We designed 11 gensets for three combined-cycle power plants in Bolivia that will increase the electric power in the country by 50%

Three combined-cycle plants located in three different departments in Bolivia, Tarija, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, will increase electric power by 50% in the Andean country.

The project will not only improve the efficiency and availability of electricity in Bolivia, but it will also improve its economy and the overall environment, and Genesal has contributed towards this ambitious initiative by supplying 11 generator sets. Four have been installed in Tarija, another four in Santa Cruz and three in Cochabamba.

In this type of combined cycle power plant there are essential loads that must be permanently supplied power to in order for the installation to operate correctly. This is the case, for instance, of systems from the water treatment plant or the pumps from the lubrication units, which must continue operating so that, in the case of an emergency such as a power outage, the whole system can be safely shut down. This is precisely the task carried out by nine of the eleven supplied gensets.

Two of the gensets are Black Start units, whose objective is to provide power to one of the most important elements of the gas turbine: the turning gear.

The remaining two gensets are Black Start sets whose purpose is to power one of the most important elements of the gas turbine, the turning gear, an element used for the cold start of the turbine after a programmed shut down.

The turning gear rotates the turbine rotor at a very low speed to ensure a slow and uniform cool down, in order to avoid any thermal deformations.

Genesal’s solution

Our client requested the gensets be completely managed, controlled and monitorized from the control panel. A control philosophy was implemented whereby the diesel genset is connected to the electric panel and said panel is connected to the installation’s essential loads’ busbars (in the case of the emergency gensets) or to the gas turbines (in the case of the Black Start gensets). For the implementation of this system, a PLC was installed in order to manage all the elements of the generating installation, as well as a protection relay and a synchronizer for the parallel with mains operation.

Therefore, we designed each soundproof genset in its respective container with diverse elements ranging from air conditioning to fire detection systems, motorised louvers, fans… all thought-out and tailor-made following the client’s needs,

Each genset is made to be integrated and coordinated with the elements of the power plant its installed in. Furthermore, the emergency system can be completely controlled by the central PLC.

We supplied 24 gensets to guarantee the power supply in the Balearic Islands

We’ve supplied 24 gensets in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

At Genesal Energy we’ve supplied 24 gensets to guarantee the correct operation of the power grid in the Balearic Islands, either during a mains failure or when facing scheduled outages during maintenance.

The units sent to the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera are tailor-made solutions adapted to the needs of the client, who requested that the groups, of three different power ratings, be prepared to be moved anywhere by road. Following these requests, Genesal Energy developed robust gensets, capable of facing the inconveniences that inevitably arise due to the rattle of road transportation as well as the occasional complicated access points.

Although the 24 gensets are operated manually, they can also start-up automatically in the event of a mains failure for instance, or remotely through a dry contact or through SMS thanks to the GSM/GPS module incorporated inside. This communication module allows the following functions:

  • Control of the unit through SMS in order to start-up and stop the genset remotely, alarm reset, change of operation mode and visualization of the status of the genset in real-time.
  • Automatic SMS and e-mail delivery to the user regarding alarms and events pertaining to the genset.
  • Monitoring and control of one or more of the units through the web.
  • GPS Geolocation to know the location of the generator set at all times and to avoid the possible theft of the genset, which incorporates an alarm to alert whenever the genset moves out of the coordinates defined by the client in the control panel.
  • Fuel theft alarm.

Different soundproof systems

On the other hand, each genset has conditional permission to operate which is reliant on an external relay that will allow it to or not, as appropriate, when the genset in question is used to power a section of the medium-voltage network in island mode.

Following the client’s requests, all of the units are soundproofed, due to the fact that they are mobile gensets that must comply with the noise emission norms of the different places in which they could operate (residential zones, urban areas, hospitals…).

Genesal’s solution consisted in designing different soundproof systems in the canopies that ended up reaching noise emission levels which were far below the average for standard gensets of the same power rating.

The 24 gensets also contain fuel tanks with great autonomy (more than eight hours at 100% load in all of the units) and a leakage tray for all of the unit’s liquids.

We designed a generator set for one of multinational company DSV Sweden, prepared to operate in the extreme cold

We designed a soundproof 450-500 kVA unit prepared to withstand the cold temperatures.

Low temperatures are a critical factor for many companies that manufacture gensets due to the difficulty of designing competitive products that are prepared to operate in the extreme cold in an optimal manner.

This is not the case for Genesal Energy, which has a specific range of gensets that are capable of starting-up and operating intemperatures of up to -30ºC, which has made our brand a reference brand in Scandinavia, as well as other countries in Northern Europe.

One of our latest projects in this “low temperature” range has been for DSV, the Danish logistics and transport company, the fifth in its sector at a worldwide scale. The multinational company needed emergency power for one of its logistics centres in Sweden, and for this it reached out to Genesal.

To meet with DSV’s needs, we designed a soundproof 450-500 kVA unit (GEN500SI) prepared to withstand the cold temperatures.

The unit was installed in DSV’s logistics centre in Jönköping, a municipality located 350 km to the south-east of Stockholm with icy autumns and winters, where the thermometres show temperatures that easily dip below zero degrees.

The genset includes oversized batteries and has heaters integrated in the canopy, in order to maintain the unit at the correct temperature so that it is in perfect conditions to start-up in the cold in the case of a mains failure and guarantee the electricity supply to the centre.

We installed generator sets in the Quito Sur Hospital in Ecuador

Ecuador’s Government installs Genesal Energy generator sets in the Quito Sur Hospital, the largest and most modern hospital in the country.

Covering almost 90,000 sq./m, costing 226 Million US dollars, and fully operational since December 2017, Ecuador’s largest and most up to date hospital has been built in South Quito, the capital.

Covering almost 90,000 sq./m, costing 226 Million US dollars, and fully operational since December 2017, Ecuador’s largest and most up to date hospital has been built in South Quito, the capital.

The project commissioned by the Ecuadorian national health service (IESS), is today a reality, and benefitting the residents of south Quito, in the El Recreo district. This publicly owned hospital with over 400 beds and 50 consultation areas, employs 1,800 people. Each one of the 5 buildings within the complex contains a Genesal Energy emergency power genset.

Power cuts in hospitals can lead to critical situations for patients and the doctors and nurses that care for them. It is obviously vital that these types of buildings can continue to function and must not be brought to a standstill.

The high consequences of a power cut mean it is essential to install back up systems that will continue to supply electricity to all the systems, ensuring the medical teams and doctors can continue their work ensuring that patients continue to receive healthcare.

Project aims: Emergency Power at Quito Sur Hospital in Ecuador

Due to the risks presented by a power cut the client required a solution that would incorporate gensets with automatic start-up (AMF). GENESAL ENERGY designed six generator sets with different voltages and power ratings, to meet the clients needs in relation to the different load requirements for each building. The objective; a guaranteed power supply in the event of a mains failure permitting the hospital to carry on as normal.

Designed for high altitude

The gensets supplied can give the necessary power at an altitude of 2,800M above sea level, bearing in mind that at this altitude there is less oxygen in the air, meaning the gensets mist work harder.

Additionally the solution had to account for the need to install gensets that would not cause noise contamination, and for this reason soundproofed gensets were supplied with the exhaust system at the top of the canopy.

Characteristics

  • Top canopy exhaust system.
  • Automatic fuel transfer from external fuel tanks.
  • Pre-heating resistance included.
  • Automatic start-up due to mains failure.
  • Ethernet connection.
  • PMG excitation system.

Supply of seven mobile soundproof gensets with a remote communication system

7 units of soundproof generator sets

Genesal Energy designed, manufactured and delivered seven 15/16 kVA soundproof gensets mounted on trailers to the client’s installations in Northern Europe.

The project consisted in the supply of seven mobile soundproof gensets. These units were designed to operate at both of the country of destination’s voltages (400/230 V & 230 V 3 phase without neutral). Each unit possesses the adequate power sockets to operate at both voltages.

Remote communication system

The seven units include a remote communication system through a GPRS module that allows the operation of the unit through SMS or through an app available for both iOS and Android. In addition, these gensets incorporate a GPS system that allows the client to trace the units, that is, to know exactly where they are at any given moment.

Steps to choose the right generating set

Commissioning, the best security protocol for the generator sets

Genesal performs more than 600 commissioning processes every year, of which most are outside of Spain.

Making sure that oil, fuel and coolant levels are optimal, that the air inputs are correct or that the unit has arrived to its destination in the same conditions in which it left the factory, are just some of the technical protocol steps to be performed before the commissioning of any generator set, in a fully comprehensive and absolutely essential check-up coordinated by Genesal Energy’s Guillermo Docampo, thanks to an expertise acquired through 40 years of experience in the energy industry.

Since the founding of Genesal almost 25 years ago, Docampo and the rest of the engineers in the testing team know every unit that is designed and built in the factory inside and out, because their job is precisely that, making sure nothing fails, and making sure that the generator that a client purchases, which is created according to their specific needs, is in perfect conditions before definitively handing it over to the client. “Our service is akin to that of the MOT, we’re the ones that give the go-ahead”, he says.

Commissioning is, therefore, fundamental in order to avoid subsequent issues, to minimize and eliminate risks. While with standard generator sets– like those designed to provide power for a farm or a hotel – the steps prior to a successful start-up are relatively simple, in the case of special generators (nuclear plants, hospitals or combined-cycle plants, amongst other installations) the situation is completely different due to the nature of the unit.

While with standard units it’s quite normal for the After Sales department to assume this task – “a good instruction manual and some basic notions are, in most cases, enough”, the expert states – in the case of special generator sets, the protocol is different: “A Genesal team or a group of technicians that have received training by our staff always travel to the area”, Guillermo Docampo points out.

