Verizon Communications is maintaining connectivity at the telephone switching station that supports 80 percent of lines going into the New York Stock Exchange and co-chairman Ivan Seidenberg has pledged to have telephone services to exchange's trading floor on Monday.
But unless commercial power is restored to the Broad Street central office, communications in lower Manhattan remain at risk.
At a Friday press conference Seidenberg told reporters that the key telephone switching station on the Broad Street remains functional, but it's operating on back-up diesel generators.
"It's running on our own power, we have no commercial power," he said.
The Broad Street CO has had power problems since commercial electric service had to be switched off Tuesday night. The fact that it remains on backup power will be a problem if Con Edison doesn't restore power over the weekend as expected.
Another telecommunications exchange, the Telehouse International Corp. of America facility at 25 Broadway, went down last night as a result of a backup generator overheating. The second line of defense against power outages - banks of batteries - typically provide only 10 minutes of running time to large communications installations.
The exchange was expected to resume operations tonight running on a portable generator loaned by Con Edison.
One reason many generators are expected to have trouble running in lower Manhattan right now is the amount of dust and soot in the air, which experts say limits a generator's useful life.
"For a generator to work it needs fresh air to combust with the fuel, so if there's soot, it will clog up the air intake and the filters, and cause some major problems," said Dan Navarra, Comdisco's director of facility implementations.
Also, backup generators typically are designed to run for short periods of time as opposed to full-time diesel generators, which are designed for continuous operation. Telecom carriers almost never deploy die-hard generators since an investment in one of those machines makes it difficult to make money selling communications services.
Over the weekend Verizon is expected to develop a contingency plan in case the Broad Street central office goes down. Seidenberg said the company has already moved 24 OC-48 (2.5-gigabit-per-second) circuits to accommodate rerouting schemes.
The central office at 140 West St., which supplies the remaining 20 percent of the lines running to the NYSE building, will not be operational for some time. It is out of power, buried in debris, and partially flooded. The switching board for backup power is underwater, and the 10-story building's walls have sustained six to eight breaches. Verizon engineers have deemed the building, which is adjacent to where 7 World Trade Center once stood, structurally sound.
"Over the last 24 hours we've had about 75 to 100 people literally cleaning the building ... the dirt, the dust, debris, it's just phenomenal inside," said Larry Babbio, Verizon vice chairman and president of telecom. "If you were there, and I have been inside twice, you would ask yourself Why is it still standing?"
Friday, September 01, 2006
How diesels powered storm cleanup efforts - diesel-powered equipment used to rebuild North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Fran
Light towers, tub grinders instrumental in recovery operations after Hurricane Fran; "the diesel's finest hour"
When a natural disaster such as a hurricane strikes, simple commodities such as electricity and lighting become critical requirements for search and rescue operations. Then once the immediate demands are met, the emphasis shifts to questions of cleanup, restoration and reclamation.
It is interesting that in all of these cases, the diesel engine has become a key factor. Indeed, times of crisis are often the diesel's finest hour, as everything from small portable gen-sets to air compressors to massive machines used for search, rescue, recovery and recycling are more often than not powered by diesel engines.
A good example is when Hurricane Fran ravaged the state of North Carolina in September of last year. The killer storm came ashore at night, taking out the utility power grids almost immediately. Literally thousands of diesel-powered machines were immediately pressed into emergency service, providing power and light where needed. Months later, more diesel-powered machines were still at work for cleanup and reclamation activities.
Since Fran did the majority of its destruction before dawn, the most pressing need was for illumination. Untold numbers of people were rescued by the light supplied from truck- and trailer-mounted portable light units. Property damage was reduced because temporary repairs were made to damaged or threatened structures by crews using the same type of lighting.
Later on, portable light systems played an integral role in the cleanup operations, which went on continuously for nearly four months.
The storm roared ashore at Topsail Beach, N.C. The eye of the storm crossed that area about the time the first winds were whipping upon Raleigh, 135 miles inland. By the time Fran moved into Virginia and Washington, D.C., the winds had subsided somewhat. But in the meantime, North Carolina had been buffeted to the tune of more than 28 lives and $4 billion.
In Wake County, rescue and recovery operations were underway before the storm winds stopped. Hundreds of thousands of downed trees, some hundreds of years old, took out all electricity. This was especially true in the city of Raleigh where damage exceeded $9.2 million.
