60 MW Power Plant at Bagram Air Base
Between 2010 and 2014, Enginuity Portable Grid (EPG), in conjunction with Mid-America Engine, Inc., provided conceptual design, engineering and equipment supply for the 60 MW power plant at Bagram Air Force Base, providing off-grid utility grade power for the entire base load, supporting the airbase and ground troop operations 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year.
The growing demand for power at this facility produced many challenges for EPG and Mid-America Engine. The U.S. military wanted a “true” utility grade solution that provided both reliability and redundancy in a central location. The challenge was to meet this demand, given the extreme weather conditions at the 4000 -foot elevation site where temperatures regularly exceed 120°F in the summer.
The final accepted proposal and concept utilized Ten EPG Model CQ-2000 2 MW Power Modules, de-rated to 1400 kW Each, providing 14 MW of power; these units work in conjunction with Four Solar Titan T-130 Gas Turbine Generator Sets and one Taurus 70 Gas Turbine, de-rated to 46 MW. As a result of the extreme temperature and elevation, the unit’s factory ratings were de-rated and work together to provide a total of 60 MW of power.
The design of the power plant enables the EPG CQ-2000 power modules to provide “black-start” capability for the Solar gas turbines as well as peak shaving at times of extreme high temperatures. The EPG power modules are digitally paralleled through the Cummins 3201 Power Command Control System to the Solar Turbines so they can provide full back up should one of the turbines be taken off line for maintenance or in case of failure. The entire power plant and fuel system are controlled and monitored through a specially designed custom SCADA system built and installed by Mid-America Engine’s Turbine Services Group. The SCADA system was designed to follow the base load demand and increase or decrease electric power generation as needed. The system also provides load shedding in the event of a failure and includes the ability to log events, as well as tracking maintenance and total fuel burn.
The time from concept design acceptance to start up was roughly 16 months.