Engine & Turbine Technology
capacity is generally under-developed and under-invested. Building multi-megawatt (MW) power stations can take years to design, build and commission – the type of power that temporary rental power stations can provide in less than eight weeks. T ere is a vast growth in population but this is not married with the pace of utility infrastructure development. Emergency breakdowns are also a
growing market area, where typical failure of old installed sub-stations may occur and especially in the extractive and refi ning oil and gas industries where plants need to be up and running quickly again to avoid costly downtime.
O
riginally built upon a niche market, the global temporary power industry is still relatively new
and a good proportion of the general power industry is still unaware of the fl exibility that it off ers to the wider market-place.
With all these applications and demands, packaged portable step-up transformers are a complementary product for customers renting high or low speed generators. Crestchic’s packaged off ering includes both cast resin and oil fi lled transformers designed and built to specifi cation by a number of major European transformer manufacturers.
Built of steel Crestchic’s oil-fi lled transformers are built with signifi cant strengthening in the oil tanks and are more robust for the punishing environments of the portable rental market that it sells into. T is could be anywhere from the Middle East, Africa, or even off shore oil and gas. Customers in this market-place have
Paul Brickman of Crestchic Limited is based in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK.
www.crestchic.co.uk
26
www.engineerlive.com
signifi cant demands and the packaged transformers need to be highly robust due to the harsh rental environment. However, along with this they need to be easily transportable. It is extremely common for old shipping containers to be re-used for this purpose, as they are readily available at low cost. However, recycled shipping containers are not necessarily the most robust solution, because cutting holes in the existing containers weakens the steel and general structural integrity.
By manufacturing containers that are bespoke in design and engineered to be portable, Crestchic ensures that they are as strong and safe as possible. Using cross- sectioned steel and additional steel in the build process ensures a minimum lifespan of 10 years. Furthermore the structural integrity is recognised by the Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).
Packaged transformer T e sole reason for packaging portable transformers is to ensure accessibility and fl exibility. T is means no time is wasted dealing with several suppliers to obtain the various components such as the transformer itself, switchgear, ancillary electrical items and enclosures. T ere are also no costs for on-site assembly and little to no civil engineering is required. If an organisation is generating electricity between 400-480V at 50 to 60Hz, transformers step-up from this to a range of voltages typically anywhere between 3.3kV and 36kV with multiple voltage taps available at a range of voltages in between, depending on the customer’s location in the world. Essentially this creates the capability of generating signifi cant amounts electricity at a low voltage and which is then easily introduced onto medium/high voltage grid systems. Inside the container sit various components such as the input isolators, cooling fans and extraction, voltage tap selection and medium/low voltage switchgear arrangement. Everything is kept in separate compartments to accommodate the main transformer and ABB Safe Plus medium voltage switchgear, another important feature of the packaged transformer. Crestchic operates from two to four MVA in a 10ft container and up to eight MVA in a 20ft container. T e voltage range covers a multitude of international standard grids and industrial applications at relevant frequencies – they have to be global because customers use them all over the world. Some people refer to them as packaged substations. It is important that the general power
market is able to diff erentiate between packaged transformers and traditional transformers. T e most obvious benefi t being that it is a fl exible distribution of power that can go anywhere and, all in all, we are seeing this solution become more common across the globe. ●
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52