Lean-burn Cummins gas engines for BassGas processing plant
Five Cummins gas engine generator sets are to play a key role in Australia’s BassGas Project, which will meet 10% of gas demand in the state of Victoria for 15 years.
The spark-ignited, lean-burn Cummins QSV81gas engines are V16, 81-litre units, which will provide 6 MW of power to operate the BassGas processing plant at Lang Lang in Victoria’s Gippsland region.
In addition, Cummins will provide a QST30 diesel generator set for back-up power at the plant.
The QSV81 generator sets will each have a continuous rating of 1220 kWe, and the engines themselves will have full-authority electronic management systems to provide precise control of combustion along with detailed monitoring and protection.
The gas engines will be coupled to Cummins Newage alternators, while the QSV81 generator sets will feature the Cummins PowerCommand digital control system for precise control of voltage, frequency and power quality.
The BassGas Project is expected to be operational by early 2004.
Natural gas, LPG and condensate (light oil) will be extracted from the Yolla field in Bass Strait and piped to shore via 147 km of undersea pipeline. From that point, the pipeline will continue 32 km underground to the Lang Lang processing plant where the Cummins QSV81s will be at work.
According to Cummins, the major benefit of Cummins QSV81 lean-burn gas engine generator sets is that they combine good fuel economy with high power output and low NOx emissions. This is being emphasised in numerous installations around the world.
With lean-burn technology, excess air is introduced into the engine during combustion.
This has two positive effects that is the excess air reduces the temperature of combustion to significantly reduce NOx emissions. Moreover, since excess oxygen is available, combustion is more efficient and more power is produced from the same amount of fuel.
17-May-2007