Lubrication Strategies for Natural and Landfill Gas Engines: Addressing Tribological Challenges

Jorge Alarcon, Reliability Manager, Bureau Veritas Diamont Room

Description

The global biogas and landfill gas engine market is growing at a CAGR of 6-8%, with increased share expected due to advancements in technology and circular economy policies. While natural gas is more widely adopted, biogas and landfill gas are important in the sector. Gas engine generation is influenced by resource availability, sustainability policies, and costs compared to other renewables like solar and wind.

Natural gas engines offer cleaner, more stable combustion, longer oil change intervals, and better predictability of chemical changes. They require low-ash lubricants to protect components like valves, and these oils must have high thermal stability due to the high temperatures and pressures in the engine.

Landfill gas engines, however, deal with more variable gas composition and higher contaminant levels. Oils need to handle increased waste loads and neutralize acidic byproducts. Gas pretreatment and regular lubricant monitoring are crucial for engine performance.

Oil in gas engines often faces contamination, oxidation, acid formation, corrosion, and deposits. Regular oil analysis can improve reliability, reduce downtime, and extend component life, helping with performance and cost optimization. Understanding lubricant failure modes is essential for proper maintenance planning, and a strong lubricant condition monitoring strategy is key to maintenance management.

Biography

Reliability Manager, Condition Monitoring Engineer, Researcher and consultant in Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance in the power generation, manufacturing and wind energy industries, among others.
Extensive knowledge of the Predictive Maintenance markets of Europe and the Americas, full customer technical support, focused on improving plant reliability through oil condition monitoring, lubrication best practices and digital transformation strategies.