Tuesday, July 24, 2012 1:05 PM
Posted By: Distributed Energy Editor
Condition monitoring can provide valuable information to help you set effective maintenance and repair plans for your electric power products and facility. Analyzing data from a combination of condition monitoring “elements” — such as simple inspections and regular fluid analysis to careful tracking of electronic product data and analyzing product history reports — helps to accurately assess the overall health and operating condition of any product in an electric power application. These simple guidelin... More...
Wednesday, January 04, 2012 1:02 AM
Posted By: Distributed Energy Editor
In a recent blog, " Load Bank Testing of Generator Sets ," I made a reference to preventive/predictive maintenance programs, which generated the question of whether or not OEMs are beginning to move away from traditional preventive maintenance programs. That question led me to writing this blog. As technology has become advanced to the point where you’re able to literally start and stop a power plant from any smart phone, tablet or computer – so has … continue reading More...
Thursday, November 10, 2011 6:00 PM
Posted By: Distributed Energy Editor
Generator sets represent a sizable capital investment, and are seldom installed as amenities of convenience. Their failure to perform properly when called into action is almost always accompanied by potentially dangerous conditions and/or risk of significant financial loss. Periodic load bank testing is an important element of any comprehensive preventive/predictive maintenance program to ensure the genset is capable of accepting certain building loads when required. But, load bank testing is seldom spe... More...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 6:02 PM
Posted By: Distributed Energy Editor
Some emergency and standby power applications require the ability to start up and accept electrical loads in less than 10 seconds. If a project has a power restoration time requirement, it is highly recommended that a system level Start Time Analysis (STA) is completed. The STA should look at every aspect of the critical power path, from electrical system component selection to component performance (including settings, time delays, and inherent component processing delays) to site conditions that may im... More...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 6:01 PM
Posted By: Distributed Energy Editor
A few weeks ago, we discussed extended oil change intervals for standby generator sets. Many of the responses included the importance of performing scheduled oil analysis. So this led me the question, are all oil analysis programs the same? As an owner or operator of a generator set, you have many choices for obtaining oil analysis services. Options include oil companies, independent oil labs and OEMs. Obviously, my bias will be toward the OEM but let’s walk through… continue reading More...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 5:58 PM
Posted By: Distributed Energy Editor
The start of a new year greeted me with annual renewals at my house. One of those renewals was my personal insurance, both home and auto. I don't know about you, but whether it's automobile insurance or my home owner's premium, I cringe at the fact of paying my annual insurance premiums. In essence, I always feel like I'm paying too much for what I get, and for the most part, I never seem to realize the true value. But, all that said, it's one of those “products” I simply can't go without. Do you feel t... More...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 5:57 PM
Posted By: Distributed Energy Editor
Contaminants can decrease your engine's efficiency, increase your costs, accelerate wear and eventually, cause expensive repairs. So what should you do to keep your fuel as clean as possible? Here are three common culprits of dirty fuel and a few simple recommendations that may save you money down the road. Sediment: it decreases the amount of usable energy in the fuel. How do you get rid of it and how can you prevent it from… continue reading More...