American Oil and Gas Reporter - May 2015 - 111

SpecialReport: Gas Compression Technology
Continental Controls Corporation has
been involved with natural gas fuel control
since the early 1980s.
Although the company carved out a
prominent niche in the gas turbine industry
by developing speed and temperature monitors, and then fuel control valves used
primarily with solar turbine engines, Vice
President of Engineering David Fisher says
interest in Continental Controls' gas substitution system (GSS) increased tremendously as the nation's shale plays took off.
"We are one of the only companies
that manufactures and sells both fuel
valves and mixers," he points out.
Rick Fisher, vice president of sales
and marketing, says that by utilizing Continental Controls' fuel control technologies,
the GSS enables natural gas to substitute
for diesel on traditional diesel engines
without any engine modifications. He
explains that a variable-pressure valve,
or electronic pressure regulator, sends a
command to the valve through the CAN
(controller area network) bus to set pressure to the air inlet on the downstream
side of the turbocharger.

"Our product talks directly to the
engine control," D. Fisher offers. "It
monitors the diesel fuel and augments it
with natural gas. The substitution is based
on diesel flow, not load. The secret is we
don't over substitute. We calculate the
diesel with a flowmeter. As conditions
change, we can change."
"We think our system is safer and more
responsive to transients," R. Fisher adds.
Another advantage, he claims, is that
the GSS substitutes the maximum amount
of diesel at almost any load condition
with no effect on the engine's horsepower
or performance.
He says Continental Controls' GSS
includes fuel valves that are voice coil
actuated for low friction and long life,
allowing the valves to go to full stroke in
about 30 milliseconds. He says the advanced substitution systems react to
changes in speed, engine load, or heating
value changes in the gas.
The GSS features a compact and easyto-install fuel train with a low profile
that fits on almost any engine skid, and
is extremely simple to install and operate,

R. Fisher continues. He says safety features
standard on all systems include a vibration
sensor, high-temperature shutdown
(gaseous fuel substitution only, not the
engine), and a maximum substitution
limit based on measured diesel flow.
Optional features include a gas flowmeter that displays totalized fuel savings,
and satellite and wireless capabilities.
D. Fisher says the improved technology
for fuel valves, the ability to talk to the
engine control unit, and the entire system
are what make Continental Controls'
GSS different, adding that the gas substitution system not only provides fuel
savings, but also reduces emissions.
"It works well," Fisher contends. "It
cleans a standard diesel engine, reducing
diesel particulate dramatically. By adding
an oxidation catalyst, carbon monoxide
is reduced to near zero."
He adds that Continental Controls'
GSS can use almost any natural gas as
long as the liquids have been removed.
The most economical, of course, is to
use line gas directly from adjacent well
sites or nearby processing plants.
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MAY 2015 111

American Oil and Gas Reporter - May 2015

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