A C2000 6NC gas fuelled generator set undergoing testing at the new sound test facility at Cummins Power Generation, Fridley, Minnesota.

An important round of testing was undertaken last month by Cummins Power Generation Gas Product Management, using the world class sound testing facilities at Fridley, Minnesota. Cummins ATC test cell technicians completed environmental sound testing on the flagship C2000 N6C generator set, which uses a Cummins QSV91G engine.

The 91 litre, lean-burn gas fuelled QSV91G engine has been designed to combine the compact size, low emission levels and excellent performance characteristics of high-speed technology with the medium speed benefits of water-cooled exhaust valve seats, steel-crown pistons and combustion control.

The Acoustical Testing Facility (ATC) set up at Cummins Power Generation Fridley headquarters came on line in October 2011, and is the largest generator set testing facility of its kind in the world. The ATC has a state-of-the-art hemi-anechoic (no echo) chamber, eliminating any external noise interference or input to allow precise measurement of noise output from fully assembled generator sets. Pinpointing the sources of noise in a generator set helps Cummins design quieter, “greener” products. In addition, the ATC reduces the environmental impact on the surrounding neighbourhood by eliminating the need for outdoor testing. The facility was built in accordance with LEED guidelines for green building design.

Data Center Dynamics is the world’s leading peer-led data center conference and expo, which explores the latest issues, trends and technologies that drive the market forward.

Key topics at the conference are:

Design, Build, Operate: From site selection and engineering design through to power availability and full data center automation

Outsourcing Decisions: From collocation to Platform-as-a-Service, from Software-as-a-Service, to building your data centre capacity in the cloud

IT Optimisation: Insight on how IT needs drive data centre strategy and how that impacts infrastructure requirements

More information on the exhibition can be found at the Data Center Dynamics website.

MainStreet America is unique in the world of home buying, building and remodeling. Located near Houston, Texas, it is a year-round showcase of model homes and the products and technologies that go into them – the only such permanent collection in the country. Two residential standby generators from Cummins Power Generation, a MainStreet America Featured Partner, are among the products on display and in use.

There are 12 model homes in all, done in a variety of sizes and styles. The showcase allows prospective buyers to see products in actual use, as well as easily gather information on costs and authorized dealers.

The two Cummins standby systems installed in MainStreet America are an air-cooled RS20A and a liquid-cooled RS30 provided by Cummins Southern Plains, the regional Cummins distributor. Seeing the units working in a real-life setting demonstrates how easy it is to own and operate a quiet system from Cummins Power Generation. For more details, access the case history.

Cummins Power Generation will be exhibiting at the Hospital Build & Infrastructure event for the first time. The event will be at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, United Arab Emirates from 3^rd – 5^th June.

Hospital Build & Infrastructure is the fastest-growing, global business-to-business platform dedicated to bringing together investors, commissioners, backers and managers of healthcare-related building projects with key players in planning, design, construction, operations, management, supply and refurbishment.

More information on the exhibition can be found at the Hospital Build & Infrastructure website.

The mission of the nonprofit Floating Doctors medical relief team is to reduce the present and future burden of disease in the developing world, particularly the Caribbean and Central America. The Floating Doctors use a 76-foot vessel, the Southern Wind, as their base of operations. A new Cummins Onan marine generator is enabling these volunteer medical professionals to continue fulfilling their mission.

The Southern Wind, built in 1981, can accommodate up to 20 people working onboard. But because the ship lay unused for a number of years, she had to be extensively renovated, a job that took an all-volunteer Floating Doctors crew some 11 months to complete. Today, her ample cargo space and shallow draft make her ideal to navigate safely through shallow, treacherous waters to reach the isolated peoples served by the Floating Doctors.

The Southern Wind had been previously equipped with a rebuilt Cummins Onan generator, and Cummins Onan technicians and engineers talked on the phone with the crew regarding repairs and modifications. Recently, the Southern Wind was upgraded with a new, 13.5 kW MDKBN diesel model. The new generator allows for future growth in power needs and enables the group to continue its vital mission.

Dr. Ben LaBrot, founder of the group, said, “Floating Doctors has a history of support from Cummins Onan. We first set sail to Haiti after the earthquake with a 10 kW Cummins Onan marine diesel as our primary power source — an older model that had been rebuilt for and donated to us by a local marine electronics business while we were conducting our pre-mission refit in Florida in 2009.”

He further explained, “In 2011, after our ship experienced a direct hit by lightning in Honduras, our 20-year old Onan generator still ran well but the control board was burnt. Cummins Onan delivered a new control board to us just in time to fulfill our second mission to Haiti, during the cholera epidemic.

“Cummins Onan technicians and engineers have given us hours of their time over the phone to help advise us on repairs and modifications. Whenever we have needed Cummins Onan in the past, they have been there for us and their support and generosity have saved our project more than once during the challenging early days of our mission.”

