Like many electrical power plants built in pre-emissions times, the VMEA Generation Plant in Manassas, Va., was originally built in a remote area, literally "out in the country." Built in 1990, the 24 MW plant has 16 Caterpillar 3516A-powered generator sets providing peak electrical power for the city of Manassas and the other VMEA members, all nearby municipalities. The 12,600 sq.ft. plant is owned by the Virginia Municipal Electric Association (VMEA), a seven-member purchase power group.
Over time, the area around the plant has been developed, said Jamie Hester, generation supervisor for the power plant. An industrial park is now close by, and more recently a highway bypass routes thousands of people past the plant daily.
With environmental concerns becoming increasingly important for such facilities and a top priority for the City of Manassas Utility Dept., a two-year study was conducted by Aegis Environmental, Richmond, Va., to reduce visible smoke from the VMEA Generation Plant.he result was a $1.1 million project to install 16 regenerative exhaust filter/silencer systems at the plant. Manufactured by CleanAIR Systems, Santa Fe, N.M., the first filter/silencer was installed as a pilot project in late 2005. Results from the pilot installation showed a 90% reduction in visible emissions. The remaining 15 filter/ silencers were due to be installed by the end of April.
Founded in 1993, CleanAIR is an integrated manufacturer of complete emission control systems for almost all types of engines for both mobile and stationary applications.
For the VMEA installation, the CleanAIR filters are a custom-designed regenerative exhaust filter and silencer package specifically designed to fit into the same installation envelope as the exhaust silencers they are replacing. CleanAIR took a flat "race track"-type silencer design and redesigned and repackaged it to fit the vertical installation required at VMEA.
The regenerative exhaust filters at the VMEA plant are part of CleanAIR's Permit Filter system. A catalyzed diesel particulate filter verified by CARB for Level 3 (greater than 85%) particulate matter reduction on emergency standby generators, the Permit Filter system also reduces emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and odor by greater than 90%, said CleanAIR's Daniel Serrano.
He said the design of the Permit Filter controls PM by removing particulates of carbon from the engine's exhaust. The filter is made of a cordierite ceramic honeycomb with thousands of parallel channels. To control the flow of exhaust gas, 0.5 in. long plugs are placed in the end of half of the channels, forming a checkerboard pattern.
Plugs are also placed in the other end of the filter to form the same checkerboard pattern, offset by one. This checkerboard arrangement of plugs forces the exhaust gases through the porous, thin ceramic honeycomb walls. When the gases carrying the carbon particles flow through the fine pores of the walls, the carbon particles are filtered out of the exhaust gases.
Serrano said the process of particulate matter collection begins as soon as an engine is started and continues while the engine is operating. As the carbon particles are collected on the ceramic walls, the backpressure of the system increases. The filter substrate has a catalyst coating that allows the filter to regenerate by oxidizing the trapped particulate into gases, mostly C[O.sub.2], that can pass through the filter.
Regeneration occurs when the exhaust gas temperature increases enough to initiate the oxidation of trapped particulate in the filter, with those temperatures varying depending on the sulfur content of the fuel.
CleanAIR also said that the catalyst coating reduces CO and HC. As the exhaust gases come in contact with the catalyst, a chemical reaction takes place that oxidizes the gases. The oxidation process turns carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons into water and carbon dioxide.
The Permit Filter catalyzed diesel particulate filter is packaged with the race track-type silencer that CleanAIR redesigned for the vertical installation required at VMEA. The filter/ silencer package is housed in a 304 L stainless-steel shell and achieves a sound attenuation of 27 to 35 dB(A), the company said.
Serrano said typically the filter package can be incorporated into a variety of configurations depending upon the specific application requirements.
The most basic configuration is a packaged filter with cones on both inlet and outlet ends. Typical sound attenuation for this design is 12 to 20 dB(A). Replacement muffler designs are used for applications where space is too tight to add the filter separate from the existing muffler. Special inlet or outlet configurations, or brackets can be used that will allow the filter to replace an existing muffler
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Atlas Copco adds 25 kW gen-set
Atlas Copco, through its Atlas Copco Compressors Inc. business, has recently begun production on the new 25 kW QAS 30 generator set. The new gen-set is positioned at the lower range of its 15 to 288 kW QAS series generators and is targeted primarily at the rental market.
The new unit joins the John Deere-powered 25 to 120 kW portion of the QAS series and is powered by a 2.4 L four-cylinder Deere 4024TF270 turbocharged diesel engine rated 43 hp at 1800 rpm. QAS units at the top (144 to 288 kW) and bottom (15 to 35 kW) end of the QAS series are equipped with MTU Detroit Diesel and Yanmar engines, respectively. On the QAS 30, Atlas Copco has paired the Deere engine with a high capacity fuel filter/ water separator, Donaldson two-stage air cleaner and API radiator.
Electrical output is provided by a Newage BCI 184 G alternator that delivers 25 kW (31 kVA). The alternator has 12 leads, class H insulation with marine impregnation and operates at 1800 rpm at 60 Hz. A brushless excitation system and three-phase sensing automatic voltage regulator (AVR) are also integrated into the drive, which Atlas Copco said provides rapid response to load changes and optimizes starting capabilities.
The control panel for the generator is protected behind a lockable door with gauges for oil pressure, coolant temperature, fuel level, running hours and engine speed/frequency. A Hobut voltmeter and ampmeter are integrated into the terminal along with a Merlin Grien potentiometer and Red Dot GFCI receptacles. Remote start/ stop is standard, along with LED indicators for high coolant temperature, low coolant level, low oil pressure, overspeed, overcrank and undervoltage, plus a warning indicator for charging system failure.
The panel also incorporates three-pole circuit breakers with high and low voltage operation, which Atlas Copco said offers protection against overload and short circuiting. Quick fix electrical connections can be made at the terminal board while a lockable voltage selector configures the generator's phase and voltage output. There is also an emergency stop button which shuts down the engine and trips the main circuit breaker.
The QAS 30 has a zinc-treated enclosure with a powder-coated paint finish to resist corrosion. Dimensions on the unit are 81 in. long, 38 in. wide by 47 in. high when skid-mounted. Dry weight is 1970 lb. Atlas Copco has lined the enclosure with foam for sound attenuation and added flexible isolators, which keep transmitted vibration from the powertrain to a minimum. Airflow circulation was also engineered to provide a reduced noise level throughout the unit, bringing the noise emissions on the QAS 30 to 63 dB(A) at 23 ft. and 75% load.
Available as either a skid- or trailer-mounted unit, the QAS 30 has 110% fluid containment, the company said. Skid-mounted units are capable of full-shift operation without refueling, which according to Atlas Copco is 25 hours at 100% load. Trailer units include an auxiliary fuel cell that extends operation to 24 hours.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Standby power for engine production plant - generator sets at Kohler Co.'s plant in Hattiesburg, MS
When Kohler Co. established its new engine manufacturing plant in Hattiesburg, Miss., the company, through its Generator Div., planned on installing an emergency standby power system. The new plant's layout would also include plans to parallel with the utility for peak shaving and curtailable-rate savings.
Opened in January 1998, the production facility in Hattiesburg currently assembles Kohler's Command single-cylinder, vertical shaft engines. The air-cooled, four-cycle gasoline models are the mainstay of the company's product line and are used in a variety of consumer and commercial mowing equipment. The engines are also used to power agricultural, construction and recreational equipment, as well as selected models of Kohler generators.
Mississippi Power Co., the local utility, worked closely with Kohler's management and facilities engineering group to develop a standby generating system that would benefit both the company and the utility. With these guidelines, Kohler Power Systems began designing and manufacturing the generator sets and necessary paralleling switchgear. The final installation called for two generator sets operating in parallel with one another and the utility grid.
Each of the generator sets is housed within Pritchard Brown sound-absorbing, weatherproof enclosures with exhaust air ducted upward to aid in reducing the sound level near the sets. The enclosures incorporate 2500 gal. sub-base fuel tanks and 3 in. of acoustic insulation. Harco round pancake-style silencers were selected so they could be placed within the low-profile enclosures to further improve installation aesthetics. The silencers were also insulated to reduce the heat build-up in the enclosures.
The generator sets were installed in a courtyard near the plant and are positioned at a 90 [degrees] angle so the intake air is drawn from the side away from the plant, further reducing noise. Each enclosure is 33 ft. long, 13 ft. high and 12 ft. wide.
Two utility power lines were brought in underground through the courtyard to matched pad-mounted transformers that step down the utility voltage of 12,470 V to 480 V to match both the generated voltage and the plant utilization voltage. All synchronization and paralleling occurs at the 480 V level.
Kohler's paralleling switchgear contains two utility main circuit breakers, a main bus tie circuit breaker, two generator output circuit breakers, two tie circuit breakers that serve to isolate the generating system totally from the utility - if necessary - and 16 distribution (feeder) circuit breakers that distribute the power to the various areas of the plant. Power factor correction capacitors will ultimately be used as Kohler's engine plant expands in its production capability and more production machinery is added. These will be automatically added to maintain an overall plant power factor in excess of 95 percent.
Kohler Power Systems' engineers designed the switchgear, produced all the necessary drawings to build the assembly, and assisted in manufacturing the switchgear. The switchgear incorporates Cutler Hammer DSII drawout breakers. The generator sets and switchgear were systems-tested at Kohler's Wisconsin facility prior to installation at the Hattiesburg site.
The gen-sets' digital controllers, the Kohler Decision Maker 340, maintains communication among the generator sets, paralleling switchgear, and outside communication links. With the Decision Maker 340 controllers and operator interface terminals on the switchgear, together with PLC controllers in the switchgear, a communications system was implemented, allowing the generator sets and switchgear to be monitored locally and from Kohler's generator plant in Wisconsin. Synchronizing, load sharing and load transferring are accomplished using Woodward DSLC, and MSLC digital synchronizers and load controls. Utility intertie protective relaying is combined in a Beckwith multifunction relay.
Tier 4 off-highway rules set: it starts in 2008, with new standards phased in through 2015; the age of aftertreatment dawns
The diesel emissions box is now officially small; make that very, very small. On May 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially announced the Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule, or Tier 4 off-highway to the rest of us. It also, almost officially, inaugurates the age of aftertreatment since most engine manufacturers, as it stands today, said it will require some sort of device after combustion to meet these new and very stringent standards (see accompanying tables).
Standards for new diesel engines will be phased in starting with the engines under 25 hp in 2008, and move up the horsepower charts until all but engines over 750 hp have to meet both N[O.sub.x] and PM standards in 2014. Off-highway engines over 750 hp will have one additional year to meet these new emissions standards.
Tier 4, said EPA, is expected to cut emission levels from construction, agricultural and industrial diesel-powered equipment by more than 90%. The rule, EPA said, complements the Clean Diesel Truck and Bus Rule announced December 21, 2000, which will place a fleet of heavy-duty trucks and buses on American highways that will be 95% cleaner than today's trucks and buses. On-highway compliance requirements take effect with the 2007 model year.
Maybe most importantly to the engine community, EPA also said the new rule will also remove 99% of the sulfur in diesel fuel by 2010, resulting in dramatic reductions in particulate matter from all diesel engines. By EPA's estimate, diesel fuel currently contains about 3000 ppm sulfur. The new rule will cut that to 500 ppm in 2007 and 15 ppm by 2010.
"We are going to make that burst of black smoke that erupts from diesels a thing of the past," EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said. "We're able to accomplish this in large part because of a masterful collaboration with engine and equipment manufacturers, the oil industry, state officials, and the public health and environmental communities."
EPA's release announcing Tier 4 noted that, "the non-road rule represents an unprecedented commitment and collaboration that included the White House, EPA, the Office of Management and Budget, the environmental community, states and local governments, engine and equipment manufacturers, refiners, technology companies, and other groups and associations."
And in fact, most of the responding press releases from engine manufacturers acknowledged this cooperation.
Standards for new diesel engines will be phased in starting with the engines under 25 hp in 2008, and move up the horsepower charts until all but engines over 750 hp have to meet both N[O.sub.x] and PM standards in 2014. Off-highway engines over 750 hp will have one additional year to meet these new emissions standards.
