From mine electricity problems to executable power generation system solutions

The project is located in the Zamora-Chinchipe mountain mining area, with production areas, drainage pumping stations, camp communications and maintenance areas scattered. The site must not only ensure continuous production of the crushing and screening line, but also ensure that drainage, communications, lighting and basic safety loads are not interrupted due to the start of production; roads in the rainy season will affect oil replenishment, spare parts arrival and maintenance response.

What customers need to solve is not "buying a high-power generator", but the problems of main power supply in the mining area, power supply for key loads, starting voltage drop control, fuel life, low-voltage power distribution and remote on-site maintenance. If the quotation is only based on the power of a single unit, it is likely that the capacity will appear to be sufficient in the future, and the startup and power distribution will still be unstable.

The plan needs to consider five key points at the same time: the crusher and the conveyor belt start at staggered peaks to avoid instantaneous shocks that lower the voltage; the drainage pump station, communication and security lighting enter the ATS critical load bus; the production, camp, maintenance and extended load branch circuits are connected; the fuel system is configured according to continuous operation and rainy season oil replenishment conditions; and the parallel machine, low-voltage power distribution and spare parts services must be delivered as a system.

It is recommended to use 2×800kW / 1000kVA / 480V / 60Hz diesel generator sets in parallel, equipped with 2500A parallel synchronization cabinet, 1600A ATS critical load switching cabinet and 2500A low-voltage main distribution cabinet. This configuration puts the main power supply, critical load power supply, low-voltage outlet, fuel life and basic maintenance spare parts in the same system.

The estimated operating and reserved load is approximately 977kW. When two 800kW units are paralleled, they can cover continuous operating loads, crushing system start-up impacts, peak staggered operation and subsequent expansion margins; key loads are connected to the power-guaranteed busbar through the ATS, and production loads and auxiliary loads are powered by zones through the low-voltage main distribution cabinet.

Customers are concerned about whether the complete set of equipment can directly support the operation of the mining area after it arrives: the crushing production line must have stable power supply, the drainage pump station and camp communications must continue to maintain power, and fuel supply during the rainy season and subsequent production expansion must also be included in the equipment scope in advance.

The master equipment list cannot only list diesel generator sets. For this mining area, parallel synchronization cabinets, ATS, low-voltage main distribution, terminal outdoor distribution boxes, fuel endurance systems, remote monitoring and 500-hour maintenance packages are all key modules for whether the system can be put into operation.

The BOM needs to allow procurement and EPC to see the rating, control protection, circuit breaker interface, protection level and supply basis of each module at a glance; otherwise it will be easy to repeatedly confirm the cabinet capacity, critical load access, fuel interface, spare parts range and on-site commissioning responsibilities in the future.

The main equipment is configured as a combination of 2×800kW containerized diesel generator sets, 2500A parallel synchronization cabinet, 1600A ATS, 2500A low-voltage main distribution cabinet, terminal outdoor distribution box group, fuel endurance system, remote monitoring and 500-hour maintenance package.

Customers are concerned about the access issues after the equipment arrives at the site: how to connect existing loads, which circuits enter the ATS, which distribution boxes are provided by the equipment supplier, and what foundations, cable paths and load lists need to be prepared in advance by the on-site EPC, electricians and operations teams.

If the power distribution and delivery interface is not dismantled in advance, mismatches in cabinet positions, cable paths, critical load busbars, grounding terminals, ventilation and smoke exhaust, oil replenishment routes, and debugging personnel arrangements may easily occur after the equipment arrives, affecting installation and load testing.

The power distribution table needs to clearly indicate the service load, rated current, protection level, incoming line method, outgoing circuit, installation location, supply responsibility and on-site cooperation of each circuit from MAIN, LV-01 to LV-05, so that procurement, EPC and on-site electricians can execute according to the same table.

The low-voltage main distribution cabinet is configured according to 2500A, and the production line, drainage pump station, camp communication, maintenance workshop and safety lighting sub-circuit are connected; key loads such as drainage, communication and safety lighting are restored through the 1600A ATS with priority. The scope of supply and on-site cooperation are itemized in the following table.