Colombian Pasta Producer Lowers Production Costs with CHP System from Cummins Power Generation Inc.
MOSQUERA, Colombia - Pastas Doria, a large Colombian manufacturer of
pasta products located in the city of Mosquera (near Bogotá), was experiencing
lost production time due to frequent utility voltage instability and power failures.
The food processing giant also had high energy costs for electricity and fuel oil.
In order to keep the plant's production line up and running and at the same time
save money on energy expenditures, Pastas Doria installed a combined heat and
power (CHP) system from Cummins Power Generation Inc. to generate more reliable electricity and produce heat for pasta drying.
Pastas Doria has been producing a wide variety of pasta products in Colombia
for over 53 years and makes more than 50,000 metric tons annually - about 40
percent of all the pasta consumed in the country. By getting both electricity and
Pastas Doria heat from the natural gas the company purchases, the company benefits from
savings on both forms of energy. As a result, Pastas Doria purchases less fossil
fuel and electricity than before it installed the CHP system, while solving its
voltage stability problems and reducing total emissions. The company estimates
that it has reduced its electricity purchases by 60 percent and its fossil fuel
purchases by 70 percent, resulting in a savings of approximately $50,000 USD
per month on its energy bills.
The cogeneration system is clean and efficient
The CHP system consists of a natural-gas-powered reciprocating engine
generator set, an exhaust gas heat exchanger, switchgear and controls. The key
component of the CHP system is a lean-burn 1750 kW natural gas generator set
from Cummins Power Generation. The generator set operates 24 hours a day in
parallel with the local utility in order to stabilize the voltage of the utility power
coming into the facility and to replace a significant portion of the power the
company purchases every day. Should the utility fail for any reason, the CHP
system would continue to operate, providing up to 1750 kW of electricity to run
various plant operations.
Compact in size for its power output, the lean-burn 1750 kW gas-engine
generator set has proven to be very durable, fuel efficient and clean burning in
numerous installations around the world. Since fuel costs make up the major
cost of ownership over the CHP system's useful life, the engine's efficiency plays
a large role in reducing operating costs. The Cummins engine is also one of the
cleanest natural gas engines available, with extremely low emissions of nitrogen
oxides and carbon monoxide.
"Pastas Doria selected Cummins Power Generation based on our technical
knowledge and a long history of working together," says Luz Patricia Ochoa,
managing director of Ingenergia, the Energy Solutions Business partner. "Other
businesses within Pastas Doria's corporate group have installed a number of our
standby power systems. Additionally, we were able to offer the highest quality of
heat energy for their processes while solving the voltage instability problems with
the utility network."
Waste heat from the generator set's exhaust is used to provide 3.4 million Btu/hr of
heat energy to the plant's boilers, pasta-drying operations and space heating, which
offsets fuel oil purchases. The 91-liter, 18-cylinder, spark-ignited lean-burn natural
gas engine has proven to be ideal in CHP applications due to the high specific heat
content of the engine's exhaust. The heat exchanger can be designed to produce
low-pressure steam, hot water or hot air as the application demands.
Customer sees other advantages
Pastas Doria has found that the CHP system offers other advantages besides
cost savings. "The system offers novel technology that allows industrialists to
have new competitive advantages," says Guillermo Botero Oviedo, supply chain
manager for Pastas Doria. "In our case, the results have been good and have
met our expectations for reliability, savings and efficiency."
In addition, the company's experience with support from Cummins Power
Generation during the implementation of the CHP system was very positive.
"The supplier's technical support was critical - from preliminary engineering and
Pastas Doria systems design through system implementation. Meeting the quality standards for layout and subsequent installation are key requirements for a food
manufacturing plant," Oviedo says. According to Arturo Cruz, business
development manager for Cummins Power Generation in Miami, FL, "The Pastas
Doria project was key in reaffirming our successful implementation of a local
execution strategy in Colombia."
Coordinated maintenance saves, too
Since both the production facility and the CHP system run 24 hours a day,
Pastas Doria has been able to schedule generator set maintenance at the same
time the plant is shut down for routine maintenance. Once a month, the
generator is taken offline for about four hours. During that time, plant personnel
inspect the generator set and do routine cleaning and maintenance. After every
1,500 hours of operation, or two months, they adjust the valves, change the oil
and replace the spark plugs, oil filters and air filters. Since plant maintenance
and generator set maintenance occur at the same time every month, there is no
disruption in production. This means that Pastas Doria can produce the pasta
products enjoyed by Colombians with higher productivity and lower cost than in
the past.
Cummins Power Generation, a subsidiary of Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI), is a major
leader in increasing the availability and reliability of electric power around the world. With over 80 years' experience, its global distributor network delivers innovative solutions for any power need - commercial, industrial, recreational, emergency and residential. Products include alternators, generator-drive engines, and temporary or permanent pre-integrated power systems combining generator sets and power
control and transfer technologies. Services range from system design, project
management, financing, and operation and maintenance contracts to development
of turnkey power plants.
For more information, contact
Debby Wadsworth,
Cummins Power Generation, 1400 73rd Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55432.
Phone: 763-574-5395; fax 763-574-5298. Or visit www.cumminspower.com.