In the period that followed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was assigned the enormous task of coordinating recovery operations. In one storm-related irony, the Corps of Engineers' Robert Cagle, who was appointed area recovery engineer in charge of the Wake County area, lost part of his house and all his garage in Wilmington, N.C., to the storm's fury.
One of the Corps' first projects was to assemble private contractors and subcontractors to do the actual cleanup work. At the forefront was Phillips & Jordan, Inc., a large, nationally-known land-clearing company that had done similar work following Hurricane Andrew in South Florida. The company has also participated in other smaller hurricane restoration work.
Portable lighting was the first essential for nighttime waste collection and reduction. The Corps of Engineers' emergency procedures manual set forth the minimum amount of light required for safe working areas under various conditions, requiring a minimum of 3 ft. candles of illumination at any general outdoor work site. Extra lighting was required in office areas and where equipment maintenance and repairs were being made at night.
An immediate call went out to construction equipment rental companies in the Raleigh area to round up all available lighting units. The Hertz Rental Corp. and Resco Rents operations in Raleigh both responded. Resco supplied more than 40 Coleman light towers and 100 pieces of other equipment, machines ranging from skidsteer loaders to wheel loaders. The equipment came from 16 various Resco locations, some from as far away as Kentucky.
Hertz supplied 30 Ingersoll-Rand light towers to Phillips & Jordan in the Wake County area and provided 200 pieces of heavy equipment in the Raleigh area alone. Some of this equipment came in from as far away as Michigan and Texas just for the Hurricane Fran cleanup.
The majority of the light systems utilized were Ingersoll-Rand Model L6 and L8 portable light towers. The L6 units are powered by Kubota D905 BG diesel engines, which drive Leroy-Somer 6 kW generators powering four 1000 W metal halide (MH) lights. The L8 units are driven by Kubota D1 105BG diesels, which drive 8 kW Leroy-Somer generators supporting four 1500 W lights. The masts supporting the lights telescoped up to 30 ft. high.
Each of the Phillips & Jordan collection and reduction sites had between 5 and 12 self-contained light towers. "The Ingersoll-Rand portable light towers were lifesavers," said Randy Perkins of Ashbrift, Inc., a grinding subcontractor to Phillips and Jordan. "They turned night into day. We would have been hard pressed to do our night work safely without them."
Statistics indicate the effectiveness of the portable lighting systems. Phillips & Jordan and its subcontractors worked a total of 401,440 man-hours without a lost time accident. When the almost inevitable accident happened, it was because an operator fell off his seat on a tree loading machine on a city residential street - in daylight.
When a natural disaster such as a hurricane strikes, simple commodities such as electricity and lighting become critical requirements for search and rescue operations. Then once the immediate demands are met, the emphasis shifts to questions of cleanup, restoration and reclamation.
It is interesting that in all of these cases, the diesel engine has become a key factor. Indeed, times of crisis are often the diesel's finest hour, as everything from small portable gen-sets to air compressors to massive machines used for search, rescue, recovery and recycling are more often than not powered by diesel engines.
A good example is when Hurricane Fran ravaged the state of North Carolina in September of last year. The killer storm came ashore at night, taking out the utility power grids almost immediately. Literally thousands of diesel-powered machines were immediately pressed into emergency service, providing power and light where needed. Months later, more diesel-powered machines were still at work for cleanup and reclamation activities.
Since Fran did the majority of its destruction before dawn, the most pressing need was for illumination. Untold numbers of people were rescued by the light supplied from truck- and trailer-mounted portable light units. Property damage was reduced because temporary repairs were made to damaged or threatened structures by crews using the same type of lighting.
Later on, portable light systems played an integral role in the cleanup operations, which went on continuously for nearly four months.
The storm roared ashore at Topsail Beach, N.C. The eye of the storm crossed that area about the time the first winds were whipping upon Raleigh, 135 miles inland. By the time Fran moved into Virginia and Washington, D.C., the winds had subsided somewhat. But in the meantime, North Carolina had been buffeted to the tune of more than 28 lives and $4 billion.
In Wake County, rescue and recovery operations were underway before the storm winds stopped. Hundreds of thousands of downed trees, some hundreds of years old, took out all electricity. This was especially true in the city of Raleigh where damage exceeded $9.2 million.
