Industrial

An influential crowd of industry and opinion leaders attended the Pacific Power Association (PPA) Conference that was held at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on 5th July 2010.

The 159 participants of this conference comprises of Active members from Pacific Island Utilities and Allied members who are mainly power suppliers. Cummins Power Generation (CPG) who is an Allied member was also a participant in this event where 12 honourable speakers from different parts of the world were also present.

The conference provides a single platform in the South Pacific for both the Allied and Active members to meet and network for potential future business partnership.



Cummins Power Generation has always been an active participant of this annual PPA Conference and has acquired business deals worth 10 million since year 2008 from Marshall Islands, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Tonga, Cook Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, as well as the upcoming American Samoa project.

A day in the PPA conference typically involves engineer's workshops, trade shows, and full day sessions on subjects of utility supply to technical topics. Hearty discussions among members of the audience pertaining to global issues with power management and power crisis; alternate fuels, energy conservation and energy efficiency were also encouraged.



Year after year, strong relations are established through the platform of PPA. This event was a great opportunity for customers and suppliers to mingle, where participants come together fusing business and pleasure.

We are the major provider of outstanding products and superior services that are highly in demand all over the world, be it for business and leisure.  All activities in the company start with an input from our customers and the needs of the business. Nothing is more fundamental to our success than providing real value to our customers.  Cummins Power Generation customers purchase our products and services only when they believe that we can provide real value to, in turn, help them to succeed.

Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Program is one of Cummins’ critical business initiatives focused in helping the company become the customer’s first choice. The goal is to create profitable customer loyalty.  Our ability to deliver the Cummins’ brand promise of dependability can be enhanced when we view things from a customer perspective.  CSE is designed to examine and improve every Cummins Power Generation “touch point” to which customers are exposed to.  We capture this sentiment and strategy akin to seeing things “Through the Lens of the Customer” and believe that it will help Cummins Power Generation become the supplier of choice.

By practicing Customer Service Excellence, we believe we can improve on being more responsive. Being more responsive means that we map the customer’s experience and then define and re-enforce standards of responsiveness.  We acknowledge our customer’s requests and promptly get back to them, and providing the information as efficiently as possible.

Cummins Power Generation’s global Service Support group has improved its ability to affect customer satisfaction levels with the implementation and utilization of Issues Tracking System (ITS). Driven by the goal to improve Customer Support Excellence in the Parts & Service (P&S) organization, it is able to support products globally despite manufacturing or customer location. 

Thus, instead of being “manufacturing site-centric,” each regional Parts and Service Group has the ability to respond to issues concerning products produced from anywhere in the world. 

The Issues Tracking System tracks all responses and solutions, and so the Service Engineer in one region can reference the details or solutions from another region on a particular issue or model.  All the data that is entered becomes knowledge database which the field can view as a self-help feature.  It’s geared towards one single goal, which is to immediately service the customer’s needs and quickly resolve the issue. 

Utilizing the Issues Tracking System was only part of the group’s strategy to increase its level of responsiveness and support of CSE measures for customer’s satisfaction also boils down to the quality and performance of a product. Cummins Power Generation will keep on striving to make both ends meet, further maximising our potential in the industry.



Grace Lee
Manager, PowerGen Service - Asia Pacific

An independent report by SGS US Testing Company compares residential generators rated at or near 20 kW made by the top four U.S. manufacturers: Briggs & Stratton 20 kW (GE) 04035, Cummins Onan RS20A, Generac 20 kW (Guardian) 55060, and Kohler 17 kW 17RESL. 

The tests, which measured voltage and frequency performance using an industry-standard test procedure, showed that the RS20A generator from Cummins Onan was clearly superior. In fact, it was the only unit to be rated as G2 (Residential Grade).

Detail on the tests

The generators were evaluated using the industry-standard ISO8528-5 voltage and frequency test procedure. This test procedure evaluates a generator’s voltage and frequency performance and rates it as G1 (Marginal) or G2 (Residential Grade). This rating takes into account the stability and response time of the electricity delivered from the generator. Unstable or erratic frequency will result in irritating noise coming from the generator, and can cause connected devices to operate poorly and inefficiently. Erratic voltage will also cause lights to flicker.



As the sample figures below indicate, the products with lower performance ratings have more erratic and larger spikes and valleys than the products with ISO G2 and G1 ratings. It is also easy to see the drastic performance difference between G1 and G2 results.





How a generator responds to load changes in the home is critical. If it takes too long for the voltage or frequency to respond, devices like air conditioners, washing machines and dimmer switches will stop operating. If the voltage or frequency rises too much or too fast as loads are turned off, expensive electronics or appliances may be damaged. To ensure proper operation of devices in a home, a G1-rated generator is a bare minimum, and a G2-rated generator is highly recommended. This is to ensure the devices in the home operate properly, efficiently and safely while the generator is providing power.

John Klesk, product manager team leader for Cummins Onan, noted, ”Electricity is the lifeblood for our home appliances and indeed our standard of living. The quality of that electricity can have a real impact on how well appliances function when the generator is providing power. We are proud that the RS20A measured up in this independent test.”

