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InstallationTipsforReducingGasGeneratorSetM...

InstallationTipsforReducingGasGeneratorSetMaintenanc
eCosts
byNicholasKelsch(KelscNM)on
0929201012:23PM

Often,serviceabilitycanbeoverlookedwhendoingdetaileddesignworkforagasgensetinstallation.Herearesome
simpleideasforgaspowerplantdesignthathavethepotentialtoreducemaintenancecosts,increaseuptime,and
reduceoveralllifecyclecosts.
Askyourmanufacturerorsupplierifthesestrategiescanbeusedatyoursite,eitherbeforeoraftergensetinstallation.
1.Matchthecapacityofyourbulkoilstoragetanktothesizeoftheoildeliverytrucktoreducethecostofdeliveredoil.
2.Matchthesizeoftheoilmakeuptanktooilconsumption.Forexample,a1,600kWgensetcouldhaveapproximately
140gallonsofoilcapacitywithafillindicationat30gallonsbelowfull.Ifthemidlifeoilconsumptionis6.2gallonsaday,
youdtopoffevery45days.Byinstallinga150gallonlubeoilmakeuptank,theoiltopoffintervalwouldbemonthly,
savingtechnicianlabor.
3.Overheadliftingcapabilitycansavemoneybyreducinglaborhoursespeciallywhenitcomestolargergensets.
Usingthesameexampleasabove,overthecourseof20years,overhaulworkwillrequireanestimated1,500labor
hours.Anonsitehoistmightreducethelaborcommitmentbyupto20percent,or300hoursforoneengine.
4.PreinstallportsandsensorsforemissionsandO2readingsinyourexhaustpipingtoreducethetimeassociatedwith
takingreadings.
5.Meterandrecordthetotalcoolantdrainvolumewhenchangingcoolant.Usethisinformationtofilltheexactamount
everytime,preventingspills.
6.Installquickconnect/disconnectmechanismforfasteroilandfilterchanges.
7.Consideracompressedairenginestarterandhardwired24VDCconnectiontoremovethecostandhazardsof
batterymaintenance.
8.Besidesscheduledoilanalysis,agasfuelanalysispriortoinstallationprovidesabaselinesampleofyourfuel
compositionandcontaminants.Regulargassamplingmightalsobeincludedinamaintenanceprogram,particularlyfor
lowenergyapplicationssuchaslandfillorbiogasorifyourengineisexperiencingdetonation.
Thesearejusteightideasthatyoucanapplytoyourgasgensetinstallationtoextendgensetserviceabilityandreduce
costs.Thesesuggestionsmaynormaynotapplytoallinstallationsdependingonthesizeofgensetpackage,
application,hoursofoperation,etc.Also,thislistisfarfromcomplete.
Haveyouoryourserviceprovidertriedanyoftheabovesuggestions?Whatisyourexperience?
Whatareyourideastomakegensetservicemoreefficient?
Haveyoueverseenyourenginegointodetonation(knock)duetoachangeinfuelcomposition?
Howoftendoyoutestyourfuelcompositionandmakeengineadjustments?
Pleasepostyourthoughtsbelow.
Everyone'sTags: access accessability change consumption cost

ViewAll(9)

Comments
byjospoweron
1006201009:03AM
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Loadtestingisanotherexpense.NewNFPArulesrequiremonthlyloadtestingforsomeinstallations.I'veheardofa
permanentlyinstalledloadtesterthatconnectstothegridanddoesn'tuseresistors.Isthiscosteffective(it'sdefinitely
green,sincethepowerisn'tbeingburnedinaresistor)

bymarkslumon
1006201011:11AM
Veryhelpfulpost.I'vealsoseensomesuccessfulcombustioncatalystsystemthatreducesfuelconsumptionandlower
emissionsindieselengines.

www.wpowerproducts.com

byrjhintzon
1006201011:18AM
Thisisareallyusefultopic,butIhavesomequestionsassomeonewhodealswithgeneratorsfromadistance,soto
speak,inadatacenterdesigncapacity.

IthoughtIunderstoodelementaryterminology,butapparentlynot.Inspeakingof"gas"gensets,Iassume,perhaps
wrongly,thatmostorallofthisappliestodieselfueledgensets,right?WhenIhear"gas,"Ithinknaturalgas,whichisafuel
choice,asIunderstandit,butthatisn'tthecontexthere.Theoverheadliftcapabilityisindependentoffuel,Iassume.

#1,Matchingsizeofoilstorage(fueloil,right?)totheoildeliverytruckwouldseemtobedependentonthesupplier,which
couldvarybycontract,Isuppose,unlessthere'sabestpractice,"onesizesfitsall"strategythatmostlyworks,regardlessof
whothesupplieris.Inatypicalinstallation,isthereapercentofcostaddonformatchingthesizeofoilstorage?Thatis,
perhapsmatchingsizeadds1%,or2%,orX%totheonetimeinstallationcost,orperhapsitdoesn'taddanything.

