Synchronicity
THE days of running a single, large genset to power an entire camp or processing plant are long gone.
Using clever controllers to manage and synchronise a number of smaller generators saves not only upfront capital costs but also ongoing operating costs.
The fuel savings alone, enjoyed by adopters of this technology, have been between $1-2m per year.
Genset Hire and Sales Australia (GHASA) is a WA company with more than 40 years’ experience in remote power generation.
In that time, it has been instrumental in developing power installations that do away with a single large generator, instead utilising several smaller generators with the same total output.
The benefits of this system are manifold and impact directly on the client’s bottom line.
A large generator, for example 1000kVA, may only be producing at full capacity for a short time each day, when power demand is high.
For the rest of the time, the large diesel engine is running with very light load and producing far less than 100pc of its capacity but still burning a significant volume of fuel.
Diesel engines running for extended periods under light or no load are susceptible to cylinder wetting and that can result in a costly rebuild.
GHASA Australia general manager Mark Kindred said the alternative is both economically and environmentally sound.
“In most cases, an electrical engineer will give us the specifications for the mine camp or process plant’s power requirements,” he said.
“It might require a total of 1000kVA.
“We examine the load profiles of that specific application and may recommend a combination of three or four 300kVA generators to supply the total required power.
“However, our design process and controllers allow us to seamlessly introduce or remove individual generators at any time to balance output with the site’s demand as it varies throughout the day.
“We encourage a similar sized unit as the spare. This allows for complete +1 redundancy in the event of a mechanical failure.
“By utilising ComAp controllers, and with some custom engineering, we can meet all the company’s energy requirements but also save them money on initial capital costs and ongoing maintenance using our synchronised genset installation.
“This system can have a significant cost saving on diesel consumption per annum.
“Diesel is the biggest cost in power generation alone.”
Clever camps
ComAp are the industry leaders in synchroniser controllers and its use has also allowed GHASA to go one step further for construction and small fly camps.
By teaming up with transportable building companies, GHASA has successfully designed and built modular camp configurations that are literally plug and play.
All electrical connections from the gensets to the buildings have plugs and sockets, so there is no need for a gaggle of electricians to wire up the site before it is commissioned.
Full bore
GHASA also supports many mining companies to power the pumps in their bore fields – the source of their water supply.
These gensets are typically sized between 20 and 50kVA and run for days at a time, often unsupervised due to their remote locations.
However, reliability and fuel efficiency and long range fuel tanks are paramount in this application as water is critical to the continuous operation of a mine.
GHASA pioneered the use of telemetry and onsite remote controllers to not only ensure that these generators operate faultlessly but also load switch according to water pump demand, to minimise fuel usage.
Hardcore hardware
GHASA’s gensets are powered by quality engines that are known for their reliability and longevity and have readily available service parts.
For generators up to 30kVA, Kubota engines are used.
These are not only reliable but have excellent resistance to cylinder wetting (bore glazing) when operating under light loads.
For units up to 50kVA, GHASA specifies Isuzu engines.
For applications 45kVA and above, Perkins or Cummins power plants are put into service.
Coupled to these highly renowned engines are quality gensets from Powerlink and Shindaiwa.
Once again, these units have proven themselves over the decades and have delivered thousands of trouble-free hours of service in the harshest environments in Australia and are proven in GHASA’s rental fleet.
As expected, the complete generators are fully mine-spec and feature locking battery isolators, bunded fuel tanks, internal control panels, outlets and external fuel valves.
GHASA’s units also include high capacity fuel tanks that permit true 24-hour operation between refills.
It takes experience, knowledge and technology to deliver uninterrupted power in remote locations but it takes a little extra know-how to do it for less up front capital and also save millions of dollars-worth of diesel. Synchronicity at its best.