18/8/2015

CaterpillarTheImpactofGeneratorSetUnderloadingOnlineCommunity

OnlineCommunity : ElectricPowerGenerationDiscussion : BLOG:PowerPerspectives :

TheImpactofGeneratorSetUnderloading

TheImpactofGeneratorSetUnderloading
byBrian(bjabeck)
0316201506:49AMedited
0316201506:52AM

Systemhealthandreliabilityarecriticaltobackupandprimepowersolutionsforanyinstallationfrommissioncritical
datacenterstoneighborhoodgrocerystores.Whilepowersystemsvaryinoperation,applicationandloadprofile,theyre
alldesignedtoprovidereliablepowerandmaximizedefficiency.Thegeneratorsetisakeypieceofthepowersystem
thatrequiresspecialattentionforlongtermsystemreliability,availabilityanduptime.Toachievethese,itsimportantto
understandsystemoperation,loadprofileandrequiredmaintenance.Thisblogwillfocusongeneratorsetoperationin
lowloadscenarios,andwhatcanresultiftheyareusedoutsideofspecificparameters.

First,itisimportanttounderstandthatgeneratorsetsaredesignedtorunwithload.Thismayseemtrivial,butloadinga
generatorsetproperlyisessentialtoavailabilityandalongenginelife.Manufacturerserviceintervalsandprojected
componentlifearebasedonoperationinloadrangestodeliveranidealmixofproductperformance,powerdensityand
longtermoperationallife.

Incorrectgeneratorsetoperationcanresultinreducedoutput,componentdamage,reducedlifecycles,andunscheduled
downtime.Theidealoperationtargetsofeachgeneratorsetwilldependontheapplicationandrating.

UnderloadingDieselGeneratorSets

Generallyspeaking,standbyandprimerateddieselgeneratorsetsaredesignedtooperatebetween50and85percent
load,whilecontinuousrateddieselgeneratorsetsoptimizebetween70and100percentload.Operatingdiesel
generatorsetsatloadslessthan30percentforextendedperiodscanimpactuptimeandenginelife.

Themostprevalentconsequenceofunderloadingisexhaustmanifoldslobber,orwetstacking,whichistheblackoily
liquidthatcanleakfromtheexhaustjointswhentheenginedoesnotreachminimumtemperaturesandpressures.
Visibleengineslobberdoesntnecessarilyindicateaproblem,butitsignalspossibleunderloadingconcerns,low
ambienttemperaturesorjacketwatertemperaturesthataretoolow.Additionally,longperiodsoflightloadingcanleadto
depositbuildupbehindthepistonringsorinsidethecylinders,whichcancausepowerloss,poorperformance,
acceleratedwearandinextremecases,cylinderlinerpolishing.

UnderloadingGasGeneratorSets

Naturalgasandbiogasgeneratorsets,independentofapplicationandrating,aretypicallydesignedforoperation
between60and100percentload.Withoutenoughcylinderpressuretomaintainoilcontrolatlowloads,gasengines
candevelopashdeposits,areduceddetonationmarginanddamagedenginecomponents.Similartodieselgenerator
sets,depositbuilduponvalves,sparkplugsandbehindpistonringscanoccurwhichmaycausecylinderliner
polishing,powerloss,poorperformanceandacceleratedcomponentwearultimatelyincreasingthelikelihoodof
highermaintenancecostsanddowntime.

ManagingLowLoad

Ifmaintainedproperly,dieselandgasgeneratorsetscanoperateatlightloadsforlongperiodswithoutharmfuleffects.
Afterunderloading,thegeneratorsetsshouldrunatincreasedloadtoraisethecylinderpressureandtemperature,
whichwillcleanthedepositsfromthecombustionchamber.Regularlowloadoperationrequiresamoreaggressive
maintenanceplantoreduceexcessivecomponentwearandmayrequireenginemodification.

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Dieselenginesshouldrunataminimumof30percentloadforabout30minutesforeveryfourhoursoflightload
operation,andoperatorsshouldmeasureexhausttemperaturepriortotheturboforanalysis.Naturalgasenginesare
moresensitivetolowloads,sotherearespecificunderloadingtimelimitsrequiredtomaintainoptimalperformance,see
thechartabove.Afterthetimelimithasexpired,theengineshouldrunataminimumof70percentloadforatleasttwo
hours.

Powersystemunderloadingimpactsindividualcomponentsaswellasoverallperformance,soitshouldnotbetaken
lightly.Whilethesimplesolutionistooperategeneratorsetsataloadthatmeetsdesignrequirements,therealityisthat
systemneedssometimeschange.Thismakesunderloadingcommonintherealmofpowergenerationespeciallyin
standbyapplications.However,theeffectsofunderloadingcanbeminimizedwithathoroughoperationand
maintenanceplantopreservesystemhealthandavoidextracostsdowntheroad.

