Fuel for Thought: Efficiency Critical to Genset Selection
Staff -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 10/1/2000
Maintaining reliable electric power in the winter is sometimes difficult even under the best conditions. Any engineer can imagine the challenge of serving the growing needs of a remote community of 830 people in northwest Manitoba, Canada, where fuel is shipped to the electric plant once a year by a winter road that is open from late January to the end of March.
In response to community demand in the town of Brochet, Canadian power utility company Manitoba Hydro installed a new diesel-generating powerhouse that produces 2.6 megawatts of prime power from three electronically controlled generator sets.
"The powerhouse incorporates a newer design and high-technology equipment that will bring Brochet residents a higher quality of service as the community grows," says Warren Gogol, Manitoba Hydro engineering staff officer.
Because of the remote location, fuel efficiency was a critical factor in selecting the site's generator sets. The Brochet site features 30 diesel tanks with a total capacity of nearly 400,000 gallons for a two-year supply. Before choosing the generator equipment, Manitoba Hydro representatives conducted a 10-year life-cycle analysis between competitive packages. The analysis indicated that the three generator sets chosen-two of which are rated 1,015 kilowatts at 1,200 rpm and one that is rated 600 kilowatts at 1,200 rpm-would consume less fuel and require less frequent maintenance with 30,000-hour overhaul intervals. The efficiency is credited to electronic engine controls that determine precise fuel consumption based on load demands from daily and seasonal energy-use cycles.
Another key factor in equipment selection was the ability to receive a complete package from a single manufacturer including the generator sets with their electronic controls, as well as switchgear for autoparalleling and synchronization, and a 250-kilowatt standby unit that restores plant lighting, battery back-up and block heaters during a complete shutdown. Previous generators used by Manitoba Hydro featured controls supplied by multiple manufacturers.
"Having a complete package simplified the installation, commission and testing of the gensets," says Manitoba Hydro engineer Richard Warsza. "In fact, it streamlined the process so much that it saved our technicians a week's worth of testing."
For more information about Caterpillar's 3500 Series B generator sets, circle 103 on the Reader Service Card, page 77.
