Alturdyne provides digester
gas/diesel ‘dual fuel’ conversion for City of San
Diego Emergency Backup Generator
August 29, 2003
Alturdyne Power Systems of El Cajon CA has designed,
engineered and installed a digester gas/diesel fuel
fumigation type conversion on a Caterpillar 3512B
engine driving a 1200KW generator rated. This low
pressure fuel/air inlet system reduces exhaust
emissions and allows for automatic switching of the
fuel source to 100% diesel fuel in case of digester
gas cutoff.
This system is installed at the Municipal Wastewater
Treatment Plant at Point Loma. This is a key
secondary treatment facility that must continuously
process and feed the ocean outfall pipeline. Total
shutdowns are not feasible because sewage is
constantly processed 24/7/365.
The purpose of this project is to provide backup
power to the Gas Utilization Facility, which uses
two Caterpillar 3600 series natural gas engine
generator sets with cogeneration equipment to export
electricity to the local utility and to provide
process heat to the digester gas plant. The
converted backup diesel (dual fuel) generator set
provides an extra measure of crucial ‘black start’
backup protection for the severe case of the 3600s
and the grid all being unavailable.
This dual fuel intake system is a cost effective
conversion for a stationary diesel engine allowing
it to become a longer duration backup power source
due to decreased emissions. It also provides dual
backup reliability, cost effectively in the same
engine generator set .
Dual Fuel can be other sources of hydrocarbon fuels
and diesel as well. Natural gas, CNG and LNG are
excellent examples.
Alturdyne is actively engaged in negotiations with
several municipalities for similar applications.
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