Wedliketohearfromyou.Tellushowgeneratorsetunderloadinghasimpactedyouroperation.
Whatstrategieshaveyouimplementedtoensureoptimalperformanceatlowloads?
Inyourexperience,howhasunderloadingdieselgeneratorsetsdifferedfromnaturalgasfiredengines?
WhatcanCaterpillardotoimprovesystemdesignandhelpreducetheimpactofunderloadingforyourapplication?

Formoreinformation,visitwww.catelectricpowerinfo.comorcontactyourlocalCatdealer.

Comments
byBamgles2on
0319201504:45AM
Byunderloadingthegeneratoritwillaffecttheserviceofthegeneratorandelectricalsystem.

bymikelon
0322201502:37PM
Ingeneral,atleastbasedonmyexperience,dieselenginestendtobemuchmorerobustindealingwithunderloading
issues.Ingeneralyoucanrunthedieselsunderloadedforafairlylongtimeperiod,andaslongasyouperiodicallyrun
theengineatahigherloadto"cleanitout"youcanminimizetheaffectsoflowloadoperation.Multiplefactorsdocomeinto
play,likeoriginalageanddesignoftheengine.Olderdesignswithrectangularpistonrings,valvestemsealsandlower
fuelinjectionpressurestendtobemuchmoretolerantoflongperiodsoflowloadoperationthannewerdesignengines
withkeystoneringsandhighfuelinjectionpressures.Turbochargersarealsonegativelyaffectedbylowloadoperation,
mostlyduetounevenbuildupofdepositscausingimbalanceandchangestotheturbo'sresponse.

Gasenginesusuallyseethenegativeimpactoflowloadoperationmuchsoonerintheservicecycle,mainlyduetospark
plugfouling,thatcauseshardstarting,roughruningandpooracceleration.Onceaplugisfouleditalmostalwaysrequires
theplugtoberemovedandcleaned.Arunathigherloadtypicallywon't"cure"afouledplug.Alsodepositformationdueto
lowloadoperationcanleadtoanincreaseincompressionratio,andwiththatincreasingtheriskofdetonation.On
engineswithoutdetonationprotectionsystemthiscanleadtomechanicaldamage,onengineswithprotectionsitwilllead
tounwantedshutdowns.

Underloadingaffectstheoperationoftheprimemover,itcausesproblemswithstarting,rampingtoratedspeed,abilityto
respondtotransientconditions,andstability.Itwillalsocauses"slobbering"anddepositsofincompletelyburnedfueland
oilintheexhaustsystemsthatcanleadtoexcessivesmokeandinsomecases,exhaustfires.

Idon'tthinkunderloadinghasanegativeaffectonthegeneratorendortheelectricalsystemastheelectricalsideofthe
systemismorepronetoproblemsduetooverloadingandheat.

Exhaustaftertreatmentifinstalledalsocanhavemanyproblemswithextendedperiodsofoperationbelowrecommended
minimumloadsduetofoulingofcatalysts,inabilitytoregeneratepartculatetraps,visibleemissions(smoke)andoutof
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complianceonpermittedexhaustgasconstituents.

Mytwocentsworth,MikeL

byProgen904on
0326201504:39PM
HowisitpossibletohaveanEPAratedengineatanyTierlevelthatproducesexcessiveexhaustemissionsatanyload
level???

bymikelon
0326201511:15PM
Byoperatingitoutsideof"standardconditions".Thingssuchasapluggedaircleaner,excessiveexhaustrestriction,wrong
grade/typeoffuel,incorrectairinlettemperture.whenyoulookattheTMIexhaustemissionsdataattheendyouseealot
ofdefinitionsthatdefinethenormaloperatingcharacterisiticsthatarerequiredtomaintainemissionscompliance.

Atierratedenginestilldoesnothaveanyformofactivefeedbackcontrols(suchasCEMSsystem)andwhileitdoeshas
moreextensiveprotectionstolimitdeviationfromdesiredemissionslevels,theycanstilloperateunderscertainconditions
outofcompliance.

byProgen904on
0327201507:56AM
SothenthequestionmaybeammendedtoreadhowisitpossibletohaveaproperlyinstalledandmaintainedEPArated
engineatanyTierlevelthatproducesexcessiveexhaustemissionsatanyloadlevel???

byBrian(bjabeck)on
0330201501:47PM

ProgenThisisaverygoodquestionandonewereceiveoftenandtherearemultiplescenarioswhereemissions
maybemeasuredaboveEPApublishedlimits.