Tier 4, said EPA, is expected to cut emission levels from construction, agricultural and industrial diesel-powered equipment by more than 90%. The rule, EPA said, complements the Clean Diesel Truck and Bus Rule announced December 21, 2000, which will place a fleet of heavy-duty trucks and buses on American highways that will be 95% cleaner than today's trucks and buses. On-highway compliance requirements take effect with the 2007 model year.
Maybe most importantly to the engine community, EPA also said the new rule will also remove 99% of the sulfur in diesel fuel by 2010, resulting in dramatic reductions in particulate matter from all diesel engines. By EPA's estimate, diesel fuel currently contains about 3000 ppm sulfur. The new rule will cut that to 500 ppm in 2007 and 15 ppm by 2010.
"We are going to make that burst of black smoke that erupts from diesels a thing of the past," EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said. "We're able to accomplish this in large part because of a masterful collaboration with engine and equipment manufacturers, the oil industry, state officials, and the public health and environmental communities."
EPA's release announcing Tier 4 noted that, "the non-road rule represents an unprecedented commitment and collaboration that included the White House, EPA, the Office of Management and Budget, the environmental community, states and local governments, engine and equipment manufacturers, refiners, technology companies, and other groups and associations."
And in fact, most of the responding press releases from engine manufacturers acknowledged this cooperation.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Low hanging fruit - Top Dead Center - shakeout looms in hot electric generator market
There is little doubt that power generation is going to be one of the baseline engine markets for at least the rest of this decade and likely beyond.
The fundamentals are simple. Our need for quality electricity has passed absolute. If the power goes out, most businesses grind to an expensive halt. Rebooting a data center, or not being able to run CNC machines, cash registers or just plain old computers, means business doesn't happen. We don't need power, we require and demand it, and at a high quality level.
Because the power available from utilities appears to be finite for now, it has lead to the growth in what many are calling distributed power or distributed generation. A definition that is ever changing.
Originally linking existing standby sets together electronically to provide additional kW or MW without adding new units, distributed power is now seen as almost any generator set not operated by a utility. Distributed to the point of use.
Last year was a pretty decent year for power generation, at least through June. California's perceived power woes had manufacturers tossing engines and generators of all sorts into truck trailers and sending them over the Rockies as fast as they could be built. With the advent of plug and play controls, a generating system became a fast moving reality.
Where the scenario becomes familiar is in some of the grandiose numbers and projections being thrown around. Optimism has zoomed past high to crazy People are getting into the business that couldn't spell EPG a year ago. The smell of money is in the water.
One company was billing itself at a recent show as a "leading manufacturer of power generation enclosures and systems." Close scrutiny revealed that a year ago they were making metal outbuildings for farms, but an order for 16 large gen-set enclosures on a rush basis put them into the EPG system and elevated them to "leading manufacturer" status.
Gen-set packagers are coming out of the woodwork. Skid, engine, generator, controls, business plan. Silencer manufacturers are making catalysts for gen-sets, catalyst manufacturers are making silencers. All to meet the EPG boom.
It's dot.com and equipment rental II. The same unbridled enthusiasm, the same price and margin crushing competition. In some cases, the same people. All, of course, supported by a well researched, infallible "business model."
How diesels powered storm cleanup efforts - diesel-powered equipment used to rebuild North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Fran
ight 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 themWednesday, November 01, 2006
Commercial and industrial used generator
Auxiliary power supply Specialists Generator Associates , are to introduce new section on their website for used and second hand diesel generators. Due to increasing customer demand, Generator Associates have announced they will soon launch a new section on their easy to use website, specifically focused on used and second hand diesel and gas generators. Generator Associates specialise in the supply of new and used generators, but will soon be able to communicate availability of used generators to their clients at the touch of a button, by detailing various generators online.
They will have a range of high quality generators available online at outstanding prices.
Not to mention details of the range of new generators they advise on, supply, finance, install and maintain from world leading generator manufacturers SDMO and Pramac.
Generator Associates are the power supply specialists the professionals call when they need independent and expert advice on how to solve their power supply needs.
They help a range of industrial and commercial organisations including providing generators for data centers, telecommunication centers, banks, production facilities, retail outlets and hotels.
The industrial and commercial generators they provide are helping keep British and International organisations running when they suffer from mains power failures.
Whether it is a new or used generator you require, www.generatorassociates.com will provide some excellent solutions to your generator needs.
For those who cannot wait for the upcoming used and second hand generator section on the website, call Generator Associates today to solve your power supply needs.
They will have a range of high quality generators available online at outstanding prices.
Not to mention details of the range of new generators they advise on, supply, finance, install and maintain from world leading generator manufacturers SDMO and Pramac.
Generator Associates are the power supply specialists the professionals call when they need independent and expert advice on how to solve their power supply needs.
They help a range of industrial and commercial organisations including providing generators for data centers, telecommunication centers, banks, production facilities, retail outlets and hotels.
The industrial and commercial generators they provide are helping keep British and International organisations running when they suffer from mains power failures.
Whether it is a new or used generator you require, www.generatorassociates.com will provide some excellent solutions to your generator needs.
For those who cannot wait for the upcoming used and second hand generator section on the website, call Generator Associates today to solve your power supply needs.
Guide to choosing your next UPS and generator
Generator Associates, the power supply specialists, offer some practical advice on what to consider when choosing your next generator and UPS. As you probably know, downtime is not an option for any data centre, bank, hotel or industrial factory. Loss of power means loss of working machinery, lighting, heating and importantly profit and customer satisfaction.
Generator Associates have used their 20 years of experience in the industry, to provide some useful points for consideration when choosing your next backup or standby generator.
Some noteworthy comments: Generators are more practical for standby power systems due to their cost, size and weight.
Generators are the best option when anything more than half a day's power is required.
Generators can be used on their own, but multiple generators can be synchronised and their output joined.
Generators can be combined with a UPS to enable an automatic change over when there is a mains power failure.
Points to consider when deciding upon your new generator: Do you want a diesel generator or gas.
Diesel generators are common in the industry because diesel is low cost, stable over time, and has low flammability.
Where will the generator be located - inside or outside.
Does this impose any size restrictions on your generator or UPS choice.
What items do you need to power, and what is the required power in total.
Do you require automatic change over.
Are there any restrictions on exhaust emission or noise.
Does the new generator or UPS system need to work with existing standby power systems.
Many business professionals do not have the time or desire to spend time working through all these options.
This is what Generator Associates does.
They help busy professionals who know they have a power supply problem, but do not know (or want to know) the technical details of how to solve it.
Generator Associates are experts and will assess their client's situation and provide a rapid solution, saving them time and money.
Whether it is a diesel or gas generator you require, Generator Associates provide a range of new and used generators for supply and hire.
Generator Associates have used their 20 years of experience in the industry, to provide some useful points for consideration when choosing your next backup or standby generator.
Some noteworthy comments: Generators are more practical for standby power systems due to their cost, size and weight.
Generators are the best option when anything more than half a day's power is required.
Generators can be used on their own, but multiple generators can be synchronised and their output joined.
Generators can be combined with a UPS to enable an automatic change over when there is a mains power failure.
Points to consider when deciding upon your new generator: Do you want a diesel generator or gas.
Diesel generators are common in the industry because diesel is low cost, stable over time, and has low flammability.
Where will the generator be located - inside or outside.
Does this impose any size restrictions on your generator or UPS choice.
What items do you need to power, and what is the required power in total.
Do you require automatic change over.
Are there any restrictions on exhaust emission or noise.
Does the new generator or UPS system need to work with existing standby power systems.
Many business professionals do not have the time or desire to spend time working through all these options.
This is what Generator Associates does.
They help busy professionals who know they have a power supply problem, but do not know (or want to know) the technical details of how to solve it.
Generator Associates are experts and will assess their client's situation and provide a rapid solution, saving them time and money.
Whether it is a diesel or gas generator you require, Generator Associates provide a range of new and used generators for supply and hire.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Diesel generator for automotive parts manufacturer
Generator Associates, the specialists in generator hire, sales, supply and leasing, have just delivered two 1100Kva diesel generators to provide 2.2mw of power for a new production plant in the UK. The generator system included control panels, switching, fuel tanks and a complete maintenance package for the years to come.
Generator Associates also arranged delivery of fuel to power the new generators, and took on entire project management for these highly satisfied clients.
The large automotive parts manufacturer took advantage of the leasing services offered by Generator Associates, meaning they received an exceptional power supply solution at a low fixed monthly rental.
The client required a bespoke generator solution because their national mains electricity network provider were unable to upgrade power supply needed for their new production facility, without the massive cost of building a new electricity substation and laying high capacity cables.
Generator Associates sales and leasing options provided the excellent alternative of a diesel generator system, which would provide all the primary electricity required to completely power the new facility to the exclusion on the mains supply.
The clients choose Generator Associates because of their reputation for quality supply and sales, rapid response and technical expertise.
Project Manager for the manufacturing firm said, 'Generator Associates have been efficient and quick to respond from the start'.
'They responded within 2 hours of our initial enquiry and provided their first quotation within 24 hours'.
'Not to mention their site visit within the first 48 hours'.
'No one else responded as quickly and comprehensively as Roger and the team at Generator Associates'.
'We felt like their priority and they took on our power supply problems as their own'.
'My life was made easy as they gave expert technical guidance, excellent costings and importantly friendly advice'.
'Their generator and UPS leasing option is a real benefit'.
The clients senior production manager praised Generator Associates saying 'they have done all that they promised they would do - everything'.
'Their team were even on site the night before installation, talk about being on time'.
'What more could we want'.
Generator Associates provided new generators, fueling, and project management for this client, who were delighted with the professional and personal service provided.
Another generator system provided on site, on time, on cost - As always.
Whether it is a diesel generator hire, sales or rental you require, Generator Associates provide a range of new and used generators to exceed your expectations.
Generator Associates also arranged delivery of fuel to power the new generators, and took on entire project management for these highly satisfied clients.
The large automotive parts manufacturer took advantage of the leasing services offered by Generator Associates, meaning they received an exceptional power supply solution at a low fixed monthly rental.
The client required a bespoke generator solution because their national mains electricity network provider were unable to upgrade power supply needed for their new production facility, without the massive cost of building a new electricity substation and laying high capacity cables.
Generator Associates sales and leasing options provided the excellent alternative of a diesel generator system, which would provide all the primary electricity required to completely power the new facility to the exclusion on the mains supply.
The clients choose Generator Associates because of their reputation for quality supply and sales, rapid response and technical expertise.
Project Manager for the manufacturing firm said, 'Generator Associates have been efficient and quick to respond from the start'.
'They responded within 2 hours of our initial enquiry and provided their first quotation within 24 hours'.
'Not to mention their site visit within the first 48 hours'.
'No one else responded as quickly and comprehensively as Roger and the team at Generator Associates'.
'We felt like their priority and they took on our power supply problems as their own'.
'My life was made easy as they gave expert technical guidance, excellent costings and importantly friendly advice'.
'Their generator and UPS leasing option is a real benefit'.
The clients senior production manager praised Generator Associates saying 'they have done all that they promised they would do - everything'.
'Their team were even on site the night before installation, talk about being on time'.
'What more could we want'.
Generator Associates provided new generators, fueling, and project management for this client, who were delighted with the professional and personal service provided.
Another generator system provided on site, on time, on cost - As always.
Whether it is a diesel generator hire, sales or rental you require, Generator Associates provide a range of new and used generators to exceed your expectations.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Diesel Generators
Fuels such as gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas basically power home generators. Some models also have multi fuel capabilities and run on gasoline, propane or natural gas. The choice of the fuel will depend on the availability of the fuel in times of emergency, fuel consumed per kilowatt of power produced, maintenance of the generator and the comparative risk of storing the fuels.
