REO FILTER ENSURES EMC COMPLIANCE FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY DIESEL ELECTRICITY GENERATION SYSTEM

Bowman Power claims that a 10% increase in energy efficiency can be achieved with its new advanced exhaust energy recovery system when used with diesel electricity generators. The company says this increase in efficiency offers significant financial benefits for those receiving incentives from governments to generate electricity to be fed into national power grids using biofuels and also remote generating stations by reducing fuel requirements.

The new system is based upon a technology already proven on diesel powered vehicles such as tractors, trucks and off-road plant. On vehicles, the system employs the same exhaust gases that drive turbochargers to power a turbogenerator (alternator). The DC electricity generated by the turbogenerator is then employed to drive an electric motor mounted on the diesel engine’s drive shaft. The resulting power boost (around 50kW) provided by the electric motor can be used to increase engine torque, enhance fuel efficiency and/or drive electrical apparatus/systems (up to 100kW), whilst at the same time reducing exhaust emissions.

The new system is designed to convert the DC supply generated via the turbogenerator into 3-phase power which can be fed into a national/regional grid. The 6-700VDC produced by the turbogenerator is first regulated and then, via three grid interface power electronics modules, converted to 3-phase.

It is intended for use with diesel systems designed to generate electricity to be fed into power supply grids. Typically, this might be a farmer growing biofuels specifically for this purpose or have animal waste that can be used to produce fuel. Increasingly governments are giving financial incentives to run such systems to help reduce both CO2 levels and fuel consumption. Such schemes are being actively promoted in Germany.

The Bowman Power system is also undergoing trials in Australia in a remote power generation station. Major benefits are expected to be increased efficiency of the diesel generators and consequent reduced fuel consumption, which combine to reduce running costs significantly.

Such systems incorporating power electronics must be CE marked as confirmation of EMC emissions compliance. In order to achieve this compliance, Bowman Power has incorporated a high performance EMC filter from REO UK of Craven Arms, Shropshire.
“The REO filter enabled us the meet the required EMC compliance standards,” said John Lyons, Electrical Manager of Bowman Power. “REO provided us with all the technical support required to ensure the correct filter selection and supplied the unit at a very competitive price.”