1)Mfr'sthatprovidestationaryenginescertifiedtoEPAemissionsstandardsreportemissionsbasedon5engine
operatingloadsandspeedsandresultsarereportedasweightedaveragetestcycleemissions.Weighted
averagemeansthatsomeofthetestpointscountmorethanothersintheaverage.Further,theweightedcycle
meansthatanindividualtestconditionmaybeabovetheEPAlimits,buttheweightedaverageofall5testpoints
mustbebelowtheEPAemissionslimits.
2)Measurementvariabilityandordifferenttestmethodscanresultinemissionslevelsthatdifferfromthose
providedbythemanufacturer.
3)Localsiteconditionswhichincludeambienttemperature,humidity,barometricpressurecanalsoresultin
emissionsabovetheEPApublishedemissionslimits.
4)Theenginemaybeoperatingoffthetestcyclewhichmayallowslightlyhigheremissionsthanthestandardyet
remaincappedbyEPA.ThesearecalledNTEornottoexceedemissionslevels.
5)Theequipmentmaybeexperiencingacomponentproblemduetoage,lackofmaintenanceormanufacturing
defectwhichcanberesolvedbycontactingtheappropriatedealertodiagnoseandprovideamechanicalrepair.
.
BelowistheinformationthatdealersprovidewithourU.S.EPATier4certifiedemissionsdata.
EmissionsdatameasurementproceduresareconsistentwiththosedescribedinEPACFR40Part89,SubpartD
&EandISO81781formeasuringHC,CO,PM,NOx.Datashownisbasedonsteadystateoperatingconditions
of77F,28.42inHgandnumber2dieselfuelwith35APIandLHVof18,390btu/lb.Thenominalemissions
datashownissubjecttoinstrumentation,measurement,facilityandenginetoenginevariations.Emissionsdatais
basedon100%loadandthuscannotbeusedtocomparetoEPAregulationswhichusevaluesbasedona
weightedcycle.Emissionsvaluesaretailpipeoutwithaftertreatmentinstalled.Valuesshownaszeromaybe
greaterthanzerobutwerebelowthedetectionleveloftheequipmentusedatthetimeofmeasurement.

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Pleaseletusknowifyouhaveanyotherquestions.

byProgen904on
0331201510:20AM
Brian,
ThankyouforthesummaryonEPAlimitsandcertification.Ihopethatwemaycontinuethisblogformanymore
discussions.DoesCaterpillarhaverecordsofanydocumentedcaseswhereunderloadingcausedeventualfailureofthe
enginetopowertheconnectedload?Thesewouldbecaseswhereaddingadditionalconnectedloadsolvedtheproblem
withoutanymechanicalorelectricalrepairs.Forinstanceconsiderasinglegeneratorsetwitha100kWrating.The
connectedloadwhenitwasinstalledwas25kWsteadystatewithanoccasionallargemotorstartthatmightadd5kWfor
tenseconds.Thisisatypicalscenariowherethegeneratorsetwassizedtomeetvoltagedipminimumsduringmotor
starting.Ifthevoltagedipissueislaidasideforsimplicity,anyproblemscreatedbyunderloadingwouldhavetorender
inoperablethe75%reserve(unusedcapacity)oftheengine.Somedocumentedcasesofthisactuallyoccuringwouldbe
veryinteresting.

byvisittheirwebsiteon
0512201502:48PM
Oneofkeyconsiderationsforgeneratorsisabilitytorefuelyourgeneratorseasily.Oftenageneratorisplacedin
undergroundparkinglotsinbuildingswithnearlyimpossibletorefill.Greatateventofemergencynotsogoodwhenyou
havetorefuelafter8hours?

bykzon
0519201502:17PM
Thisismoreofaquestionandashoutforadvicethanacomment.Pleasenote*Sparesareamajorissue*
Enginesrunningat1200RPM.
IamonaJackupwith5x3516Bgensets.IamnewherebutIhavenoticedthatwefrquentlyhave3catsrunningonlight
loads,around30%.Thereisevidenceofslobberingandwehavesootysmokefromourexhaustsystem.
TherehavebeenregularinjectorissuesbutthereplacementpartsalthoughstampedwithCatmaynotbeOEM.Recent
CutouttestshavecomebackwithseveraloftheinjectorsasNOTOKevenafterbeingchangedfornew,Ihavenoother
infoonthis.
Irecentlychangedaheadwheretheexhaustvalvewasstuckabout10mminsidetheheadbodywhichwascokedupand
whenIinspectedtheCylinderboretherewasabuildupoflaquerandsignsofdetonationdistressonthecrown.The
rockerarmhadalsoshearedintheprocess.
Theseengineshavealldonearoundthe22Kmarkwithnooverhauls.
Isthereanywaybackfromthis?WoulditmakeanydifferenceatthisstageifIimplementedapolicywherebytheload
sharewasdecreasedi.e.convincedtheguystorun2enginesathigherloads(50/60%)insteadof3.

Anypointerswelcome.

by3512BGon
0818201503:44PM
Thisarticlematchesmyexperiences,thoughdieselenginesdonotlikelightloads,itleadstocrankcasedilutionand
slobberingorwetstacking.
Sometimes,however,theloadprofilemakeslightrunningunavoidable.
Astooilchangefrequency:someofthecomputercontrolledenginessettheirownoilchangeintervalbasedonan
algorithmwhichallowsextendedintervalswhentheengineislessthanfullyloaded.
Duetothepossibilityofcrankcasedilutionatlightloadsitmaynotbewisetoextendchangeintervalsonverylightly
loadedsets.

2 min to Spreed

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