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More than 6000 integral natural gas compressors are located along America’s natural gas pipelines. These compressors are powered primarily by 2-stroke, large bore natural gas engines. A substantial amount of research has focused on optimizing efficiency and reducing fuel derived emissions for this class of engine. Little research has focused on the lubrication system and its effects on emissions and performance. This work is driven by two concerns: (1) excessive cylinder lubrication of two stroke engines and (2) poisoning of oxidation catalysts by lube oil. These concerns can be addressed by the development of an advanced lube oil injection system. A retrofit lube oil injection system is designed with the capability of injecting oil through two lube ports on each cylinder at any time during the engine cycle. The system is installed and tested on a Cooper-Bessemer GMV4 engine. Variations in number of skip cycles, average lube rate, and injection timing are evaluated. Lube oil carry-over is quantified using a dilution tunnel and standard particulate matter gravimetric measurement technique. Cylinder wall lubrication is quantified using a custom designed fixture that is inserted into the fuel valve port between data points when the engine is shut down. Based on the test data the following conclusions are made: • The crank angle range just before and during the time when the compression ring pack passes the lube port during the expansion stroke is the best timing for lube oil injection due to low lube oil carryover over a relatively wide crank angle range. • For the nominal lube rate of 2.6 ml/min the best set of injection parameters found were: center of injection = 43o aTDC, 45 psig injection pressure, and skip cycle = 4. • The timed lube oil injection system reduces lube oil carryover compared to the conventional mechanical lubricator by an average of 27% over the lube rate range 1.6 – 3.6 ml/min. • Over the lube rate range 1.6 – 3.6 ml/min implementation of timed lu
Your Price $195.00
List Price $195.00