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

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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

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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.

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.

Genesal Energy Technical Support Services grows 40% in genset maintenance in just 1 year.

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Here at GENESAL ENERGY we believe that customer service does not stop when we close the sale of a product, on the contrary, it is when the sale has been made that the real work begins in terms of building customer loyalty. And that is done through efficiency, quality and building trust. Putting together and designing a maintenance program based on the individual clients needs whether for large fleets or individual genset units, is the hallmark of our Technical Support Services (SAT in Spanish). In the last few years our growth in this business unit has been spectacular, in many ways an occurrence brought on by clients who continuously demand more and better from Tech Support.

OVIDIO ALDEGUNDE

GENESAL ENERGY Tech Support (SAT), activities are based around maintenance, installation and the repair of generating sets, offering a very specialised level of attention by highly qualified professionals. Our objective is to ensure your product has the longest most efficient life span possible.

“Those who choose to invest our maintenance services are basing their choice on reliability, but also in trust, and peace of mind” assures Marga Gonzalez, director of GENESAL ENERGY Technical Support Services. She goes on to say that 40% growth in maintenance services for gensets in just 1 year clearly demonstrates an evolutionary market. Customer are more demanding than ever, and GENESAL ENERGY has taken up the gauntlet.

Our after sales support, is made up of almost 30 professionals, and is most definitely added value for the company, a part of our operation which carefully adapts to the supply/demand factors of the market offering solutions, services and adapted products, or in one word personalised. The GENESAL ENERGY Technical Support Service offers a wide range of solutions including three key areas of maintenance – corrective, preventative and predictive.

  • Corrective Maintenance – Solutions for breakdowns which depending on their origin (mechanical, electrical or electronical) cause operational malfunctions, which can even leave a genset out of service, which can potentially be a grave situation for the end user.
  • Preventative Maintenance – These services are adapted to the type of operation the genset is destined for, either PRP or ESP. The maintenance is adapted to the amount of usage given to the genset and may consist of annual technical inspections, supervision and virtual control amongst others. It also includes updating maintenance and improvements. In these cases, gensets are adapted to the changing circumstances in the customer’s needs (new alarms, config changes, control panel changes etc).
  • Predictive Maintenance: This entails personalised support over the phone and remote management, meaning Genesal Energy is your global reference at home and abroad when it comes to detecting potential breakdowns or faults in gensets worldwide using fixed or mobile wifi connections. Also as any necessary changes to the genset are carried out by remote management systems, the time spent on preventative maintenance is considerably shortened.

24/7 Support

Remote Control Systems fall in to the category of things that differentiates GENESAL ENERGY, and so does our ability to respond to our clients 24/7 throughout the entire year, offering non-stop high quality technical assistance.

Additionally, our dedication to R&D through our sector unique Technological Centre for Distributed Energy (CETED in Spanish), has not only consolidated our position as a market leader in our field, but its ongoing work compels us to be better with each project we do, to be better in every department and also in every new line of business.

In-House Technical Services

It is by being different that our Technical Support Services (SAT), can offer the highest levels of service: personalised solutions, our own high-powered load banks (unique in Spain), and of course a team of first class technical experts.

“In Genesal we have our own in house technical support services, something which distinguishes us from other companies in the sector”, indicated Marga, who also highlights the importance of being able to count on in-house experts who can intervene in any incident. She also went on to say, “Our team always have the support of the main factory, meaning our clients are covered at all times, something which is fundamental for us to offer the best service possible.”

The possibility to channel the incident, emit a diagnosis and repair the incident from Genesal Energy in record time without using external assistance is yet more added value from our after sales service. Why? Because it transmits reliability and trust, an essential value when discussing emergency generator sets where the solution process must be reliable and safe, but also quick.

Turnkey solutions are another service intimately connected to the efficiency offered by Technical Support Services. “We undertake the entire commissioning process of generators. From start to finish, full circle.” Marga tells us, who goes on to say that they have a specialist mobile team that can travel to the gensets on-site location to study and evaluate the distinct possibilities of an installation.

With the aim of guaranteeing a quick and immediate response anywhere in the country, GENESAL can also count on approx. 10 official technical services spread around Spain, covering the entire territory. “They are all highly capable professionals, who understand all the products leaving our factory to perfection.” The director reminds us.

Ongoing Training

One of the pillars of the Technical Support Services division, as with other departments in the company, is continuous training. The majority of this takes place in GENESAL’s very own inhouse training centre, allowing our own technicians and our external official support services to participate in all manners of professional development.

Knowledge and constant innovation are without doubt the correct path to follow to offer our clients the best and most impeccable attention possible combined with the best services.

