Lou: Good Day and welcome everyone to Power Bytes! I am your host Lou Signorelli and Power Bytes is your destination Podcast for power generation discussions. As always please know how much we appreciate you, our listeners. We hope you find our topics helpful and interesting. There are several ways for you to get in touch with the show. You can send us an email at powerbytes@cat.com, visit us at Cat Electric Power on Facebook or LinkedIn. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoy your time with us today.
Lou: I think we have all seen the effects of stressed supply chains on our projects both at home and at work. Prices of everything from lumber to milk are going up and some items are hard to get in a timely manner. As shipping times get elongated and the products in which you made significant investments are on the dock, at sea, in inventory, or at site awaiting installation, your investment is exposed to potentially damaging elements. So today, we want to talk about something called Genset Preservation.
Lou: Joining me today to give some insight into Genset Preservation is David Gravitt. David has I've been working with Caterpillar for 21 years. He has had various positions including leading the assembly of power modules and generator sets , serving as 6 sigma black belt in supply chain, supported quality initiatives within our New Product Introduction programs and currently is Customer Service blackbelt supporting the many Continuous Product Improvement programs here at Caterpillar.
David: Thank you Lou.
Lou: So David, let's start with a definition of "genset preservation" at a high level.
David: Genset preservation is a process provided by Caterpillar straight from the factory to protect the unit from corrosion that can potentially occur during shipping and storage.
Lou: Can you give us a quick overview of the process.
David: Every engine and genset is tested at the Cat facility, after test has been completed preservation activities are performed. The engine coolant systems are drained at the lowest point and are flushed with a mixture of a formulated coolant and a water soluble VCI. In order to preserve the air passageways, the engine is rotated at a cranking speed and a mixture of VCI oil and engine oil are sprayed into the air intake or turbo charger inlet. The inlet covers are installed as rapidly as possible to seal the VCI vapors. The same mixture is also sprayed into the exhaust openings with covers installed quickly to seal in the VCI vapors. The oil passageways are also preserved by installing mixture of engine oil and VCI oil in all lubricating oil compartments. Each engine and genset are then prepped and painted to preserve the exterior surfaces. Any exterior surfaces not painted have a corrosion preventative applied to them, such as the engine flywheel.
Lou: So, the next logical question has to be how long does this preservation last?
David: It can help protect the engine from functional deterioration up to 2 years, but I want to point out only if all of the preservation processes are followed. The preservation is not a one and done process. There are steps that must be taken throughout the storage life to maximize its effectiveness. This is the advantage of having a Global Dealer Network capable of a host of different services including updating the preservation status of critical machines until it is properly installed.
Lou: I recall reading about Volatile Corrosion Inhibitors or VCIs. What are those?
David: Volatile Corrosion Inhibitors or VCIs is a chemical that is used in the process and acts as a moisture inhibitor for the engines internal components. They act by evaporating inside of the engine and then they condense over the inside surfaces. The VCI's are used in the cooling, oil and air passages.
Lou: Are there other chemicals used in this process?
David: Yes there are other chemicals in this process. Depending on the configurations of the gensets which additional chemicals are to be used. There are coolant conditioners, coolant cleaners, engine oil, rust preventative oil, fuel calibration fluid to name a few. All of the required chemicals and fluids are identified in the storage preservation instructions and inside the provided owner and maintenance manual.
Lou: This is very interesting, when is all this done to the engine. It must be while it's in pieces prior to assembly?
David: There are preservation requirements for pieces prior to assembly, but the genset preservation will completed after the genset has been fully assembled. For example, as parts arrive into inventory they come already bagged and treated with an oil. Once those parts are installed, a final preservation will be completed after final testing.
Lou: With all that going on, does Cat shrink wrap genset too?
David: Shipping and storage covers are also available to aid with preserving engines and gensets but must be ordered.
Selecting the shipping and storage covers as well as preservation to be performed at the factory will ensure the genset is better protected.
Lou: So, let's get down to where the rubber meets the road. Just how much is this going to cost me as an owner.
David: (Less than 1% of the entire price of the generator)
Lou: Wow, that seems like a small price to pay for the protection it offers and the flexibility to it provides to deal with the ambiguity of changing project timelines.
David: Exactly, the generator sets are a significant investment and as you mentioned there can be challenges that may change project timelines. Whether the projects are delayed or if the strategy is to have gensets on hand for projects scheduled in the future, a small price for preserving can provide additional comfort and peace of mind that this significant investment is better protected to ensure its best performance.
Lou: There you have it folks. I'd like to thank David Gravitt for joining us today and thank you for joining us here on Power Bytes. For more information on this and other topics please contact your local Cat dealer or write us here at powerbytes@cat.com, you can also visit us at Cat Electric Power on Facebook or on LinkedIn. Be sure to like, follow and comment on our podcast…. Till next time; thanks for listening to Power Bytes.