More than 40 countries

At a global scale, the number of commissioning processes performed by Genesal Energy exceeds 600 a year, which means an average of two a day, although the percentage varies greatly according to the world map. On a national level, 30% of Genesal Energy’s services include commissioning, however this percentage is much higher in the international market, where in countries like Peru they now represent 95%.

In reality, the nature of the generators that are sold outside of Spain (many of them special generators) explain thishigh number of commissioning processes. “It’s always convenient that the start-up and supervision processes are taken out by the manufacturing company because we and our service technicians know the product better than anyone”, says Docampo, who throughout his career has taken Genesal’s energy to more than 40 countries.

Columbia, Ecuador, South Africa, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Georgia or Qatar are part of thewide client portfolio of the company, where the commissioning service always tends to be included.

Training courses

Without a doubt, training is a basic tool when it comes to commissioning processes, so that the supervision and control tasks that these check-ups require take place with total guarantee.

This way, Genesal provides an average of four courses a year in its headquarters in Bergondo (A Coruña), although its programmes also include training plans and sessions abroad, giving classes to the personnel that will be in contact with the generator set or will be in charge of its maintenance tasks.

“The courses are absolutely necessary in order to have a thorough knowledge of the unit and, therefore, to make sure that everything is okay. We need to guarantee the operation of the generators in times of emergency and in order to achieve this, a good maintenance of the unit is fundamental, which is why adequate training is needed”, Docampo highlights.

Genesal Energy has supplied an emergency genset for the combined cycle power plant (CCPP) known as Empalme II, a huge engineering project in the Sonora State of Mexico

Back start 2,000 kVA genset

Empalme II is a thermal energy combined cycle power plant with 2 gas turbines and output peak level of 791 MW, an initiative led by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE in Spanish) of Mexico. Empalme II is a fantastic example of a large-scale engineering project in Sonora State, of which Genesal Energy has had the privilege of participating in. Our role has been to install a black start 2,000 kVA genset, whose purpose is to restore full functionality and start up of the power plant in the event of a mains power cut. The genset has been developed uniquely for this customer and as part of the overall project.

Back start 2,000 kVA genset

Alongside Chihuahuha and Baja California, Sonora is a reference in Latin America as a whole for the commissioning of projects which promote the use of renewable energies. In installations such as Empalme II, whose investment borders on $400 million, the inclusion of gensets is fundamental. This is for a variety of reasons, for example in CCPPs there are essential loads which must be permanently supplied with power for the correct functioning of the installation.

At Emplame II one of the most important loads is for the turning gears or barring gears, consisting of an electric motor which turns the turbine shaft at low speed to ensure balanced cool down and avoid rotor bending or “hog”. In terms of automation, the client asked for System Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) to be available in the main control panel.

How does it work

In these cases, the emergency genset is connected to the main electrical power cabinet, which at the same time is connected to three different busbars, feeding the panel for general essential services and the essential services for the 2 gas turbines. In an emergency, the genset will feed the essential loads in the power plant and will even be capable of identifying each busbar individually, permitting it supply energy either individually or together.

To correctly install this system, Genesal Energy proposed a redundant PLC using 2 computers, so if one should breakdown, the other will immediately and automatically take full control of the genset, without any noticeable change in the rest of the power plant. Additionally, protection relay was installed and a synchroniser allowing parallel operation with the mains grid. The genset also includes an electrical control room with air conditioning, fire detection and suppression system that can differentiate where it will operate in the genset using FM200 gas agent.

Emergency Power for the Saudi Arabian embassies in Ghana, Cameroon, Niger and Zambia

Design and manufacture of emergency back-up gensets for the Saudi Arabian embassies situated in Ghana, Cameroon, Niger and Zambia, ensuring they will continue to have electricity in the event of a power cut in the mains grid supply.

The first stage in partnership with the construction firm responsible for building the embassies was a rethink to ensure that the gensets were adequately installed according to their characteristics.

The final design was completed, followed by the acquisition of the required materials to ensure the production deadline was met. Finally, the gensets (both mechanical and electrical parts) were built, culminating in testing for approved standards certificates in conjunction with the consultant responsible for design approval and signing off on the delivery.

Energía de emergencia para las embajadas de Arabia Saudí

A total of 20 gensets have successfully been installed: four in Ghana, five each in Niger and Cameroon, and a total of six gensets in Zambia. Although the gensets appear to be very similar, they were configured differently in each room where they have been installed, depending on the position of the fuel tank as well as the accompanying cables.

This also included the need for adequate busbars for the fitting of the power cables to the gensets. Each embassy now has a set of gensets giving back up support to the main on-site buildings. Regarding the genset operational setting, depending on the embassy, this could entail running in parallel between the gensets. It also permits added power output or redundancy, useful where if one genset fails, the others or another will take up the load demand. The project was completed with individual gensets installed in to the underground bunker found in each compound.