Diesel generators consume comparatively less fuel per kilowatt of electricity produced and more fuel-efficient than generators powered by natural gas or gasoline. For every gallon of fuel consumed, diesel generators run 2 or 3 times longer than gasoline engines. Diesel generators do not require frequent maintenance, as is the case with gasoline generators and are designed to run continuously for long hours. Most generators come with a water-cooled engine with a speed of 1800rpm. This ensures the engines durability, and at the same time, makes it the most dependable of all the other types of generators.
Unlike gasoline generators, diesel engines are safe as they work on the principle of direct injection and have no spark plugs, which keep them relatively safe from potential fire. Diesel has a longer shelf life, and being the least flammable source of fuel, can be stored for more than a year.
Diesel is available at most of gas stations and can be conveniently carried in cans. However, diesel generators are hard to start in cold weather; emit more smoke and are noisy. Home diesel generators may cost anywhere between $1000 for 4KW to $9000 for a 15 KW depending upon the quality, wattage rating and voltage rating. Diesel generators for industrial use are available in the range of 500KW to 2000KWElectric Generators
Electric generators are used to supply power to homes, commercial and industrial establishments when there is a disruption of power. It is also used in places where there is no supply of electricity. Electric generators come in a wide variety of models, size, and prices. Choosing the right electric generator depends upon an individual’s need. A homeowner first has to identify the appliances to be powered by the generator. The total wattage required to run these appliances has to be added up, including the starting wattage requirement of some of the appliances such as refrigerators. This makes up the total wattage power required from the generator. Lights and other smaller appliances require 120 volts of power, whereas appliances like electric stoves and driers require 240 volts. It should be checked whether the generators have the necessary voltage ratings.
There are few features that have to be considered before buying an electric generator. First, make sure to check to see if the engine has an overhead valve. An engine that comes with an overhead valve start easily, last longer and is less noisy. Second, check whether the engine has a cast iron sleeve in the cylinder to protect the engine from early wear and tear. In addition to this, electric generators come loaded with many convenient features such as electric start, power switch to alternate between 120 and 240 volts, low oil shut down that shuts the engines when the fuel in the tank reaches a certain level and an hour meter to show the duration of time the engine has been running. Electric generators are generally powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. There are inexpensive but have a short life. Diesel generators are fuel-efficient, have a longer life but are relatively expensive. Propane and natural gas generators are best suited where fuel is ready available.
Emergency Generators
The disruption of power for substantial lengths of time can occur at any time due to hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, snowfall and other natural calamities. Having emergency backup power in such situations is not only essential for hospitals and commercial establishments but also in homes to run critical appliances like lights, refrigerators, heaters and medical equipment.
There are basically two types of generators that can be used in an emergency: portable and permanent standby generators. The main difference between the two is their output power and price.
In times of emergencies, portable generators provide the most economical way of supplying back up power. Appliances are directly plugged into the generator using the recommended extension cord or alternatively are connected to the home wiring system using a transfer switch. The generators come with an electric start or a pull start and loaded with many other features including the GFCI receptacles.
Portable and permanent generators come in varying sizes and types. There are some generators that supply 120 volts while others come with a 120 to 240 volts supply. Determining the right size and type of generator is important. This depends on the individual house owner’s need for power in emergencies. A portable generator can provide power to run some basic electrical appliances like lighting, furnaces, televisions, refrigerators and water well pumps. Normally, for most homeowners a portable generator of the capacity of 5000 to 6000 watts may be sufficient. Portable generators may cost $600 or more depending upon the quality and type of generator.
Gasoline powered generators are the most familiar among portable generators. There are models that are powered by diesel, while some models available have multi fuel capabilities that run on gasoline, propane or natural gas. Gasoline powered generators are the least expensive but have a relatively shorter life span and require frequent maintenance.
Diesel generators are expensive. They are fuel-efficient, require less maintenance and have a longer life. However, diesel generators are hard to start in the cold season. Using propane or natural gas powered generator is the best alternative if the fuels are readily available. These generators are expensive but require less maintenance and burn cleaner.
A permanently installed generator can power up critical systems in homes automatically within 10 to 20 seconds of loss of power -- even in the absence of the house owner, Permanent generators are connected to the home wiring system through the transfer switch. The transfer switch automatically starts the generator in case there is disruption of power. As soon as normal electricity is restored, the transfer switch automatically shuts down the generator. Most of these generators run on natural gas or LP. The same gas used for home appliances can be utilized to fuel the generator. The size of the generator will depend upon the number of systems the house owner wants to power up during emergency. A generator in the range of 8000 to 17,000 watts will be sufficient for a homeowner seeking to install permanent generators. Permanent generators cost $5000 to $10000. Whatever the type of generator, every generator should provide 60 hertz power for proper performance of any electronic equipment.
Generators
Generators are used for the generation of electric power. There are basically two types of generators: standby generators and portable generators. Generators ensure that most of the essential appliances can be run whenever there is a power outage. Standby generators provide backup power in homes and offices and are permanently installed outside the house or office building. They are plugged into the electric circuits or home wiring. Standby generators can automatically detect disruption in the usual electric supply and begin supplying power within a few seconds. Portable generators are usually used in places where there is no supply of power or the need for power is less such as on construction sites camps. These generators are sufficient for lighting and to run appliances like televisions, refrigerators, sump pumps and furnaces.
Generators are available in varying size and output power. The choice of buying the right type of generator depends upon a number of factors such as the wattage capacity, voltage ratings, fuel type, fuel efficiency, noise level, portability and price.
Generators for home use most often run on fuels such as gasoline, diesel, natural gas or propane. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Gasoline is inexpensive and easily available. Gasoline generators gives the most power per weight unit but require frequent maintenance. It is also noisy, emits harmful carbon monoxide and the engine wears faster than diesel, propane or natural gas generators.
Diesel is easy to acquire but is comparatively more expensive. Diesel generators require less maintenance and are fuel-efficient. Its disadvantage is that it is noisier, emits more smoke and smells, and harder to start in cold weather.
Propane is expensive and is feasible for homeowners who already have a storage tank to store propane. Propane generators require less maintenance, has no condensation and no problem starting up in cold weather like the gasoline generators. However, propane gas or natural gas generators consume more fuel per kilowatt of power produced than diesel generators. Natural gas generators are the most convenient to use as there is continuous supply of fuel. They can be connected to home gas lines.
A generator should always be used according to the guidelines provided by the manufacturer. Care should be taken to see that the generator is not overloaded. A heavy-duty extension cord must be used to connect appliances to the generator. A qualified electrician must be called in to install a transfer switch to plug the generator to the home wiring system. Refueling the generator when in operation should be avoided. Spilling of fuel on the heated components may cause fire.
Smaller generators can meet most of the basic power needs of a homeowner. Buying a larger generator will consume more fuel to power the same appliances that a smaller generator could. A 5-kilowatt portable generator can power main lights, televisions, sump pumps and refrigerators. Generators of higher wattage capacity are also available according to the needs of the individual house owner. Commercial establishments may need standby generators having an output capacity of more than 200 KW and supplying three-phase power, that is, 120, 240, 480 volts.
It is always wise to invest in good quality generators. All brands and models of generators are listed on the -- a very convenient way to find the best deal.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Portable Generators
Portable generators are used in homes and in places where there is no power or the need for power is minimum. Portable generators are generally smaller and are designed to use for a few. A portable generator of 5KW has enough power to keep lights, refrigerators, computers and televisions running for 7 to 8 hours. Portable generators are normally powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. They are the most popular of all portable generators. Gasoline generators are relatively less expensive but require frequent maintenance and have a shorter life span. Gasoline has a short shelf life and cannot be stored for a long time unless treated with stabilizers.
Diesel generators, on the other hand, are fuel-efficient, consume less fuel per kilowatt of power produced, have longer life and require less maintenance. Diesel can be stored for longer periods of time. However, they are harder to start in cold weather and noisy. Portable generators powered by natural gas or propane is the best choice if available. The generator lasts longer and burns cleaner.
Before choosing a portable generator, the total wattage of all appliances to be powered by the generator must be calculated. This includes the starting wattage required by appliances with motors, such as refrigerators and freezers that use two or three times their normal wattage power to start. The generator should not only meet the normal wattage, but the start up wattage of the appliances. Moreover, the generator must have the necessary voltage ratings to run electric appliances such as the ovens and clothes driers that are rated at 240 volts. A portable generator should have at least two receptacles of 120 volt each. Generators that provide a longer runtime per tank of fuel or having a fuel tank capacity of around 5 gallon of fuel are preferred especially, by people living in areas where power failures are quite frequent.
A portable 7KW generator that can power lights, furnaces, sump pumps, televisions and refrigerators may cost $1000 or more depending upon the quality and the type of generator. For a normal home, an ideal generator would be in 10KW to 12 KW costing around $2700 for 10KW and $3700 for a 12 KW. Portable diesel generators are available for use on construction sites in the range of 200KW and more.
Before operating the generator, read and follow the instructions given in the owner’s manual. Observe the operating and the maintenance procedures strictly for safe and trouble free operation. Avoid putting loads on the generator that exceed the manufacturer’s rating. Also, do not run too many devices at the same time. This trips the generators circuit breakers causing loss of power. The generator must be operated at least twice a year with full load to keep it in working condition. Keep the generator outside the house but never in a garage or in a basement. Carbon monoxide emitted from the generator can be hazardous to health. Use only the recommended extension cords for the generator. Hire the service of a qualified electrician to install a transfer switch if the generator is to be connected to home wiring. Do not refuel the generator when it is under operation. Spilling of fuel may cause fire. The generator should be kept dry and should not be run in wet conditions.
RV Generators
The introduction of RV generators has made it possible for people who use smaller and towable RVs to enjoy the modern amenities of life.
Modern RVs have installed generators behind the drivers’ seat, which provide electrical power. They draw their fuel supply from the engine’s fuel tank and can be operated while traveling. The generator automatically shuts down as soon as the fuel in the tank reaches a certain level.
Smaller RV’s do not come equipped with installed generators, and they need generators specially designed for them. These generators provide sufficient power to run appliances such as television, microwave, air conditioner and refrigerator.
RV’s are normally equipped with a 30amp or 50 amps electrical system. A 4 KW generator can power a 30amp electric system, while a larger generator with a wattage capacity of more than 6500 watts is needed for 50amps electric system.
RV generators are available in varying size and capacities. 5500 to 12500 watts class of diesel-powered generators can run two or three air-conditioners leaving some spare additional power for some other use. 5000 to 7000 watts generators come in models that are gasoline powered, or run on LP. Compact and lightweight generators, run on LP or gasoline and are available from 2500 to 4000 watt. For smaller RVs and conventional truck campers and travel trailers, specially designed gasoline powered generator ranging from 2500 to 4000 watts are available.
Gasoline powered generators are the cheapest. A 5.5 KW generator may cost around $3000, while diesel generators are the most expensive costing around $6000 for a 5.5 KW generator.
Specially designed RV generators produce less noise and are built tough to run for many hours. The latest RV generators have very low noise and vibration level and come with value added features like remote control, electronic ignition, automatic voltage regulator, low fuel alert system and alert systems for overheating.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Generators - A Guide to Purchasing
The diesel generator produces electric energy using the combination of an electrical generator and a diesel engine.
Ships often use diesel generators, to power the electric system and to propel the ship. Wherever the electrical grid is unstable, a diesel generator is used as a back up during supply failure. Even with the best alternative system such as solar energy or wind energy, sometimes the weather may not cooperate and land us in darkness when the main power source fails. To keep our power system running, a backup engine generator may be just the thing. For businesses with sensitive computer networks, or homes with critical medical equipment, a back up power system such as a diesel generator may be necessary even when grid power is available.
The intended power load and the ability to supply the same is the basis for the selection of diesel generators.
High quality gasoline generators and diesel generators will provide reliable backup power to small offices and most homes. When you have a good backup generator sized to support your important electrical equipment and power systems then you need not bother or worry when there is a major supply failure.
Diesel generators can be switched on or off unlike other alternative power sources so there are no need for a dedicated charge controller. The generator can be connected to the main power system through an inverter using the generator’s auto-start feature. Alternatively, it can also be connected to the generator auto-start battery charger.
