DIESEL DEVELOPMENTS

20 April 2000




Global CHP underway

Wärtsilä has recently reported projects in Siberia, Brazil and the USA.

Ice work in Kargassok

A new gas-fired power plant has helped to drastically cut electricity costs in the Siberian region of Kargassok. The plant has been built under some of the most inhospitable climatic conditions, with extreme temperatures and weather.

The Tomsk plant, supplied by Wärtsilä NSD, which has an output of 6.2 MWe, and will fully cover the electricity needs of Kargassok and its surrounding communities.

The turnkey contract for this arctic power plant included three 12V220SG gas engines. Special measures had to be taken to counteract the extreme climatic conditions, including engine and building pre-heat.

Winter in this region lasts for seven to eight months, with the average temperature being -25°C. For at least two months of the year, however, the temperature drops to -45°C.

Regional Assistant Governor Vladimir Gontchar described commissioning of the plant as an important event for Kargassok. Previously, over 2.5 billion m3 of gas had been lost in burn-off while people in Tomsk had to get 60 per cent of their electricity at three times the normal price. The new power plant will result in a 20 per cent reduction in power prices and increased profitability of 25-30 per cent for the fuel supplier, Tomskgazprom, owned by Gazprom. Tomskgazprom is in charge of existing gas fields and development of new gas fields in the region. A new subsidiary, Vostokgazprom, is in charge of gas production, sales and delivery to China.

The Vostokgazprom programme, started earlier this year, will lead to the purchase of several 6 MW decentralised gas-fired power plants each year for the next five to eight years.

The real thing in Brazil

A Wärtsilä NSD cogeneration plant has begun operating in Brazil, providing heat and power to a new Coca-Cola bottling factory. The plant, in Guararapes, runs on two Wärtsilä 12V220SG gas engines, which supply 3.6 MWe and 3.2 MWth.

The Coca-Cola factory needed its own energy source, as the transmission system in Brazil is frequently down. The cogeneration plant provides the factory with cheap and reliable heat and power. The Refrescos Guararapes plant will produce an estimated 1.2 billion litres/year.

Wärtsilä began the project in March 1999. The plant is equipped with two 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 12V220SG gas engines with an output of 1.8 MW each at a speed of 1200 rpm.

Taking off at Detroit

Wärtsilä NSD won an order, through its cooperative venture with Cummins Power Generation America, for a 17.2 MW Pure Energy plant for the Midfield Terminal at Detroit Metro airport. The plant will supply Midfield Terminal’s energy needs, and supports the DoE’s commitment to double the amount of CHP used in the USA by 2010.

Wärtsilä’s Pure Energy plant will include three 18V34SG gas engines with heat recovery units. The plant is due to be commissioned in September 2000.

Deutz introduces new gas engine

Deutz plans to introduce a natural-gas-fired engine based on its 1015 series diesel engine.

When using natural gas, the engines will operate in a power range of 180 – 260 kWe. The engines are intended to run initially in small CHP plants.

Deutz plans to sell these engines primarily via genset packages. They will also be sold to power stations via its subsidiary Deutz Energy.

The 1015 series gas engines will be built as six and eight cylinder V-engines. They will operate with lean-burn turbocharging, and will be provided with an electronic governor by which they can be flexibly integrated in plant control systems.

Deutz claims to have installed around 1800 MW of gas engine power over the last 25 years.

NOx emissions can be reduced by 82 per cent

Mobil Technology claims that it has achieved an 82.3 per cent reduction in NOx emissions from a stationary Mack T9 diesel engine. It also claims to have achieved a 92 per cent reduction in NOx emissions from a stationary Caterpillar G3406 natural gas engine.

The system tested used a Urea SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) System from Johnson Matthey’s Environmental Products group. The Urea SCR system includes a Johnson Matthey SCR NOx reduction catalyst and a Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. ARIS 2000 advanced urea injection system. The ARIS 2000 system meters precise amounts of urea solution into the exhaust stream of the diesel engine.

The diesel was tested using an operating cycle of 75 hours at 1800 rpm and 425 hours at 1200 rpm.

Recommendations on oil consumption

The Conseil International des Machines a Combustion (CIMAC) working group has published a report on “Oil Consumption of Medium Speed Diesel Engines”. The report examines a range of factors, including engine design and operating conditions, fuel quality and lubricant quality.

The report addresses oil consumption (defined as amount of oil make up plus system charge renewal) required to keep the engine operating satisfactorily and to control the oil quality within limits prescribed by the engine builder or suggested by the oil supplier. Major factors impacting on oil consumption are summarised, together with the consequences of inadequate quantity/quality. It also offers advice to cope with such a situation.

South of every border

National Electrical Systems is supplying a Caterpillar 3412 genset to the Amundson-Scott Research Facility at the South Pole to provide 500 kWe. In addition, three Caterpillar 3406 gensets, each rated at 320 kWe, will be sent to the facility and will be used to provide emergency standby power in 2000.

The Amundeson-Scott Research Facility is at the South Pole, and accommodates 125 scientists during the summer, and 30 in the winter. The extreme temperature at the South Pole (averaging -49.3°C) limits air travel to the station to the brief summer period, November to January. In addition, strict international environmental regulations have been imposed.

The new gensets were flown in during the summer from McMurdo Station to Amundson-Scott

Power plant for North Sea gasproduction platform

Deutz received an order for the delivery of a power plant for a new production platform in the German

gas field A6A in the North Sea.

The plant consists of three gensets:

A gas engine genset, driven by a 16-cylinder engine of the 441 series.

A diesel engine genset, driven by a 16-cylinder engine of the 620 series.

An emergency genset driven by an 8-cylinder diesel engine of the 620 series.

The gas engine is equipped with the TEM system developed by Deutz, and an anti-knock control. It can therefore be run on gas with a relatively low methane number.

The most powerful medium speed diesel in the UK

Alstom Enegines Mirrlees Blackstone has completed assembly of the most powerful 600 rpm diesel engine to be designed and built in the UK.

The engine, designated the MB430M, has 18 cylinders and an output of 15 MWe. It weighs 154 tonnes.

Some of the key features of the uprated engine are:

Stroke increase from 480 mm to 520 mm.

Brake Mean Effective pressure increased from 21 bar to 23 bar.

Increased maximum cylinder pressure from 172 bar to 200 bar.

High-strength two-piece piston assembly having steel crown and forged aluminium alloy skirt.

Enlarged crankshaft main bearing journals to cater for increased cylinder pressures.

Cylinder liner with cooling confined to upper flange area.

Advance technology turbochargers coupled with development of high efficiency single pipe exhaust system.

The MB430 has a competitive specific fuel consumption of 175 g/bkW/hr. This results in good energy conversion costs, combined with the ability to operate on the most arduous grades of heavy residual fuel in the world.

Alstom Engines Mirrlees Blackstone plans to release a 12-cylinder version of the engine with a power output of 10 MWe.



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