Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. is using a new reciprocating engine control system that gives considerable savings in compressor fuel. The system is presently in operation on three Cooper-Bessemer LSV-16s engines at the compressor station near Alexandria, La. Each Bendix Automation and Spark Ignition Control (BASIC) system uses three closed loops to monitor, record and control for a single engine, the following: speed, BMEP and horsepower, manifold pressure, and ignition. For diagnosis of engine performance, the control system monitors and records by individual cylinder: the number of times any one of the engine's 32 sparkplugs misfires, the number of incidents of engine knock, and the intensity of such incidents.