New diesel-powered marine gen-sets - generator sets from Bowers Engine

Bowers Engine, the Kent, Wash.-based engine distributor and power systems manufacturer, has unveiled its Bulldog Power Systems line of marine generator sets powered by water-cooled, Lister-Petter Alpha Series diesel engines. The new line features two-, three- and four-cylinder models designed to provide 6.75 to 15 kW, as well as a four-cylinder, turbocharged model with a peak power rating of 20 kW.

"Lister-Petter engines were chosen to power the new line of generators for their low maintenance requirements, 250-hour oil change cycle, hydraulic lifters eliminating the need for valve adjustments, and a heavy crankshaft allowing full power to be taken from either end of the engine," said David Rowland, sales engineer at Bowers.

The bottom end of the Bulldog line is powered by the 11 hp, two-cylinder, Lister-Petter LPW2 diesel engine, which generates 6.75 kW. Next is the 16.5 hp, three-cylinder, Lister-Petter LPW3 diesel engine, generating 11.5 kW. The third Bulldog gen-set comes in at 15 kW, and is powered by a 22 hp, four-cylinder, Lister-Petter LPW4 diesel engine. The high end of the line generates 20 kW, and is powered by the 31.9 hp, four-cylinder, Lister-Petter LPW4T diesel engine. All of the diesels utilized in the new line operate at 1800 rpm.

The engine packages feature oil and air filtration components from Lister-Petter and include keel or heat exchanger cooling systems supplied by Orca Manufacturing, Bellingham, Wash. Heavy-duty, industrial grade wet/dry mufflers are also utilized in the package.

Newage Stamford BCA or BCI series a.c. brushless generators with AVR are close coupled to the engines and are available in single- or three-phase outputs. Steel drip pans with vibration isolation mounts from Korfund are standard, with a simpler steel skid available as an option. Safety shutdown systems for oil pressure and temperature are also standard with the new line, and are supplied by Lister-Petter or Murphy.

Gen-set helps deal with hot problem - diesel generator sets used to supply electric power in the disposal of napalm

Rented Cat 3412 unit provides power for remote napalm processing plant; more than 34,000 weapons to be disposed

After two decades of trying to figure out how to deal with 23 million pounds of napalm in a Fallbrook, Calif., storage facility, the U.S. Navy has devised an interesting disposal program. And Hawthorne Power Systems, the local Caterpillar dealer, has been a key player in supplying electric power with a diesel generator set.

Removal plans for the 34,123 canisters of napalm include a three-step draining and disposal process. The green napalm canisters are loaded by crane in pairs into the entrance of a processing plant. For disposal, the bombs are carefully loaded onto a conveyor and moved into a chamber which is flooded with nitrogen to prevent accidental ignition. A machine punches large holes into the bomb and the napalm, a form of jellied gasoline, is drained out. The napalm is then trucked via tanker to a disposal firm and the bomb casings sold to an aluminum recycler.

Tom Golnick, Hawthorne's rental manager, noted that utility power was limited because of the remote location of the plant. "Over the past two years, Hawthorne has played an integral role in the plant design process," explained Golnick. "As different process concepts were reviewed by the contractor, we were called upon to calculate the changing motor loads and electrical demands in order to specify power generation requirements."

The contractor responsible for building and operating the plant chose to rent equipment, rather than purchase, due to Hawthorne's ability to provide the up-to-date diesel generating equipment, required fast delivery, and a 24-hour support team, as well as supplying local permits, which can be difficult to obtain.

A Caterpillar 3412 diesel engine generator set was ultimately selected to supply the processing plant with the required 600 kW at 480 Va.c. Stringent local sound level and exhaust emissions restrictions also dictated that a late model Caterpillar XQ600 sound-attenuated power module,be specified. This portable, completely enclosed diesel generator set system is manufactured at Cat's Large Engine Center at Lafayette, Ind.

Hawthorne performed extensive electronic modifications to the control and safety systems, allowing it to interface with the plant's remote PLC control and monitoring system. The unit provides prime power to the plant, while Hawthorne Power Systems is on hand for 24-hour service support during the minimum 30 months that will be required to process the entire stock of napalm. The gen-set has been on site for more than a year without any failures as of late-March 1999, Hawthorne said.

