Transport & energy – key strategic undertakings for Genesal Energy in Mexico

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Two combined cycle power plants – Emplame II in Sonora State, and Valle de Mexico in Acolman – are prime examples of the type of large scale projects which are in Genesal Energy’s agenda for delivery this year in Mexico. The gensets of these two mega-projects by the Mexican Government, have been designed and manufactured almost 10,000 kilometres way in Spain, home of Genesal Energy, a company dedicated to the distributed energy sector, and responsible for exporting the “brand “globally.

   
▲ GEN2000HC – Empalme II                                  ▲ GEN2178TC – Valle México

The numbers tell the true story of Genesal Energy’s international focus and growth: their products can be found in over 30 countries in 5 continents, with exports accounting for 65% of all production. Branches are integrated into Peru, Panama whilst business began in Mexico in 2009 leading to a recognition of the long-term potential of the region, and subsequently a branch office operational since 2014 in central Mexico City. Genesal in Mexico has established a strong presence in the principal business and industrial regions of the capital itself, as well as Monterrey, Leon and Guadalajara, in what is Latin America’s third biggest country.

In the last few years Genesal have been involved in more than 10 major projects and success stories including large scale public works such as the cogeneration power plant in Afranrent, the first submerged transport tunnel in Latin America (Coatzacoalcos) and even the new airport in Mexico City. Today Genesal supplies multinationals, the government and small businesses around the country. “Mexico had to be a leading player in our international expansion. It offers many possibilities.” Explained Iago Crespo, General Manager Mexico for Genesal Energy.

    

▲GEN1719HC –  Afranrent Plant                            ▲ GEN2407H – Tunnel Coatzacoalcos

The company, whose growth continues unabated in this central American region, and that has doubled their turnover in 3 years, is now setting its sights on the energy and transport industries, sectors with enormous potential for business, especially with the commencement of the energy reforms carried out by the government.

“In the past, resources were in the hands of state-controlled companies, but procedures have changed, there is less bureaucracy, and more options,” explains Crespo, who confirms that the Mexican client is demanding in terms of timings and prices “and above all in the service expected.”

Innovation and on-demand service

Without doubt, one of the secrets of Genesal Energy’s success in the international market has been their ability to quickly adapt. Through their constant innovation, and high-level engineering, a very personalised service can also be noted, added value in Mexico which does not go unnoticed. “The difference is in our comprehensive service, quality and flexibility.” points out Crespo, “When we turn up we focus on supply, installation and maintenance, but more and more our clients insist we act more comprehensively, offering for example complete genset packages.”

Gensets for a solar power plant in South Africa that will supply electricity to 150,000 homes

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Genesal Energy contributed with the project design and supply of two emergency gensets.

Kathu Solar Park in South Africa is a concentrated solar power system(CSP) up to 100MW. Building commenced in May 2016, and it is destined to be in service by the end of 2018.

The thermoelectric plant itselfwill be able to supply 4.5 hours of thermal energy thanks to cutting edge technology which allows supply to continue well after the sun has gone down. When fully operational Kathu Solar Park will supply power to 150,000 households. Also, according to the construction management team, the installation will contribute to sustainable development in the province of North Cape where the plant is situated. This will result in a C02 emissions saving of 6,000,000 tonnesover the next 20 years.

Genesal designed the emergency gensets in compliance with a series of requirements. The gensets had to be soundproofedand the control room needed to be maintained at an optimal working temperature. This was achieved by installing a split air conditioning system and a heat exchanger.

    

Remote Control

Rock wool acoustic panels inside a metallic mesh cover were used for soundproofing, guaranteeing an excellent attenuation result, functionally, but also aesthetically. The interior of the generator set was split in to two clearly defined compartments: the engine room and the control room. The emergency gensets can be controlled either directly via the in-built control panels using buttons, switches and touch screen technology or it can be controlled remotely through a DCS (distributed control system) which is a method to centralize and controlthe entire power station.

Alongside the gensets two double walled certified fuel tanks were supplied for external installation, one at 7,500 litres full load, and the other at 10,000 litres, guaranteeing over 24 hours of autonomy if necessary.

 

Made to measure energy solution for the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant

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Both the reactors at the Almaraz Nucelar Power Plant in Caceres (the oldest in Spain) supply 7% of the nations energy demands.

The plant is located in an area know as Ribera del Rio Tajo, and they have recently placed their trust in GENESAL ENERGY to design an emergency back up generator set capable of dealing with any potential incident.


The project consisted in designing, building, installing and commissioning a genset capable of supplying a 110kVA of power to supply energy to the Individual Temporary Storage (ITS), which alongside the fuel pools, allow for temporary storage of used combustibles from the reactors in the event of a power failure.

Genesal has designed a soundproofed genset inside a 20ft container with an interior control room configured for automatic start up. The bench frame incorporates a 700 litre fully bunded fuel tank, providing the genset with up to 25 hours autonomy. The genset has been specially designed to work at 45°C as well as resist seismic movements, in order to comply with security norms.

To meet with the client’s specific needs the genset was designed with an independent control room and power output with various local controls to manage the genset and other parts of the installation.

Load bank

In the switchgear output of the grid/genset, switches are fitted for each area of the ITS in the power plant. Each one can close or open via pushbuttons or using a pre-programmed sequence designed by the client.

For the correct functionality of the genset, a separate room within the container was built to hold a resistive load bank which is connected to the genset output always and when the load is less than 40% of its maximum capacity. This allows for fuel use optimization and prolongs the lifetime of the genset (normally a genset is recommended to work at 70/80% of its maximum).

The load bank can connect to the genset manually via pushbutton for maintenance work. It is also important to highlight the implementation of signals exchange in the Distributed Control System (DCS) of the power plant, for example the state of switchgear, of the genset and a measurement of zero return to detect grounding failure in the installation.

Emergency Power for Phosphates Treatment Plant in El Jadida, Morocco

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The project has been designed for one of the most important companies in the engineering and constructin sector, with headquarters in Marseille (France).

Situated 80KM south of Casablanca and 17Km from El Jadida is the Jorf Lasar industrial complex, a phosphates treatment plant which Genesal Energy has supplied with 3 specially designed gensets for emergency back-up.

The plant whose installations cover an area of 1,700 hectares began its production in 1986 and its numbers are quite impressive: the recuperation of 2 million tonnes annually of P2O5 in the form of phosphorus acid.

Genesal Energy has supplied this elaborate facility in Morocco with a genset island comprising of identical generators for outdoor use (3 units at 400V/50Hz containerised with a control system) designed to work in parallel or if necessary individually. Five circuit breakers make up the switchgear.

In detail

As with every project undertaken by Genesal, the control system designed for this phosphate treatment plant was managed to the tiniest detail:

  • If the gensets are operational, they can be synchronised, either with the output switch of each genset or with the coupling point, therefore reducing the number of movements required by the switches in case of changes in the operational format.
  • If a generator is stopped, the circuit breaker is disabled to avoid damage from unwanted power inputs from external busbars
  • If the client has not indicated that a connection panel should receive an electrical feed, the incoming power cabinet circuit breaker will not be permitted to close (not even manually), in order to avoid short circuits caused by external voltage not from the actual genset island.

We are involved in the extension of the Los Azufres plant in Mexico, which obtains renewable energy from the centre of the earth.

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The genset supplied by Genesal Energy is ready to power the critical loads at2,856 M above sea level, where the plant is situated.

Geotherm is a renewable energy source which is generated by the heat expanding from the core of the earth. Currently, Mexico is one of the most advanced countries in this field, and in Los Azufres the country’s second largest reserve also one of the biggest in the world is found (the largest in Mexico being in the state of Baja California).

The Los Azufres power plant is located in the state of Michoacan, 250 KM from the capital Mexico City. Due to the potential of this energy source, the Federal Commission for Electricity has driven the construction of Los Azufres III-Phase 2 expansion, with a net capacity guarantee of 25MW. This will be focused on supplying power to the Michoacan cities of Hidalgo and Zinapecauro. The objective is to ensure a stable and renewable supply for the ever-increasing energy demands in the region.

Genesal Energy has supplied emergency back up power for the plant, a made to measure generator set, very different to standard gensets, in that it can operate at almost 3000M above sea level.

The generator set, was the result of an exhaustive study detailing all the technical requirements of the project. Various aspects were analysed such as the conditions the genset would be working in, as well as calculating the loads it would support and the load steps in order to determine the most adequate engine and alternator.

The role of the new generator set in the Los Azufres Geothermal Plant is to supply power to the critical (essential) loads in the case of a mains grid power failure, with the objective of bringing the power plant to a safe shutdown and not a sudden stop. This is achieved using an Automatic Transfer System (ATS) to switch the power from the mains to the genset.

Some other interesting facts about this Project

  • The control panel was designed to a very specific specification, which was supplied by the client’s engineers – requiring a control cabinet with a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and a Siemens Siplus touchscreen.
  • The control panel and the entire genset installation has been prepared to work in an environment with a high concentration of H2S (sulphuric acid – a gas which is heavier than air, inflammable and colourless). To protect against H2S and for easy maintenance all the PLC cards are covered with an acrylic based plastic. Additionally, the connectors on the cards and where they connect are gold plated to withstand a permanent concentration of 3mmm of H2S gas.
  • It comes with a Modbus tcp/ip card and a fibre optic converter via a manageable switch with two fibre optic ports to create a fibre optic ring and guarantee continued communications.
  • As well as communication, the most important signals are sent wired. This ensures all the genset information is stored in the Scada system in the DCS of the geothermal plant, and total control via SCADA.