In the period that followed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was assigned the enormous task of coordinating recovery operations. In one storm-related irony, the Corps of Engineers' Robert Cagle, who was appointed area recovery engineer in charge of the Wake County area, lost part of his house and all his garage in Wilmington, N.C., to the storm's fury.
One of the Corps' first projects was to assemble private contractors and subcontractors to do the actual cleanup work. At the forefront was Phillips & Jordan, Inc., a large, nationally-known land-clearing company that had done similar work following Hurricane Andrew in South Florida. The company has also participated in other smaller hurricane restoration work.
Portable lighting was the first essential for nighttime waste collection and reduction. The Corps of Engineers' emergency procedures manual set forth the minimum amount of light required for safe working areas under various conditions, requiring a minimum of 3 ft. candles of illumination at any general outdoor work site. Extra lighting was required in office areas and where equipment maintenance and repairs were being made at night.
An immediate call went out to construction equipment rental companies in the Raleigh area to round up all available lighting units. The Hertz Rental Corp. and Resco Rents operations in Raleigh both responded. Resco supplied more than 40 Coleman light towers and 100 pieces of other equipment, machines ranging from skidsteer loaders to wheel loaders. The equipment came from 16 various Resco locations, some from as far away as Kentucky.
Hertz supplied 30 Ingersoll-Rand light towers to Phillips & Jordan in the Wake County area and provided 200 pieces of heavy equipment in the Raleigh area alone. Some of this equipment came in from as far away as Michigan and Texas just for the Hurricane Fran cleanup.
The majority of the light systems utilized were Ingersoll-Rand Model L6 and L8 portable light towers. The L6 units are powered by Kubota D905 BG diesel engines, which drive Leroy-Somer 6 kW generators powering four 1000 W metal halide (MH) lights. The L8 units are driven by Kubota D1 105BG diesels, which drive 8 kW Leroy-Somer generators supporting four 1500 W lights. The masts supporting the lights telescoped up to 30 ft. high.
Each of the Phillips & Jordan collection and reduction sites had between 5 and 12 self-contained light towers. "The Ingersoll-Rand portable light towers were lifesavers," said Randy Perkins of Ashbrift, Inc., a grinding subcontractor to Phillips and Jordan. "They turned night into day. We would have been hard pressed to do our night work safely without them."
Statistics indicate the effectiveness of the portable lighting systems. Phillips & Jordan and its subcontractors worked a total of 401,440 man-hours without a lost time accident. When the almost inevitable accident happened, it was because an operator fell off his seat on a tree loading machine on a city residential street - in daylight.
Lister-Petter launches gasified Alpha engines - Lister-Petter Inc.; line of diesel engines - includes related article on Delta diesel launch
Lister-Petter Inc. (LPI), has expanded its Western Hemisphere engine program with the launch of a new line of natural gas and propane-fueled engines. The new LPWG engines are gaseous-fueled versions of Lister-Petter's Alpha series diesel engines.
New to the Lister-Petter line are the LPWG2, LPWG3 and LPWG4 two-, three-, and four-cylinder, water-cooled engines based on the LPW2, LPW3 and LPW4 diesels. The three new models were launched in February and are being targeted at a variety of stationary uses, as well as some mobile applications.
According to Phil Cantrill, president of LPI, Olathe, Kan., the gaseous-fueled Alpha engines give the company the option of approaching customers with both diesel and gas-fueled products of comparable size and weight. The new gas Alpha models join a number of Iveco gaseous-fueled engines in LPI's engine portfolio. Lister-Petter Inc., is the U.S. distributor for Iveco/Aifo engines. Lister-Petter had previously packaged gas versions of its old HR diesels in Olathe through the early 1990s.
Power generation applications are seen as the major market for the new gas engines, for both standby and prime power gen-sets. In fact, the first orders for the engines were from a major U.S. gen-set manufacturer for a new line of standby generator sets.
"We feel that remote telecom sites, particularly where EPA restrictions or other site considerations prohibit diesel fuel storage, will be excellent markets for these new engines," Cantrill said. He also listed oilfield pump jacks, gen-sets used on utility-type vehicles, material handling and possibly aviation ground support as market possibilities for the gasified Alpha engines. Cantrill also said Latin America, with its plentiful availability of gas, is expected to be a key geographic market for the engines.