The Floating Doctors have sailed over 6,000 open-sea miles in the past three years, treating more than 13,000 patients and delivering needed medical supplies to support newly established clinics. The group was recently profiled on “CNN Heroes.” You can learn more about their important work on the Floating Doctors website.

Cummins ESB brochure for download

Cummins Power Generation Energy Solutions Business (ESB) has put together a Standby Power brochure to detail how advanced control technology means generator sets running on lean-burn natural gas provide cleaner, more cost-effective standby power. Cummins lean-burn gas-fuelled generator sets produce up to five times less nitrogen oxides (NOx) output and near-zero particulate matter (PM). Low scheduled maintenance requirements, with extended intervals between recommended oil changes, help to drive down long-term maintenance costs.

With natural gas, on-site fuel storage is not required, and fuel supply is not an issue. Natural gas pipelines are the most reliable utility source of all. Cummins gas generator sets provide uninterruptible 24/7 performance without susceptibility to fuel delivery through extreme weather or transport problems.

The brochure provides a breakdown of the figures that show the impact lean-burn gas-fuelled generators can have on fuel costs and total cost of ownership. It also discusses hybrid solutions for faster starting and load acceptance, and the breadth and depth of support available through Cummins technology leadership and worldwide presence.

Look for the Cummins Standby Power Marque (pictured right), which can be found on all our Standby Power content and materials. Visit the Cummins Gas Microsite for full information on Cummins gas solutions.

Consulting & Specifying Engineer, a leading engineering publication for North America, selected an article for publication written by Rich Scroggins from Cummins Power Generation. Rich is a Technical Specialist in our Sales Application Engineering group. The article is titled “Reliability Considerations in Simple Paralleling Applications.”

The paper discusses the factors that must be weighed when making a decision on whether to provide backup power with a single generator set or with redundant paralleled generator sets. As the major factors are reliability and cost, Rich offers tips on how to maximize reliability of the paralleling system, and explains in detail whether the added reliability through a paralelled system is enough to justify the additional cost.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine recently announced that Cummins Power Generation’s DMC 1500 Paralleling System is a finalist in the annual Product of the Year competition. The winners will be selected by CSE subscribers, voting online at www.csemag.com.

If you’re a CSE subscriber, we’d appreciate your support! Look for the DMC 1500 in the Electrical Distribution category. To vote, follow this link:

http://www.csemag.com/votepoy

Voting closes June 28, and winners will be featured in CSE’s September issue. Watch for future communications from Cummins Power Generation on the results.

Trigeneration solution uses two 1400 kW Cummins natural gas generator sets

Electricity, heat and chill production for a new complex of laboratories and offices at a technology park in Poland is using gas generator sets supplied by Cummins Power Generation Energy Solutions Business (ESB). Wrocław Technology Park specified a system that would run 8,000 hours a year, and selected Cummins ESB as its natural gas generator set supplier thanks to price and product reliability.

Wrocław Technology Park’s trigeneration facility uses a pair of Cummins 50 Hz 1400GQKC natural gas generator sets. Like all of the generator sets in the QSK60 series, the 1400GQKC model is a fully integrated power generation system utilising state-of-the-art technology that results in efficient use of fuel for continuous duty electrical and cogeneration applications. The lean-burn Cummins gas engine utilises Miller cycle combustion and a full-authority electronic engine management system that provides low emissions and high efficiency.

The two Cummins generator sets deliver 2,800 kW of electricity production, meeting 65 percent of the site’s electric power demand and more than 100 percent of its heat and chill demand, with 6 percent of heat production being dissipated. A case study detailing the project is now available for download.

For more information about Cummins ESB gas-fuelled power solutions, please visit the Gas Microsite at http://now.cumminspower.com/gas

Most people are familiar with the great work done by the Ronald McDonald Houses — now operating in over 50 countries — in providing a comfortable place to stay for families with hospitalized children. But the organization also has over 40 Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles providing care to underserved communities in six countries. In the Upper Midwest, a Cummins Onan generator helps the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile team deliver high-quality dental care for children and pregnant women with the highest priority of need.

The mobile dental unit is a busy operation. In 2012 it hosted over 100 dental clinics and handled some 1,500 patient visits worth more than $400,000. Lauren Rasmussen, Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Coordinator, said, “Some of the sites we go to have an outlet to plug into, but most of the time we rely on our 18 kW Cummins Onan generator to help us provide services. In the three years we’ve been using it, we haven’t had any problems with the generator, which powers all the dental equipment involved in providing X-rays, oral hygiene, education and restorative services such as fillings and extractions.”

Al Camargo, RV Marketing Manager for Cummins Power Generation, said, “We’re delighted to be associated with The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and the important services this group provides to the community. Cummins Power Generation has been sponsoring the service and maintenance of the generator for three years now and has committed to continuing this sponsorship. Our distributor Cummins NPower takes care of the unit with preventive maintenance — replacing oil, oil filter, fuel filter and air filter, and checking for any problems. That’s how we ensure years of dependable operation.”