When buying a diesel generator make a list of the lights and equipment that will be running off the generator. Total the wattage requirements to determine the capacity of the generator. Compare wattage requirement and the price of the generator. If the generator is to be connected directly to the electrical system, then it is advisable to hire a qualified technician to install the transfer switch. Ensure that the generator has adequate storage capacity, longer usage time at a stretch, overload protection and auto shut off facility.
How to Choose a Molybdenum Stock
“What you are really mining is money,” veteran geologist Don Davidson told us during a recent interview about molybdenum. It applies to any mineral, whether gold, silver, copper, uranium or, of course, molybdenum. “All mining, regardless of the commodity, is just really based upon your mining dollars. It’s the value of the particular element and whether it is economic to extract it or not,” he explained.
Despite the shrill forecasts of some analysts who claim we should expect a price correction in base metals, molybdenum is very much in demand. “A lot of people envisioned this flip in the molybdenum price to be a short-term think, but I think with the economies that are rolling in Asia, especially India and China, we are never going to see the old price level again,” Davidson forecast. Another reason why the price of molybdenum could stay high comes as result of BP’s corroded oil pipeline in Alaska. We talked to a few industry insiders who believed BP could have increased the corrosion resistance in their oil pipeline had they added a tiny percentage more of molybdenum to the pipeline. Oil companies are probably going to require more molybdenum to prevent another costly oil spill.
Our discussions with geologists, investors and industry insiders reinforce the notion that the bull market in molybdenum is very much alive and kicking higher. We received an interesting email from Doug Fosbrooke, head of investor relations for Roca Mines, as we were soliciting comments about molybdenum demand. He wrote, “I received a call the other day from a Canadian-based representative of a Chinese moly/steel/metals dealer looking to buy MAX (the name of Roca’s molybdenum mine) concentrates. Even after telling him we had signed an offtake agreement for 100 percent of our production, the party still expressed strong interest in doing business with us. Another Asian dealer, with whom we had been in discussions to provide project financing capital also contacted us in the past week looking for our product.” When a small and soon-to-be-producing molybdenum company is pursued by Asian interests, after it has widely announced that next year’s production has been sold in advance, we feel comfortable in expecting a stable, if not higher, molybdenum price. That should bode well for newly arriving molybdenum producers, such as Roca Mines, which hopes to start mining its MAX deposit in Canada in the fourth quarter. But how can an investor safeguard himself from the potential arrival of other, less known wanna-be producers?
As we did with uranium and coalbed methane stocks, we compiled a list of “molybdenum-specific” tips for investors. For advice on how to separate the good companies from the bad, we turned to geological and engineering experts to guide us. Both Dr. Nick Carter and Don Davidson have several decades of experience in evaluating molybdenum projects. For example, Blue Pearl’s Yorke-Hardy molybdenum deposit was renamed the Davidson deposit in honor of one our experts. Carter and Davidson are both members of the five-man senior exploration board for Roca Mines, which hopes to find additional molybdenum beneath the existing high-grade MAX deposit in British Columbia.
1. Keep your eye on the price of molybdenum. Nick Carter advised, “One of the biggest pitfalls related to molybdenum is price. We’ve seen spikes over the years. The last one was in the 1970s. One of the things you have to watch out for, in terms of molybdenum, is the price. It’s been pretty good the last couple of years and all indications are it’s going to remain, perhaps at these lofty levels.” Huge deposits and good grades are required to withstand lower prices.
2. Find out the average grade of the molybdenum deposit. “If any investor were to phone me and want to buy stock in moly mine, my immediate response would be, ‘Well, what is the grade’?” Carter said. “And if the grade isn’t a little bit better than 0.1 percent, and preferably closer to 0.2 percent, I’d say, ‘Well, you had better think about this a little bit.” Carter explained he liked the MAX deposit because at 2 percent, Roca Mines would yield 40 pounds per ton of molybdenum. At $20 pound, the gross in situ value of the deposit would be $800/ton. Mining and operating costs are said to be less than $100/ton, yielding an operating profit of $700/ton.
3. How deep is the molybdenum deposit? “Usually the deeper you go, the better grade you have to have in order to have material that can be mined for profit,” advised Davidson. “The deeper you go, your expenses can increase. Therefore, you’d generally have to have higher grade at depth.”
4. Is it underground or open pit mining? Davidson discussed Adanac’s deposit in British Columbia, “Because it’s an open pit, your mining costs are much lower.” Carter advised on deposits where average grades run low, “If it’s 0.1 percent, it had better be a big deposit and it had better be open pit, too. We’re not talking underground here. With 0.2 percent, you get a little more option, if you can get something that’s reasonably large and with grades approaching 0.2 percent. Cost of production in many open pit mines should be in the $10 to $11/pound range.”
5. What is the timeline for production? Some companies plan to begin molybdenum production this year or next. Others are looking a few years out. “The price is here now, but three years from now, when your mine’s up and running, the price may be $8,” Carter explained. “Maybe you’re not going to be able to cut it if you’ve got an overall molybdenum grade of 0.1 percent or less.” It is safer to evaluate a molybdenum company on a lower metal price than stretching your expectations by appraising it at the top of the market. “If molybdenum can stay north of $10-12/pound, it should be pretty good times,” Carter noted.
6. How pure is your moly concentrate? Carter advised investors find out answers to these questions: “Is there any copper associated with this molybdenum deposit? And if so, how much copper?” Carter warned, “If there’s something like 0.05 or 0.1 percent copper in the molybdenum system, this could be enough to really screw it up in terms of concentrate sales. There’s not enough (copper) to recover to make any money, and you could have serious problems in producing a moly concentrate that’s going to get you top dollar.” In the Kitsault molybdenum mine, there was significant lead content in the moly concentrate. “They took a serious penalty on that and they had to install a leaching plant to get the lead out of the concentrate,” Carter explained.
7. Does the molybdenum have a contract or offtake agreement with a leading buyer? “The most telling comment with regards to purity of the moly concentrate is: Does this company have a contract?” Carter pointed out. “If they’ve got a contract, you can be pretty sure the concentrate grade is going to be okay. There are specifications outlined in the agreement.”
8. What is the infrastructure like? Carter talked about one company, which he explained was in a remote location, and which he asked we not name. “There’s no electrical power!” he exclaimed. “There’s no hydroelectric, no power lines.” He did talk about how previously, with other mining operations in this area, power was produced by way of diesel-fired generators. “But in today’s world, I don’t think they’ll look at that,” he said. “It’s too expensive.” Big operations will require being on a power grid to function, while smaller ones, such as Roca’s MAX mining operation, can economically operate with diesel generators.
9. Look for hidden problems in a molybdenum mining and processing operation. “Is the processing facility (mill) located nearby?” asked Davidson. “Or will it be trucked hundreds of kilometers?” Other problems an investor should find out about include: (a) workforce availability, (b) the capital costs and payback on those costs, (c) mine permitting, (d) anti-mining activity in the jurisdiction, (e) financing for the project, (f) access to the deposit (can the deposit be accessed at all?), and (g) the company’s market capitalization in relation to timeline for production. Does the deposit have blue sky potential? The Climax started small and became a world-class molybdenum mine.
Future of Energy: Biodiesel Generators
One of the most exciting new fuel solutions presented has to be biodiesel. For all people who have not heard about biodiesel, it is made from a combination of organic oils like corn, canola, or soy oil with other ingredients to produce a fuel that burns similar to diesel fuel used in vehicles. Biodiesel can even be combined with regular diesel to form a combination of the two fuels that is cleaner burning and safer.
Petroleum and oil are both fossil fuels that eventually run out, and with countries like China, India, and others starting to expand their society and add millions of vehicles and other gasoline powered machines, the supply will dwindle much faster. Thus biodiesel, a fuel that is made from organic oils, can be pretty much grown to meet higher supply and demand. This is one of biodiesel's really strong points in that it is a highly renewable resource that also has less emissions so it is safer for the environment. Because organic materials used to make biodiesel can be grown, the farmers are supported by a bigger demand and the dependency on oil can be decreased. These points alone should make biodiesel a very great looking alternative fuel.
Biodiesel is currently being used more and more in all types of applications. Many cities are switching city vehicles and other emergency vehicles to use biodiesel as fuel source, thus decreasing cost and lowering pollution. Some gas stations already offer B20, a blend of biodiesel and 80% petrodiesel, that can be used in most diesel vehicles effectively and safely. Biodiesel can currently be used in most newer diesel engines without the need for major modifications or overhaul of the engine. This allows a quicker onset into the public than other fuel solutions. The abundance of many diesel fueled applications allows biodiesel to be used immediately to help cut costs and help the environment as well. Everything from cars, farm vehicles, generators, and a lot of other machines already can utilize biodiesel.
The future of biodiesel as a major energy source is definitely a great possibility. With more research on ways on developing and better utilizing biodiesel, it's applications will greatly increase. Imagine being able to take cooking oil after frying something up, adding an additive to remove the smell and being able to use that waste oil as fuel for diesel engines. This can be the future of biodiesel and many restaurants that use a lot of frying oil can use this oil to fuel other appliances as diesel furnaces. The future of biodiesel as a major fuel source really depends on the fact that it is highly renewable and the great efficiency possible.
RV Generator "How-To" Preventive Maintenance
When I worked at a RV dealership, every spring our service department was booked with appointments for generators that either wouldn't start, or if they did start they had that all too familiar surging sound. This was a result of letting the generator sit for periods of time without starting and exercising it. Lack of use is one of the biggest problems with generators. In gasoline generators the fuel breaks down and gums up causing hard starting and surging problems. This can happen in as short a period of time as one month.
RV generators are extremely dependable and in many cases will out last the RV if they are properly maintained and cared for. They do not require your constant attention, just some basic maintenance. The first thing you need to understand about maintaining your generator is that they need to be exercised on a regular basis. This applies to gas and diesel generators. Gasoline generators could have fuel related problems in as little as one month of sitting idle. This is one of the biggest problems, but it can easily be prevented if you get in a habit of exercising the generator on a monthly basis.
Some people think that they could avoid this by adding a fuel preservative to the fuel tank and then running the generator long enough to get the preservative through the generator set. You definitely should use a fuel preservative whenever the unit will be in storage, but there are many other reasons to start and exercise the generator on a regular basis. Moisture build up can cause damage to your generator. When you exercise your generator it heats up the generator windings and eliminates this moisture build up. This monthly exercise regime also lubricates all of the engine seals and components and helps to prevent carbon build up.
So, what exactly do I mean when I say exercise your generator? For a gasoline generator I mean that you start and run the generator with at least a 50 percent load for at least two hours every month. It is extremely important that you run it with this minimum rated load. Generators are designed to run with a load placed on them. Our motor home has a 4,000 watt generator so I can either turn the roof air conditioner on in the summer time, which is about 2,000 watts or I can use a couple of small portable electric heaters if it's cold out. It's always better to let your generator run for longer periods than it is for short periods. Check your generator owner's manual for load ratings specific to your unit.
Other maintenance intervals for generators are based on usage. Your generator set will have an hour meter so you can monitor the usage. Consult your owner's manual for maintenance intervals.
The bottom line is, do not hesitate to use your generator and when you do use it put a load on it. A little exercise and preventive maintenance will keep you generator in top operating condition and provide many years of faithful service.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Washington State Bidding For Ulsd, Clean-Diesel Tech - ultra-low-sulfur diesel - Brief Article
Demand for ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel in the U.S. continues to grow, with a Washington state electric utility now putting out "request for proposal" (RFP) bids for some 30 million gallons of ULSD.
Tacoma Power wants to use the fuel in 32 diesel-powered generator sets, a portion of some 200 diesel gen-sets heading to the state to help offset power deficits caused by low rainfall (for hydropower) and California's power crisis that's spreading throughout the West.
Without the aftertreatment and ultra-clean fuel technologies, the 32 generator sets otherwise would produce more emissions than major power stations and other industries in Pierce County.
The utility will reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the diesel gen-sets with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, and pair this with either oxidation catalysts or particulate matter (PM) traps that require ULSD.
