North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: Now:Power/Generators (Was: Re[2]: telehouse - 25 broadway)
---- Original Message ---- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Now:Power/Generators (Was: Re[2]: telehouse - 25 >broadway) Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 16:02:14 -0700 >[ staying from nanog to power-generation again... :-) ] >many Diesel gensets can be "converted" to operate on LPG/Natural Gas >instead. >they typically end up with a higher operating temperature (but not >significantly so), and may need some upgrades to some of the >auxiliary >equipment (fuel pump, cooling system / heat-exchangers / radiators), >as >well as some relatively minor mods to the engine itself. you also >need a >Governor that knows that its using LPG/NG rather than Diesel - the >characteristics of how the engine behaves/responds are quite >different. Also, LPG/NG converted diesel engines are de-rated 400kW diesel may become 280kW LPG/NG. >on the topic of Oil Filters, one of the things that can be done to >help >"clean" the oil in a Diesel genset is to add a Centrifugal Pump to >seperate >the solids from the oil. this makes it possible to extend the >maintenance >periods (at least for Oil Filter changes) of Diesel gensets as well >as >improve the lifetime of the oil itself. >(Diesel gensets are fairly oil-hungry. that is normal). I also install an additional bypass oil filter which filters much smaller particles than the standard full-flow filter. This can also extend the maintenance interval and engine life. Using a filter extension plate and a remote filter mounting kit allows for faster and cleaner oil filter changes. Ensuring adequate genset cooling through a properly sized radiator, pump, and plumbing will prevent the oil from coking and will help keep its lubricating properties much longer. In our application, we are using diesel as a primary backup to the grid and the Capstone LPG/NG turbine as supplemental/backup/long runtime AC power. We have very reliable gas service, but diesel fuel does go bad and I don't want to store more than 24-48 hours of fuel in the building. -Robert |