US 7,587,999 B2
Gas engine electric power generating system effectively utilizing greenhouse gas emission credit
Kuninori Ito, Yokohama (Japan); and Michio Abe, Yokohama (Japan)
Assigned to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Mar. 10, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/73,774.
Application 12/073774 is a division of application No. 10/803975, filed on Mar. 19, 2004, granted, now 7,363,883.
Prior Publication US 2008/0162335 A1, Jul. 03, 2008
Int. Cl. F02B 43/12 (2006.01); F02D 19/08 (2006.01); G05D 11/02 (2006.01); G06Q 99/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 123—3  [123/27 GE; 123/575; 700/287; 701/103; 705/37] 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for reducing carbon dioxide emissions using emissions credit trading, said method comprising:
supplying recovered methane gas having a methane concentration of 30-50% and ventilated methane gas having a methane concentration of 0.3%-0.7% from a coal mine;
generating electric power with an apparatus including an electric power generator coupled to a pilot fuel oil ignition type gas engine having at least one cylinder and a cylinder pressure detector;
diagnosing a combustion condition within the gas engine in response to a cylinder pressure detector signal using a combustion diagnosis apparatus;
adjusting a fuel mixture comprising the recovered methane gas and the ventilated methane gas in the gas engine, using a combustion controller, in response to a combustion condition signal from the combustion diagnosis apparatus;
introducing the fuel mixture into the cylinder using a gas injection device while mixing the recovered methane gas and the ventilated methane gas to define a lean methane/air mixture having a methane concentration of 3-5% and having an air excess ratio not less than 2, such that the gas engine operates to produce electric power; and
registering a carbon dioxide emissions credit for carbon dioxide produced from the generator, defined as a difference in a greenhouse effect index between greenhouse producing gases, on a credit market for trading, wherein the greenhouse producing gases are coal mine methane gas released to the atmosphere and combusted methane gas released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.