The utility also is to submit a plan to mitigate diesel particulate emissions related to the generators. Examples of mitigation suggested by the agency include retrofitting diesel school buses or funding a wood stove or fireplace buy-back program
Other municipal utilities, including those of Mason and Chelan counties, are interested in joining the push for ULSD and clean-diesel technologies, explains Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA). Fleet programs could also join.
PSCAA - covering the most populous part of Washington including metro Seattle, Tacoma, Bremerton and Everett - expects ULSD bids from local refiner Tosco, and probably BP, although it's possible BP would have to ship product from a California refinery, he said.
Tacoma Power wants to use the fuel in 32 diesel-powered generator sets, a portion of some 200 diesel gen-sets heading to the state to help offset power deficits caused by low rainfall (for hydropower) and California's power crisis that's spreading throughout the West.
Without the aftertreatment and ultra-clean fuel technologies, the 32 generator sets otherwise would produce more emissions than major power stations and other industries in Pierce County.
The utility will reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the diesel gen-sets with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, and pair this with either oxidation catalysts or particulate matter (PM) traps that require ULSD.
The utility also is to submit a plan to mitigate diesel particulate emissions related to the generators. Examples of mitigation suggested by the agency include retrofitting diesel school buses or funding a wood stove or fireplace buy-back program
Other municipal utilities, including those of Mason and Chelan counties, are interested in joining the push for ULSD and clean-diesel technologies, explains Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA). Fleet programs could also join.
PSCAA - covering the most populous part of Washington including metro Seattle, Tacoma, Bremerton and Everett - expects ULSD bids from local refiner Tosco, and probably BP, although it's possible BP would have to ship product from a California refinery, he said.
The Power Generation Markets The 1999 Diesel Progress Newsmaker of the Year - Brief Article
Power to the people -- Y2K and otherwise -- dominates industry news... as dependence on power nears absolute, sales go ballistic from portable to prime
Last year, the Newsmaker of the Year, Caterpillar Inc., was a unanimous choice of the Diesel Progress editorial board. In 1999, it wasn't that easy.
It's not that there weren't plenty of newsworthy events during the year; quite the opposite. It's just that no single person, company, market, product or technology seemed to clearly dominate the news.
Or so it appeared until we sat down to make the final decision.
When we started looking back at 1999, we kept coming back to electrical power generation. Some of us saw it as a Y2K issue. Some saw it as the emergence of distributed power. In the end, we all saw it as the most vibrant, pedal-to-the-metal market we're involved with, and the one area that had everyone talking throughout 1999. Who else had products on allocation this year?
Power generation made the most overall news in 1999, which is the definition of the award, and as such the power generation market in North America is the 1999 Diesel Progress Newsmaker of the Year.
But there were plenty of contenders. You could make a strong case that the consolidation in the mobile hydraulic market was another of the major stories of 1999. Eaton buying Aeroquip/Vickers and the Sauer-Danfoss alliance/ merger/acquisition were major deals. Mobile hydraulics is the last of the major component supply groups to consolidate and if Dana Corp. had sold Gresen before our deadline for the award, that may have tipped the balance.
A strong case was also made for this being the year that alternative sources of power started to emerge to challenge gasoline, diesel and gaseous engines. But microturbines, fuel cells and hybrids are not yet mainline production technology. They all seem on the verge of being real power sources, though cynics in the crowd have been heard to mutter "here we go again."
Cynicism aside, the alternatives to mainline industrial engines do seem to be emerging and our feeling is that this is a likely contender for the 2000 or 2001 Newsmaker of the Year. It's just not there yet.
On the corporate side, there were deals aplenty. It's interesting that, like the market and the manufacturers, deal making was also as stratified into jumbo and niche. There were a bunch of niche acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures in 1999, and there were a handful of megadeals, but not a lot of "mid-level" moves. Such is life in a consolidated industry.
Certainly Case-New Holland, which creates the world's number two agricultural equipment builder, the soon-to-be CNH Global, is a major deal in any year. Volvo-Scania, when finalized, will create the world's number two commercial vehicle manufacturer. Big, big deals. When sorted out, Case-New Holland will reshape the agricultural and construction equipment landscape. If we had picked a single deal as Newsmaker of the Year, this would be have been the one.
Textron Inc., also caught our eye, especially in the second half of the year. The company made some acquisitions in mobile hydraulics and hinted there may be more coming. The company also added Omniquip to its list of equipment manufacturing companies.
Terex also -- and somewhat quietly -- has assembled an impressive and expanding range of off-highway equipment and has kind of snuck up on people as a major off-highway equipment producer.
But in the end it all came back to power. You could probably make the case that Y2K itself was the major story for this market this year -- other than the fact that we're sick to death of hearing about it.
Y2K undoubtedly is a major driver in the huge growth in engine-powered power generation sales in 1999. It has also kept the truck market moving beyond expectations, as warehouses of all types are bursting in anticipation of year -end, just-in-case stockpiling.
But the story of power generation in 1999 isn't just about Y2K. The turn of the millennium is really only a catalyst in the huge growth of awareness that our sources of electrical power are not infinite, they are not 100 percent reliable, and that we have to have electricity, no matter what.
As just one example, in a shop with CNC tooling, an outage is no longer an irritant, it shuts a company down. And in a JIT manufacturing world, "we lost power" starts to equal the "dog ate my homework" on the excuse chart.
In 1999, the lines of awareness crossed. Our reliance on electricity now approaches absolute. No power, and much of life as we know it stops cold. The romance of candles and flashlights gets old in a hurry. Even manuals for survivalist communities now dedicate a lot of pages to how best to generate your own power. Our awareness of all the things we depend on power for is at an all-time high.
At the same time, our awareness of how comparatively fragile our sources of power have become, is also at an all-time high. Combine deregulation, blackouts, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, ice storms and rolling brownouts and we're no longer as comfortable with our ability to have electrical power available to us at all times.
Last year, the Newsmaker of the Year, Caterpillar Inc., was a unanimous choice of the Diesel Progress editorial board. In 1999, it wasn't that easy.
It's not that there weren't plenty of newsworthy events during the year; quite the opposite. It's just that no single person, company, market, product or technology seemed to clearly dominate the news.
Or so it appeared until we sat down to make the final decision.
When we started looking back at 1999, we kept coming back to electrical power generation. Some of us saw it as a Y2K issue. Some saw it as the emergence of distributed power. In the end, we all saw it as the most vibrant, pedal-to-the-metal market we're involved with, and the one area that had everyone talking throughout 1999. Who else had products on allocation this year?
Power generation made the most overall news in 1999, which is the definition of the award, and as such the power generation market in North America is the 1999 Diesel Progress Newsmaker of the Year.
But there were plenty of contenders. You could make a strong case that the consolidation in the mobile hydraulic market was another of the major stories of 1999. Eaton buying Aeroquip/Vickers and the Sauer-Danfoss alliance/ merger/acquisition were major deals. Mobile hydraulics is the last of the major component supply groups to consolidate and if Dana Corp. had sold Gresen before our deadline for the award, that may have tipped the balance.
A strong case was also made for this being the year that alternative sources of power started to emerge to challenge gasoline, diesel and gaseous engines. But microturbines, fuel cells and hybrids are not yet mainline production technology. They all seem on the verge of being real power sources, though cynics in the crowd have been heard to mutter "here we go again."
Cynicism aside, the alternatives to mainline industrial engines do seem to be emerging and our feeling is that this is a likely contender for the 2000 or 2001 Newsmaker of the Year. It's just not there yet.
On the corporate side, there were deals aplenty. It's interesting that, like the market and the manufacturers, deal making was also as stratified into jumbo and niche. There were a bunch of niche acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures in 1999, and there were a handful of megadeals, but not a lot of "mid-level" moves. Such is life in a consolidated industry.
Certainly Case-New Holland, which creates the world's number two agricultural equipment builder, the soon-to-be CNH Global, is a major deal in any year. Volvo-Scania, when finalized, will create the world's number two commercial vehicle manufacturer. Big, big deals. When sorted out, Case-New Holland will reshape the agricultural and construction equipment landscape. If we had picked a single deal as Newsmaker of the Year, this would be have been the one.
Textron Inc., also caught our eye, especially in the second half of the year. The company made some acquisitions in mobile hydraulics and hinted there may be more coming. The company also added Omniquip to its list of equipment manufacturing companies.
Terex also -- and somewhat quietly -- has assembled an impressive and expanding range of off-highway equipment and has kind of snuck up on people as a major off-highway equipment producer.
But in the end it all came back to power. You could probably make the case that Y2K itself was the major story for this market this year -- other than the fact that we're sick to death of hearing about it.
Y2K undoubtedly is a major driver in the huge growth in engine-powered power generation sales in 1999. It has also kept the truck market moving beyond expectations, as warehouses of all types are bursting in anticipation of year -end, just-in-case stockpiling.
But the story of power generation in 1999 isn't just about Y2K. The turn of the millennium is really only a catalyst in the huge growth of awareness that our sources of electrical power are not infinite, they are not 100 percent reliable, and that we have to have electricity, no matter what.
As just one example, in a shop with CNC tooling, an outage is no longer an irritant, it shuts a company down. And in a JIT manufacturing world, "we lost power" starts to equal the "dog ate my homework" on the excuse chart.
In 1999, the lines of awareness crossed. Our reliance on electricity now approaches absolute. No power, and much of life as we know it stops cold. The romance of candles and flashlights gets old in a hurry. Even manuals for survivalist communities now dedicate a lot of pages to how best to generate your own power. Our awareness of all the things we depend on power for is at an all-time high.
At the same time, our awareness of how comparatively fragile our sources of power have become, is also at an all-time high. Combine deregulation, blackouts, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, ice storms and rolling brownouts and we're no longer as comfortable with our ability to have electrical power available to us at all times.
Diesel Power Units Added To MENA Line - Brief Article
Mitsubishi Engine North America (MENA) has introduced a new line of diesel power units. There are nine models in the range covering outputs from 11 to 77 hp at 2500 rpm. Generator drive packages operating at 1800 rpm are available; as are variable speed packages designed to drive clutch or hydrostatic systems in a variety of off-highway equipment. Other stationary uses such as water pumps, are also seen as target applications.
According to MENA's Peter Gallegos, national sales & marketing manager, Mitsubishi's distributor network was a key market driver in launching the new power units.
"It was instrumental to support our distributor network with a standard power unit package," Gallegos said. "It gives our distributors another tool to sell their equipment manufacturer customers. It's also important on a national accounts basis to provide a "drop-in" engine system for any number of different equipment manufacturers on a just-in-time basis.
"There is also," he added, "a uniformity of warranty for the complete line, which is supported by the MENA service network."
Gallegos added that while there are nine standard power units available, each model can be further modified by distributors for specific applications. MENA is also offering the capability of offering OE specific power unit designs.
The power units are packaged in the U.S. and start with fan-to-flywheel engines that include SAE flywheel and bell housings, as well as starter, alternator, intake and exhaust manifold, safety shutdown soleniod with water temperature and oil pressure switches, oil and fuel filters.
To that base engine, MENA adds a Universal tropical duty radiator and brackets, a heavy-duty cyclonic air cleaner, muffler, a key switch start panel with fault indicator lights, an electric fuel pump and a wiring harness. A full gauge panel package will be added shortly. Options include SAE A or B flywheel and hydraulic housings in either 9-, 13-or 15-tooth configurations, along with a pump adapter and stub shafts from 1.5 to 2.25 in. for flywheel and power takeoffs. All additional components for the power units are sourced locally.
The nine four-cycle engines used in the power units include seven naturally aspirated models and two turbocharged units, all in-line and, with one exception, all incorporating IDI fuel systems.
The engines include (all ratings at 2500 rpm) Mitsubishi's two-cylinder L2E rated 8.2 hp, the 17.2 hp, three-cylinder L3E and the three-cylinder S3L and S3L2 rated 21.2 and 24.1 hp respectively. The four-cylinder S4L and S4L2 are rated 28.6 hp and 33 hp, while the S4Q2 is a four-cylinder; 35.3 hp engine.
The S4S is a four-cylinder 63 hp diesel, while the sole direct injection engine in the line is the S4S-DT, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated 77 hp. The two largest power units, which will join the line by mid-year, are powered by the four-cylinder S4K-T turbocharged diesel rated 79.1 hp at 2200 rpm, and the 115 hp, six-cylinder turbocharged model S6K-T. Engine displacements for the full power unit line range from 0.635 to 6.37 L.
Gallegos said all nine engines are EPA/CARB certified to Tier 2 non-road standards, with no modifications, which are in place through 2008. He added that the early indications are the IDI diesels will meet Tier 3 standards without electronics, but with exhaust aftertreatment.
According to MENA's Peter Gallegos, national sales & marketing manager, Mitsubishi's distributor network was a key market driver in launching the new power units.
"It was instrumental to support our distributor network with a standard power unit package," Gallegos said. "It gives our distributors another tool to sell their equipment manufacturer customers. It's also important on a national accounts basis to provide a "drop-in" engine system for any number of different equipment manufacturers on a just-in-time basis.
"There is also," he added, "a uniformity of warranty for the complete line, which is supported by the MENA service network."
Gallegos added that while there are nine standard power units available, each model can be further modified by distributors for specific applications. MENA is also offering the capability of offering OE specific power unit designs.
The power units are packaged in the U.S. and start with fan-to-flywheel engines that include SAE flywheel and bell housings, as well as starter, alternator, intake and exhaust manifold, safety shutdown soleniod with water temperature and oil pressure switches, oil and fuel filters.
To that base engine, MENA adds a Universal tropical duty radiator and brackets, a heavy-duty cyclonic air cleaner, muffler, a key switch start panel with fault indicator lights, an electric fuel pump and a wiring harness. A full gauge panel package will be added shortly. Options include SAE A or B flywheel and hydraulic housings in either 9-, 13-or 15-tooth configurations, along with a pump adapter and stub shafts from 1.5 to 2.25 in. for flywheel and power takeoffs. All additional components for the power units are sourced locally.
The nine four-cycle engines used in the power units include seven naturally aspirated models and two turbocharged units, all in-line and, with one exception, all incorporating IDI fuel systems.
The engines include (all ratings at 2500 rpm) Mitsubishi's two-cylinder L2E rated 8.2 hp, the 17.2 hp, three-cylinder L3E and the three-cylinder S3L and S3L2 rated 21.2 and 24.1 hp respectively. The four-cylinder S4L and S4L2 are rated 28.6 hp and 33 hp, while the S4Q2 is a four-cylinder; 35.3 hp engine.
The S4S is a four-cylinder 63 hp diesel, while the sole direct injection engine in the line is the S4S-DT, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated 77 hp. The two largest power units, which will join the line by mid-year, are powered by the four-cylinder S4K-T turbocharged diesel rated 79.1 hp at 2200 rpm, and the 115 hp, six-cylinder turbocharged model S6K-T. Engine displacements for the full power unit line range from 0.635 to 6.37 L.
Gallegos said all nine engines are EPA/CARB certified to Tier 2 non-road standards, with no modifications, which are in place through 2008. He added that the early indications are the IDI diesels will meet Tier 3 standards without electronics, but with exhaust aftertreatment.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
New marine gen.set
Next Generation Power, Jacksonville, Fla., has introduced the Ultra-Compact Marine (UCM), an 8 kW diesel gen-set. A three-cylinder Kubota diesel drives a Stamford-Newage generator, developing the 8 kW at 2800 rpm. The new gen-set is the largest in the company's line of marine gen-sets, joining the single-cylinder UCM 1-3.5 kW and the two-cylinder UCM 2-5.5 kW. The set is seen as applicable for midsize vessels, and measures 23 in. long by 18.5 in. wide x 20 in. high, weighing 295 lb.
Internet Giant Plans Massive Diesel GenSets To Protect 'Server Farm'
U.S. DataPort aims to ensure electricity for its massive 2.2 million square feet internet service provider (ISP) "server farm" in San Jose, CA, by installing more than 80 backup diesel generator sets, according to the Internet newspaper, SiliconValley.Com. Thanks to grid power unreliability, diesel gen-set back-up power for server farms is helping fuel a boom in diesel gen-set power in North America. U.S. DataPort also plans to ask for California state government approval for a 250-megawatt gas-fired power plant, but neighbors earlier defeated a similar 600-MW plant proposed for another site in Silicon Valley, citing pollution problems.
Tacoma Power Installs 30 Diesel Gee-Sets - Brief Article
Tacoma Power has deployed 28 of what will be 30 Caterpillar 3516B-powered diesel generator sets as a baseload generating source. The gen-sets, rated 1.6 MW each, have been supplied with SCR [NO.sub.x] control.
Faced with the potential for extremely high wholesale electric energy prices this summer, the utility is using the generator sets as a hedge against up-side energy price risk. The engines are permitted as a temporary plant to operate for one year. Operation of any of the units beyond January 30, 2002 at the current location would require a new air permit.
Faced with the potential for extremely high wholesale electric energy prices this summer, the utility is using the generator sets as a hedge against up-side energy price risk. The engines are permitted as a temporary plant to operate for one year. Operation of any of the units beyond January 30, 2002 at the current location would require a new air permit.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Greens Tout Wind Over Diesel, But Gloss Problems - Renewable Energy Policy Project report - Brief Article - Editorial
Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP), a "green" group whose board includes a wind-power trade association, now recommends at least partially replacing diesel electric generator-set power with wind turbine power.
The group concedes that replacing diesel gen-sets with wind power isn't always possible, and may involve much higher costs. But in remote diesel-powered areas such as Alaska, native tribes have found it's possible to get a portion of electric power with wind-turbines, REPP's report says, citing two years of experience in three areas.
When the wind isn't blowing, these remote villages can still use diesel power, the REPP report says.
The report repeats the standard litany of charges over diesel emissions problems, but doesn't acknowledge the latest clean-diesel technologies such as particle filters or SCR for both PM and NOx control.
The report claims diesel generators in the U.S. emit as much NOx as all the electric power plants in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but makes no allowances for the latest clean-diesel technology, which could dramatically change this picture.
Meantime, however, a new, report by Environment News Service shows that wind turbines among native villages in Canada's far north have a very poor record of reliability and come at very high cost. One problem is the gale-force winds that sweep the near-Arctic in winter, wrecking the turbines.
"A windmill installed in Nunavut's capital, Iqaluit, several years ago operated for only hours before breaking down; turbines placed in other communities suffered similar fates," the news service found. As a result, "if Nunavut wants electricity, its near-total dependence on diesel will continue."
Monday, September 11, 2006
Scr-Equipped Diesel Gen-Sets Beat Carb Claim On Nox - Brief Article
Diesel generator sets for backup power generation can achieve far lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and "toxic" particulate matter (PM) than California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimated in a recent letter to local air pollution district officials.
Example: Installing a 90% efficiency urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system on today's 5.5 grams/brake-horsepower hour NOx (engine-out) diesel gen-sets can cut NOx to just 0.55 g/bhp-hr -- or, in CARB's electric generation comparison terms, 1.6 pounds of NOx per megawatt-hour.
This isn't theoretical. Today, Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. (CDTI) is one of several companies actively marketing SCR (for NOx reduction) and it also markets a particle trap fuel additive system (for particulate matter control) for diesel gen-sets (and other applications). Current diesel gen-sets in Washington/Oregon could likewise be suitable for California with appropriate exhaust controls.
No special fuel required: CDTI's combination SCR/PM trap system technologies can achieve ultra-low emissions with today's ordinary CARB diesel fuel, rather than the ultra low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) required for certain highly catalyzed filter systems, CDTI chief operating officer Jim Valentine points out.
CDTI calculates diesel gen-set ability to hit 0.55 g/bhp-hr NOx based on recent tests with an SCR catalyst designed for 80% NOx reduction.
The company hit 0.68 g/bhp-hr NOx with the 80% SCR catalyst in 13-mode steady state tests at Southwest Research Institute. Running a 90% SCR catalyst thus yields 0.55 g/bhp-hr with a 5.5 grams NOx engine, Valentine explains.
* Beats 7-lbs. NOx Claim
By contrast, CARB claimed in a Feb. 21, 2001, letter to all of California's local air pollution control officers that "diesel engine with best available control" could only limit NOx to 7 lbs./MW-hr.
Yet the SCR technology clearly slashes that level dramatically, to NOx emissions levels well below CARB's estimate for "uncontrolled gas-fired power plant" (2 to 4 lbs./MW-hr) and even fairly competitive with what CARB terms the "typical mix of existing gas-fired California power plants" (0.5 lbs./MW-hr NOx).
What's more, new data shows that CARB's letter greatly underestimates the ability of diesel PM filters to achieve dramatic reductions in "toxic" PM, to the same 0.03 lbs./MW hr level CARB cites for "gas-fired power generation."
CARB's letter claimed that "existing diesel engine with trap retrofit" produces 0.1 to 0.5 lbs./MW-hr PM, equivalent to 0.034 to 0.17 b/bhp-hr.
Yet CDTI has found that engines tested with its trap-additive system achieve ultra-low 0.01 to 0.015 g/bhp-hr PM levels, equivalent to 0.03-0.045 lbs./MW-hr - matching what CARB shows for gas-fired electric power PM emissions.
Given these new data on ultra-clean emissions levels achievable for SCR/PM trap equipped diesel gen-sets, CARB's diesel gen-set "cancer risk" warnings and claims that diesels will produce some vastly greater amount of ozone-forming emissions, compared to gas-fired power, look dubious.
These alarmist claims unfortunately have been repeated by "green" groups in California newspaper stories about the state's power crisis.
* 'Cancer' Threat?
"Operation of an uncontrolled one-MW diesel engine for 250 hours per year would in crease cancer risk to nearby residents (within one city block) by 250 in a million," CARB's letter to air districts says, apparently failing to mention that PM trap-equipped diesels would virtually eliminate the PM "toxic" risk.
"On average this represents a 50% in crease in the cancer risk due to exposure to diesel exhaust," the CARB letter alarmingly concludes.
Meantime, CDTI is among a group of well-known technology companies applying to CARB for retrofit certification for a PM filter system for many diesel applications.
CDTI has produced test data showing it can hit the 0.01 g/bhp-hr PM limit CARB asks for -- and now, like many other technology developers, it's awaiting CARB's final decision on retrofit durability requirements.
CDTI's SCR system hasn't been certified with CARB, but it passed an earlier NESCAUM retrofit evaluation. It's now pending before an internal EPA diesel fuel/additives retrofit verification group, along with diesel water emulsions and other fuel technologies.
(Note: This internal EPA group review just took over from the outside "Environmental Technology Verification" panel that continues to develop emissions retrofit verifications for catalyst/trap devices (see Diesel Fuel News 11/13/2000, p1).
Meantime, over 100 diesel engines are either using or have ordered CDTI's urea-SCR system, Valentine said.
"There are several PM filter systems operating on large engines in California, and so we hope to combine the SCR and our fuel-borne catalyst/diesel particle filter technology soon to provide very low emissions diesels to the California market," Valentine said.
"CDTI is planning to team with Clean Air Systems of New Mexico to offer this additive/filter combination in conjunction with our urea-SCR licensee, RJM."
Example: Installing a 90% efficiency urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system on today's 5.5 grams/brake-horsepower hour NOx (engine-out) diesel gen-sets can cut NOx to just 0.55 g/bhp-hr -- or, in CARB's electric generation comparison terms, 1.6 pounds of NOx per megawatt-hour.
This isn't theoretical. Today, Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. (CDTI) is one of several companies actively marketing SCR (for NOx reduction) and it also markets a particle trap fuel additive system (for particulate matter control) for diesel gen-sets (and other applications). Current diesel gen-sets in Washington/Oregon could likewise be suitable for California with appropriate exhaust controls.
No special fuel required: CDTI's combination SCR/PM trap system technologies can achieve ultra-low emissions with today's ordinary CARB diesel fuel, rather than the ultra low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) required for certain highly catalyzed filter systems, CDTI chief operating officer Jim Valentine points out.
