Obviously, there were some new reducers on display as well, among them the two-stage RGJ 3 DD developed especially for the Lovato Easy Fast Direct system. The vapouriser is capable of adjusting output LPG pressure depending on intake manifold pressure, which is said to make conversions of direct-injected petrol engines more efficient. Lovato's parent company, Landi Renzo, had some debuts in this category, too, including the LI 10 Turbo (a variant of the LI 10 for more powerful engines, replacing the renowned IG 1 reducer) and the LI 12 – a successor to the LI 02 for engines of up to 120 PS of power.
KME spent most of 2012 developing the Tur reducer which premiered at the 2013 GasShow. It incorporates solutions making the vapouriser insensitive to LPG contamination (particularly frequent in countries east of Poland) and features a rotating output autogas connector to make installation simpler. Palacar had a new reducer of their own as well – the KRW4 is supposed to be immune to pressure drops (resulting from low gaseous fuel level in the tank) and LPG contamination. AC had two premieres in the reducer category – the new R02 vapouriser for LPG (up to 120 PS of engine power) and a new CNG pressure reducer.
What would an autogas system be without proper injectors? Landi Renzo had membrane injectors developed by AEB on display and according to the company's representatives, they can do without gaseous-state LPG filters. The Eco-Evo injector rail was shown, too and it is supposed to replace well-known and renowned MED injectors sometime soon. Alex added Napoleon injectors to their range as a more efficient version of the Barracudas, AC debuted the new W02 injector rail and the Blade+ injectors were declared to be undergoing improvements to become more reliable and efficient in heavy-load conditions.
There were also some new filters present. ZWM Czaja presented their first ever filter housed in a plastic case. It is a clarifier-type filter with disposable inserts (made of polyester with aluminium dusting for appropriate durability with no need for wiring mesh), soon to be available. Filgaz had some clarifier filters on display, too. They can be equipped with pressure and temperature sensors as well as vacuum connectors for the MAP sensor and come with paper, polyester or fiberglass inserts. Certools exhibited their new range of bulpren-based filters, said to filter all oily contamination and fine particles from LPG. Other companies from the filter sector included MMC and Turkey's Sukru Oglu.
And now for tanks. AC introduced their own range of LPG containers under the TytanGas brand, consisting of 45 sizes of toroidal tanks capable of holding 27-89 litres of autogas. Cylinders are also on the cards, with 35 sizes available and capacities ranging from 20 to 110 litres.
STAKO displayed some tanks made for OEM conversions. These are a major part of the company's production output, so no wonder STAKO works around the clock to improve their products. The Stone-Shield protection layer for underbody tank applications is the latest idea – it prevents corrosion and mechanical damage. Protective screens are no longer necessary.
Stener had a particularly interesting tank at their stand. At 140 litres of capacity, it is probably the largest toroidal LPG container in the world. It has two multivalve mounting flanges, so it can feed fuel into two injector rails separately, which can be crucial for cars with large V8 engines. Elpigaz brought some new toroidal tanks as well. Using new materials and production technologies allowed the manufacturer to shave off approximately 1 kg off the tanks' weight. The gas-tight cover has been modified, too, to make fitting of the multivalve easier and improve sealing. GZWM displayed yet another toroidal tank – a 750x350 mm, 122-litre one with Dutch-type separate fittings, popular in the Benelux and Great Britain. Other tank manufacturers included Tugra Makina, Evas and Atiker from Turkey and Atrama from Lithuania.
Since valve saver kits and fluids are proving growingly popular, there was a broad offer from specialised companies. To help avoid premature valve seat recession in certain engines known to be prone to that problem, appropriate solutions from Flashlube, JLM, ERC, V-Lube and the like can be used.
Now that we have all the major components covered, let us have a look at some interesting "bits and pieces”. To start with, there is App Studio's petrol/LPG switch with a colour LCD display showing text and graphic information. It will come as standard on the Agis Direct system and as an option on App Studio's other systems.
Gomet prepared a set of LPG filling adapters in an elegant case for those who travel around Europe a lot and a number of manufacturers (including Europegas and LPGTech) debuted new applications for mobile devices (tablets, smartphones, etc.), making installers' work easier by allowing them to replace laptops with smaller appliances.
As a sign of the times probably, there were numerous Chinese companies at the GasShow this year. Their offer comprised various LPG/CNG system components, including ECU's, reducers and tank fittings. Many of the manufacturers present at the Warsaw event were companies from the CNG tank sector, producing both steel and composite pressure vessels.
Despite LPG's dominant role, compressed natural gas was obviously represented, too. In fact, there was a dedicated CNG Zone gathering all things CNG in one place. There were methane-powered cars (from Fiat Professional, Iveco, Mercedes, Opel and Volkswagen), infrastructure and technology providers (AquaCentrum Praha, NGV Autogas and Kompresorycng.pl – a distributor of FuelMaker compressors) and CNG system installers (Auto Gaz Mazowsze). The entire exhibition was prepared, supported and manned by Stowarzyszenie NGV Polska (the NGV Poland Association), PIMot (the Automotive Industry Institute) and cng.auto.pl. CNG compressors were also displayed by ASF, an official representative of Aspro and Aerotecnica Coltri from Starowa Gora near Lodz, Poland.
All in all, the GasShow proved successful yet again. All the major players from the gaseous fuels sector met in one time and place to share opinions and experience, but also to have a peek into what the market competitors had prepared. Diesel-gas blending systems were the name of the game this year, as many exhibitors pointed out and as we saw for ourselves. This means the market for traditional autogas systems (for petrol engines) has saturated and manufacturers have set out to explore new ways to make the sector grow in future. Still, the expanding number of LPG systems for direct-injected petrol engines is quite a trend, too. Many of these solutions utilise direct injection of liquid-state gas into combustion chambers through OEM fuel pumps and injectors, thus minimising the number of autogas components. Polish engineers may have not invented this technology, but they are developing it on their own today, which goes to show Poland remains one of the most important spots on the world's autogas map. The fact that the GasShow, one of the largest sector events in Europe and around the globe, is held in Warsaw is just another confirmation of Poland's significant role.
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