Medium Speed Diesel Engines

The Medium Speed Diesel Engines Section in the Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division conducts alternative fuel (natural gas, LPG, Hydrogen, others ) and diesel engine development programs on all types of engines for production and research. Engine development programs range from small two-stroke engines to large bore two- and four-stroke engines used in combined heat and power, distributed generation, vehicular, off-road, locomotive and gas compression applications. High BMEP low emissions engines are currently being developed for a variety of fuels and applications.

Support facilities are in place to conduct alternative and diesel fueled engine research and development programs proficiently. All test cells have high-pressure natural gas availability. Two 130 CFM compressors are installed for engine testing and vehicle refueling where high-pressure natural gas is required. A 13,000-gallon cryogenic storage facility provides 99 percent pure liquefied methane. Liquid petroleum gas farms are in place, as well as diesel supply storage systems. Hydrogen fuel has been provided with the aid of electrolysis systems and on-site gas compression equipment. Gas blending facilities are maintained to blend fuels of specific compositions per client specifications for emissions certification and knock-tolerance testing. Gas composition is checked and/or monitored continuously using an on-line gas chromatograph to ensure accurate accounting of fuel speciation, heating value and molecular weight. SwRI also maintains two single-cylinder 4-stroke engines for on-site test rental.

In addition to the alternative fueled engine development facilities, SwRI maintains a Locomotive Technology Center, which was established in 1990 and has accommodated more than 100 locomotive tests. To learn more about locomotive testing capabilities at SwRI, visit locomotivetesting.swri.org.

Steven G. Fritz, Manager

Technical strengths in the group include:

Engine development for production and research
Full diesel-to-gas conversions for any application, including combustion chamber optimization and advanced control system integration
Engine modeling and simulation
Combustion system development and optimization (spark-ignited open-chamber, pre-chamber, micro-pilot, dual fuel, late cycle high injection pressure, EGR)
Ignition system evaluation and development (laser, capacitive discharge, and inductive systems)
Control system design, development, and procurement
Injector testing, design, and development, including high speed cinematography for injector tip optimization
Emissions development and calibration for transient and steady-state operation
Mixing and combustion modeling
Gas composition blending and testing for performance and emissions effects
Durability testing over prescribed cycles
Remote data logging for field tests
Field-site testing
Locomotive, marine, and mine engine emission characterization
Steven G. Fritz

Brochures relevant to the activities of the Gas and Industrial Engine Development Section include:

Division Publications

Emissions R&D Department
SwRI Technical Divisions SwRI Home

July 03, 2008