CDTI calculates diesel gen-set ability to hit 0.55 g/bhp-hr NOx based on recent tests with an SCR catalyst designed for 80% NOx reduction.
The company hit 0.68 g/bhp-hr NOx with the 80% SCR catalyst in 13-mode steady state tests at Southwest Research Institute. Running a 90% SCR catalyst thus yields 0.55 g/bhp-hr with a 5.5 grams NOx engine, Valentine explains.
* Beats 7-lbs. NOx Claim
By contrast, CARB claimed in a Feb. 21, 2001, letter to all of California's local air pollution control officers that "diesel engine with best available control" could only limit NOx to 7 lbs./MW-hr.
Yet the SCR technology clearly slashes that level dramatically, to NOx emissions levels well below CARB's estimate for "uncontrolled gas-fired power plant" (2 to 4 lbs./MW-hr) and even fairly competitive with what CARB terms the "typical mix of existing gas-fired California power plants" (0.5 lbs./MW-hr NOx).
What's more, new data shows that CARB's letter greatly underestimates the ability of diesel PM filters to achieve dramatic reductions in "toxic" PM, to the same 0.03 lbs./MW hr level CARB cites for "gas-fired power generation."
CARB's letter claimed that "existing diesel engine with trap retrofit" produces 0.1 to 0.5 lbs./MW-hr PM, equivalent to 0.034 to 0.17 b/bhp-hr.
Yet CDTI has found that engines tested with its trap-additive system achieve ultra-low 0.01 to 0.015 g/bhp-hr PM levels, equivalent to 0.03-0.045 lbs./MW-hr - matching what CARB shows for gas-fired electric power PM emissions.
Given these new data on ultra-clean emissions levels achievable for SCR/PM trap equipped diesel gen-sets, CARB's diesel gen-set "cancer risk" warnings and claims that diesels will produce some vastly greater amount of ozone-forming emissions, compared to gas-fired power, look dubious.
These alarmist claims unfortunately have been repeated by "green" groups in California newspaper stories about the state's power crisis.
* 'Cancer' Threat?
"Operation of an uncontrolled one-MW diesel engine for 250 hours per year would in crease cancer risk to nearby residents (within one city block) by 250 in a million," CARB's letter to air districts says, apparently failing to mention that PM trap-equipped diesels would virtually eliminate the PM "toxic" risk.
"On average this represents a 50% in crease in the cancer risk due to exposure to diesel exhaust," the CARB letter alarmingly concludes.
Meantime, CDTI is among a group of well-known technology companies applying to CARB for retrofit certification for a PM filter system for many diesel applications.
CDTI has produced test data showing it can hit the 0.01 g/bhp-hr PM limit CARB asks for -- and now, like many other technology developers, it's awaiting CARB's final decision on retrofit durability requirements.
CDTI's SCR system hasn't been certified with CARB, but it passed an earlier NESCAUM retrofit evaluation. It's now pending before an internal EPA diesel fuel/additives retrofit verification group, along with diesel water emulsions and other fuel technologies.
(Note: This internal EPA group review just took over from the outside "Environmental Technology Verification" panel that continues to develop emissions retrofit verifications for catalyst/trap devices (see Diesel Fuel News 11/13/2000, p1).
Meantime, over 100 diesel engines are either using or have ordered CDTI's urea-SCR system, Valentine said.
"There are several PM filter systems operating on large engines in California, and so we hope to combine the SCR and our fuel-borne catalyst/diesel particle filter technology soon to provide very low emissions diesels to the California market," Valentine said.
"CDTI is planning to team with Clean Air Systems of New Mexico to offer this additive/filter combination in conjunction with our urea-SCR licensee, RJM."
Busing in a new hybrid fleet
With delivery expected to take place in 2006, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has placed an order with Orion Bus Industries for 330 transit buses, 150 of which will be diesel-electric hybrids. The buses will be the first diesel-electric vehicles operated by TTC, making it the largest hybrid transit operator in Canada.
The hybrid purchase comes under a supportive transit measure for 66% of TTC's bus purchases to be hybrid or alternative-powered "green" vehicles starting in 2006. Through the initiative, TTC said it will replace 1180 buses over a period of 10 years. Funding for the purchase was provided by the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF), Government of Ontario and the city of Toronto. A total of $391 million was dedicated to the purchase as well as expanding transit routes.
All 330 TTC buses will be built on a 40 ft. Orion VII bus platform. The 180 conventional diesel-powered buses ordered feature a Cummins ISL engine rated 280 hp at 2200 rpm. In the hybrid models, power is provided by a smaller 5.9 L six-cylinder Cummins ISB diesel rated 260 hp, which has been combined with BAE Systems electric HybriDrive propulsion system.
Using the HybriDrive system allows the buses to be spec'd with a smaller hp engine that "offers the best available combination of fuel savings and emissions," according to Mark Brager, Orion vice president of sales. With the diesel-electric hybrid system, the Orion VII buses are designed to provide 25 to 35% better fuel economy as well as reduce PM emissions by 90%, N[O.sub.x] by 40% and greenhouse gases (GHG) by 30%, compared to conventional diesel-powered buses. This is in addition to the reduced maintenance costs by eliminating the transmission, Brager added.
To augment the engine's output, the HybriDrive system couples a 120 kW permanent magnet generator to the engine. This is used to supply electrical power to a single traction motor installed at the front ArvinMeritor axle. The traction motor delivers 250 hp continuous power (320 hp intermittent) to the wheels and creates smooth acceleration without the gear changes of a transmission, Orion said.
When the bus is slowed, the traction motor also acts as a generator, recapturing energy for later use. Energy produced during this regenerative braking is stored in a battery energy storage unit mounted to the roof of the buses. The generator drive also produces energy to recharge the battery storage unit.
The entire HybriDrive system is operated through a propulsion control system designed and produced by BAE Systems to control and monitor the diesel-hybrid powertrain. A power inverter is also integrated into the HybriDrive system.
Orion also produces a CNG version of the Orion VII bus which is available in 30, 35 and 40 ft. lengths. Orion assembles the chassis and body structure of the Orion VII buses at its Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, facility. From there, the structure is sent to the company's Oriskany, N.Y., plant where seating, engines, transmissions, axles, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems and other final finish components are installed. Final finish and testing are also completed at Oriskany.
The Orion VII buses for TTC are dated for delivery in 2006 and will be used to service the 1,350,000 daily passengers. TCC serves the greater Toronto area with 149 surface routes and employs 10,503.
The hybrid purchase comes under a supportive transit measure for 66% of TTC's bus purchases to be hybrid or alternative-powered "green" vehicles starting in 2006. Through the initiative, TTC said it will replace 1180 buses over a period of 10 years. Funding for the purchase was provided by the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF), Government of Ontario and the city of Toronto. A total of $391 million was dedicated to the purchase as well as expanding transit routes.
All 330 TTC buses will be built on a 40 ft. Orion VII bus platform. The 180 conventional diesel-powered buses ordered feature a Cummins ISL engine rated 280 hp at 2200 rpm. In the hybrid models, power is provided by a smaller 5.9 L six-cylinder Cummins ISB diesel rated 260 hp, which has been combined with BAE Systems electric HybriDrive propulsion system.
Using the HybriDrive system allows the buses to be spec'd with a smaller hp engine that "offers the best available combination of fuel savings and emissions," according to Mark Brager, Orion vice president of sales. With the diesel-electric hybrid system, the Orion VII buses are designed to provide 25 to 35% better fuel economy as well as reduce PM emissions by 90%, N[O.sub.x] by 40% and greenhouse gases (GHG) by 30%, compared to conventional diesel-powered buses. This is in addition to the reduced maintenance costs by eliminating the transmission, Brager added.
To augment the engine's output, the HybriDrive system couples a 120 kW permanent magnet generator to the engine. This is used to supply electrical power to a single traction motor installed at the front ArvinMeritor axle. The traction motor delivers 250 hp continuous power (320 hp intermittent) to the wheels and creates smooth acceleration without the gear changes of a transmission, Orion said.
When the bus is slowed, the traction motor also acts as a generator, recapturing energy for later use. Energy produced during this regenerative braking is stored in a battery energy storage unit mounted to the roof of the buses. The generator drive also produces energy to recharge the battery storage unit.
The entire HybriDrive system is operated through a propulsion control system designed and produced by BAE Systems to control and monitor the diesel-hybrid powertrain. A power inverter is also integrated into the HybriDrive system.
Orion also produces a CNG version of the Orion VII bus which is available in 30, 35 and 40 ft. lengths. Orion assembles the chassis and body structure of the Orion VII buses at its Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, facility. From there, the structure is sent to the company's Oriskany, N.Y., plant where seating, engines, transmissions, axles, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems and other final finish components are installed. Final finish and testing are also completed at Oriskany.
The Orion VII buses for TTC are dated for delivery in 2006 and will be used to service the 1,350,000 daily passengers. TCC serves the greater Toronto area with 149 surface routes and employs 10,503.
A generator that cuts grass - Power Generation - Briggs and Stratton Corp.'s PowerLink system - Brief Article
In yet another example of the potential flexibility of power generation technology, Briggs & Stratton has developed a system by which the engine on a riding lawn mower can be used to generate 1.5 kW of a.c. current. The new PowerLink system is designed for Briggs & Stratton Intek V-twin engines that will be used on select Sears Craftsman lawn tractor models in the spring. The company also plans to make its system available on selected Vanguard V-twin engines.
"The PowerLink system is a multifunctional, mobile power source for a variety of yard and household tools and appliances," said Rick Zeckmeister, Briggs & Stratton director of North American consumer marketing. "It provides flexibility and security without the need for additional maintenance or storage space.
The PowerLink-equipped engines use Neodynium iron-boron magnets incorporated under the flywheel and a specially wound stator that generates 1.5 kW of d.c. power. That power is delivered to a power inverter that converts the current to a.c., which can then be accessed through a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet located on the side of the tractor.
Briggs & Stratton said the system can be used to power items such as hedge trimmers, string trimmers, hand power tools and outdoor lights. In power outages, it can also be used to run an appliance such as a refrigerator, freezer, stationary heater or sump pump.
The PowerLink system is equipped with safety features including overload protection and low voltage shutdown to protect both the operator and the attached equipment. The duplex GFCI outlet has a weather-resistant panel. An external reset button makes resuming work easy and convenient, the company said.
"The PowerLink system is a multifunctional, mobile power source for a variety of yard and household tools and appliances," said Rick Zeckmeister, Briggs & Stratton director of North American consumer marketing. "It provides flexibility and security without the need for additional maintenance or storage space.
The PowerLink-equipped engines use Neodynium iron-boron magnets incorporated under the flywheel and a specially wound stator that generates 1.5 kW of d.c. power. That power is delivered to a power inverter that converts the current to a.c., which can then be accessed through a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet located on the side of the tractor.
Briggs & Stratton said the system can be used to power items such as hedge trimmers, string trimmers, hand power tools and outdoor lights. In power outages, it can also be used to run an appliance such as a refrigerator, freezer, stationary heater or sump pump.
The PowerLink system is equipped with safety features including overload protection and low voltage shutdown to protect both the operator and the attached equipment. The duplex GFCI outlet has a weather-resistant panel. An external reset button makes resuming work easy and convenient, the company said.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Generator series - Products - Ingersoll-Rand Equipment & Services Co - Brief Article - Product Announcement
Ingersoll-Rand Equipment & Services Co. has introduced the GenPowerSource[TM] generator series, which includes 24 models and features a mid-sized range of machines that provide 17kVA to 34kVA of diesel power backed by Mitsubishi engines. All units are four-pole brushless equipped with an analog control panel. The panel includes standard features such as key start switch, emergency stop button, diagnostic warning lights for low oil pressure, high water temp and no-charge alternator indicator. Each generator has an extra-quiet sound rating with levels ranging as low as 65-dBA measured at 23 ft. The G17-G34 generators include EC hard-wired terminals with easy wire insert and plastic dividers that separate terminals to avoid contact. Each Unit has a replaceable air filter located inside the enclosure and a water separator to protect the engine from water-contaminated fuel. Optional trailers are available for all models. The trailers are equipped with an additional fuel cell to provide up to 24 hours of run time.
Deutz readies: D2008/2009 diesels: covering 15 to 67 hp, engines due for production in early 2005; construction, ag and stationary uses targeted
Deutz Corp. is moving toward the start of volume production of its D2008 and D2009 diesels scheduled for early 2005. Since their official introduction at Bauma earlier tins year, Deutz Corp., Norcross, Ga., has been placing prototypes in specific applications in North America.
There are five models in the line, all water-cooled, with outputs from 15 to 67 bp and thus filling a key spot in Deutz's overall engine range. The D2008/D2009 are the two engines that Deutz purchased as part of its acquisition of a portion of Lister Petter in March.
These new products were developed in the newly named Deutz Technology Service Center in the U.K., which was also part of the acquisition. The Deutz Technology Service Center in Dursley will continue to develop the D2008 and D2009 series, and will also take on other development projects for Deutz AG, the Cologne, Germany-based parent of Deutz Corp. The engines will be built at the Deutz manufacturing operations in Cologne, Germany.
Gordon Riske, CEO of Deutz AG said, "The new engine series fit perfectly into the existing Deutz product range and by utilizing rile technology, we have shortened the time to market enormously."
With these new engines, Deutz is now in a position to introduce further products into its Tier 2 and Tier 3 product portfolio, in this case in the 15 to 67 hp range, a key and highly competitive power band on the North American off-highway markets.
The new Dentz engines are being targeted specifically at mobile construction and agricultural equipment, as well as stationary uses such as pump and generator sets.
The ongoing engineering development work also has taken into account the more stringent requirements the market is now demanding in terms of the lowest possible exhaust and noise emissions, said Trevor Purnell, product manager. Purnell said the engines have been certified for Tier 2/Stage 2 off-highway operation and Deutz is working toward Tier 3/Stage 3a certification.
Specifically, the D2008 series are a pair of water cooled engine models from 12 to 36 hp, at speeds of 1500 to 3000 rpm. With a 76 mm bore x 86 mm stroke, the D2008 engines are available in three- and four-cylinder versions. The design of the D2008 engines includes a crossflow cylinder head and a gear-driven camshaft, which also allows the operation of optional engine-mounted high power hydraulic pump drives.
Deutz said the D2008 has an indirect injection combustion design that will easily achieve the Stage 3a/Tier 3 exhaust emission limits almost immediately, without significant changes.
The Delphi fuel-injection pump can be used for many applications, and the use of an optional "drive by wire" electronic governor offers additional flexibility in all applications, Deutz said.
On the service side, Deutz said oil change intervals of 250 hours combined with closed crankcase ventilation and hydraulic tappets offer a low-maintenance package.
Meanwhile, the D2009 series includes three water-cooled engine models, in three-, four- and turbocharged four-cylinder versions. Its increased displacement with a 90 mm bole x 90 mm stroke, and direct injection system are the main differences between the D2008 and D2009 series. The output range for the D2009 engines is from 20 to 67 hp at 1500 to 3000 rpm.
The fuel injection system of the D2009 series is a Delphi distributor pump. The D2009 has a 500-hour oil change interval, as well as closed crankcase ventilation and hydraulic tappets.
Both new Deutz engine series have been designed with a module approach in mind. The number of components used has been reduced and the number of common parts increased. As a result, the cost of ownership, product life cycle costs and operating costs are all optimized, Deutz said.
For example, the PTOs of the D2009 and D2008 series are identical. The platform's overall design is completed by the ensuing reduction in maintenance, and increased reliability will enable customers to reduce their operating costs. Further similarities between the two series can be found in the crossflow design of the cylinder head and the uncomplicated design. Both engine families also have a 20% torque back-up at maximum power.
There are five models in the line, all water-cooled, with outputs from 15 to 67 bp and thus filling a key spot in Deutz's overall engine range. The D2008/D2009 are the two engines that Deutz purchased as part of its acquisition of a portion of Lister Petter in March.
These new products were developed in the newly named Deutz Technology Service Center in the U.K., which was also part of the acquisition. The Deutz Technology Service Center in Dursley will continue to develop the D2008 and D2009 series, and will also take on other development projects for Deutz AG, the Cologne, Germany-based parent of Deutz Corp. The engines will be built at the Deutz manufacturing operations in Cologne, Germany.
Gordon Riske, CEO of Deutz AG said, "The new engine series fit perfectly into the existing Deutz product range and by utilizing rile technology, we have shortened the time to market enormously."
With these new engines, Deutz is now in a position to introduce further products into its Tier 2 and Tier 3 product portfolio, in this case in the 15 to 67 hp range, a key and highly competitive power band on the North American off-highway markets.
The new Dentz engines are being targeted specifically at mobile construction and agricultural equipment, as well as stationary uses such as pump and generator sets.
The ongoing engineering development work also has taken into account the more stringent requirements the market is now demanding in terms of the lowest possible exhaust and noise emissions, said Trevor Purnell, product manager. Purnell said the engines have been certified for Tier 2/Stage 2 off-highway operation and Deutz is working toward Tier 3/Stage 3a certification.
Specifically, the D2008 series are a pair of water cooled engine models from 12 to 36 hp, at speeds of 1500 to 3000 rpm. With a 76 mm bore x 86 mm stroke, the D2008 engines are available in three- and four-cylinder versions. The design of the D2008 engines includes a crossflow cylinder head and a gear-driven camshaft, which also allows the operation of optional engine-mounted high power hydraulic pump drives.
Deutz said the D2008 has an indirect injection combustion design that will easily achieve the Stage 3a/Tier 3 exhaust emission limits almost immediately, without significant changes.
The Delphi fuel-injection pump can be used for many applications, and the use of an optional "drive by wire" electronic governor offers additional flexibility in all applications, Deutz said.
On the service side, Deutz said oil change intervals of 250 hours combined with closed crankcase ventilation and hydraulic tappets offer a low-maintenance package.
Meanwhile, the D2009 series includes three water-cooled engine models, in three-, four- and turbocharged four-cylinder versions. Its increased displacement with a 90 mm bole x 90 mm stroke, and direct injection system are the main differences between the D2008 and D2009 series. The output range for the D2009 engines is from 20 to 67 hp at 1500 to 3000 rpm.
The fuel injection system of the D2009 series is a Delphi distributor pump. The D2009 has a 500-hour oil change interval, as well as closed crankcase ventilation and hydraulic tappets.
Both new Deutz engine series have been designed with a module approach in mind. The number of components used has been reduced and the number of common parts increased. As a result, the cost of ownership, product life cycle costs and operating costs are all optimized, Deutz said.
For example, the PTOs of the D2009 and D2008 series are identical. The platform's overall design is completed by the ensuing reduction in maintenance, and increased reliability will enable customers to reduce their operating costs. Further similarities between the two series can be found in the crossflow design of the cylinder head and the uncomplicated design. Both engine families also have a 20% torque back-up at maximum power.
Diesel Shortage Could Cripple Net Access
Most critical network hubs in lower Manhattan switched over to diesel generators when a power outage began Tuesday night. Internet access and some telephone communications may further deteriorate in the metropolitan New York area unless restrictions on the delivery of diesel fuel are lifted.
Electricity and gas were disconnected to prevent fire and explosions in parts of the still-smoldering disaster zone created when terrorists flew widebody jets laden with fuel into the twin World Trade Center towers.
Though fuel trucks are formally banned from entering the city, some exchange operators were able to make the case for exceptions to authorities, and should be able to keep their collocations running.
Focal Communications' switch was out from 8 p.m. Tuesday until about 3 a.m. today. "We currently have 24 hours worth of fuel and will be receiving another fuel delivery sometime today," spokesman Matt Batt said.
Focal operates a network exchange at 32 Old Slip in New York. Its tenants include NaviPath, a provider of dial-up access for large users, including EarthLink and AOL. Should companies like NaviPath start losing connectivity, thousands of users would have trouble dialing into the Internet, and Net access proved a communications lifeline for people in the affected areas.
Con Edison has not indicated when power will be restored. Two more critical network locations, at 60 Hudson St. and at 25 Broadway, are reportedly running on generator power. Like Focal's at 32 Old Slip, they have 24 hours to 48 hours worth of fuel. Another critical location, at 111 8th Ave., was evacuated Tuesday, but reportedly has power today.
If more than one of these locations goes dark, the Internet won't stop working, but will experience a significant slowdown. Many Manhattan locations have international fiber installations, acting as traffic hubs between the U.S. and Europe. NYIIX, an exchange hosting several international carriers, is at 25 Broadway. The 8th Ave. location is a major peering point.
"It is highly unlikely that additional fuel can be brought in today, because of the security cordon," said Daniel Golding, network engineering director of Sockeye Networks, a company providing efficient routing to network and enterprise customers. "Many of these colos are south of Canal Street, and some - 25 Broadway - are in the financial district, almost in the shadow of the former World Trade Center. 25 Broad, in particular, is right across from the famous 'bull statue' on Wall Street."
Even if fuel trucks do get into the city, many are concerned that generators won't be able to continue operating because of dust and soot in the air clogging the machines. Experts say these fears are well-founded and hope the operators of network exchanges have a Plan B in case power isn't restored in a couple of days.
"Our experience with diesel generators from the events like the Chicago tunnel flood is that they are great solutions for a week or so, but then you run into maintenance issues," said John Jackson, president of Comdisco's Availability Solutions unit, which specializes in disaster recovery services and has several enterprise customers in the affected area. "After several days, our experience is that our customers start to run into reliability issues."
Electricity and gas were disconnected to prevent fire and explosions in parts of the still-smoldering disaster zone created when terrorists flew widebody jets laden with fuel into the twin World Trade Center towers.
Though fuel trucks are formally banned from entering the city, some exchange operators were able to make the case for exceptions to authorities, and should be able to keep their collocations running.
Focal Communications' switch was out from 8 p.m. Tuesday until about 3 a.m. today. "We currently have 24 hours worth of fuel and will be receiving another fuel delivery sometime today," spokesman Matt Batt said.
Focal operates a network exchange at 32 Old Slip in New York. Its tenants include NaviPath, a provider of dial-up access for large users, including EarthLink and AOL. Should companies like NaviPath start losing connectivity, thousands of users would have trouble dialing into the Internet, and Net access proved a communications lifeline for people in the affected areas.
Con Edison has not indicated when power will be restored. Two more critical network locations, at 60 Hudson St. and at 25 Broadway, are reportedly running on generator power. Like Focal's at 32 Old Slip, they have 24 hours to 48 hours worth of fuel. Another critical location, at 111 8th Ave., was evacuated Tuesday, but reportedly has power today.
If more than one of these locations goes dark, the Internet won't stop working, but will experience a significant slowdown. Many Manhattan locations have international fiber installations, acting as traffic hubs between the U.S. and Europe. NYIIX, an exchange hosting several international carriers, is at 25 Broadway. The 8th Ave. location is a major peering point.
"It is highly unlikely that additional fuel can be brought in today, because of the security cordon," said Daniel Golding, network engineering director of Sockeye Networks, a company providing efficient routing to network and enterprise customers. "Many of these colos are south of Canal Street, and some - 25 Broadway - are in the financial district, almost in the shadow of the former World Trade Center. 25 Broad, in particular, is right across from the famous 'bull statue' on Wall Street."
Even if fuel trucks do get into the city, many are concerned that generators won't be able to continue operating because of dust and soot in the air clogging the machines. Experts say these fears are well-founded and hope the operators of network exchanges have a Plan B in case power isn't restored in a couple of days.
"Our experience with diesel generators from the events like the Chicago tunnel flood is that they are great solutions for a week or so, but then you run into maintenance issues," said John Jackson, president of Comdisco's Availability Solutions unit, which specializes in disaster recovery services and has several enterprise customers in the affected area. "After several days, our experience is that our customers start to run into reliability issues."
Friday, September 01, 2006
Diesel Generators Still Powering Lower Manhattan Telecom
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?"
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?"
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.
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