Kit Uses Natural Gas With Diesel To Boost Fuel Economy

Kit Uses Natural Gas With Diesel To Boost Fuel Economy ENERGY Alternative Fuels “I’m getting 52 mpg driving a 2002 F-250 with a Power Stroke diesel engine ” says Brian Carpenter whose engine is equipped with a kit that replaces 50 to 75 percent of the diesel fuel in each piston stroke with CNG Compressed Natural Gas Carpenter says “The engine runs incredibly smooth it puts out more power and fuel economy is about 300 percent better than with straight diesel fuel If I step on the accelerator while driving 60 miles an hour it will set me right back in the seat ” The kit on Carpenter’s truck is marketed by C&E Clean Energy of Sturgis S Dak Carpenter is the “C” in the company name The kit includes a 10-gal high pressure CNG storage tank two regulators and hoses that connect the system to the engine C&E’s kit introduces CNG into the engine through a fumigation nozzle mounted into the air box ahead of the turbocharger Installing it requires drilling a small hole in the air pipe between the air filter box and the turbocharger Two wires that control the gas flow solenoid are connected into the vehicle’s electrical system Carpenter says the engine has to start and run on straight diesel because compression heat alone isn’t hot enough to ignite natural gas Once the engine is at operating temperature the CNG supply can be activated and the solenoid automatically controls gas flow Carpenter says “It’s an incredibly simple system that also lessens the amount of soot going out the exhaust pipe and reduces the contaminants going into the engine oil ” C&E sells two different kits one for turbocharged engines and one for stationary engines where the supply is pipeline gas That one works for naturally aspirated or turbo diesels CNG supply canisters for pickup trucks are available in different sizes and configurations Carpenter has a 10-gal CNG canister that allows him to go about 220 to 250 miles between fills The diesel gas equivalent of a 10 gal CNG canister is about 8 5 gal because CNG has lower BTU/gal For larger engines like those on over-the-road diesel tractors C&E recommends a 44-gal side-mounted CNG tank Kits are also available for diesel tractors and combines Another application where the kits are proving successful is on stationary engines used to run irrigation equipment The kit draws CNG directly from a pipeline and feeds it into the air system through regulators No storage tanks are required C&E is teaming up with a natural gas company to promote the kits to irrigation system owners in the spring of 2012 “Stationary engines run at low rpm’s and a constant load so our kits are a way to improve fuel economy and power efficiency ” Carpenter says Kits cost from $900 to $3 040 depending on engine size The CNG kit for pickups and medium duty trucks is $1 500 and kits for semi-tractors and farm tractors are $1 999 CNG storage tanks cost from $900 to $10 000 depending on size and composition Kits are also available for propane but Carpenter says propane should cost one third less than diesel fuel for the LP kits to be economical Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Brian Carpenter C&E Clean Energy Solutions Sturgis S Dak 57785 ph 308 339-0896; info@cecleanenergy net; www cecleanenergy net

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