#2,Matchingsizeofmakeuptank:what'sthestrategyforgeneratorsusedforstandby?Usuallythere'slittleorno
consumption,exceptfortesting.However,inanoutagesituate,thegeneratorrunsessentiallyconstantly.

#3,Overheadlift:understandingthateverysiteissomewhatdifferent,howmuchdoesaddingoverheadlifttypicalladd?Is
this$1K,$10K,$25Kaddon?

#46:typicaladdoncost?

#7,addoncost?Whataredisadvantagestothis?

#8,typicaladdedcosts?

Thanksforstartingthistopicandanyclarifyinganswers.

bypumpprincesson
1006201011:58AM
InstallaprelubesystemoradcbackupprelubesystemfromVARNAProducts!

Moneysaving,increasingequipmentlifeandreliabilitysmiles2share)

byNicholasKelsch(KelscNM)on
1011201009:18AM
Responsestorjhintz'squestions:
IthoughtIunderstoodelementaryterminology,butapparentlynot.Inspeakingof"gas"gensets,Iassume,perhaps
wrongly,thatmostorallofthisappliestodieselfueledgensets,right?
Enginemanufacturersandgensetpackagescommonlyrefertodieselfueledgensetsasdieselgensets,and
gaseousfueledgensetsasgasgensets.
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WhenIhear"gas,"Ithinknaturalgas,whichisafuelchoice,asIunderstandit,butthatisn'tthecontexthere.Theoverhead
liftcapabilityisindependentoffuel,Iassume.
Yes.Manyoftheserecommendationscouldapplytoeitherdieselorgasfuelgensets,buttheyaretargetedmore
towardsprimepowerorcontinuouspowerapplicationswheretheenginesarerunningthousandsofhoursperyear,
versus20100hoursperyearinthecaseofanemergencystandbyinstallation.

#1,Matchingsizeofoilstorage(fueloil,right?)totheoildeliverytruckwouldseemtobedependentonthesupplier,which
couldvarybycontract,Isuppose,unlessthere'sabestpractice,"onesizesfitsall"strategythatmostlyworks,regardlessof
whothesupplieris.Inatypicalinstallation,isthereapercentofcostaddonformatchingthesizeofoilstorage?Thatis,
perhapsmatchingsizeadds1%,or2%,orX%totheonetimeinstallationcost,orperhapsitdoesn'taddanything.
No.Theintentionherewastoreferencethelubricatingoilstorageforaprimepowerapplication.Thesepackages
consumeoilaspartofnormaloperation,andalsorequireregularoilchangesbasedonoperatinghours.Ifthetypical
primepowerdieselgensetrequiresoilchangesevery500hours,andagaspackagerequiresoilchangesevery
10002000hours,thenoilbecomesaveryregularconsumable.Oilchangequantitiesforlarger(>1000kW)genset
packagesoperatingcontinuouslyareinthehundredsofgallonsofoil,andoilconsumptionquantitiesareinthe
dozensofgallonsofoilperweek.
#2,Matchingsizeofmakeuptank:what'sthestrategyforgeneratorsusedforstandby?Usuallythere'slittleorno
consumption,exceptfortesting.However,inanoutagesituate,thegeneratorrunsessentiallyconstantly.
Nobenefitforstandbyoperation.
#3,Overheadlift:understandingthateverysiteissomewhatdifferent,howmuchdoesaddingoverheadlifttypicalladd?Is
this$1K,$10K,$25Kaddon?
Itisasignificantinvestmentthatwouldbeinthe10'softhousandsofdollars.Again,thisrecommendationwouldnot
applytostandbyapplicationswhereyourunverylimitedhoursperyear.
#46:typicaladdoncost?
#4Estimateafewhundreddollars,plusacouplehoursofservicelabor.
#5Noadditionalcostifconductedaspartofroutinemaintenance.
#6Estimateafewthousanddollarsforalarger(>1000kW)package
#7,addoncost?Whataredisadvantagestothis?
Assumecostsslightlyhigherthanthoseofanelectricstartsystem.Therearenosignificantdisadvantagesother
thantheneedtomonitorandperformmaintenanceonanairsystem.
#8,typicaladdedcosts?
Thesecanvarydependingontheanalysisproviderandthetypeoffuelanalysis.Estimateseveralhundredstoa
thousanddollars.

Greatfeedbackeveryone,keepitcoming.
Nick

bymikelon
1012201009:23PM
Beforeconstructionreviewdesignofpipingandsupportsystemswithserviceinmind.Thingslikehighpointventsandlow
pointdrainsseemssmall,butwhenyouspendhourstryingtoventacoolingsystemitreallywasn'tthatmuchextracost.
Pipesupportsalsoseemlikegoodideastomechanicalcontractoruntilatechnicianpointsoutitblocksaccesstoaservice
point.

Ongasengines.alwaysprovidefuelfilterswithgaugesformonitoring,"cleandry"gassuppliedbyutilitymaynotbeclean
anddry.Makesureanoperablevalvewithabilitytolockoutisinstalled,acheapplugvalvethatneedsa4footwrenchto
closewilllikelyendupbeingaproblem.