GENESAL ENERGY in Northwest Spain begins conversion to a “Smart Factory”

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OVIDIO ALDEGUNDE

The investment, co-financed with EU funds amounts to 2 million Euros.

GENESEAL ENERGY, specialist in the design, manufacture and distribution of generator sets, will soon create their first intelligent factory at their head office in Bergondo’s industrial zone near the city of A Coruna in Northwest Spain. Their 6,000 SQ/M home is to be converted in to an Industry 4.0 factory (a Smart Factory): Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) for parts supply, “Additive Manufacturing” techniques and robotised services. The overall aim is to take GENESAL, an already well recognised brand in energy supply and increase its competitiveness and sustainability.

Genesal Energy will join the list of companies that are forming a part of the 4th Industrial Revolution, which permits improvements in all the phases of manufacturing. The Smart Factory concept helps to save energy and raw materials during processes, such as improving worker efficiency and maximising their effectiveness, and also applying sustainable technologies with energy recuperation techniques.

This project will be possible thanks to a 2 million Euro investment and has received financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Industrial Technological Development Centre (CDTI in Spanish), an organism under the auspices of Spain’s Ministry for the Economy and Competitivity. The conversion to a Smart Factory will happen over the next 6 years, finalising in 2023.

Better adaptability to the needs of the company, and a better resource management are just two of Genesal Energy’s objectives, whose overall strategy is based on 3 pillars: industry, internationalisation and innovation.

The denominated Smart Factories are capable of processing enormous databases to obtain maximum efficiency through the ability to connect people, devices and machines. It is also characterised by its ability to increase the rate of digitalisation in the different phases of the manufacturing process, and as a result obtaining higher standards of process control and quality.

‘Collaborative’ Robots

The arrival of industrial robots to their Spanish head office and factory, means that the workforce of over 60 people and the robots will work together to attain the highest levels of quality and efficiency. The robots will be collaborative, having been designed to support the employees in their daily tasks.

The introduction of Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques will clearly mark a before and after in the company’s production line. AM technologies permits the easy acquirement of key parts with specially adapted characteristics and a very high precision level, while improving the time required in the design and manufacturing process.

Since 2016 Genesal Energy has operated their Technological Centre for Distributed Energy (CETED) from their Spanish head office. CETED was recently recognised for their award in the category of Technical Innovation by the regional School of Engineers.

Now with the jump to Industry 4.0, Genesal reinforces its commitment in the field of R&D, an ongoing key part of the groups mission since its founding and a key reason why they are leaders in their field; developing cutting edge technology and in-house solutions of the highest quality and efficiency.

Genesal Energy continues to consolidate its standing in central America with a specially designed genset for Panamanian television

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Panama National Television (TVN), one of central Americas most important, has put their trust in to GENESAL ENERGY by asking us to design a super-compact electrical generator, adapted to their energy demands.

Having the ability to transmit their signal problem free from anywhere within the country of Panama, led TVN to realise and understand the importance of a genset that can supply energy to all of their field equipment. Whether it is to ensure an interview goes off without interruption, or a live connection remains live, TVN have chosen Genesal Energy to help them reach their large central American audience.

A fundamental part of the project was the ability to attach and suspend the genset to their mobile transmission trailer. For this reason alone, it was clear that a highly robust, super compact genset was required to be able to resist various situations, such as poor roads, inclement weather, stone or mud spatter when travelling etc. This was a clear case of designing a personalised genset, a speciality of Genesal Energy.

Small size, big power

A key part of the GENESAL ENERGY solution was to design a genset which was very compact (2286x758x752mm) to fit correctly to the chassis of the TV truck. A 50-litre fuel tank was integrated in to the solution, and removable panels have been added for ease of access for maintenance and servicing.

Additionally, inlet pipes and outlet pipes were designed to be compatible with the movement of the trailer, taking in to account the direction it is travelling, and ensuring the genset is not at risk of damage.

The genset control unit is remote, and has also been designed by Genesal Energy. It contains all the functions required, alarms and the necessary protections as requested by the client, for safe supply of electricity to their connected apparatus (cameras, microphones, lighting etc).

Another key area requiring a prioritised solution was related to the noise emitted by a genset in operation, which can cause interference when the TV crew are recording material. The solution; we designed a soundproofed canopy using noise absorbing material, capable of reducing noise emission from the genset to levels sufficiently within those that are required for TVN to produce their audio-visual requirements.

The project has been successfully completed and most importantly delivered. Installation and commissioning was also supervised by our on-site team, and TVN now has a TV truck with the freedom to operate where the news is happening.