Scalable portable modular power plant

• US 8,872,366 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: APR Energy LLC (APR Energy Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: APR Energy LLC (APR Energy Ltd.)
• Inventors: Campion, Edmund M., Campion, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALEZ, JULIO CESAR
• Application Number:
  US13/909,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20140210213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.A, 290/2, 290/1.B, 290/4.R, 290/4.A, 290/30.A, 307/68, 105/35, 52/791.2, 52/791, 123/3
• US Class Current: 290/1.A
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 63/04 for electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 63/044 the engine-generator unit being placed on a frame or in an housing
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 25/00 Controlling two or more co-operating engines
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 15/14 Casings; Enclosures; Supports

Abstract

A scalable portable modular power plant that includes an electrical substation module containing a substation container with a first transformer and a second transformer positioned at the first and second ends of the substation container, and a plurality of containerized electric generator modules each positioned relative to a corner of the substation module, where each electric generator module is connected to one of the two transformers.

Claims

1. A scalable portable modular power plant comprising:

an electrical substation module comprising;

a substation container comprising a first transformer positioned at a first end of the substation container and a second transformer positioned at a second end of the substation container, said substation container further comprising means for electrically connecting a plurality of electric generator modules to said first and second transformers; and

a plurality of electric generator modules, each contained in a respective shipping container that is separate from and external to said substation container, said electric generator modules positioned relative to a corner of the substation container, said electric generator modules being independently connectable to at least one of the first transformer and the second transformer via the connecting means of the substation container.

2. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the plurality of containerized electric generator modules are configured to have at least one of the following fuel configurations:

diesel fuel oil configuration, natural gas configuration, and bi-fuel configuration burning both diesel fuel and natural gas.

3. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the substation container comprises an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 40 foot high cube container.

4. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the electrical substation module is configured to generate 8 MVA of apparent power, 4 MVA each from the first and second transformers.

5. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the first transformer and the second transformer comprise dry type cast coil transformers configured to output up to 33 KV star at 50 hz and up to 34.5 KV star at 60 hz.

6. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the electrical substation module further comprises at least one plug-in socket for an electrical cable connection to at least one other electrical substation module.

7. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the first transformer and the second transformer each comprise at least one low voltage disconnect switch for isolating the electric generator modules connected to each transformer.

8. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the electrical substation module further comprises at least one bay control feeder protection relay, the at least one bay control feeder protection relay being connected to a network switch that enables wired or wireless remote control, programming and supervision of the electrical substation module.

9. The power plant of claim 1, where the plurality of containerized electric generator modules comprise a first subset of electric generator modules and a second subset of electric generator modules, each subset positioned on a respective side of said electrical substation module such that each subset has unobstructed access to said respective side.

10. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the plurality of containerized electric generator modules comprises four electric generator modules, wherein a first and a second of the electric generator modules are connected to the first transformer, and wherein a third and a fourth of the electric generator modules are connected to the second transformer.

11. The power plant of claim 10, wherein the first and third electric generator modules are positioned on a first wide side of the electrical substation module in a perpendicular orientation and the second and fourth electric generator modules are positioned on a second wide side of the electrical substation module in a perpendicular orientation.

12. The power plant of claim 11, further comprising:

a first containerized fuel tank positioned between and substantially parallel to the first and third electric generator modules; and

a second containerized fuel tank positioned between and substantially parallel to the second and fourth electric generator modules,

wherein each of the first and second fuel tanks is connected to at least one electric generator module by a fuel line.

13. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric generator modules are configured to operate in a local mode according to one or more one of the following modes of operation:

a single electric generator module operating in an island mode, a plurality of electric generator modules running in parallel in island mode, a single electric generator module loaded against a larger utility grid operating at fixed power factor and an emergency standby mode.

14. The power plant of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric generator modules configured to operate via remote control according to one or more one of the following power control modes of operation:

a fixed export power level against a larger unity grid, peak shaving against a larger unity grid, an import/export power control against a larger unity grid, Volt-Ampere Reactive/Power Factor (VAR/PF) control and a black start of the local isolated utility grid.