Engine

Vancouver, BC-based Westport Innovations led a series of engine advances for natural gas vehicles (NGV) that were unveiled in September, introducing its newest proprietary technology, a first generation of an enhanced spark-ignited (ESI) natural gas engine aimed at the medium-duty truck market.

Applied Natural Gas Fuels (ANGF) recently completed a purchase of 31 acres in Midlothian, TX, for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility that is expected to open early next year.

Natural gas vehicle (NGV) engine manufacturer Cummins Westport Inc. of Vancouver, BC, has recalled two of its dedicated NGV engines, the 8.9-liter ISL G, and the 11.9-liter ISX-12 G for a software fix.

It has been a busy September for the natural gas vehicle (NGV) sector, led by the still-evolving timeline on a decision by Vancouver, BC-based Westport Innovations on when to end production of its venerable 15-liter NGV truck engine that has been a centerpiece of its more than a decade-long involvement in natural gas transportation. The company already is working on an up-to-date model with newer and better technology.

Researchers at theSwiss Federal Institute of TechnologyZurichhave developed a hybrid engine powered mostly by natural gas that could get the equivalent of 80 miles per gallon. The ultra-efficient engine, powered by a combination of natural gas and diesel, would achieve that lofty number when combined with a battery and electric motor, according toMIT Technology Review. The researchers said their hybrid engine would be more efficient and would have lower emissions than gasoline or diesel engines. The technology would add an estimated $8,000 to the cost of conventional gasoline vehicles, they said.

At the just concluded AirVenture 2013 air show in Oshkosh, WI, a first-ever dual fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) powered aircraft was introduced by Aviat Aircraft Inc. and the Minneapolis-based Aviation Foundation of America Inc.

The Bakken Shale, Hess Corp.’s “principal engine of growth.” averaged 65,000 boe/d in the first three months of this year, an increase of 55% from a year ago, the CEO told investors on Wednesday.

Oil, the latest growth engine of the U.S. unconventional boom, is spurting up from the ground at an exceptional pace, which is leading many operators to rethink where — and how — they want to deliver their reserves for the best prices.

The Permian Basin in West Texas is the main engine driving Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) to record oil/gas production levels as its overseas operations continue to struggle in the Middle East/North Africa and Colombia, CEO Stephen Chazen said Thursday.