There are a host of potential benefits to companies installing renewable generation, from financial incentives to great corporate PR. Its very much a new market, but I meet companies who have already had disapointing experiences. This seems particularly true for engine-driven CHP, where poor advice about equipment and fuels has led some projects to fail, financially and technically.
So what are the pitfalls? Well the biggest has been to assume that fuels such as Used Cooking Oil (UCO) and animal fats such as tallow can be used directly in diesel engines. In fact they cause severe operating problems if not processed and managed properly. This typically follows the pattern of:
- loss of injection control
- poor combustion and atomisation
- lube oil destruction
- piston and liner failure.
This can happen in the space of weeks, and is accompanied by drastically rising emissions during failure. The hoped- for green solution can quickly disapoint.
I recently met a snack food manufacturer who installed an engine to use their own UCO. They have had to rebuild it twice and managed only 12% availability in the two years since it was installed.
Fortunately there are solutions to these problems. Aquafuel offers processing and mangement of the fuel and combustion, with full service contacts backed by engine guarantees. We can do this becuase we operate our own diesel engine test facility, and can test a customer's potential fuels before they invest in new plant.
Companies with the drive and vision to invest in renewable generation deserve vendors who really understand how to deliver effective solutions and service, and I am sure companies that do will be the ones to prosper as the market matures.
Paul Day, Founder and CEO, Aquafuel.
So what are the pitfalls? Well the biggest has been to assume that fuels such as Used Cooking Oil (UCO) and animal fats such as tallow can be used directly in diesel engines. In fact they cause severe operating problems if not processed and managed properly. This typically follows the pattern of:
- loss of injection control
- poor combustion and atomisation
- lube oil destruction
- piston and liner failure.
This can happen in the space of weeks, and is accompanied by drastically rising emissions during failure. The hoped- for green solution can quickly disapoint.
I recently met a snack food manufacturer who installed an engine to use their own UCO. They have had to rebuild it twice and managed only 12% availability in the two years since it was installed.
Fortunately there are solutions to these problems. Aquafuel offers processing and mangement of the fuel and combustion, with full service contacts backed by engine guarantees. We can do this becuase we operate our own diesel engine test facility, and can test a customer's potential fuels before they invest in new plant.
Companies with the drive and vision to invest in renewable generation deserve vendors who really understand how to deliver effective solutions and service, and I am sure companies that do will be the ones to prosper as the market matures.
Paul Day, Founder and CEO, Aquafuel.