Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008 - (Page A7)

CONTINUOUS DUTY ENGINE-GENERATORS AVAILABLE SIZES* IN KWE the Upswing have become a delicate balancing act for controls. Digital controls like Power Command® by Cummins are one of the keys to meeting this challenge.” He indicates that continuous improvements in this control area for over a decade have led to notable improvement in power system reliability as well. Shields notes that in addition to the fully integrated digital control system, Cummins offers a high energy ignition system, a turbocharger closely matched to other system components, and a two-circuit cooling system for combustion air. eﬁts. I’m excited to get the new unit. It has the latest combustion technology, it is more efﬁcient, and operates with lower emission levels. By using it for base load operations, we can displace power from the older engines and gain environmental beneﬁts.” The airport uses the hot water for space heating, water heating and to supply absorption chillers for building cooling. In industry, hot water is also used for food processing, pulp and paper processes, metal treating, greenhouses and many other applications. Caterpillar Cummins Fairbanks-Morse GE Jenbacher Waukesha Wartsila *Includes dual-fuel engines 85 to 6,520 334 to 2,000 1,580 to 7,815 250 to 3,000 186 to 3,356 3,900 to 16,640 engine gensets is superior to simple-cycle gas turbines. If waste heat utilization is a factor, turbines usually provide higher byproduct heat temperatures, and turbine exhaust can be effectively used with waste heat boilers to generate steam. Both engines and turbines start quickly and are putting electric energy on line within minutes, with a slight advantage in most cases to engines over turbines. Consider the Engine Options Getting started with your own generating plant requires self-education with an emphasis on current information on unit sizes, expected efﬁciency, and service requirements. It is critical that owners also be able to quantify present and future load requirements in order to select the right engine sizes. Qualiﬁed engineers and manufacturer’s representatives are ready to help. Are you ready to get started? GT Byproduct Heat Opportunities With even the most efﬁcient engines, signiﬁcant byproduct heat is produced by engine operation. Heat comes from jacket cooling water, oil cooling systems, and combustion exhaust. Thus, a true cogeneration opportunity exists. Usually byproduct hot water is generated from oil coolers and engine coolant using water to water heat exchangers, and from exhaust gas using an economizer. A common approach is to put these systems in series, with the oil cooler operating at around 125°F, the engine coolant at 190°F, and the exhaust at 250°F. With such a system 80% to 90% of the energy can be recovered from the fuel. Extending Service Intervals In addition to improving efﬁciency, great progress has been made in extending service intervals for gensets. Shields from Cummins calls attention to improved spark plug life, extended oil change intervals made possibly by improved engine component material selection and vigilant oil sampling, and advanced cylinder head designs. Palmer from Waukesha mentions an improved oil sump system and better oil and air ﬁltration, along with an improved breather design. Devine from Caterpillar notes that many developments in design not only result in lower cost per kW, but also higher reliability and extended service intervals. info CATERPILLAR www.cat.com CUMMINS www.cummins.com ENERGY SOLUTIONS CENTER — ELECTRIC GENERATION www.energysolutionscenter.org/tech/tech_egen.asp FAIRBANKS MORSE www.fairbanksmorse.com GE JENBACHER ENGINES www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/recip_ engines/en/index.htm WAUKESHA ENGINE DIVISION OF DRESSER INDUSTRIES www.waukeshaengine.com WARTSILA www.wartsila.com MORE Comparing Recips with Turbines Efﬁciency Helps CHP at Airport An example of an owner taking advantage of the higher efﬁciency of new engine designs is the Bradley Energy Center, which supplies electric power and heat to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. The company recently committed to installing a new-design Waukesha engine to add capacity to an existing Waukeshapowered CHP operation. Rich Ogurick, manager of plant operations for Bradley Energy Center says, “This new arrangement will offer multiple benIndustrial energy users contemplating installing or adding to onsite generation consider both engine systems and gas turbines. Manufacturers of both engines and turbine concede that there is a place for both types of generation. Key to this complex decision is to carefully evaluate the anticipated operating conditions and load patterns. Generally speaking, recip engines tend to operate more efﬁciently than turbines under part-load conditions. According to Dennis Finn from Wartsila, the heat rate from his company’s large WWW.ENERGYSOLUTIONSCENTER.ORG gastechnology / WINTER 08 A7 http://www.cat.com http://www.cummins.com http://www.energysolutionscenter.org/tech/tech_egen.asp http://www.fairbanksmorse.com http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/recip_engines/en/index.htm http://www.waukeshaengine.com http://www.wartsila.com http://WWW.ENERGYSOLUTIONSCENTER.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008 Contents Viewpoint News M/E Roundtable ARC Awards New Construction Gold New Construction Silver New Construction Bronze Renovation Gold Renovation Silver A Green Approach to Air Conditioning Systems Turning Down the Lights Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space Gas Technology Pure Power Supplement

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008

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