Makesurecoolingsystemhavepointstodrawcoolantsamplesandtoaddchemicals,primepowersystemsneedregular
coolingsystemmaintenance,evenwithELC.

Reviewaccess,lookatpipingrunsforcoolant,airandexhaust,seenlotsofsitesthatrequiredpartialdisassemblyof
exhaustsystemtopullpistonsandliners.Makesurespoolpiecesareinpipingthatwillneedremovalforservice,taking
downa20footsectionofpipefor3feetofaccesswillcostmanytimesoverinlifeofaplant.Samethingwithcoolantlines,
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makesureapumpcanbeserviced,preferablywithoutdrainingentiresystembyproperuseofisolationvalves.

Ifyouaddahoist,makesureyouknowwhatit'sgoingtobeusedforandit'slimitations,a1000lbhoistwouldbegreatfor
mostpartsbutassuresomeonedownthelinedoesn'toverloaditanddostructuraldamageorhurtsomeone(seenthat
morethanonce).

Makesurethingslikeserviceair,waterandelectricaloutletsarenearwheretheworkgetsdone,notonlytheenginebut
thingslikeheatexchangersneedcleaningtoo.Addstimeandriskiftheservicetechhastorunacordorairline100'.

Goodworklightingimprovesrepairprocess,badlightinginvitessomethingbeingmissed.

Makesureaccessformajorrepairsisconsidered,likeaccesstosideofblockforbearinginspection/replacement.

Considersomeworstcasepossiblities,likegettingacrankout,howwillitbedoneandisthereroomforit?Samethingfor
thetailend,inaprimepowersitelikelyhoodoftailendneedingshopserviceishigh.Aretheconduitsnotintheway?
Canyougetitoutwithoutremovingentirepackage,etc.

Considerrelocatingjunctionboxes,gaugepanelsandsomesensorsawayfromserviceareasofengine,tryingtodoa
valveadjustmentaroundagaugepanelusuallyresultsinextratimeneeded,andinsomecasesamistakethatcancause
anenginefailure.Rememberthefactoryinstallstheseitemsclosetotheenginefortheirconvienence,notyours.

Considertheareaaroundtheenginefordealingwithremovedandnewparts,andpossibleriskstopersonelhandling
thoseparts,mosteverythingisheavy,somaybeabitofextraclearenceoranefforttomakesurethesurroundingareais
levelforsafeworkingisworthreview?Ioncehadadesignerarguethepointwithme,Igavehima50lbbagofsandand
toldhimtowalkaroundtheenginethenoutoftheenclosure,hegotthepoint.

ModerngasenginesrequireafairlylargeDCpowersourceforcontrolsandignition,sojusteliminatingstartingbatteries
maynotalwayseliminatetheneedforbatteriesatall.Airstartsystemshavetheirownissues,dependingonstarting
requirementsandambientconditions.FranklyI'vefoundlongtermmaintenancecostsforairstartsystemsmorethancosts
forDCsystemson3400and3500seriesengines.Goingtoturbinestartersisusuallybetterthanvanetype,butairstorage
andpipingstillanissue,asisthecompressor.FunnyhowmanyairstartersI'verebuiltovertheyearsbecausesomeone
didn'taddoiltothelubricator.

MakesureLockOutTagOutcanbesafelyandquicklydonewhenneeded,majorrepairsrequireassurancethatthe
enginecannotturnuncontrolled,meansthestartmethodneedsdisabledandthebreakerneedstoberackedoutor
isolated.Needtomakesurethedesignandoperatingproceduressupportdoingthisrightwhenneeded.Whatiscostof
havingunitdownandabunchoftechsstandingaroundbecausethebreakercan'tberackedoutduetomanypossible
reasons?Alsoknowwherecircuitsthatfeedheaters,pumpsandothersupportequipmentare,andhowtomakethemsafe
aswell.

bypervinon
1221201011:17AM
AllgreattipsNick,
ManyoftheLFGprojectsImanageddidn'thaverunningwateratthesites.Thiscanbeabigissuewithrespecttoservice
androutineoperations.Ialwayswonderedwhysomeonewouldgotoalltheexpenseofrentingportapottysandthelike
andnotconsiderinstallingalowcostitemlikeawatermain.Especiallywhenyouareconstanstlytrenchingandinstalling
plasticpipinginthelandfillitself.Gofigure.

byvondanikkenon
0130201310:13AM
Thisisanexcellentpost,installingthesecanbeapain,weatNationalPowerSupplyappreciatepostslikethissowecan
passthisvaluableinformationalongtoourcustomers.

byVincentScatenaon
0402201505:01PM
Thisisagoodarticle,thoughalsodependingonindustrytherearesomeothertricksonreducingmaintenancecosts.

Iknowinaggregate,andminingespecially,wellservicedandsealed"weatherprotection"andcontainerscandramatically
reducemaintenancebyreducingparticulates.IsawsomegoodoptionsonIndustrialMotorPower.
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