Humidity Effects and Compensation in a Lean Burn Natural Gas Engine

971706

05/01/1997

Event
International Spring Fuels & Lubricants Meeting & Exposition
Authors Abstract
Content
The effect of humidity on the lean misfire limit and emissions from a lean burn, natural gas engine is described in this paper, along with a description of a practical humidity compensation method for incorporation into an electronic control system. Experiments to determine the effects of humidity on the lean limit and emissions are described. Humidity increases were shown to decrease the rate of combustion, reduce NOx emissions, and increase the levels of unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Data and calculations are also presented which demonstrate that increases in humidity will cause enleanment in a typical closed loop control system utilizing a universal exhaust gas oxygen (UEGO) sensor. A prototype system for humidity sensing and subsequent compensation based on these findings was implemented, and the system was found, through additional testing, to compensate for humidity very effectively.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/971706
Pages
10
Citation
Kubesh, J., and Podnar, D., "Humidity Effects and Compensation in a Lean Burn Natural Gas Engine," SAE Technical Paper 971706, 1997, https://doi.org/10.4271/971706.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
May 1, 1997
Product Code
971706
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English