Celebrating 75 years in business, Argos Cement is the most important cement producer in Colombia, with 90% of its production intended for markets in Central America and the Caribbean.

Last July, after 3 years of construction and 450 million dollars invested, its largest industrial plant started operations - Columbus Project - which will produce 6,000 tons of cement a day, boosting Argos growth and market presence.

This great construction work was supported by the Cummins Distributor in the Andes, through support and installation of Generator Sets model 750DFHA, to ensure energy supply during the construction works, model C170 D6 for the start of its self-generation plant, and, in little more than one month, an equipment model C250 D6 for the modern and intelligent building that houses the company's administrative office. All engineers with Argos involved in the project were trained and qualified at the Distributor facilities, as well as at Cummins Power Generation itself.

The commitment and technical competence of the Cummins team have already been recognized by the customer, with Fernando Montoya, general manager of the Columbus plant, acknowledging it by saying that without the energy of Cummins Power Generation the project's success would not have become possible.

Cummins Mid-South recently assisted the oil cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico. The Piranha Environmental expressed their intent to build fourteen skimmer boats to Louie Zinc, territory salesman for the Mid-south region and Cummins readily agreed to help. The boats are to be used to clean the water for the state of Mississippi. The boats had to be able to operate 24 hrs per day if needed and were equipped with 120V AC lighting and winches.

Due to the high power demands for lighting (water at night absorbs a lot of light) and cleaning, there was a need for generator output that far exceeded the capacity of marine MKY genset.

The electrical demands on the boat indicated that two Cummins Onan Commercial Mobile 5.5 HGJAE sets would be needed. Cummins Onan Commercial Mobile application engineer Eric Bollensen stated “this was a unique application. Normally we wouldn’t want customers using a non-marine gasoline genset on a boat. But this boat was equipped with two gasoline outboard motors so gasoline was the fuel of choice." 

 

Eric continues "This boat was unique with the gensets mounted in back, high above the outboard engines. With this configuration the potential for accumulation of gasoline fumes was low, so using a non-marine genset was acceptable. These gensets are out in the open, so they will get plenty of cool air - an important consideration out on the water, in the sun in hot, humid Mississippi." 

 

Weight was also a consideration on this boat. Because the HGJAE gensets are air cooled they offer the highest power output per pound of any Cummins Onan product.

- Amanda Putzke
Cummins Power Generation

About Cummins Power Generation

From powering the Statue of Liberty, the London Eye, to the football stadiums, to the firefighters and commercial vehicles, Cummins Power Generation has established itself as the first choice for energy solutions when it come to providing reliable, efficient and quietest performance for business, commercial, residential, marine, coogeneration and industrial applications. Cummins Power Generation is the only manufacturer to feature PowerCommand® integrated commercial power systems. Our power systems are not just integrated, but pre–integrated — because all of the components are designed and built to work together. The result? Smaller equipment footprints, reduced installation time and higher system reliability. That’s The Power of One™.

Cummins Power       Cummins Onan

Cummins Onan will be participating in a number of industry-sponsored events in the next few months. If you will be attending any of them, please do stop by and say hello; we’d love to see you.  Click here for a complete list of our upcoming events, including our own Residential Road Show.

Dear readers,

Try recalling the effort you took to mail a handwritten letter, complete with a self-adhesive stamp and dropping it into the mailbox; or painstakingly flipping through the flimsy pages of a directory in search of a telephone number. It may seem like a lifetime ago but the strange thing is, those moments were never too far behind.

The internet explosion led us well into a myriad of online activities that one only previously dreamt of experiencing. The exponential reach that the Internet can, and have already achieved, proved to staggering.

If Facebook were a country, it would be the fourth largest in the world. Not at all surprising. Radio took a whopping 38 years to reach out to 50 million users while Facebook took only a mere fraction of 6 months. Add that to the existing users of Youtube, Linkedin and other social media sites, the numbers are phenomenal.

For the benefit of our readers who are grappling with the aforementioned terms, they are simply the new wave of technology taking the Internet generation by storm, also known as “Social Media”- an online network that allows people to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with one another.

The evolution of social media did not take place overnight. It manifested more than a decade ago when sites were created to allow users to create profiles, make and/or add friends whom they could interact with. Popular sites that made an impressionable impact, such as Friendster and ICQ Buddy, may still ring a bell for some of the mature marketers.

So, is social media a fad, or is it here to stay?  I am partial to the latter; for the basic principle of networking and socializing via online technologies is set to increase exponentially.

How can this be applied to the world of business, you ask? Plenty as you can imagine. B2C companies have long jumped onto the bandwagon; embracing social media and making it part of their marketing strategies. Take Dell, one of the first few organizations that started a humble online blog, which in turn allowed them to extend their reach to the media-savvy potential and existing customers. Through the “grapevine effect”, these customers spread the information through word-of-mouth, or simply by sharing links, and awareness is inevitably achieved.

Cummins Power Generation is not lagging behind either; social media now plays an essential part of many initiatives that we embark on. The general idea is to keep up with the online trends, which are related to power generation and offer relevant information to the various industries and markets that we serve.

