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Subject: TWL: Gardner/Denver Diesel
From: Jim Baumgart (cj@XXX.XXX)
Date: Tue Oct 02 2001 - 17:30:54 EDT
I work for the Gas Company now and I don't have a trawler any more, but
that doesn't mean I don't still love machinery. Today I got the luxury of
touring one of the compression plants. I thought you would be interested
to know that they had large Gardner/Denver diesel engines modified to run
on natural gas powering the big compressors. These engines were large.
Big enough to sink a recreational trawler. I didn't get too many specs on
them, but they looked like inline 6 cylinder engines, with a bore probably
around a foot. The probably measured 6 feet high by 8 feet long, mounted
on 12 inch steel I beams themselves mounted on a floor of longitudinal
beams. The are "naturals" with no turbos or super chargers. These huge
industrial engines were so complex it was hard for me to even identify the
major components. They were 600 HP with direct shaft coupling to the
compressor. Besides pressuring the gas, they supply pressurized air for
use in the plant. They did not have the look of boat Gardners - each with
their own independantly controlled cylinder. These were an integral block.
The smaller compressors were run by Caterpillar diesels modified for
natural gas. These were recognizable as based on the Cat 3196 inline 6
block. They are running natural gas. The intake manifold and air cleaner
are quite different, and there is no fuel pump or primer. Injector lines
seem similar, but larger diameter. I am sure that the "injection" works
totally differently. Otherwise the engines look quite familiar. I could
do an oil change on one with no training (other than on how they keep
everything so clean). These were rated at 200 HP, also "naturals".
Cooling on both engines is done elsewhere - the coolant is piped outside
the building and that part of the engines looked very different. Dry stack
exhaust exited the building.
There was also a 65 HP Caterpillar that had spark plugs for igniting the
gas. This engine had a traditional automotive radiator. The intake
manifold looked traditional.
The entire facility was virtually spotless.
You would also be interested that the Gas Company has steel pipe in the old
places. Everywhere new construction is in PVC. Where there is steel, they
have "cathodic protection" meaning zinc anodes. Many pipes and valves are
wired to common CP points. Workers inspect these points by measuring
voltages from the anodes to ground, replacing anodes or cleaning and
rewiring connections when voltages fall out of range.
The recreational trawler shares a lot of technology with major industry.
Interesting to me how such big engines were rated for such low HP on long
term, non-stop duty. I wish my guide knew the service intervals on them!
Jim Baumgart
760-749-4257 Starrstuff, Inc. Office
760-822-7827 Cell
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