LDM COMPACT--A: Methodology for Development of Gas Engines for Use with Low Environmental Impact Non-Natural Gas

LDM COMPACT is a methodology, which permits the development of highly efficient combustion concepts for non-natural gas (NNG) engines without extensive testing on a multi-cylinder engine as well as tailor-made engine solutions for the special characteristics of NNG (LDM stands for LEC Development Methodology). Starting with a description of the baseline LDM, which incorporates the general approach for efficient engine development, this paper introduces the improved approach of LDM COMPACT and outlines each of the required steps, i.e., the preselection and basic design of essential engine parameters based on simulation, fundamental experiments on special test rigs, and experimental optimization of the concept on a single cylinder research engine. The fundamentals and main innovative features of the methodology are discussed. Two recent development projects (combustion of blast furnace gas and combustion of flare gases) are provided as examples of its application. In these examples, extensive use of simulation to evaluate different engine configurations permitted a significant share of optimization work to be completed in advance. The pre-optimized concepts were tested and validated on a single cylinder research engine. By applying LDM COMPACT, it was possible to develop the combustion concepts in a short amount of time and implement them into the multi-cylinder engine directly on-site. Keywords: methodology, gas engines, combustion concept, non-natural gas, blast furnace gas, flare gas