are developed by 3rd parties, not the engine manufacturer and so are not as sensitive to the engine and it's operation.
Designed by our engineers, to integrate seamlessly and sensitively with our engines, our DGB solution offers maximum substitution levels AND, unlike some of those market alternatives, totally respects the Caterpillar engine hardware limits.
Lou:
Sounds nearly too good to be true Graeme. There has to be a catch?
Graeme:
Sure, there are some limits, but no "Catch". The unit can operate at 100% diesel all the way down to a cost effective 30%. The net is a cost efficient solution for the user.
Lou:
Graeme, is all this controlled by the genset controller on-package? Is there an automatic switch from diesel to DGB?
Graeme:
Yes, the genset controller manages everything. Once enabled, the controller seamlessly determines the fuel mix based on the load it's seeing at any given time. And displays all the important parameters right there on the EMCP screen !
Lou: Graeme, can you speak to how the unit compares to a 100% diesel genset?
Graeme: There are less differences that you might think!
• Transient performance of a diesel engine, able to support high load quickly
• Compression ignition with no spark plugs to replace
• Same power density (ekW/L) as diesel engine
• Altitude and temperature derate same as diesel
Lou:
So does the Generator come with the DGB system installed or is it fitted in the field afterwards ?
Graeme:
Well either actually Lou. Caterpillar have released the DGB system as either a factory fitted pricelist option or as retrofit kit if you've already bought one of our generators.
Lou:
Is this available on all our products ?
Graeme:
At this point Lou we have developed DGB systems for our 16 cylinder low fuel consumption ratings on our 3500 platform in the 1.4 to 1.8 eMW range. We intend to expand this range both up and down as we go forward ….
Lou: Let's talk in practical terms. I understand that a mine site recently employed this type of genset at their site?
Graeme: That is true and with some impressive results.
Mine Site
3516B - 1750kVA Continuous
6000+ hrs per year @ 85% of rated output
Diesel 1.2 $/L, Gas 7.5 $/mmBTU
TCO Estimates
Cat DGB (70% Substitution)
$1.2M fuel savings per year
Lou:
What other sort of Electric Power applications should be considering DGB ?
Graeme:
Well anywhere gas is less expensive than diesel at the point of use . We've mentioned mine sites already, but really any industry where diesel generators are used for prime or continuous power generation should look carefully at this technology. Significant savings are possible …. as we discussed previously
Perhaps less obvious are other (maybe standby power applications !) where onsite diesel storage or supply can be problematic. Because you use 70% less diesel per MW of electricity generated, DGB can be used to either reduce onsite diesel storage requirements or extend potential run times from the installed capacity.
There are also possible benefits from being able to manage your fuel consumption depending on the price or for that matter, the availability of diesel and gas ….
Future proofing is another interesting angle. If pipeline gas infrastucture development is planned for the future, DGB gives customers a cost effective way to hedge their bets ….
Lou, I hope you agree, there are many applications where DGB can help …..
Lou: Graeme, I've been fascinated by our conversation today and have taken some notes. I want to share with you what I've taken from our talk today:
1. First up, DGB is Caterpillars' fully integrated "dual fuel" system
2. The overriding priority of the DGB system is to protect the engine / genset
3. The next priority is to maximise diesel substitution which can give significant fuel cost savings (substitution rate up to 70% )
4. DGB does all this while maintaining Diesel Power Rating & Transient performance
Graeme: I couldn't have summed it up better myself Lou ….
Lou: There you have it folks. I'd like to thank Graeme Mawhinney for sharing his insights with us today
Graeme: Thanks for having me this has been fun!
Lou: and thank you, our listeners for listening to Power Bytes. For more information Dynamic Gas Blending please visit www.cat.com/dgb or contact your local Cat dealer. If you’d like to suggest other topics for the program or have some feedback to share, please write us here at powerbytes@cat.com or visit Cat Electric Power on Facebook or LinkedIn. As always don't forget to subscribe to this podcast. Have a great day.