Diesel engine generating sets working at the wrong altitude.

Hello Guest,

I agree with Hendrik that it may be possible to fit Turbochargers, or Superchargers, which would get around the problem.

Fit smaller impellers if possible, to reduce the Engine load, while you get the troubles sorted out.

You would need to contact your Suppliers at once, and advise them in Writing, before your Engines are damaged.

Most Suppliers are reasonable, as if they give a good service, you as a buyer, will come back to them next time you purchase.

Advise your progress, or lack of it, here, with

Kind Regards....

I am not sure reducing the head capacity with a smaller impeller will lower the power demand. Normally we need to move the curve duty point left by decreasing flow and at a fixed speed this means increasing the resistance (pressure). Or, try reducing the speed to a point where flow is still realised. Power demand is at the cube of the speed. Head capacity is related to the square of the speed, and flow is 1:1 with speed. Also try putting a small restriction in the discharge to move the pump curve duty point left which will reduce power demand. Do not go so much restriction that vibration increases of you will have other problems with the pump impeller later on. A wild idea would be to inject compressed air into the intake manifold if you have a steady source of compressed clean air available. Turbos might be hard to find for such a small engine. These will derate 3% per every 265 meters above 150 m.

I'd trim the impellars down. Trying to retrofit turbo's will be very expensive. The engines are undersized by about 20%, cut flow by 20%.

What is the MFG of the engine?

Are they turbo or natural?

Is there a gear between the engine and pump?

What brand, style of pump is it, what are specs?

Kind of hard to see it from here.

If you lost power in your engines from the altitude. Can you try propane enrichment?I have heard that there is a lot of power in propane. If you only need 20%, you should be able to get that with propane and maybe some air filter and exhaust improvements. Try contacting some generator distributors in the Denver area. They live with high altitude all the time. Good luck.

you'd void the warrenty and if these run 24/7, they'd not last as long.

What good is the warranty? The gen sets do not do the job. If a solution is not found, they are going to buy new ones anyway.

As for the engines not lasting long, if the gen set was designed to produce 13.5 Kw, and it can no longer produce that much power because of the altitude, then if you provide sufficient air, propane, nitrous oxide or whatever,to return the engine back to it's designed 13.5 Kw power level, why should the engine be stressed any harder than when it was at sea level? You have not produced any additional power, nor have you exceeded the RPM it was designed to work at. We are not looking to add 20% more power than it was rated for. We are only trying to compensate for loss of air because of altitude.

Hi Guest

Please say something even if it just goodbye

We are very short on information and would like to know more.

It seems that you have several gen sets with pumps on separate gen - pump combination lines.

An idea may be to keep the smallest diesel as a reserve and swap diesels to smaller alternators and buy one diesel big enough for the 13kw.

Another option if the diesels are not running at maximum speed is to change the drive ratio and obtain the missing power.

If you supplied to the specs your client gave you then it is your client who has to pay the modification bill.

The engines will have been derated for 2000 m operation more than they would need to be for 200 m operation, so the problem will be less severe at 200 m. You should be able to upfuel to give the easier operational conditions at 200 metres.

Good luck!

Dave S.

Turbo chargers are used on every type of engine from motor cycles and VW's all the way up to the largest of all engines, In some cases they are used to create more power but in other cases they are used only to give performance at altitude that equals performance at sea level. There a lot of general aviation air craft being boosted by turbochargers that only boost the input air 3 or 4 lbs. Depending upon your engine needs, turbo boost is likely the least expensive. Likely the engine mfg. has faced this issue in the past and can provide factory parts for conversion.

TMF

Hello Guest; I believe you have answered your own question. Yes, re-calibration of the fuel flow should correct the trouble. Use of a turbo-charger would allow compensation of fuel air mixture without further adjustment needed. If would use and intake pressurization device Detroit Diesel supplied a super-charger for their 3.41 that may fit your need. But I believe the problems being experienced can be allayed by a simple mixture adjustment.

I believe you are referring to the two cycle series engines. They needed the super-charger for them to run, as they had no intake valves. They did use a turbo-charger for the higher power engines in that series.

I do believe you are correct in that the engines can be made to perform correctly at that altitude. BUT, in the 14 posts so far the op has still not given the name of the engine manufacturer. They are the experts on their engines. They should be the first people contacted.

Your OVERFUELING, simply cut back on your fuel by either changing injectors or nozels depending on the engine configuration.

The engine itself is basicaly an air compressor, it is possible that the engines should have been sized up to compensate for the lack of free air. But you should get your fuel mixture streight first.

Tim

Hello

For your diesel engine generator the best way to change your generator because you must to take care wrong specs will give you less power and there is big difference between 200 m--2000m so at the end your engine will make many problem too much smoke ,high temperture,high fuel consumption and less performence