When the Bescom Power fails...
Our DG set gets into action. It takes between 30 to 45 seconds for it to switch on and our common electrical points to wake up. Compare this to a Home UPS that wakes up as soon as the power fails and some of the equipment might (like our WiFi routers) do not even blink.
Each of our 2 DG sets has a rated capacity of 250 KW - so in total, they have a capacity to give you about 500 KW. However, as per my understanding, the DG sets cannot sustain such a high load for more than a few seconds. What we know is, if they are kept running at 60-70% of the rated power, you could run them for hours together. As the load increases further, they are susceptible to failures faster.
In case of most failures, our DG sets run at 30-40% loads during most power-cuts.
Unlike an UPS, you cannot leave them unattended. There is a person from the electrical section who is monitoring the health of the DG sets. They have various parameters like
- Voltage (V)
- Current (A)
- Temperature
- Oil Levels (Lubricant)
- Coolant
- Radiator Water
- Fuel
- Continuous running time
to list a few. I am not sure of the others and will possibly update this as and when I learn more.
The personnel monitoring it have to take care that
- The current does not go above a particular value
- The temperature is within limits and add coolant / radiator water as needed
- The oil level is maintained and the oil quality is within permissible limits and not getting black
They keep hourly logs of the above in case of longer power-cuts, so that the residents can enjoy uninterrupted power in their common areas. In some cases, when power usage levels are low, they need to shut down one of the DG Sets for an hour or so and then resume it again. They they proceed to shut down the other one. So load balancing too is done.
And we know that sometimes power-cuts happen during the night too. And even then, they continue their monitoring. In the night, there is the additional load of Street Lights, lobby lights and staircase lights.
In addition, there are problems like reverse-current, which need to be handled based on the situation.
Fuel / Diesel Consumption
As you would have guessed, the oil consumption increases as the load on the DG increases. At 10% load, it could use as little as 10-15 litres / hour. At peak loads (around 80%), the consumption could be as high at 50 l/hour.
Imagine the heat generated at such loads.
So it makes environmental sense to use as less of power from the DG set as possible.
Additional Information:
Our DG Specification:
- Brand Name and Model Number: Powerica PTS/250-C/F31 - Silent DG Set
- Rating: 250 / 200 kVA / KW
- Noise Limit: 75 dB (A) at 1 Meter Distance
Possibly vendor who does AMC for the same:
If you notice the image below, the panel provides information on Battery, Temperature, Oil Pressure and Hours of operation. Oil pressure indication is shown when the DG is in operation. If you are wondering what a battery is doing in the DG set, the DG set has a Diesel engine like your car (possibly bigger). To start the engine, it needs a battery to power it on. And (if all is good) it starts automatically when the power goes off.
Some Guidelines on maintaining:
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