On the Estimation of Power from a Diesel Engine Converted for Gas Operation – a Simple Analysis

In this paper, major factors influencing the power output from a gas engine are utilized to predict the power output from a diesel engine converted to gas operation using various gaseous fuels. The primary factors chosen are the gas calorific value, compression ratio, and molar changes due to combustion; leading to changes in peak pressures, peak temperature, turbo charger pressure and finally the quality of combustion for a given cylinder geometry. Analysis is carried out using empirical relationships available from the literature. Case studies are presented for different fuels to understand these effects on the engine output.