We hope to disseminate information on our products and services that can be easily retrieved by a wider audience comprising of engineers, contractors, dealers, distributors, employees, OEMs, commercial end users and homeowners.  By using a mix of approaches, we aim to reach out and listen to our audience effectively. These include our websites, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube.

We have also specially created our own blog dedicated to the on-goings at Cummins Power Generation- this is where we upload articles from newsletters and share pertinent power generation news. These initiatives are not time-based projects. Their effectiveness will be monitored continuously and modified as needed by the social media core team – a global team of market leaders from various regions.

As you read this article from our blog, my 80-year-old grandmother should be navigating Facebook in search of her great-grandson latest pictures taken by his parents whom are based in Hong Kong. The beauty of social media certainly has no age limit! Have fun surfing our pages.

Serene Gwee
APAC Regional Market Lead
Cummins Power Generation

2nd Power Sri Lanka 2010 International Expo proved to be a success among VIPs, industry leaders and clients alike, making an impressionable impact on the estimated 1,400 attendees.




Endorsed by the ‘Ministry of Power & Energy – Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’ and supported by the ‘Sri Lanka Convention Bureau’ (SLCB), this prestigious event gathered professionals from around the world to congregate and to network – and presented them with an impressive display of the latest innovations and technology.


Front Row (left to right)
Mr. Rohan Fernando, Jt. Managing Director – Trade Promoters (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Vidya Amarapala, Chairman – Ceylon Electricity Board, Ms. Meherun N Islam, President & Group Managing Director – CEMS USA & Aisa-Pacific, Mr. Priath Fernando, Chairman – United Tractor & Equipment (Pvt) Ltd (CAT)
Back Row (left to right)
Mr. S Sarwar, Group Director, Global Operations (CEMS Global), Mr. S Ganesan - Zuzlon, Mr. Vipula Wanigasekere, General Manager – Sri Lanka Convention Bureau

Cummins Power Generation, one of the leading players in the development and manufacture of pre-integrated power systems was proud to be a co-partner for this event. 
Cummins Power Generation’s authorised sole distributor in Sri Lanka, Trade Promoters Limited (TPL), showcased highlights of Cummins Power Generation’s low emissioned generators, the QSL9 series, and the X1.3 from its compact series. The display of these two products showed Cummins Power Generation’s commitment to leading the way in developing power solutions that will also reduce its carbon footprint.




An open type C220D5e generator set powered by a Cummins QSB7 engine was displayed at the booth while an enclosed version of the same genset welcomed visitors at the entrance.

The C11D5 compact generator set powered by the Cummins X1.3 engine was launched with the display of a soundproofed version at the booth. To further reinforce the concept of Power of One, PE components such as GTEC and PCC Simulator were installed at the booth. To enhance the Cummins Power Generation and TPL profiles, presentation videos of Cummins Power Generation as well as TPL key projects were played on large screens located in the booth and at the entrance to the main hall.




The Cummins Power Generation booth welcomed industry players from state owned power generation and distribution companies as well as eminent guest - the Chairman of Ceylon Electricity Board (event guest of honour) who was impressed with Cummins Power Generation’s commitment to leading the market in relation to emissions compliance and the company’s innovative approach to the development of cleaner, greener and quieter engines.

The outstanding overall presentation of the booth (from the attractive design to the strong Cummins Power Generation brand presentation, lighting and screen displays) prompted the Chairman for CAT distributor in Sri Lanka to pay a tribute to the Cummins Power Generation booth.



While many took a keen interest in the interactive demonstration carried out by TPL sales staff using the PCC simulator, much to the delight of budding engineers in the industry, it was Jeffrey Koh’s closing speech urging genset vendors in Sri Lanka to come together to address industry issues, as well as to diminish barriers for the benefit of the industry and country, that really struck a chord with the audience.

The Balikpapan Expo 2010 marked its 6th successful year of exhibiting the finest of goods ranging from Transportation, Bio Fuel Development, Oil and Gas Related Industries.
The three-day affair held at the Balikpapan International Sport & Convention Centre (DOME), Balikpapan City, East of Kalimantan, was a well-received event by both the media and industry leaders.

An approximation of 125 companies related to the business of many different sectors joined the event, one of which is PT. Altrack 1978, a single agent from Cummins Inc USA for Indonesia since 1984 and recognized as one of the main genset suppliers in Indonesia.

As a gold exhibitor, PT Altrak took the biggest floor space area of 200 square meters displaying among others, Cummins Engine, Cummins Power generator sets - the C900D5 with PCC3201 (paralleling control) and ES28 (enclosure set) which inevitable received approval from the industry experts.



The attractive booth were graced by important VIPs such as representatives from Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), the second biggest coal exporter in the world- an impressive track of 100 million tones a year, making it the biggest exporter in Indonesia (2nd in the world). Mr Loeky Moniaga and Mr Hairuddin Halim, Managing Director and General Manager of PT Altrak respectively were also in attendance to give full support of the event.