While more complete specifications accompany this article, the intermittent outputs of the gasified Alpha engines range from 7.8 to 24.2 hp with natural gas, and 9.1 to 27.5 hp with propane, all electronically governed to 1500 or 1800 rpm.
The engineering and manufacturing responsibility for converting the Alpha diesels into gas engines is split between Lister-Petter Ltd.'s Dursley, England, headquarters and Olathe.
At Dursley, the gas engines are fitted with different pistons than the diesels and the cylinder head is reconfigured to use spark plugs instead of a fuel injector. Further, the keymarks on the flywheel are different and the gas engines use a special, hardened Stellite valve seat material.
The gas fuel system is added in Olathe, said Bruce Hampel, engineering manager. The system starts with an Impco CA55-B carburetor. Currently, LPI is using two carburetors, one for natural gas use and one for propane. However, Impco and LPI are working to develop a single carburetor that is able to use both fuels. The gas regulator is from Maxitrol, again different versions for natural gas and propane use.
Lister-Petter's New Gasified Alpha Engines
Natural Gas Propane
Model Cyl. Output(*) Speed Output(*)
LPWG2 2 7.8 hp 1500 0.1 hp
LPWG2 2 10.0 hp 1800 11.7 hp
LPWG3 3 14.6 hp 1500 16.6 hp
LPWG3 3 18.2 hp 1800 20.6 hp
LPWG4 4 19.5 hp 1500 22.1 hp
LPWG4 4 24.2 hp 1800 27.5 hp
* Intermittent bhp output; nominal 1037 btu/ft3, 0.601 specific
gravity
** Intermittent, using HD-5 propane gas; nominal 2588 btu/ft3,
1.552 specific gravity.
The governor, control and regulator are from Barber-Colman. The governor/control module is a DYNI system, while the actuator is a DYNC unit. The ignition coils for the two- and four-cylinder engines are from Sanko, while a Pertronics coil is used on the three-cylinder model. Pertronics also supplies other ignition system parts including the Hall Effect sensor.
Hampel said the gas engines have a faster pulley ratio for increased cooling and that in certain uses, the gas engines use a 15 in. fan versus the 13 in. fan that is standard on the diesel. Other than that, the gas engines are identical to the diesels.
RELATED ARTICLE: Lister-Petter's New Delta Diesel Also Being Launched
Also coming to the Lister-Petter Inc., engine range in 1998 is the Delta diesel that came to LPI as part of its 1996 agreement with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI).
The agreement, announced in February 1996, calls for the engine to be built at Lister-Petter Ltd.'s Dursley, England, headquarters. A $13 million-plus expansion has been completed and the engine began production in Dursley late last year. The engines are now being launched to Lister-Petter engine customers.
Mitsubishi, which will continue to make the engine in Japan, will use the engine, known as the S4S, largely for its own equipment, primarily lift trucks.
Other versions will be built as the Delta diesel for sales by Lister-Petter worldwide. The water-cooled, indirect-injection diesel carries an intermittent rating of 63 hp at 2500 hp, with a 78 hp turbocharged version due shortly. This fits directly on top of Lister-Petter's Alpha diesel range with outputs to 55 hp. Target markets are primarily mobile equipment, especially material handling, as well as compressors and construction equipment. The engine will also be used in Lister-Petter Hawkpower generator sets.
New to the Lister-Petter line are the LPWG2, LPWG3 and LPWG4 two-, three-, and four-cylinder, water-cooled engines based on the LPW2, LPW3 and LPW4 diesels. The three new models were launched in February and are being targeted at a variety of stationary uses, as well as some mobile applications.
According to Phil Cantrill, president of LPI, Olathe, Kan., the gaseous-fueled Alpha engines give the company the option of approaching customers with both diesel and gas-fueled products of comparable size and weight. The new gas Alpha models join a number of Iveco gaseous-fueled engines in LPI's engine portfolio. Lister-Petter Inc., is the U.S. distributor for Iveco/Aifo engines. Lister-Petter had previously packaged gas versions of its old HR diesels in Olathe through the early 1990s.