New diesel driven gen-set from Gillette - generator set

Gillette Manufacturing, Elkhart, Ind., has introduced a new diesel generator set with a rated power of 5 kW and a maximum output of 6 kW. The new gen-set is part of the company's Gen-Pro line of portable gen-sets which cover a range of 3 to 17.5 kW and are designed for heavy-duty applications such as contractor and job-site work.

The new GPNDL-60E gen-set is a single-phase, 60 Hz unit, but three-phase windings and 50 Hz output is also available. It is powered by an air-cooled Lombardini 6LD435 diesel engine rated 9.8 hp at 3600 rpm. The direct injection engine incorporates electric start, built-in battery charger and low oil protection. Other features include spin-on oil and fuel filters and an automatic bleed system designed to ensure easy starting in the event air enters the fuel system, which can occur when the engine runs out of fuel.

The engine drives a Gillette manufactured brushless generator that features the company's Power Assist and Kleen-Power designs. The Power Assist winding design incorporates 35 percent more copper wire and electrical grade steel due to its oversized generator diameter than the closest larger competitive designs, according to Gillette. This allows the generator to deliver a 50 percent surge in kW rating, which results in enhanced motor starting capabilities.

The Kleen-Power design allows only 7 percent harmonic distortion of the power sine-wave, which reduces the chances of damage to voltage sensitive loads, Gillette said.

Other features of the Gen Pro units include automatic load balance, which eliminates load chatter and excessive vibration due to unbalanced electric loads; and heavy-duty diodes and capacitor for longer service life.

The unit incorporates a heavy-duty, side-mounted control panel that includes a magnetic circuit breaker, individual circuit breakers for each 120 V receptacle, electric shock protection on each 120 V receptacle with added ground fault circuit interrupters, 120/240 voltmeter, Hobbs hourmeter for maintenance scheduling, full power 120 V receptacle and full power 240 V receptacle.

The receptacle panel is protected from abuse and weather with a full lexan decal.

The GPNDL-60E generator is lightweight (190 lb.) and compact (22 in. wide x 23 in. high x 28 in. long). A 4 gal. fuel tank provides a run time of 7.5 hours, based on 0.52 gph fuel consumption at rated load.

Generator drive power pack introduced by Perkins

Perkins Engines has introduced the 1104C-44TAG2 ElectropaK generator drive power pack. First shown at the World of Concrete show earlier this year, Perkins said the hunch of the engine is with an eye on broadening its overall product range in the power generation markets.

Power for the new power pack is Perkins 1104C diesel which is packaged with a skid-mounted cooling system. The 1104C is a four-cylinder, turbo-charged and air-to-air intercooled engine designed for 80 and 100 kW 60 Hz standby applications, as well as 50 Hz prime power needs from 80 to 100 kVA, Perkins said.

Perkins is positioning its 1100 series diesels as its premium emissions compliant platform, with the line available in three-, four- and six-cylinder configurations. For Tier 3, Perkins has increased the 1100 series per cylinder displacement to 1.1 L, and has undertaken aggressive development of the combustion system. Other engineering changes include a fundamental redesign of the cylinder block to create an advanced "open-top deck" structure that Perkins said radically reduces transmitted noise.

Further, the addition of air-to-air charge cooling on the 80 and 100 kVA models has enabled Perkins to offer what it says is six-cylinder power from a four-cylinder package.

Rental power bridges the Gulf - rental - Gulf of Mexico - Welch Generator Co

In almost every way, the Gulf of Mexico is a desolate and unforgiving Place. There is no power grid serving the 700,000 sq.mi, of water. Yet that's where Lee Welch and his generator and equipment rental company makes its mark.

"We serve lots of markets here in South Louisiana and the surrounding area, but it is the offshore oil and gas business that is this company's prime mover," said Welch, whose Welch Generator Co. is headquartered in Larose, La. When an oil platform is being constructed, Welch noted, there is no electrical power available. It's generators, like the ones they sell, that power the tools, make worker accommodations livable and drive the Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) that do much of the subsea work.

