Experimental evaluation and ANN modeling of a recuperative micro gas turbine burning mixtures of natural gas and biogas

Previously published studies have addressed modifications to the engines when operating with biogas, i.e. a low heating value fuel. This study focuses on mapping out the possible biogas share in a fuel mixture of biogas and natural gas in micro combined heat and power (CHP) installations without any engine modifications. This contributes to a reduction in CO2 emissions from existing CHP installations and makes it possible to avoid a costly upgrade of biogas to the natural gas quality as well as engine modifications. Moreover, this approach allows the use of natural gas as a “fallback” solution in the case of eventual variations of the biogas composition and or shortage of biogas, providing improved availability.