Page 88 - Piston Engine-Based Power Plants

CHAPTER 8 8

The Environmental Impact of Reciprocating
Engine Power Plants

Reciprocating engines, as a class, are one of the major sources of
atmospheric pollution across the globe. Most engines burn fossil fuels
such as gasoline or diesel and they generate a range of combustion
products that are emitted along with the exhaust gases from the engine.
They are also responsible for the release of large quantities of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere.

The largest part of global reciprocating engine emissions are from
engines used for automotive applications. Most small automotive
engines adopt limited emission control strategies. Cost prevents the
application of more effective measures. While these limited controls
will reduce emissions of the most damaging pollutants, they do nothing
to control carbon dioxide emissions, which is why there is a push to
develop vehicles that do not rely on internal combustion engines.

When reciprocating engines are used for stationary power, they gen-
erate a range of pollutants that are similar to those of automotive
engines. These include nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, unburnt
hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), small particles
(called particulates) and in the case of the largest diesel engines,
sulphur dioxide. There are cost-effective strategies that can be used to
control these emissions from stationary power plants and local regula-
tions will normally require that they be applied. However there are
none to tackle the carbon dioxide emissions which these engines
produce.

Stationary engines will have other environmental effects too. There
will be some heat emissions these may be very small if heat energy is
captured and reused and reciprocating engines are noisy. Engines
that are being used in urban environments will need extensive sound-
proofing to combat the noise emissions. Very large engine-based power
plants will require a source of cooling water and depending on the

Piston Engine-Based Power Plants. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812904-3.00008-2
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