Location: Faroe Islands
Installed Power: 2X2664 kW = 5MW stand-by power
HIMOINSA has developed a Medium Voltage
project to generate standby power for one of the heavy fuel oil plants that
produce electricity for the residential and business area of the Faroe Islands.
Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, the
Faroe Islands are composed of 18 islands with a total of 50,000 inhabitants.
The average energy consumption on the islands is 240,000 MWh, with the
available power generated reaching 260,000 MWh, according to the U.S. Energy
Information Administration – Independent Statistics & Analysis.
To ensure a constant, failure-proof power
supply, SEV, the Faroe Islands electric utility company, has installed at its
Sund plant two HIMOINSA medium voltage generator sets, model HMW-3030 T5 6.6kV.
The sets have been supplied through HIMOINSA's distributor on the Faroe
Islands, KJ-HYDRAULIK.
The Sund Plant has five engines fuelled by heavy
fuel oil which generate energy to supply power an area of the industrial and
residential activity on the islands.
“The function of the HIMOINSA generator sets is to guarantee energy supply in the event of a network failure”, said Francisco Inglés, Sales Regional Manager at the company.
How does the equipment work?
The generator sets, which are connected in parallel with the grid, deliver an output of 3000 kVA at 6.6 kV of voltage. They are equipped with an engine, which performs at the rated conditions within 12 seconds after a power failure occurs. This quick response, provides emergency power assistance to prevent any outages in the residential area of the islands, but also ensures power continuity to the fish processing industry, one of the main industrial activities of the Faroes Islands.
The system is designed to cover sudden load increase –peak shaving - at those times when demand exceeds the power provided by the heavy fuel oil plant which is the primary resource of the generating station. This is where the function of the generator sets assumes an important role, being able to offer an additional 5MW.
Another mode of operation is that of exportation. From the SCADA control unit, connected to the gensets via a MODBUS protocol, it is possible to select the power to be exported to the network, which can increase the available power in the grid, regardless of the operation mode set by default. The generator sets have a DEIF AS5 AGC4 control unit and a medium voltage alternator provided with the current and voltage transformers for direct reading from the control unit. The equipment includes medium voltage switchgear for protection and measurement to obtain the reference voltage and current from the common power busbar for synchronisation with the mains.
Seawater cooling system
One
of the peculiarities of the project has been to design a seawater cooling
system. Due to the proximity to the sea, the gensets do not require a radiator,
since it is therefore possible to harness sea water for cooling the generator
sets. “The Sund Plant already had a seawater pipe system nearby, so that
connection has been reused to supply the cooling system for the two generator
sets installed”, said Agustín Rodrigo, Network Development Manager at HIMOINSA.
This has been one of the adaptations that the HIMOINSA distributor,
KJ-HYDRAULIK, has taken into account in the project development process.
Technical specifications
Alternator: The medium voltage alternator incorporates current and voltage transformers for direct reading from the control unit.
Medium Voltage Switchgear: Medium voltage switchgear for protection and measurement to obtain the reference voltage and current of the common busbar for synchronisation with the mains.
Special cooling system: The cooling system uses water from the sea so that the generator sets do not require a radiator.
The HIMOINSA team with its distributor at the Faroe Islands, KJ-HYDRAULIK, and members of SEV