Power generation applications are seen as the major market for the new gas engines, for both standby and prime power gen-sets. In fact, the first orders for the engines were from a major U.S. gen-set manufacturer for a new line of standby generator sets.
"We feel that remote telecom sites, particularly where EPA restrictions or other site considerations prohibit diesel fuel storage, will be excellent markets for these new engines," Cantrill said. He also listed oilfield pump jacks, gen-sets used on utility-type vehicles, material handling and possibly aviation ground support as market possibilities for the gasified Alpha engines. Cantrill also said Latin America, with its plentiful availability of gas, is expected to be a key geographic market for the engines.
While more complete specifications accompany this article, the intermittent outputs of the gasified Alpha engines range from 7.8 to 24.2 hp with natural gas, and 9.1 to 27.5 hp with propane, all electronically governed to 1500 or 1800 rpm.
The engineering and manufacturing responsibility for converting the Alpha diesels into gas engines is split between Lister-Petter Ltd.'s Dursley, England, headquarters and Olathe.
At Dursley, the gas engines are fitted with different pistons than the diesels and the cylinder head is reconfigured to use spark plugs instead of a fuel injector. Further, the keymarks on the flywheel are different and the gas engines use a special, hardened Stellite valve seat material.
The gas fuel system is added in Olathe, said Bruce Hampel, engineering manager. The system starts with an Impco CA55-B carburetor. Currently, LPI is using two carburetors, one for natural gas use and one for propane. However, Impco and LPI are working to develop a single carburetor that is able to use both fuels. The gas regulator is from Maxitrol, again different versions for natural gas and propane use.
Lister-Petter's New Gasified Alpha Engines
Natural Gas Propane
Model Cyl. Output(*) Speed Output(*)
LPWG2 2 7.8 hp 1500 0.1 hp
LPWG2 2 10.0 hp 1800 11.7 hp
LPWG3 3 14.6 hp 1500 16.6 hp
LPWG3 3 18.2 hp 1800 20.6 hp
LPWG4 4 19.5 hp 1500 22.1 hp
LPWG4 4 24.2 hp 1800 27.5 hp
* Intermittent bhp output; nominal 1037 btu/ft3, 0.601 specific
gravity
** Intermittent, using HD-5 propane gas; nominal 2588 btu/ft3,
1.552 specific gravity.
The governor, control and regulator are from Barber-Colman. The governor/control module is a DYNI system, while the actuator is a DYNC unit. The ignition coils for the two- and four-cylinder engines are from Sanko, while a Pertronics coil is used on the three-cylinder model. Pertronics also supplies other ignition system parts including the Hall Effect sensor.
Hampel said the gas engines have a faster pulley ratio for increased cooling and that in certain uses, the gas engines use a 15 in. fan versus the 13 in. fan that is standard on the diesel. Other than that, the gas engines are identical to the diesels.
RELATED ARTICLE: Lister-Petter's New Delta Diesel Also Being Launched
Also coming to the Lister-Petter Inc., engine range in 1998 is the Delta diesel that came to LPI as part of its 1996 agreement with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI).
The agreement, announced in February 1996, calls for the engine to be built at Lister-Petter Ltd.'s Dursley, England, headquarters. A $13 million-plus expansion has been completed and the engine began production in Dursley late last year. The engines are now being launched to Lister-Petter engine customers.
Mitsubishi, which will continue to make the engine in Japan, will use the engine, known as the S4S, largely for its own equipment, primarily lift trucks.
Other versions will be built as the Delta diesel for sales by Lister-Petter worldwide. The water-cooled, indirect-injection diesel carries an intermittent rating of 63 hp at 2500 hp, with a 78 hp turbocharged version due shortly. This fits directly on top of Lister-Petter's Alpha diesel range with outputs to 55 hp. Target markets are primarily mobile equipment, especially material handling, as well as compressors and construction equipment. The engine will also be used in Lister-Petter Hawkpower generator sets.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Wacker unveils new generator line - G 50, G 70 and G 85 models
Wacker Corp. has developed a new line of mobile generators for construction, rental, commercial and industrial applications. The mid-sized units of the new line, the G 50, G 70, and G 85 mobile generators, are available in trailer or skid- mounted versions and are all driven by John Deere diesel engines. They cover a continuous output range of 41 to 66 kW, with standby ratings of 45 to 72 kW.
"Primarily, we aim this new line at owners and rental users in the construction industry," said Dean Mathison, product manager, pump and power group for Wacker. "Secondary uses would be in the rental industry where rental houses are dealing with special events such as concerts and sporting events."
Another possible application, the company said, is standby power, where a rental house will be involved in servicing an existing standby installation. "Once or twice a year, they will go out and take a standby unit off line," explained Mathison. "They can then put one of our units in its place utilizing our standard two-wire hookup. While they service the other generator, ours can pop online if needed."
The G 50 gen-set has a standby output of 45 kW and continuous output of 41 kW. It is powered by an in-line, four-cylinder, air-cooled John Deere PowerTech 4045 DF 150 diesel engine rated 71 hp at 1800 rpm. The G 50 has a fuel tank capacity of 87 gal. offering over 26 hours of running time under a continuous load.
The G 70 gen-set, which has a standby rating of 62 kW, 57 kW continuous, is driven by a four-cylinder, air-cooled John Deere PowerTech 4045 TF 150 diesel rated 100 hp at 1800 rpm. The G 70's fuel tank also holds 87 gal. and offers almost 20 hours of uninterrupted running time under continuous load, Wacker said.
Rounding out the mid-sized range is the G 85 gen-set, rated 72 kW standby and 66 kW continuous. The unit is powered by the in-line, four-cylinder, air-cooled John Deere PowerTech 4045 TF 250 diesel engine rated 113 hp at 1800 rpm. Its 87 gal. fuel tank supplies over 17 hours of running time under a continuous load.
All of the engines drive Marathon generators, with Basler Electric voltage regulators. Wacker sizes the generators to be engine limited, not generator limited. This, the company said, allows full utilization of engine horsepower. Mathison also explained that this is done to ensure against overcurrent or overdraw situations.
The engines also include Racor Crankvent crankcase vapor recirculation systems, which recycle crankcase air and oil mist back into the oil pan after being filtered, allowing no oil to accumulate outside the unit. The engines are also equipped with a mixture of critical and industrial grade Cowl silencers designed to achieve noise levels below 70 dB(A). Radiators are coupled to the unit by Wacker to meet Deere's air-to-boil tests and are customized to exceed them.
Each of the gen-sets feature a digital engine/generator controller with LCD display supplied by Control, Inc. The control panel monitors generator output, battery voltage, coolant temperature, oil pressure, fuel level, engine speed and engine hours for accurate operating information. Wacker said the LCD display was implemented to eliminate troubleshooting time by providing the operator with fault messages in the case of automatic shutdown. The units are designed to shutdown for low oil pressure, high coolant temperature, engine over- and under-speed, and low fuel level.
Ballard Begins Fuel Cell Generator Testing … Denso Develops Starter/ Generator For Hybrids … Airborne Fuel Cells? … Toyota, Hino Team On Vehicles
Ballard Power Systems announced that its subsidiary, Ballard Generation Systems, has completed the construction and commenced in-house testing of its 10 kW natural gas-fueled engineering prototype stationary fuel cell power generator. The 10 kW unit, which incorporates Ballard's proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack, is being developed for back-up, light industrial and standby applications for telecom and other applications.
Denso Corp., in a joint effort with Toyota, has developed what it called the first belt driven integrated starter generator (ISG) for hybrid vehicles. The new ISG is installed in the Toyota Estima hybrid car, currently in production. The belt driven ISG integrates the starter with the alternator allowing the car's engine to turn off when it's not moving. The ISG instantly restarts the car's engine when it begins to move. The idle stop function decreases fuel consumption for energy savings. Because the ISG is a belt driven feature, it allows for quieter operation than a gear driven starter, the company said. The ISG's starter motor drive is 2.1 kW and operates at speeds to 1200 rpm. Weighing approximately 23 lb., it is water cooled through the engine's cooling system. It also offers 6.2 kW of regenerative braking, the company said.
The Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology Education (FASTec) has unveiled the world's first piloted fuel cell powered aircraft, the EPlane. The plane is a high-speed, all carbon French DynAero Lafayette III that is being converted from a combustion engine to electric propulsion in three stages. The first flights, planned for next year, will be on lithium ion batteries; the next flights will be powered by a combination of lithium ion batteries augmented by a fuel cell; and finally, the aircraft will be powered totally by a hydrogen fuel cell, with a range of over 500 mi.
