How much "Exercise" time is needed for standby diesels?

[cannongeorge]

For high HP, (1,000 to 3,000 HP) standby diesel engines, just how many hours per year of "exercise" time is reasonable?



The proposed CARB (California Air Resources Board) regulations are going to limit even "new" engines which produce less than 0. 15 g/bhp-hr of Pm to less than 50 hours per year ( http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/statde/suppinfo.doc )

and even if you spent a lot of money to buy particulate filters (which are not yet available) to meet the proposed 0. 01 g/bhp-hr standard then it appears you'd only get to run for 100 hours per year.



These filters (when they might become available) will weigh maybe at least a half ton plus, and need a big footprint of area in order to access them. Oxidation catalysts will need a load bank (or load transfer switchgear) capable of getting the engine up to rated load in order to be effective.



With only 50 permissible run-time hours a year, and concerns about "wet-stacking" engines, would you advise testing less frequently, but with run cycles programmed long enough so as to at least get engines up to true operating temperature? Anyone have specific reccomendations?



Finally, what about 2-cycle diesel engines? Has anyone placed a Pm filter on these? I don't know of any vendor that'll warrant a two-cycle application... .



OK, those of you not in California are snickering at me... Don't shoot the messenger, but please consider, these restrictions are coming your way and you'll have to address them eventually...

 

[AKAMAC]

We are permited to run our diesel 200 hours per year. CARB also does spot inspections on our methane co-gen system. We have a PM that runs the diesel 1 hour per month. You can get an exemption for run hours by applying to your local ARB and they will contact CARB to up your op-hours.

You would be better off letting the gen-set run at load for 1 hour with apropriate cool down. The load cycle will allow the system to operate and give you insite on the running system condition.

 

[CPjMech]

I think our PM genset tech's only load bank the several hospital stand by's 1-3hrs a month. They are all 2000kw CAT 3516's and all seem to be ok with that run time. Does your 50hrs of run time only count when testing or any time that the eng is running?

 

[gcorron]

50 hours a year would make me worry.



I worked at a prison the last time the gens were mine, we had a mish mash of 3516's, 3412's, Cummins, etc. . When I went there, they were experiencing constant failures.



I began a testing program of every 2 weeks, one "long test" and one "short test". Reliability went up to 100% after working through some minor problems with all of them.



The long test was 3 hours loaded, the short was 1 hour loaded. This seemed sufficient to keep everything nice and moving.



Perhaps you can mention to the powers that be that you'll be off grid at this time and they'll let you slide on that fact alone????



Good luck.