2.5 MW Cummins Diesel Generator Set Project

One of the most interesting things our team does here at Generator Source is work in unison on custom builds. These projects typically last for months and require the cooperation of numerous players to make sure a unit is perfect for its new job and ultimately the client is happy!

Recently, one of our sales representatives found a unit that was going to be replaced/removed at a datacenter. Our team found the unit and coordinated the purchase and decom. We brought the 2.5 MW Cummins diesel to our Brighton location and our team of technicians began to put it through our 31-point inspection process. Read about this certification process here.   

Some units come and go without much in the way of extras, but this open skid unit in particular, the new client wanted a large base tank and the unit to be fully enclosed. So, our team of fabricators and generator technicians began work on all these added steps and features.

Our team found a base tank that would fit the bill and our main fabricator and welding guru, it was his turn to coordinate the mounting of the genset.

“We carefully measure all the components involved in this build and as you see, I’ve got every isolator mapped out so we will position the Cummins on the base tank. This is not as easy as it sounds as we will bring the larger crane company, Kran, and they will have to slowly lower the unit on to the tank.

“Once the map and layout work perfectly, I will then weld the isolators plates down after the crane lifts the unit back off from the base tank,” said Mike. “Then it’s time to attach the genset with their help again as well as fit the enclosure over the unit.

“Our calculations were perfect, the enclosure was tricky to slid over the unit as we had to kind of Tetris it on and then slide it into position, so the crane operator had to be on his game here,” added Mike. “Everything lined up nicely, so now we will bolt everything down and then hand it over to Alan one of our generator technicians so he can install wiring for the unit to the enclosure.”

Alan showed up to the genset with a cart full of wiring as he was going to spend about three days wiring the lighting, control panels, basically any components that needs to be hard-wired.

“This is a beautiful unit,” said Alan. “After I complete the wiring the unit will be fully functional, including the enclosure lighting, battery charger, panel and more. “The wiring will take me about three days to complete and then it will be time to fuel her up, add oil and coolant, then it’s go time.”

By go time, Alan is referring to the step in this process when we can start the genset. That day came and Alan called our social media guy out to document the startup, load bank and shutdown to certify the unit ready for action.

“You ready?” said Alan talking to our social manager. “Let’s do it!”

Alan fired up the genset. The Cummins 2.5 MW unit roared to life. After checking all the temperatures and levels, the unit passed all tests without any hesitation, so now it was time to add some load.

“The load bank test consists of about two to four hours of runtime while I add load to the unit from this portable load bank unit,” said Alan. “We slowly add increments of load, 20%, then record data, 40% record data, etc all the way up to 80%.

“We add the load about every 20 minutes until we hit that 80% level and then we let it run another hour or more while recording all the key measurables,” added Alan. “This Cummins is a beast I love how the load slowly raises and when we finish the testing, the unit will take about a minute to wind down after we have slowly removed all the load.” 

Alan was right, the unit took about 52 seconds to wind all the down after being shut down. At 2.5 MW this Cummins isn’t the biggest unit we deal with (4+ MW), but it is still a sizeable genset weighing in at 53,000 pounds (generator only probably near 85,000 pounds with the new base tank and enclosure).

The sound attenuated enclosure will now keep noise levels down as the QSK60-G19 powers the DQKAN-A049Y097 SPEC A. The total package will ship out to its new home shortly. Stay tuned for that video.

Custom Capabilities: Container Builds

In addition to projects like this one highlighted with a 2.5 MW Cummins, our team is also amazing when developing container builds. Our G.O.A.T. Greg often takes 1 MW to 2 MW open skids units and places them in container units for turnkey genset packages.

Greg installs all fuel lines, tanks, electrical and lighting just to highlight a few items, and then when he’s all done with the install, our team then lifts the completed build onto a trailer chassis so the unit becomes not only a turnkey standby energy options, but it also has the capability to be trailered anywhere for off the grid power. See a sample of this type of build here.      

And watch for another Caterpillar 1 MW custom container build coming soon. Learn about the genset here. Completed project photos coming soon!

Video Record Of Cummins Project

See the Cummins 2.5 MW project steps in video. See how this unit slowly came along and got load tested here. 

If you are looking for standby power, we are glad to help. See our inventory here or call (877) 866-6895 anywhere in the country or worldwide, as long as you need a 60 Hz unit!

Story Summary

What custom features were added?
The main customizations were:

• Installing a large base fuel tank
• Adding a full sound-attenuated enclosure
• Wiring for lighting, controls, and other components

How long did the customization process take?
The full project took several months to complete, with individual steps like wiring taking around 3 days.

What other types of generator projects can Generator Source handle?
In addition to refurbishing and customizing large diesel generators, Generator Source can also do container builds - installing generators in shipping containers with fuel systems, electrical, etc. for portable power solutions.

What size range of generators can they work with?
Generator Source works with generators from 1 MW up to 4+ MW in size.

Brian La Rue | 7/31/2024 1:45:11 PM | 0 comments