The event generated numerous enquiries on Cummins Power Generation products and services ; and visitors to the PT Altrak booth were pleased with the information shared.

It was indeed a successful show.

As part of its Sales and Marketing initiative to increase market share in Korea, Cummins Power Generation hosted a "Cummins Powergen" seminar for key industry players.



The seminar held on 4th June 2010 at COEX Intercontinental Hotel, Seoul Korea, was attended by a group of 24 key Purchasing and Business Development personnel from the Engineering and Construction industry.



Cummins Power Generation key products and technology were introduced in this flagship event. A comparative study on Cummins Power Generation competiveness among its competitors was also presented to the attentive participants.



The seminar ended on a high note with participants expressing their satisfaction with the content shared during the seminar. This is definitely a start for Cummins Power Generation Korea in building relationship with potential customers.

Social media is now an essential part of many initiatives by Cummins Power Generation. The overall concept is to join the conversations that are occurring continually on the web about power generation and offer relevant information to the various industries and markets that we serve. In this way, timely, useful information on Cummins products and services will be more easily found by a wide audience comprising engineers, contractors, dealers, distributors, employees, OEMs, commercial end users and homeowners.

We are using a mix of approaches, including the following:

• Several e-newsletters, among them Power Topics, are being produced. Each addresses a specific customer group and its needs. If you want to subscribe to them, click here.
• The Cummins Onan website, http://www.cumminsonan.com, has been revamped from top to bottom to make it more useful and easier to navigate.
• All articles and press releases are posted on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the Cummins Power Generation blog - http://www.cumminspowerblog.com.
• Informative Cummins videos on a variety of topics are available on the Cummins Power Generation channel on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/CumminsPowerGen.
• A number of analytical and measurement tools are being used to track the value of all these efforts, to see what is effective in communicating with our various audiences.
We are making a concerted effort to become a timely and relevant information source for you, and to listen to and join the conversations and communities that involve our products and services.

Any comments or ideas around this initiative, will be very welcome.

Aftertreatment technologies

In-cylinder techniques can only do so much toward meeting the T4i emissions requirements, because of the mechanical limits of current engines. Another point to keep in mind is that as the engine power increases, the allowed emission levels actually are reduced. This calls for something beyond in-cylinder technological advancements. Welcome to the world of aftertreatment.

There are a number of strategies that can be used. Depending on the requirement, some or all of the following can be used:

1. DOC, or a diesel oxidation catalyst, a flow-through device where exhaust gases are brought in contact with materials that oxidize unburned hydrocarbons and reduce emissions.
2. DPF, or diesel particulate filter, a device designed to physically capture particulate matter from the exhaust stream.
3. SCR, or selective catalytic reduction unit, which includes a “reducer” that is added to exhaust flow to create the reactions in a catalytic chamber.

Concerns with aftertreatment technology

Other than the obvious downside of additional costs, aftertreatments come with some concerns that need to be carefully addressed. Cooling the exhaust gas before recirculating it, for example, is an effective method for reducing in-cylinder temperatures, but the cooling system then has to deal with an additional cooling circuit and up to 25% higher heat rejections.

In addition, aftertreatment solutions can raise concerns about packaging and space limitations, as well as about thermal management and substance-level constraints like the handling and storage of urea and ammonia slip. Some aftertreatment devices can add a significant amount of backpressure, requiring precise, duty-cycle-based control of temperatures and dosing frequency for regeneration. Such devices also represent an additional item to be serviced. Finally, most NOx aftertreatment devices reduce emissions when operating at high temperatures, but such temperatures may not even be reached by an emergency standby generator that is lightly loaded.

Aftertreatments are essential in meeting T4i requirements, but they need to be carefully designed and implemented.


Read also:
The Impact of Tier 4 Emission Regulations on the Power Generation Industry—Part 1
T4i Compliance—Part 2

In-Cylinder Technologies to Solve the Emissions Seesaw

The technologies needed to meet the T4i emission levels can be classified as either in-cylinder or aftertreatment approaches. This post takes a look at the in-cylinder ones.

Particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides, two significant constituents of diesel engine emissions, have been considered as two sides of a seesaw. On the one hand, high temperatures and excess oxygen are conducive to the formation of NOx. So lowering the in-cylinder temperatures and oxygen content reduces NOx; however, it also increases the production of soot (PM), thanks to lower fuel conversion efficiency. Decreasing both these constituents at the same time has challenged engine manufacturers to develop innovative and alternative solutions. Here are some of the ways we are doing it.

Engine Modifications

Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) recycles and cools a portion of the inert gases of the exhaust stream as they mix with incoming engine air. The Cummins short-loop EGR system routes the exhaust gas directly back to the cylinder. Combustion temperatures are thereby reduced, and therefore so is NOx. The cooling also increases the density of the charge air, boosting power.

Variable Geometry Turbocharger allows the effective aspect ratio of the turbo to be altered as conditions change. The optimal aspect ratio at low engine speeds is very different from that at higher engine speeds. Varying the angle of the vanes reduces the turbo lag at low loads without compromising boost at higher loads

Direct Flow Air Filter is for meeting the T4i standard, and it also allows the integration of a mass air flow sensor into the housing of the filter for Tier 4 Final. It has a pre-cleaner, a primary and secondary filter elements. There is and a dust ejector valve.

A faster and more powerful Electronic Control Module (ECM) improves fuel efficiency and power output while decreasing both NOx and PM emissions. These controls manage fuel quantity, injection timing and turbo boost pressure, and they consider account load, temperature, barometric pressure, fuel energy content, and even engine wear. The result is optimal combustion.

Fuel Systems

The high-pressure common rail fuel system plays a big role in meeting the new T4i requirements. Increasing fuel pressures up to 1,800 bars (26,000 psi), along with the optimization of injection timing, reduces NOx without increasing PM or hydrocarbons. Alterations to nozzle design and injection systems themselves can have an impact as well. Additionally, multiple injection events per cycle enable matching of the load and fuel delivery thereby aiding emissions as well as fuel efficiency
Read also:

The Impact of Tier 4 Emission Regulations on the Power Generation Industry—Part 1
The Impact of Tier 4i Emission Regulations—Part 3

The latest emission regulations from the U.S. EPA, known as Tier 4 interim or T4i, are having a significant impact on the power generation industry. In this post, I will cover the background and the events leading up to the current state of the regulations.  Future posts will discuss the in-cylinder technologies Cummins Power Generation is using to meet the new standard and the aftertreatments that are also needed to comply.

In the U.S., diesel engine emissions have been regulated for almost forty years. For most of that time, the regulations governed primarily on-highway engines in trucks and buses, but in 1998 nonroad engines were also brought under the scope of the regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defined these nonroad engines as those used in mobile equipment such as farm tractors, construction earthmovers, mobile generator sets on trailers, and other portable industrial engines used in temporary off-road ap¬plications.

For a time, stationary engines were exempt from these nonroad emission regulations. A stationary engine was defined as any engine that is permanently installed or located at a site for at least 12 months. This category includes standby generator sets, on-site prime and distributed energy power systems, and a wide variety of industrial engines mounted on permanent bases or foundations. In the absence of federal standards, emissions from stationary diesel engines were usually governed by state and local permitting authorities.

But this situation changed with the EPA’s issuance of the final New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for compression-ignition (CI) engines in July 2006. When these standards went into effect in January 2007, they harmonized stationary diesel engine emission regulations with those for mobile nonroad emissions.

Today, emission regulations for the off-highway segment cover farm and construction equipment, other mobile power sources like trailerized equipment, boats and locomotives, as well as stationary power sources.

Tiers of Regulation

The first set of emission regulations, known as Tier 1, was published in 1994; these regulations applied to engines over 37 kW and were phased in from 1996-2000; ever since, the EPA has tightened these requirements, a trend that has encouraged technological advancements by engine manufacturers. With each successive tier of regulations, the permitted levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, the main pollutants from diesel engines, have gone down significantly. And it doesn’t get easier: diesel engines that comply with Tier 4 Interim regulations will need an additional 50% reduction in NOx emissions at Tier 4 Final.

Brazil has one of the world’s most modern and efficient poultry industries. The São Salvador Poultry Processing Plant, better known as SuperFrango (SuperChicken), is a pioneer in modern poultry-raising systems in the country’s central region. The company, headquartered in Itaberaí, Brazil, was founded in 1970 through a partnership between friends Carlos Vieira da Cunha and José Carlos de Souza.
SuperFrango continually invests in new technology to improve operational stability and performance, while complying with all required health and sanitation standards. Their commitment to these practices is demonstrated in their latest project: the Pintos de Corte incubator.

Prime technology
After five years of planning, design and construction, and a $12.6 million investment,  SuperFrango opened its new 14,000-square meter plant on a 100,000-square meter site. The plant provides jobs for about 1,400 employees.
The plant currently processes 180,000 chickens daily, and it is sized to reach a volume of 320,000 chickens by 2012. The plant will also provide up to 10.7 million eggs monthly. SuperFrango exports to Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, as well as serving the Brazilian market.
As with most industrial facilities in Brazil, SuperFrango needs reliable, economical power. Utility power at the site is provided based on a “time of day” rate, so economics dictate a design that provides a seamless transfer between utility and generator plant. A prime power generation and ramping power transfer system was the answer. After a market study to determine the best equipment available in Brazil and internationally, SuperFrango teamed up with Cummins Power Generation to provide a cutting-edge peaking power solution for the entire complex. The installation work began in April 2006, and delivery was made in November 2008, three months ahead of schedule.

Power for growth
The system includes five Cummins model C400D6 456 kVA diesel generator sets driven by Cummins NTA855G5 engines, which are manufactured in Brazil. The generator sets also include alternators and PowerCommand digital paralleling controls and switchgear, all manufactured by Cummins. The equipment was provided and is serviced by Cummins DCCO, the local Cummins distributor.

