FG Wilson Takes Power Generation to New Heights at Heron Tower

When the leading manufacturer of diesel and gas generator sets, FG Wilson and official UK Dealer, Bells Control Equipment Ltd, were contracted by Skanska to install three FG Wilson 2500 kVA diesel generator sets (4016-TGR-3A) to Heron Tower, the first 'six star' office development in London, the biggest challenge was getting the 20 tonne equipment to the 42nd floor of the sleek new skyscraper and making it fully operational.

The generator sets, which are positioned at one of the highest points in the country, provide 7.5 MVA at 11KV back up power for the 46 floor building. One year after the £3 million project was completed, FG Wilson generator sets continue to provide a robust and reliable power supply to tenants at Heron Tower and ensure the smooth running of some of London's most prestigious bars, restaurants and global businesses.

Commenting on the project, James Murphy, director of Bells Control, said: "Working height and noise/vibration levels were the biggest challenges during this project. To overcome this, a crane lift was positioned on Bishopsgate and used to raise the generator sets to the top of the 230 metre high building. Due to the weight limitations, the generator set components were offloaded, positioned and re-assembled in the generator room, which was built on the 42nd floor. To keep noise and vibration levels to a minimum an acoustic room was designed and constructed on the 42nd and 43rd floors. The acoustic room was completely isolated from the core structure and incorporates inlet / outlet attenuation, exhaust gas silencers and flue system."

The noise levels of the acoustic room are set at 75dB (A) at 1 metre and NR35 at the nearest office space. The vibration reduction achieved exceeds British Standards requirements at 98.8 per cent. As part of the project Bells Control positioned remote radiators on the 43rd floor complete with all connecting pipe work between the engine and the radiator.

In the basement Bells installed a 42,000 litre diesel bulk storage tank with twin pumps capable of pumping up 45 floors (22 Bars of pressure) to individual day tanks (1000 litres) located in the generator plant room.

Bells Control were also responsible for the supply and installation of five MV Switch boards to the building, consisting of 21 MV switches as well as the installation of a fibre cabling network including a Photo-Voltaic and G59 system. The switches, as well as an additional 150 x LV/MV breakers can be controlled and operated on site or remotely by a dual 'hot' standby PLC system. This increases system resilience by providing full back up control in the event of a network or PLC failure.

Robert Scott, Regional Sales Manager, and UK, at FG Wilson, comments: "Skanska wanted a reliable and cost effective solution that performed within the constraints of the building. Thanks to the technical expertise of all involved, the project was a great success. It has been a privilege to work on this landmark project which is at the cutting edge of design."

The sky’s the limit for latest high profile FG Wilson project

The leading manufacturer of diesel and gas generator sets, FG Wilson, has completed one of its 'tallest' orders to date following the installation of life safety and tenants' standby generation sets at Western Europe's tallest building, The Shard which is part of London Bridge Quarter.

The project was delivered by Bells Control Equipment Ltd - an official FG Wilson UK dealer - in partnership with Mace. This latest power installation at the world's first 'vertical city' follows on from high profile commercial project successes including Heron Tower, the Olympic Stadium and Selfridges.

Standing at 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, The Shard which officially inaugurated on 5th July this year, has redefined London's skyline and Bells have designed and delivered a complete turnkey solution, on time and within budget.

This turnkey power solution consisted of a number of elements:

Two FG Wilson 4016 TRG2 2000KVA generator sets, complete with heat exchanger units, were installed on basement level three of the building. A key component to the power system was a cooling water system for each unit. Over 450m of flow/return pipework connect the generators located on basement level three to the remote radiators located on plant roof level 20. Dry air coolers were selected to achieve the required duty and noise level while duplex cooling pumps and pressurisation units ensure a consistent 10 Bar operating pressure.

Each generator was encased within an acoustic close fit canopy complete with acoustic floor and high performance anti-vibration mounts. These measures reduced noise to 70dB (A) at one metre within the plantroom and allowed vibration isolation greater than 98% to be achieved.

Single stage exhaust silencers, measuring in excess of 5000mm, were installed on each of the generator sets. Each silencer achieved a noise level of 70dB at one metre and combined with a 400mm i/d, 600mm o/d flue running from the basement to the termination point on the roof plant, level 20, total an impressive 100m in length.

36,000 litres of bulk fuel storage consisting of six spilt tanks were installed within the main central core of the building - part of a complete fuel supply and transfer system running through the structure from the ground floor. The fuel pipe solution installed represents a first in commercial office use with a flexible pipe in pipe system implemented rather than traditional mild steel welded pipe in pipe. This innovation allowed significant time savings for this stage of the project.

Bells were also responsible for the installation of all control cabling and local controllers. A PLC system was utilised to monitor supply and extract ventilation, the fuel system and cooling water system. The generator sets fully support all parasitic loads while the PLC system ensures that emergency failure or human error will not cause the generator system to fail.

Paul Connolly the MEP project manager for Mace at The Shard comments: "The remit from Mace to Bells and FG Wilson was clear and simple; bring all innovations and best practices to The Shard project to ensure the successful delivery of the turnkey generator package. Bells and FG Wilson's response was to deliver a solution that excelled, leading in design development, sequential programming of key components within their domain, technical submittals of equipment and delivery of the turnkey generator package."

James Murphy, director of Bells Control said: "It is testament to all those involved in the design and construction of the project, and the vision of developer, Irvine Sellar, and his team that this inspirational building has been constructed. This vision was made real by Mace's project management expertise and by their recognition that the generator system should be a single contractor turnkey package."

Renewing our strengths, shaping our future

On 21st and 22nd June 2012, the India Dealer meeting was held at Hotel Taj Vivanta, Bangalore, India. The purpose of the meeting was to assess this and last years’ performance and trends in order to build an effective roadmap going forward.

Eighteen delegates from all six Dealerships throughout India attended the Dealer meeting entitled, ‘Renewing our strengths, shaping our future’. The two-day event not only provided each Dealer with an opportunity to discuss and share their performance and areas for development but also provided a solid roadmap for the future.

Speaking at the event Shajee Varghese, Country Manager, commented, “This meeting has been successful in both refining our future vision and strengthening our ongoing relationships”.