Rolls-Royce is to supply twelve mtu Kinetic PowerPacks to King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia this summer. The systems, equipped with dynamically rotating kinetic energy accumulators, will be used to provide the university's supercomputing facility and data centre with “clean, conditioned, uninterruptible power supplies”, acting as the energy backbone.
Each PowerPack type KP5 has an output of 1.6 MWe, operates at medium voltage at 13.8kV, 60Hz, and is powered by an mtu diesel engine type 16V 4000 G74S. These uninterruptible power supply systems are produced in Liège (Belgium), are then fitted into custom-made enclosures in the United Arab Emirates, and finally installed on site in Saudi Arabia. The systems are designed for humid ambient conditions and temperatures of up to 50 deg Celsius. The scope of supply also includes medium-voltage switchgear and transformers and two control stations. The Rolls-Royce team in the Middle East is expected to commission the turnkey plant at the end of 2021 and will be on hand to provide operational support for a further year, and remain available for long term service support throughout the life time of the installation.
The PowerPacks will be installed in two groups of 6 systems each, with one available as a back-up in each group. In the event of a power outage, the constantly rotating, heavy kinetic energy accumulator will drive the generator and bridge the few seconds until the diesel engine, which has started in the meantime, takes over.
