The Saudi Diesel Equipment Company used alternators from Nidec Leroy-Somer to replace decades-old diesel generators (DG) for a critical power supply project in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

It was part of its task to replace 35-year-old existing DG sets, which are used to restart gas turbine generators (GTGs) at Yanbu’s main power station in case of any unexpected shutdown. The DG sets are designed specifically for black start applications.

The power station has several GTGs with a total capacity of 524.6 MW and caters to the region’s total electricity demand.

The GTGs are equipped with direct on line (DOL) starter motors of 600 kW, 4.16 kV rating with six times the nominal starting current. This means a huge inrush current is experienced by the alternator.

Given the critical nature of the project, the company ordered two DG sets for redundancy, and thereby, reliability.

The new DG set first acts as a black start, and is primarily responsible to start the turbines that are down or under planned maintenance shutdown.

The DG set is also used to feed auxiliary loads in case the need arises—emergency loads other than the turbine load—before or after the black start, till such time the turbines take over the full load.

For Nidec Leroy-Somer, the challenge was to design a medium voltage 4.16-kV alternator with rated power of 4,000 kVA.

This is a high-speed alternator, IP23 rated, so there were constraints regarding the design of the machine.

An important consideration was adapting the design to the ambient temperature of 50 deg C with the humidity reaching 100 per cent in consideration of the very harsh environment at the site.

Nidec Leroy-Somer also used the latest D550 digital automatic voltage regulator (AVR), which is ideal for parallel genset operation.

The AVR also has a wide range of functionalities including online monitoring with manual and remote controls.

The two alternators were designed and manufactured after thorough calculation of all electrical parameters following detailed discussions with the client before finalizing the design.

Once assembled, the alternators were tested and approved by Saudi Diesel along with third party inspectors.

Commenting on the project, Nawar Shubber, Regional Sales Manager at Nidec Leroy-Somer, says: “Any application that involves a power plant is very critical, because in case of a shutdown, the unit has to restart and come online as fast as possible, and these are very heavy turbines, each of 50 MW.”

“Also, they must run to a synchronous speed before energising the equipment and connecting to the grid. That is the critical part – getting the GTGs into a synchronous speed before connecting to the grid.”

The two DG sets were supplied as complete packaged units, each measuring 13 m by 5m by 6 m in dimensions.

The diesel engine is from MTU, Germany. Each package is a complete unit with the engine coupled to the alternator, diesel tank, MV switchgear, 480-V motor control centre (MCC), control panel, fire alarm and suppression system and the radiator cooling system.

Two axial up-blast fans have been installed for ventilation purpose during operation to maintain the temperature rise inside the enclosure within 5 deg C.

The ingress protection rating during standby time for the whole package is IP56. The packaged are based on plug-n-play concept.

“Enclosures for the entire generator set, fabricated locally, contain UL-motorised louvers for totally enclosed operation during shut-down. The package is designed as a gas-tight enclosure while the fire alarm and suppression systems in these units are tested in accordance with NFPA 2001 and BS EN 15004-1,” says Kathim Alrifai, Project Manager at Saudi Diesel Equipment Company.

Apart from the harsh environment, the project is also located within a high seismic zone. To address this, the generators are mounted on dual spring and rubber vibration isolators designed to withstand earthquakes and seismic activity within specific limits, as determined by the data applicable to the city.