| Power plant products
Kohler and Toyota provide zero-emissions system
Kohler Power Systems has collaborated with Toyota’s North American arm to develop and install a hydrogen fuel cell power generation system at the Klickitat Valley Health hospital in Goldendale, Washington. The system combines Kohler and Toyota technologies ‘to showcase the viability of the zero-emission technology’. The installation is regarded by Kohler as a significant step towards offering a commercially available product that will aid its customers’ decarbonisation goals.
The power system combines Kohler’s power generation control platform and system integration expertise with a fuel cell module from Toyota for a scalable solution for zero- emission power that can meet the needs of a variety of customers. The resulting ‘Kohler
Fuel Cell System’ is sold as ideal for prime, peak shaving, and emergency situations. The system can be scaled or customised for the specific needs of customers, whether for individual installations or covering entire facility complexes.
The first ‘Fuel Cell System’ to be installed at Klickitat Valley Health hospital is going to a customer that had previously announced plans to reinforce its electrical infrastructure, including backup and secondary power generation that included a hydrogen fuel cell to ensure uninterrupted operations. The Kohler system will be used to help the hospital meet its preparedness needs.
Kohler has been tracking its environmental footprint since 2008 as a key part of its
environmental strategy, and it has established goals for reducing Scope 1-2 GHG emissions, water usage, and waste to landfill across its operations.
SXL seals for Europe’s largest tidal power plant
EDF is planning to retrofit more of its facilities with Thordon’s SXL polymer radial shaft seals, following successful trials and subsequent installation of the technology at one of its power plants, the La Rance plant in Brittany. La Rance is one of the world’s largest tidal power stations, with 24 turbines and an average output of 57MW, peaking at 240 MW. Its annual output is around 500 GWh.
The plant’s original shaft seals – made of an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and a carbon graphite material –
required replacement due to their low longevity and performance.
“We knew from experience that SXL seals not only perform substantially better than UHMWPE and carbon seals, but they significantly reduce leakage rates and extend the wear life far beyond the original installations. Thordon SXL shaft seals have a typical wear life of more than 15 years”
“For the EDF plant we came up with an improved radial seal design that would fit into the existing housing … EDF was convinced the
new SXL segmented seal was the right solution for this application. Initial trials were a huge success” commented Axel Swanson, Thordon Bearings’ business development manager for hydro, pump and industrial..
The SXL segmented shaft seal is claimed to have several unique features – installation and replacement of all seal components can be carried out without removing the shaft; compared to carbon seals the SXL seals reduce show reduced leakage, extended wear life, design flexibility, and are made from a very robust material.
The seals have in the past been designed for shafts up to 3.9m diameter and can be designed for use in either radial or axial sealing systems.
Left: La Rance tidal power plant
When the La Rance facility, located on the estuary of the Rance River, in France, opened in November 1966, it was the world’s first-ever tidal power station. It remained the largest until 2011, when South Korea’s Sihwa Lake PS started operations.
Expansion of the solar splice connector series
Amphenol Industrial Sustainable Technologies has partnered with Melni Technologies to expand its RadCrimp series of solar splice connectors. The series now includes connectors with current ratings of 50A for 8A WG (American Wire Gauge) and 65A for 6A WG cable.
Features include: no special crimp tools need for field termination; Melni spiral termination technology with low resistance and long-term reliability; low resistance wire termination
and sealing can be completed in one action; certification to UL6703 and IEC62852 for 1500V DC; and IP68 sealing protection. The RadCrimp series was developed to significantly improve crimp reliability in the field, while helping to reduce the amount of crimp related failures that are directly related to improper usage. It is said to be ideal for use in new solar PV installations, field retrofits and repairs in solar installations and any other field
terminations requiring a robust sealed power connection.
The crimpless butt splice solar connectors are assembled by stripping the PV cable, inserting it into the connector and tightening the connector end caps to the specified torque. Since the RadCrimp is a single connector, there is no risk of mating incompatible connectors from different manufacturers and violating UL 6703 requirements.
www.modernpowersystems.com | March 2024 | 41
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