Generator sets to be commissioned at completion of Portside construction

6th December 2013

By: David Oliveira

Creamer Media Staff Writer

  

Font size: - +

Electrical equipment supplier Zest WEG Group’s generator set division reports it will commission four 1 250 kVA generator sets, two 1 250 kVA transformers and medium-voltage control panels and interface units it supplied to the Portside building, in Cape Town, in February 2014 to coincide with the completion of construction.

As an additional backup to the First Rand Bank portion of the building, Zest also installed an emergency 300 kVA generator on the roof of the 33-floor-high Portside building.

“The R12-million supply contract for the Portside project was awarded at the end of 2012, but the timescale of the project was determined by the construction progress of the building. Once construction reached the point where Zest could install the generators, the company started transporting the generator sets to site,” explains Zest WEG Group sales and marketing director Gary Daines.

Installation of the generators was completed in September and Zest WEG Group generator set division sales manager Etienne Lewis notes that heavy winds posed a significant challenge to the project, as the winds made it dangerous to hoist the 10 t generators to the twelfth floor of the building.

He notes that the generators had to be lifted vertically using a crane and then had to be pulled horizontally using a rigging system. Daines adds that construction of the building continued once the generator sets were successfully placed in position.

“Together with the architect of Portside, the Zest WEG generator set division designed a customised solution, which required that the generators maintain power should a power outage occur. The generators were placed as close to the centre of the building as possible to supply the Old Mutual Properties and First Rand Bank areas of the building, which are also the main areas.

“The 1 250 kVA diesel-fuelled generator sets have been installed with a 12-cylinder Perkins engine. The fuel system, which comprises three 23 000 ℓ bulk diesel tanks and feeds the generator sets, was placed in the basement of the building. This makes access for refuelling easy and is a requirement for fire approval,” says Daines. Lewis adds that the generator sets are able to provide electricity to the building for an extended period of time owing to the size of the bulk fuel tanks.

The location of the bulk fuel tanks presented another challenge as the fuel in these tanks had to be pumped up 12 floors to reach the day-tanks. The day-tanks are located next to the generators and are able to supply sufficient fuel to each unit, notes Daines.

“Health and safety regulations limit the amount of fuel allowed to be stored in a closed environment. The day-tank also serves as the main supply to the generator as the fuel pump cannot draw fuel over these long distances when generators are operational, which is why day-tanks need to be in close proximity to generators,” explains Lewis.

The noise level of each generator has been designed to the specification of 65 db at 7 m, which Daines points out can be challenging. He notes that the sound absorption was maintained by installing inlet and outlet acoustic louvres.

Meanwhile, the smaller 300 kVA generator uses acoustic insulation on the inside of the canopy in which it is housed.

Also, Zest had to limit the amount of vibration caused by the generators, which made it necessary to mount the generators on antivibration rubber mountings, he adds.

Daines adds that it is more challenging to retrofit projects. Zest was involved with the architects working on the projects early on in construction, allowing the company to offer a complete customised solution.

The generator sets were transported from the Zest generator set division factory, in the Epping industrial area, to the Portside building using flatbed trucks.

Meanwhile, the company reports that it also supplied the Silo 1 project in the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, in Cape Town, with three 500 kVA and three 350 kVA diesel-fuelled generator sets in January 2013. These generators are powered by Tier 3 efficiency-rated Volvo engines, which have been installed in the office and residential complex of Silo 1.

Daines says Zest WEG provided a total, fully automated and integrated standby power solution, which synchronises with the national power supplier, to the value of about R7-million.

“The generators also had to comply with Cape Town’s maximum noise level bylaws. The generator sets were fitted with acoustic reduction attenuators and exhaust systems, which were then installed in a confined space, successfully reducing the noise levels below the requirements of Cape Town bylaws.

“These generators also have bulk fuel tanks and day-tanks, which are proportional to the size of the generator and the number of operating hours required from the generators,” he explains.

Formally known as IMS Cape, the Zest WEG Group generator set division has been a part of the group since 2007, but the original business of manufacturing generators started in 1976. The division’s new factory was completed in 2009 and is located in the Epping industrial area, in Cape Town, with a sales office in Johannesburg.

The Zest generator set division targets the mining and industrial sectors, particularly large building and construction projects. The generators which the company supplies range from 40 kVA to 2 500 kVA, and are supplied in either single- or multiple-unit configurations. The Zest WEG Group generator set division also offers service and maintenance agreements on all major generator brands.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION