Page 94 - Piston Engine-Based Power Plants

The Environmental Impact of Reciprocating Engine Power Plants 85

Research is underway to develop systems to capture carbon dioxide
from the exhaust of fossil fuel combustion plants and a variety of tech-
niques are being explored based on some form of post-combustion cap-
ture. Whether such systems will ever be used extensively on
reciprocating engines seems doubtful since the cost is likely to be pro-
hibitive. For very large stationary power generating systems it might
eventually be both technically feasible and economical. However the
rate at which alternative renewable technologies are advancing may
make such technology unnecessary.

ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS

In addition to the range of atmospheric emissions that are generated
by the combustion of a fuel in a reciprocating engine, the installation
of an engine system for power generation can lead to a range of other
environmental ramifications. Most are low level but all need to be con-
sidered when such a project is under consideration.

One of the key factors to consider is noise. Reciprocating engines
are extremely noisy mechanical devices and they produce an audible
signature over a wide range of frequencies. This may not be a problem
in an industrial environment but for a commercial or domestic installa-
tion it will represent a significant issue. Most commercial stationary
power systems based on reciprocating engines are packaged with
soundproofing to reduce the audible emissions to an acceptable level.
However there will be cases where additional isolation measures are
necessary.
Operating engines produce significant quantities of waste heat that
will be absorbed in the local environment. In the case of cogeneration
systems, the amount of heat waste may be as little as 20% of the total
energy input from the fuel but for power-only systems it could be as
much as 60%. This will lead to a local temperature rise that could
affect the environment although the impact will generally be small.
Installation and decommissioning of a stationary power generation
unit will cause some temporary disruption. The significance of this will
depend on the size of the installation. Some types of engine may
require regular fuel deliveries by road. There will also be regular main-
tenance interventions and there is always the danger of a spillage of
fuel or lubricating oil which could enter local waterways.