"For example, right now we are providing power for the construction of some of the world's largest deepwater oil and gas production facilities," Welch said. Welch named some of the biggest deepwater projects now underway such as Brutus, Diana, Medusa and others that depend on Welch rental generators for electric power.

For the Medusa project in the gulf, McDermott International is building the platform for Murphy Oil. There is a Welch generator on the partially completed platform that powers an accommodations module for workers and one on a McDermott construction barge serving a pair of ROVs that are involved in subsea construction.

Welch also has power solutions for production platforms as well. When a 4.7 MW generator operating pipeline pumps went out on a Chevron platform in the gulf, Welch quickly responded with four 1.25 MW generators to keep the platform producing. During the 27 days that the Welch generators were operating, the platform produced $90 million worth of product. The $50,000 rental cost of the generators was literally peanuts compared to the $90 million of product the company would have lost if the platform were shut down.

Welsh's brightly painted yellow enclosures are well known throughout the oil patch. Inside each enclosure is a Cummins diesel engine capable of driving generators rated at 15 kW to 1.5 MW. "We use Cummins diesel power exclusively for our rental generators," Welsh reported. "Cummins Mid-South is always there when we need them."

All generators are radiator cooled and most come with an integral fuel tank built into die base of the generator that typically holds more than a day's fuel. External fuel tanks are also available for all units in 562, 1000 and 4200 gal. capacities.

Welch uses many of the standard engines offered by Cummins, but also uses the newer electronic fuel system engines such as the QSX 15 and the QSK 23 that offer better fuel economy and lower emissions. Many of the Welch generator packages come with dual radiators from Hart Heat Transfer Products, Houston, Texas. One radiator is used to cool the turbocharged air while a separate radiator-mounted flush to the first unit cools the engine water. "The enclosures for the gen-sets are fabricated in our own factory to withstand the harsh, often brutal weather encountered in the Gulf," Welch said.

While oil and gas rigs and production platforms are the major users of Welch generators in the gulf, offshore service vessels are also prime customers. Typically a supply boat will have a pair of 300 to 500 kW gen-sets on board to handle the vessel's electrical needs. If one of those gen-sets goes down for any length of time, Welch can provide one of equal capacity to keep the boat working and even repair the vessel generator through a sister company Houma Armature Works.

Unusual, one-of-a-kind uses for Welch generators have become almost commonplace. For example, when Edison Chouest Offshore wanted to move its huge new anchor handler, Laney Chouest, from its shipyard to the Gulf, the transfer was accomplished by using two drydocks to lift the vessel up a few feet so it would clear the shallow bottom of the route to the Gulf. Two Welsh generators were in service to power the dry docks on the voyage. The docks are usually fixed in place at the shipyard using shore power.

Onshore, there are also many uses for Welch generators. Allied to the offshore industry is the need to protect the welds of big pipes. In the stress relieving process, a thermal blanket is placed on each side of the weld and that blanket is heated to 700[degrees]F and let% in place for four to five hours.

Since these pipes are often in areas not served by electric power service, Welch generators are often used to provide the electricity for the stress relieving operation.

In petrochemical plants, rental power is often called upon when main line power is shut off during renovations or additions. "Power companies charge petchem plants for power by the day, not the kilowatt used," Welch said. "If a section of a plant is operating with minimal power due to construction work, it is often cheaper for the plant to rent generators rather than pay the day rate for full power."

In large food distribution centers, the loss of mare line power can be a disaster. Even if the facility has a stand-by generator, that unit typically can supply emergency power to operate essential services for just a few hours. To keep refrigeration working over a longer period typically calls for 300 kW to 500 kW or more and that is usually outside the range of an in-place emergency generator.

Marine clean-diesel test programs gathering steam

Coming in the wake of a seminal clean-diesel marine conference in Washington, DC, earlier this year (see Diesel Fuel News 2/18/02, p10), numerous "green" demonstration and test programs are about to get underway.

