News

New shentonGroup Structure

As regular customers and contacts will know the four companies in our group all operate autonomously from 'Shenton House' here in Andover.

The next stage in the strengthening and growth of the group will be a formal amalgamation of all four into one company. At this time the company name has not been finalised.

This change will be a gradual process over the coming months with a target date of March 2010 for completion of all the necessary legal and commercial paperwork.

All existing brands identities and products will be retained for the foreseeable future.

This change will enable us to provide customers with a single point of contact, as well as increasing our focus and commitment to further improve customer service.

Training News

As you may be aware the industry recognition for gas installations and repairs has recently changed from Corgi to Gas Safe.

Merlin has started a programme of retraining and refresher courses for their engineers. As of December 2009, 25% of our UK team had taken the two week Gas Safe course at South West Peninsular Training and passed successfully.

Some of the detailed instruction was carried out using a Scorpion NG30 gas generator recently supplied as a secure backup power source but which is also doubling as a training aid.

Preparing your Generator for Winter

Your Generator may be covered by a service contract with a rapid response but by undertaking some basic checks you can go a long way to ensuring that in the depths of the forthcoming winter you can go some way to ensuring a reliable source of emergency power.

In this article we will look at some of the common causes of Generator failure and the checks you can make to help ensure they always start, first time, every time.

Battery

One of the most common causes of Generator failure is a faulty or discharged battery. The battery is the only source of power to start the Generator in an emergency and therefore should be treated with care and respect. When the mains supply is healthy the battery is kept fully charged by its dedicated charger. Is the charger working?

Check the indicators/meters on the Generator control panel.

Check the condition and tightness of the battery terminals.

Despite their appearance, batteries are surprisingly fragile and should be treated with care. Keep the battery clean, wipe it with a soft dry cloth to remove any dirt/grease, particularly from the top. This will help prevent tracking and self discharge.

Rough handling can damage the case and cracking can occur. This can allow the electrolyte to escape. This will not only shorten the life of the battery but in extreme cases can lead to external short circuits and a possible fire hazard.

Emergency Stop Button

All Generators are fitted with an external Emergency Stop Button (‘the red mushroom’) these get pushed by accident and, as the name implies they will either stop the Generator if it is running or prevent it starting. Check the control panel for any alarms or indications that the button has be pushed, if necessary reset the panel and the button.

Fuel Contamination

Another common problem that causes starting and running problems is fuel contamination. This can take a number of forms but the most common is water. Check the fuel system and any external bulk storage tank for likely access points, pay particular attention to laying water, exposed pipework, gauges etc. Diesel fuel that lays dormant in a storage tank for long periods can be contaminated by water and can get infected by a form of bacteria. Over time this can create a ‘sludge’ that settles in the bottom of the tank. This blocks or restricts fuel pipes and can prevent Generator starting. Removal should be undertaken by a specialist external filtering systems such as our Fuel Polishing.

Exhaust Cap

Water can collect inside the engine through a faulty exhaust rain cap – check that it opens and closes freely without obstruction.

Regular Testing

Regular starting and testing of the set will help identify potential problems before they become serious reliability issues. A remote monitoring and diagnosis system such as Merlin’s Hawkeye system will continually monitor and start the set once a week to check the operation (including the fuel levels and the emergency stop button) and report the results back to a central control HQ.

Rest Assured

Service and maintenance companies such as Merlin Power Management are always on hand to respond in the event of a Generator failure but by undertaking some basic checks before the worst of the winter weather arrives you may well prevent disruption in the future.

Infinium 24 - The perpetual renewal, maintenance & warranty programme for Scorpion Power Systems Powertherm CHP systems

The Concept

Infinium24 is different to any power generator maintenance programme you have known before. Rather than an event-driven pro-active & reactive maintenance and repair regime Infinium24 is a scientifically designed & monitored perpetual renewal protocol that constantly renews and re-engineers components before their projected replacement date.

The system is used within the passenger aircraft industry to ensure 99.999% safety and reliability in airliners. No-one waits until an aircraft engine fails part way across the Atlantic before replacing it and with Powertherm we do not wait until an engine, or indeed any other component fails before renewal or re-engineering it to it’s original specification.

What’s the benefit for the customer?

Outstanding reliability and optimum performance on an indefinite basis. Because your Powertherm is constantly being renewed every day’s performance is as good as the performance on day One.

Years after the original installation Powertherm will still be producing the energy savings you first experienced – in fact, almost certainly more as energy prices continue to rise.

Are the results monitored?

Certainly.

Not only is every Powertherm monitored by us on a 24/7/365 basis via the internet, the critical data is logged continuously allowing us to predict trends and note any discrepancies to our expectations. In addition, every key component returned to our Factory from the field through routine renewal is measured and analysed in detail against the original specification. This process then drives the ongoing assessment of all preventative measures to ensure the most economic, reliable and efficient use of all resources for the benefit of you as the customer, and the planet.

Are these costs fixed?

Yes. The whole ethos within Infinium24 is to provide a totally predictable ongoing cost of ownership for the Powertherm customer, already allowed for in the savings in both carbon and hard cash at the commencement of the project.

Infinium24 is available as a 24,000 hour (approx 3 years) or a 48,000 hour (approx 6 years) contract all at a completely fixed hourly cost. And remember, at the end of the period your Powertherm will be performing exactly as when it was new! The programme is charged in prepaid 2000 hour ‘bites’ giving you smooth and totally predictable budgeting.

Scope

Scope The hourly rate includes all parts, labour, travel, fluids, engineers accommodation and sundries, in fact everything excluding vandalism & misuse, to maintain your Powertherm in accordance with the current and future recommendations of Scorpion Power Systems including 24 hour live monitoring and data logging.

Service Level

Merlin Power Management undertakes to carry out all the above works in a timely, professional & competent manner including a next working day guaranteed response to mission-critical issues.

Fuel Polishing Service Now Available

It's a well documented fact that diesel fuel used for standby generators sits in the tank for a long time waiting to be used.

Fuel Polishing Unit

During this period (about 6 months after delivery) the tank will condensate water into the fuel (which sinks to the bottom) In addition a bacterial growth begins within the fuel. This has the effect of creating a black sludge which settles in the bottom of the tank causing clogging of the fuel filter system.

If allowed to get into the generator fuel system it can cause a reduction in power or system failure.

Under extreme circumstances the fuel can be rendered unusable (which at today's prices can be an expensive problem when it has to be removed, disposed of) and need to be replaced.

Fuel Polishing is a way of removing the water and sludge (and any solid contaminants that may be present) from the fuel by passing it through a series of electromechanically filters. The process is a secondary one (ie it has no effect on the operation of the Generator) and is done by pumping the fuel out from the bottom of the tank, through the filter machine and then back into the top.

The sludge, water and solids are collected in a centrifuge bowl and removed during filtering. After the end of the process a biocide is then added to the fuel to retard the bacterial growth.

Fuel polishing will prevent any build up of sludge in the filters, prevent water entering the generator (and reducing the power output) and generally ensuring a more reliable standby power system.