Vertical manufacturer HIMOINSA developed a gas-powered generator set with maintenance periods that stretch for up to 10 000 hours, or 14 months of continuous work, highlights HIMOINSA Southern Africa senior sales engineer Warrick Taylor.

The generator's estimated service life of 30 000 hours until overhaul is much longer than the average life of diesel equipment of the same size, potentially requiring only two services throughout its entire working life.

Its maintenance intervals, up to 40 times longer than a diesel generator set of the same size, make it a suitable model for isolated and difficult-to-reach areas that require a continuous supply of clean power, like coal seam gas wells in Australia or gas pipelines in Russia.

The generator has an engine manufacturer Yanmar engine that incorporates patented, cutting-edge technology to extend the working life of the spark plugs to up to 10 000 hours.

The long running time of the HGY-25 gas generator set is especially attractive for the oil sector, he adds. Oil wells and gas fields are usually in remote locations, making regular maintenance every 250 to 500 hours difficult, notes Taylor.

Gas generator sets are a particularly efficient alternative to diesel where piped natural gas is available. He adds that low running costs, including fuel and maintenance, mean that gas generator sets are particularly economical for industries such as manufacturing, food and beverage and smelting industries.

Where a stand-by solution is required premium hotels, lodges and residential applications are increasingly looking to gas as an alternative to diesel.  Although more costly than a diesel unit to purchase, the total cost of ownership, long term efficiencies and benefits of reduced sound and very limited emissions, make gas a viable, cleaner, option.

To guarantee the maintenance intervals, HIMOINSA's engineering team optimised the design of the generator set, eliminating moving parts, enlarging the filters and increasing oil and coolant storage capacity.

The option to extend maintenance intervals to over one year of continuous work is a significant added value for companies in the industry, as it dramatically cuts the operating costs of their equipment.

HIMOINSA manufactures gas generator sets with a wide power range, from 10 kW up to 2 500 kW. Running on natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or biogas, environment-friendly fuels, the HGY-25 provide an ongoing supply of power that not only achieves an important reduction in carbon emissions and particles into the atmosphere, but also of noise.

In its generators, HIMOINSA incorporates a gas train with a manual valve, gas filter, pressure regulator, double solenoid valve, low-pressure gauge, solenoid valve tightness checking, inlet and outlet pressure meter and a special start-up and shutdown sequence designed by HIMOINSA.

The gas train complies with all required safety certifications for each country.

HIMOINSA generator sets are designed to run in parallel and supply continuous power in projects that require continuous power.

Gas-powered generators incorporate advanced control systems that activate one or more units, even remotely through a fleet manager, which also generates reports on status, fuel consumption and any alerts from the units that are running on site.

Further, market research group Reportlinker released its Global Gas Generators Industry report in September last year stating that global gas generators market will reach about $10-billion by 2027 and 6-billion by 2027, growing at a compound yearly growth rate of 6.7% over the analysis period from 2020 to 2027.

HIMOINSA Southern Africa sees huge growth opportunities for the gas generator market across Africa. Taken in isolation the benefits of fuel efficiencies, no financial losses from fuel theft, low maintenance costs and reduced noise and emission levels are attractive.

“When you couple these with the hybridisation possibilities and consider the finance options that are available through HIMOINSA Southern Africa, gas becomes not only a long-term efficient power solution but an immediately affordable one,” Taylor concludes.