Examples:

# The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) recently signed a research agreement with SCX Ferries to test-run a high-speed, low-emissions passenger hydrofoil, initially between San Diego and nearby Oceanside, Calif. This aims to help reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) along California's heavily-traveled Interstate-5 commuter corridor. The project could expand to service between Los Angeles and San Diego.

Depending on actual delivery of the first vessel (it's being shipped from Hawaii now), tests could begin as early as January, tapping the expertise of West Virginia University's mobile emissions lab team. Initial test phase would evaluate using an ultra-low sulfur diesel (BP's "ECD" ULSD) to fuel four DDC 12v92 (1,050 brake horsepower) diesel engines.

The ULSD would reduce PM and sulfur oxides (SOx) emissions, while intake air water injection would be applied for NOx reduction.

# MARAD's "five-year program plan" through fiscal 2005 aims to aid evaluations of PM filters, water injection systems, selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and "clean" fuels including ULSD, FischerTropsch synthetic diesel, biodiesel, hydrogen, LNG/CNG, and fuel cells.

So far, the agency's literature search of various NOx-reduction technologies indicates that marine SCR could deliver the most NOx reduction, but at the highest capital cost.

SCR is nearly three times the cost of a water-fuel emulsion technology that delivers about half (40%) the NOx reduction of SCR. Still, new ferries planned to be built for Vallejo-to-San-Francisco service would include SCR as original equipment, as MARAD official Dan Gore told us.

As Gore explained at the U.S. Dept. of Energy's "Diesel Engine Emissions Reduction" (DEER) workshop this year, side-by-side testing of diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) ferries in Norfolk, Va., showed that CNG actually had higher NOx emissions at full speed than the diesel ferry, with high CNG conversion capital costs, plus high gas-refueling infrastructure costs.

This test again shows that CNG cannot automatically be assumed to have lower NOx emissions despite engine NOx certification data--a finding that's turning up with increasing frequency from various CNG/clean-diesel fleet test comparisons around the world.

# Another program that MARAD evaluated--a San Francisco Bay Ferry test with biodiesel--showed a 10% NOx increase with 20% biodiesel, while 100% biodiesel caused a 24% NOx increase but a 50% PM decrease. Combined with intake air humidification, NOx was cut 12%. Biodiesel fuel cost penalty was 40 cents/gallon compared to low-sulfur diesel.

# MARAD-supported studies include an evaluation of the net emissions reduction achievable for some fast-ferry concepts, such as those proposed for San Francisco Bay. So far, studies indicate it's not clear if high-speed ferries always will deliver net emissions reductions, since many or most passengers would drive their cars to the ferries (causing car emissions), and since high-speed ferries tend to produce more emissions than low-speed ferries. Another problem: Ferries often operate only at 50% capacity.

# "Planned studies" (currently involving discussions with BP Marine, WVU and South Coast Air Quality Management District-metro Los Angeles) eventually could help pave the way for cargo vessel emissions trading. Technologies such as intake air humidification, exhaust-gas recirculation, and fuel emulsions could deliver NOx reductions of about 33%.

Since NOx credits can trade at around $19,000/ton in the SCAQMD area, it's possible to imagine that vessel operators could generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in NOx credits and thus offset the costs of NOx reduction installations. New rules and monitoring requirements would be needed in order to ensure that the NOx credits generated are actually delivering NOx benefits in the areas that need such reductions, Gore explained.

# NAVSEA (U.S. Navy) kicks off a major test program next month with five diesel fuels and six emissions reduction technologies, including one iron-based fuel-borne catalyst (FBC) additive. Test program partners include MARAD, SCAQMD, U.S. EPA, U.S. Department of Energy and California Air Resources Board.

According to NAVSEA researcher Jonathan DeHart, this program will evaluate emissions and performance via tests on a reconditioned, 400 shaft-horsepower DDC 12V-71 two-stroke, naturally-aspirated engine, a "very common" engine for Navy small boats, service craft and some ferries.

This test will include typical F-76 fuel (about 0.6% sulfur average), typical JP-5 military aviation fuel (about 0.05% sulfur), a zero-sulfur, synthetic Fischer-Tropsch diesel (possibly sourced from Sasol), a commercial ULSD fuel, and a soy-based biodiesel fuel.