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How to properly use diesel generators in high altitude/extremely cold conditions/poor cleanliness environment?

June 01, 2022
The rated power of diesel generator sets needs to work in a standard environment of atmospheric pressure of 100KPa, ambient temperature of 25°C, and relative humidity of 30%, but not all diesel generator sets can work in such a suitable environment. When working in extremely cold conditions and poor cleanliness, certain measures and means must be taken to make the unit work normally. The following is an introduction to the use of diesel generator sets under these harsh environmental conditions.
Diesel generator sets
 
       The rated power of diesel generator sets needs to work in a standard environment of atmospheric pressure of 100KPa, ambient temperature of 25°C, and relative humidity of 30%, but not all diesel generator sets can work in such a suitable environment. When working in extremely cold conditions and poor cleanliness, certain measures and means must be taken to make the unit work normally. The following is an introduction to the use of diesel generator sets under these harsh environmental conditions.
 
       1. Use in high altitude plateau areas
       The engine matched with diesel generator set, especially the naturally aspirated engine, when the diesel generator set is used in the plateau area, because the air is thin and cannot burn as much fuel as it does at sea level, it will lose some power. Generally, the power loss of the engine is about 3% per 300m elevation. Therefore, when the diesel generator set works in the plateau, lower power should be used to prevent black smoke and excessive fuel consumption.
 
       2. Working in extreme cold climates
       1. Add auxiliary starting equipment such as: fuel heater, oil heater, water jacket heater, etc.
       2. Use the fuel heater or electric heater to heat the cooling water, fuel oil and lubricating oil of the cold engine, so that the whole engine can be heated up so that it can start smoothly.
       3. When the temperature of the engine room is not lower than 4°C, install a coolant heater to maintain the temperature of the engine block above 32°C.
       4. Install low temperature alarm for diesel generator set.
       5. For the environment that will drop below -18℃, the diesel generator set working at this temperature also needs lubricating oil heater, fuel pipeline and fuel filter heater to prevent the fuel from solidifying.
       6. The oil heater is installed on the engine oil pan. It heats the oil in the oil pan, making it easier to start the diesel engine at low temperatures.
       7. It is recommended to use -10#~-35# light diesel oil.
       8. Use the intake air preheater to heat the mixture entering the cylinder, thereby increasing the compression end temperature and improving the ignition conditions. The electric heating method is to install a glow plug or a heating wire in the intake pipe to directly heat the intake air. It does not consume oxygen in the air and does not pollute the intake air, but it consumes battery power.
       9. Use low temperature lubricating oil to reduce the viscosity of lubricating oil to improve the fluidity of lubricating oil and reduce the internal frictional resistance of the liquid.
       10. Use high-energy storage batteries, such as current nickel-metal hydride batteries and nickel-cadmium batteries. Pay attention to the heating or heating and heat preservation of the battery. If the temperature of the machine room drops below 0°C, a battery heater should be equipped. In order to maintain the capacity and output power of the battery.
       11. For diesel generator sets working in high humidity situations, heaters should be installed in the generator windings and control box to prevent short circuit or damage to insulation caused by condensation inside the generator windings and control box.
 
       3. Working under conditions of poor cleanliness
       Long-term operation in dirty and dusty environments will damage diesel generator set components. Accumulated sludge, dirt and dust can wrap components and make maintenance more difficult. Deposits can contain corrosive compounds and salts that can damage components. Therefore, in order to maximize the service life of the diesel generator set, the user must shorten the maintenance cycle of the generator set.