Toyota Motor Corp. has developed two fuel cell hybrid vehicles: a 63-seater bus and a five-seater passenger car. Toyota worked with Hino Motors, Ltd. to develop the two vehicles. Both the low-floor city bus, called the FCHV-BUS1, and the passenger car, the FCHV-4, carry high-pressure tanks of hydrogen to fuel the fuel cell engine. The car has been approved for road tests by the transport ministry. The FCHV-BUS1 has a cruising range of 186.4 miles and can reach a top speed of 50 mph.
Cummins Westport Inc., the joint venture between Cummins and Westport Innovations Inc. said that its 8.3 L, C8.3G Plus engine, has obtained low-emissions certification from the California Air Resources Board. Available in ratings to 280 hp, the C8.3G Plus engine is targeted mainly toward buses and urban work trucks like refuse haulers and pickup and delivery trucks.
Green VOLT Power Corp., a development stage company specializing in alternative energy sources, is readying a 200 kW phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) power plant for delivery. The 30-ton unit, fueled by natural gas and air, is designed as a stationary, independent power plant with sufficient power and heat output to supply approximately 20, 3000 sq.ft. homes with electricity and heat on a daily, year-round basis. Fully automated and self-contained, the unit is designed to operate for approximately 30,000 continuous hours (about 7 to 10 years) before a stack replacement.
Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA of France will jointly develop cars with a fuel cell that runs on gasoline. The companies will spend $714 million on the project and will market the fuel cell vehicles as early as 2005. Renault is also working with PSA Citroen to speed the development of a commercially viable fuel cell car by 2010.
Updated Controller For Standby Diesel Gen-Sets - Power Generation - FW Murphy product introduction
FW Murphy has introduced the AS731 generator controller; which is an upgrade to Murphy's widely used AS730 series. The company said the AS731 controller is especially suited for use in unmanned, standby diesel generator applications and that its comprehensive control, measurement and display features allow it to be used in place of multiple control units, trip units and indicating gauges at a fraction of their cost. New features include a redesigned front faceplate, a new microprocessor, built-in true RS232 communication port, free downloadable Windows-based PC communications software and a reduced price.
The company said it designed the unit to be powerful yet especially easy to use. For example, setup can be carried out using the communication software or front faceplate buttons. The familiar Off, Auto and Manual Start/Stop buttons offer the choice of manual or automatic operation. A 32-character, backlit LCD is used to display operating mode, system status, engine/generator parameters and fault conditions. The AS731 is designed to meet the intent of SAE's load dump recommendations for withstanding harsh electrical environments.
The controller provides five programmable inputs and four programmable outputs for more than 40 programmable functions. Any AS731 can be programmed for a wide range of applications without the need to change EPROMs. Whether 12 Vd.c., or 24 Vd.c., single-phase or three-phase (from 85 to 300V a.c. L-N), preheat/warmup/cooldown -- the company said the AS731 controller will fit practically any standard application right from the box. It comes standard with a.c. parameter monitoring that includes over- and under-voltage detection, over- and under-frequency, over-current (both instantaneous and IDMT), d.c. parameter monitoring (high/low battery monitoring and battery alternator charge monitoring) as well as engine status monitoring.
The unit offers more than 50 programmable functions for maximum flexibility. Available timers include start delay, preheat, crank, crank rest, number of start attempts, alarm override, engine warmup, speed signal, (mains a.c.) restoration, cooldown and (fuel) energized to stop.
Inputs with the AS731 controller include oil pressure and coolant temperature configurable for fault switch (open or closed on fault) or resistive senders. Inputs 3 to 5 may be set for a range of fault contacts or control options, such as warning fault, shutdown fault, load release, manual restore, lamp test, alarm mute or test. Remote start input configuration can bc either open from positive or closed to positive. The four outputs can be set to one of 50 signaling and control options.
Generator program options include trip levels/response for crank release, underspeed, overspeed, three-phase a.c. under- and over-voltage warning, charge fail settings and WL crank release.
The RS232 communication port and PC software allow remote monitoring, control and automatic fault notification regardless of gen-set location. Access to programming function is restricted by a four character password.
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