| Project Detail |
Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) seeks to reduce methane emissions from compressor station natural gas (NG) engines by improving lean-burn operation, thereby reducing exhaust methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and maintaining low-criteria pollutant emissions. The project team will develop a nanosecond non-thermal plasma-based ignition system capable of generating radicals, ions, and highly reactive intermediate species that result in rapid self-sustaining combustion, and a cyclic combustion control strategy that predicts and mitigates partial-fire and misfire cycles. The proposed work will demonstrate a field-tested, prototype plasma ignition system and model-based, feed-forward combustion control system that would be transformative for large NG engines with potential for large-scale market adoption. The proposed concept with plasma ignition reduces methane emissions through the use of very lean fuel-air mixtures, hitherto a challenge with spark ignition. Due to improved lean burn operation, CO2 emissions will also be lowered. Potential Impact: REMEDY addresses methane emissions from domestic oil, gas, and coal value chains, accounting for 78% of U.S. primary energy. |
