Natural gas or propane: you decide!

[This article is part of the series “Fuel flexibility”]

Did you know that some of our natural gas powered engines can run on propane?

In addition to the propane-specific SM family, our SL and HM natural gas engines are ready to work with propane right out of the box. At critical times when the availability of natural gas is low or its price is high, the engine can run directly on propane, without making any kind of modification.

Propane is a readily available fuel, both in terms of ease of distribution and management once at the facility (in tanks without high temperature and pressure requirements). In this sense, propane is very similar to Diesel, but in return it has much lower emissions, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. In places where natural gas is not available and diesel is widely used, propane is a fantastic alternative to generate electricity and heat complying with the environmental targets, and Guascor Energy’s propane specifically designed SM engines are the best option to make the most out of it. With a power range between 315 and 1067 kWb at 50 Hz and 60 Hz, this engine family provides the best performance best in the most demanding operating conditions.

On the other side, where there is availability of natural gas, it must be considered that in recent years its price has increased in certain periods by around 900%, while that of propane has only risen by around 50%, with much more stability overtime. In these circumstances an alternative for those running on natural gas is to use propane instead. For this case, Guascor Energy’s SL and HM natural gas engines can run on propane without modifying their configuration.

The SL engines, Ideal for power generation, cogeneration and trigeneration, have an output range from 252 to 1067 kWb at 50 Hz and 60 Hz. The HM engines, for its part, provide high performance and low life-cycle cost with a power output from 520 to 1373 kWb at 50 Hz and 60 Hz.