To meet its need for reliable, cost-efficient power to fuel production processes, Kuntz Electroplating, Kitchener, Ontario, is using four Caterpillar natural gas engines in a cogeneration application. Kuntz is one of the industry's largest independent electroplating plants, serving original equipment manufacturers of steel and aluminum wheels and bumpers.
The original 1997 installation included three Caterpillar G3516 low-emission, natural gas engines. A fourth engine was added after Kuntz had realized significant operational savings from the first three. Each Caterpillar engine is capable of producing 815 kW of continuous power running 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. With 3.2 MW of total power, the engines produce electric power for the electro-chemical plating process and thermal energy for process heating. This represents nearly half of the electricity consumed by Kuntz; the remainder comes from the local utility.
With just-in-time delivery of nickel- and chrome-plated automotive parts a prime corporate objective, high power reliability is of major concern to production operations for Kuntz.
Even momentary power outages can cause substantial production losses. For example, within two seconds of a power outage, the filter medium in an electroplating bath will begin to fail, and it will take nearly an hour to start up the line again.
Through a load-shedding and switching scheme, the Caterpillar installation is designed to provide standby power to the electroplating line during a power outage or interruption. The utility breakers opens, physically separating the facility from the rest of the power grid, and the engines power only the critical loads.
The engines have been put to the test during several power outages that occurred due to lightning strikes. "When we disconnect from the utility, our processes experience no downtime," says Keith Laycock, power plant operator, Kuntz Electroplating. "The engines stay online to power our critical processes."
The cogeneration system has not only improved the reliability of Kuntz's power supply, but has lowered its gas and utility costs by approximately $335,000 annually. Heat recovered from the engines' jacket water and exhaust systems is used for process heating. Heat recovered from the after-cooler and oil-cooler circuits is also used for the facility's hot water and heating purposes. In addition, the expended oil from the crankcase is burned in a high-tech waste oil furnace, providing space heating. The total energy efficiency of the installation approaches 90 percent. As operations grow, Kuntz expects to increase its power load by adding a fifth engine. Lay-cock anticipates a five-year simple payback period on the four Caterpillar units.