The Cummins Power Generation peak power system helps SuperFrango meet its electricity needs by monitoring utility power, starting and paralleling the generators if power fails, and transferring power from the utility to the generators as needed. When time of day electric costs require it, the system will automatically start the generators, parallel them to the utility, and control their power output so that load on the utility (and costs) are minimized. The generators provided are sufficient to operate the entire facility. When it’s time to shut them down, the system synchronizes and parallels the generators to the utility, transfers the load back to the utility, disconnects and cools down the generators, and leaves them ready to start again when they are needed.
By operating the standby power system in prime power mode at peak hours, SuperFrango achieves savings of up to 30% during the three hours a day when the cost of utility power is highest. By economizing in this way on energy, SuperFrango can invest in other areas and continue growing, contributing to the economic development of the region.

Click here to access the SuperFrango Interactive Case History.

Cogeneration produces both electricity and useful heat or cooling energy from the same fuel source. Cogneration, also known as Combined Heat and Power (CHP), typically replaces the traditional method of purchasing electricity from the power grid and then burning natural gas or oil in a furnace to produce heat or steam. The concept has been around since Thomas Edison's first electric generating plant in the 1880s. You'll find Cogeneration systems today in many modern forms such as at chemical processing plants and the utility providers that supply district heating to buildings in major cities. Facilities that use CHP Cogeneration technology include academic institutions, healthclubs, greenhouses, hotels, hospitals, many types of industrial manufacturers and commercial businesses as well as government facilities.
Why consider cogen?  It makes sense to integrate your power and heating/cooling production needs into one on-site cogeneration system when you consider the traditional way of buying electric energy from a utility is inefficient, wasting as much as 75 percent of the energy in the original fuel due to production and transportation losses. Conversely, cogeneration systems covert about 70 percent to 90 percent of the energy in the fuel that is burned into useful electricity or heat.  
Depending on the application, a wide range of facilities that use cogeneration systems achieve up to 35 percent in energy savings. Establishing a cogeneration system on site at your facility also helps to carbon emissions and contributes to building sustainability.
And, thanks to new technology, cogeneration isn't just for municipalities and big business. Advances in lean-burn gas reciprocating engine technology, heat exchangers and digital system controls put cogeneration plants within reach for smaller organizations. Applications as small as 300kW can benefit from these CHP Cogeneration systems.
A cogeneration system starts with a prime mover that turns an alternator to produce electric power and a waste heat recovery system to capture heat from the exhaust and engine-cooling water jacket.  The prime mover can be a reciprocating natural gas engine, reciprocating diesel engine, gas turbine, microturbine or fuel cell. The ratio of heat to electricity production differs between reciprocating engines and gas turbine systems. Most CHP Cogeneration systems come within the range of 90 percent to 95 percent for reliability and availability. The most popular type of system is based on the reciprocating engine for its high electrical output per Btu of input energy and overall energy efficiency.

Determining if your facility is a good candidate for cogeneration can be performed with a quick analysis of your energy use. Take a few minutes to answer the following questions:
1. Have you taken all reasonable steps to reduce both electric and heat energy consumption at your facility?
2. Is the base electrical load at your facility greater than 1,000 kW?
3. Is the thermal load at your facility consistent and equivalent to1 million Btu/hr or more?
4. Is the duration of your simultaneous need for heat/cooling and electric power greater than 4,000 hours per year?
5. Are local electric rates high in relation to the local cost and availability of natural gas?
6. Is your physical site suitable for the installation of a congeneration system?
7. Is reliability of electric service a major economic concern?
If you answer "yes" to most of the questions, you might consider doing a more comprehensive payback analysis.
Performing a Payback Analysis.  A thorough cost analysis takes into account calculations for electricity costs per kWh, electricity demand charges, cost of natural gas per million Btu, number of anticipated hours of operation per year, utilization of recovered heat and installed cost of the cogeneration system.  A consulting engineer that's familiar with cogen systems or a rep from a system manufacturer like Cummins Power Generation can help you crunch the numbers.  
If you'd like more information, including a sample payback analysis and additional resources, please click here to download my White Paper on evaluating cogeneration.

The development of large reciprocating generator sets that can run on low Btu (dilute) methane have given us a way to harness waste fuel from landfills, waste treatment plants and coal mines.
Energy issues in recent years have focused our attention on methane as a viable and environmentally advantageous energy source that has vast global potential. Methane represents an abundant natural resource that can economically converted to clean, usable electricity.
In Europe alone, the European Commission estimates that landfills produce upwards of 94 billion cubic meters of methane each year. In the US, the EPA has estimated that landfills could provide more than two quadrillion Btus of energy per year. Currently in the US, there are approximately 400 operational landfill-to-energy projects and another 600 candidate landfills suitable for energy production, according to the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program.
Methane from coal beds and mines represents another source to be tapped for energy production. In the US alone, estimates of methane production from coal beds amount to 37 billion cubic meters per year.
The vast resources of methane available from landfills, sewage treatment plants and coalmines make a compelling case for “waste to energy” alone. How the energy is efficiently and economically harnessed makes the difference. Reciprocating engine generator systems are far and away the most popular technology being employed today for producing electricity from natural and man- made sources of methane gas. Some of the reasons for this are, the gaseous- fueled reciprocating engine is a mature technology, new low-Btu industrial engine designs are able to operate at full rated horsepower, the technology is significantly less expensive, the generators are more tolerant of impurities and contaminants that are found in methane from landfills and coal seams, and they operate at higher electrical efficiencies than turbines.
Making the case for “waste to energy” depends on engine design technologies that combat many of the typical contaminants found in landfill gas, such as sulfur, siloxanes, ammonia and acids. Cummins Power Generation has developed several technologies that help to minimize maintenance and engine overhauls due to the influence of these contaminants. These technologies include:

• Patented carbon cutting piston ring serves to break up deposits of carbon and silicates, extending the time between major engine overhauls and rendering the engine less prone to siloxane problems than other designs.
• Ferrous cast ductile cast iron pistons are used in its low-Btu engines for extended durability when operating on contaminated landfill gas. They are significantly more durable than aluminum alloy pistons.
• The engine bearings are manufactured from materials that are less susceptible to corrosion from ammonia and acids in the gas stream.
• Charge air cooler. Normally made of copper for the best heat conduction, the vulnerable materials are coated with a phenolic resin to protect them from corrosion.
• Industrial Engine lubricating oil is generally designed to be more alkaline than typical engine oil to extend the time between oil changes.

Waste-to-energy projects that utilize methane from landfills, waste digesters and coal beds are generating a significant amount of electric energy for global customers, eliminating the need for energy that is generated from non- renewable fossil sources that produce carbon dioxide. Cummins Power Generation has been involved in a number of these projects throughout the world. Recent projects include Viridor Waste Management, one of the UK’s largest operators of landfills, Salto del Negro in the Canary Islands and the Moronbah coal seam in Queensland, Australia.
The vast majority of waste-to-energy projects use low-Btu reciprocating engine generators to produce electricity from methane. These engine-generator systems have proven to be environmentally clean, reliable, durable and economical in a wide variety of landfill, garbage digester and coal bed methane projects.
If you need more details, please click here to download our White Paper on The case for waste to energy: Utilizing low-Btu reciprocating gas engine generators written by Keith Packham, Gas and CHP Cogeneration Applications Manager, Energy Solutions Business Unit, Cummins Power Generation, Ramsgate, England.

It is wrenching to follow the news of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster. Experience from our own tragedy in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina has intensified our empathy and response to the crisis in Haiti.
In the aftermath of Katrina, valuable lessons were learned in the US about emergency power preparedness, about how important it is for each geographic region to tailor their stand by systems to their weather, flooding, and exposure to earthquakes, and how important it is to maintain stand by power generators.
From regional blackouts in the Northeast to earthquakes in the West to hurricanes in the Gulf and on the East Coast, there are numerous examples of how both manmade and natural disasters test the mettle of stand by generator systems.
After Katrina hit New Orleans, the only power systems that functioned properly were those that had been properly maintained and located above the floodwaters, or had sufficient fuel supplies or were in a part of the city accessible to refueling trucks.
Though it’s nearly impossible to predict and plan for a complete collapse of a region’s infrastructure, there are a number of steps that industrial facility operators can take to minimize stand by power system failures in the event of a disaster. The first step is to plan for generator location. In areas prone to flooding, there has been a move to place generator sets on platforms, on upper floors or on rooftops.  Rooftop locations can be vulnerable to high winds, but modern ISO-style generator set enclosures are available with wind ratings up to 150 mph. Each facility manager will have to assess the risk of a stand by power system failure and make the appropriate investment in system design.
The next step is planning for fuel choice. The traditional choice for stand by generator systems is diesel fuel. It’s relatively safe to store and economical, and diesel-fueled engines have an unsurpassed record of dependability and durability. However, when a power system is called upon to run for extended periods, fuel re-supply is an issue. And if severe infrastructure damage prevents getting additional fuel, then the stand by power system will eventually fail when the fuel runs out.
According to anecdotal data gathered by FEMA, natural gas supplies continued to be available during and after Katrina. Of the stand by power systems that were fueled with natural gas, most seemed to function without interruption. Other evidence suggests that natural gas was shut off to some regions.  This has prompted some facility operators to consider natural gas as a stand by power system fuel for future emergencies. However, in regions of the U.S. prone to earthquake damage, natural gas lines are often broken or otherwise disrupted during earthquakes, making natural gas in those regions unreliable and/or dangerous during natural disasters. There are, however, performance and maintenance differences between natural gas engine generators and diesel generators to consider.
Once the stand by fuel type has been determined, facility managers should have standing agreements with fuel suppliers that can re-supply during an extended outage. In the case of Katrina, facilities that tried to buy diesel fuel on the spot market after the hurricane found it either prohibitively expensive or just not available because roads were flooded and impassable. If there is sufficient warning that a disaster is approaching, facility manages can plan for temporary diesel tanks to be brought in.
Finally, while the storm and floodwaters after Katrina were the major causes of stand by power system failures, poor power generator maintenance was also a cause. Dead starting batteries, old diesel fuel and improperly maintained electrical equipment all contributed to power system failures that had little to do with the storm.  Diesel standby generators are extremely reliable and although they need minimal maintenance compared to other building systems, neglect can lead to a loss of electrical power when one can least afford it. Many facilities contract with generator distributors and local service companies to do routine generator maintenance and it’s well worth it.
Standby for emergency power generators provide a good way to keep facilities functioning during a disaster or its aftermath. Good system planning and attention to maintenance will help facility managers cope better with a power failure and make their stand by power systems less vulnerable to wind, floods and disruptions in fuel supply.

If you need more details, please click here to download our White Paper on Lessons in Emergency Power Preparedness written by Robert Hamilton, Sales Director, Cummins Mid South.

Until the Environmental Protection Agency issued its final requirements to reduce emissions of air pollutants from stationary diesel engines, or in EPA's parlance, "stationary compression ignition internal combustion engines", regulations for stationary diesel engines, primarily used for diesel generator sets, were in sharp contrast to regulations for non-road diesel engines. Essentially, before the new standards, there were no federal emissions regulations for stationary diesel engines.
That changed on July 11, 2006.  Now, regulations for stationary diesel engines (used for Backup Power Systems, for example) have been brought into EPA alignment with non-road diesel engines. Called the New Source Performance Standards or NSPS, the standards aim to dramatically reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (soot and ash), sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from new, modified and remanufactured stationary diesel engines. According to the EPA, stationary engines are defined as any engine that is permanently installed or located on site for a minimum period of 12 months. This category includes stand by generator sets for Industrial applications, on-site prime and distributed energy power systems, and a wide variety of industrial engines mounted on permanent bases or foundations.
The program implemented the emissions reductions on a tiered timing structure (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier3, and Tier 4) according to the size and use of the engine. These standards began in 1996 and will continue over a 20-year period.
It’s important to note that in the U.S., certain state and local emissions standards require an additional level of regulation, primarily for NOx (nitrogen oxides) and PM (particulate matter). Basically, particulate matter is formed by the incomplete combustions of fuel in diesel engines. Nitrogen oxide is formed in small amounts when fuel is burned at high temperatures and pressures during an engine's combustion process. The EPA has guidelines, based on the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS),that determine whether a metropolitan area is in “attainment” or “non-attainment” primarily for these specific contaminants.
Given that we need to control emissions and remain compliant, what are some of the control strategies in place today addressing fuel, combustion and aftertreatment?
Fuel quality has improved over the years to increase power output and decrease its adverse effects on aftertreatment devices. The sulfur content for example, has reduced from 5000 ppm to 15 ppm over the past 10 years or so enabling us to extend the useful life of catalyst used in the aftertreatment devices.
The development of fuels for compression ignited (C.I.) engines does not stop at reduced sulfur percentages though. Manufacturers continue to look at alternative fuels and biodiesel is one such viable option. Biodiesel properties are similar to that of diesel fuel, as opposed to gasoline or gaseous fuels, and capable of being used in compression ignition engines. There are limitations associated with the fuel (Fuel quality, oxidation stability, contamination, microbe growth, etc), however, that make engine manufacturers skeptical of using 100 per cent biodiesel. Blends are used, with B5 and B20 being highly popular in the market depending on complexity of the engine and the application.
Combustion is the process where chemical energy from fuel is converted to mechanical energy at the crankshaft. The small amount of exhaust contents that result from this combustion is a major pollutant and that is what’s controlled by regulatory groups like the EPA. Advancements in this field allow for multiple injections that help engines cope with varying load demands in an efficient way.
Perhaps the greatest developments right now are in the area of diesel exhaust aftertreatment strategies that have proven to greatly reduce emissions by substantial margins. Emission control at this level is what the EPA tier 4 regulations aims to achieve and involves innovations to filtration. Some strategies have already gained traction in various applications such as Selective Catalytic Reduction, a very effective method for curbing NOx emissions using aqueous urea injection into the exhaust stream passing over a suitable catalyst. SCR can reduce NOx up to 98 percent. Another is the Diesel Oxidation Calalyst, which is a flow-through device. DOC is capable of achieving over 95 percent reduction in CO and HC and utilizes palladium and platinum catalysts to reduce the particulate matter, hydrocarbon based soluble organic fraction, and carbon monoxide content of diesel exhaust by simple oxidation.
Finally, Diesel Particulate filters or Diesel particulate matter traps are designed to physically capture PM from the exhaust stream. They can either be simple mechanical filters requiring frequent replacement, or they can be catalytic filters that provide periodic or continuous oxidation (regeneration) of the trapped particulates into CO2. PM traps with continuous regeneration have already reached a high level of commercialization and are being employed on stationary diesel engines with strict PM emissions regulations.

Regulations keep getting tighter as we move towards tier 4 requirements. We will see a steeply rising use of aftertreatment strategies bringing significant reduction in NOx and PM levels. Thanks to the technological refinements taking place today, the electric power industry will continue to enjoy the performance advantages that diesel generator sets offer well into the foreseeable future.
If you need more details, please click here to download my White Paper called "EPA emission regulations: What they mean for diesel powered generating systems".