Using Renewable Natural Gas in Common Appliances and Implications on Emissions, Fuel Stability and Operational Performance

The purpose of this Agreement is to fund applied research and development to evaluate the stability, operational, and emissions implications of operating dual fuel appliances in homes and businesses that can use both pipeline quality natural gas and biogas, a.k.a. renewable natural gas, also referred to as methane. An overview of the market availability of these appliances will be provided along with a summary of existing test results and procedures used to evaluate these devices. Existing data, and new test data from a representative list of appliances collected in this study will be used to stimulate information on stability, performance and emissions using various fuel mixture ratios and fuel intensities. Recommendations for burner design modifications to enable use of larger amounts of renewable gas (biogas) will be made.