First real run- MEP-802a Power Plant Trailer

[Powerlinefixer]

Hey all-

I'm just posting some info. Hopefully someone finds it useful.

A while back I bought a power plant trailer from Washington State. It has two MEP-802a generators with a synchronizer box that does NOT parallel the generators (grateful to the people here that helped me understand that).

Anyway, I had an extended power outage yesterday. I ran one generator for about 14 hours with an average indicated load of 10 to 25% and it ran great. It consumed around 3/4 of a tank which comes out to very roughly .30ish gallons per hour. There were zero signs of any wet stacking.

Before I shut it down, I ran it hard to get things right for the return to standby duty. If the generator stayed below 80% indicated load there was no visible smoke. Above 100% and it's definitely smoky. I don't know how to post video here, so I've uploaded a video to my Google drive of the generator working. A Google drive link to the video is below. Hopefully it works. Please let me know if it doesn't.

This forum is very helpful. Thank you.


Click here- link to MEP-802a loading

 

[Toolslinger]

When you load up a diesel, it's going to smoke somewhat. If it's kinda a gray haze I usually think it's happy. If you start rolling coal, then you have to figure out what's going on. Can't watch vid where I am to see what you've got.

 

[Powerlinefixer]

When you load up a diesel, it's going to smoke somewhat. If it's kinda a gray haze I usually think it's happy. If you start rolling coal, then you have to figure out what's going on. Can't watch vid where I am to see what you've got.

The smoke looks like what you're sayin- slightly gray/black. No blue or white. It's not any more than the pre emissions work trucks I used to drive (CAT 3208, DT 466, ect) so I'm thinking it's good. Good power and temps.

 

[FarmingSmallKubota]

looks good to me nothing to worry about

 

[2Pbfeet]

@Powerlinefixer the exhaust looks fine to me, too. You might want to to the retaining screw on the AM-VM switch before it takes a walk. It is rattling loose in the video.

All the best,

2Pbfeet

 

[Powerlinefixer]

It does shake a bit, but from what I've read it's normal. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[2Pbfeet]

I wasn't concerned about the vibration, just you losing the screw...

 

[Guyfang]

When you get to the over 5 KW range, its going to smoke a bit. But yours looked good to me. Wet stacking is not going to happen until you run it under loaded for much longer time periods. Weeks or months. Easy to correct. Up the load and run it for several hours. My two cents on two things.

1.Wet stacking is over rated. You don't run 24/7 and 365. There you can see massive problems with wet stacking. If you do not run long time periods at low load, don't worry about it.

2. Testing gen sets past 100% load. Its good to know what a set will do, but I will ask you, "Do you run your cars at 150 MPH all the time?" I would guess not. Extended runs at 125% show you what? Nothing. And might cause problems later. 100% is good enough.

 

[LuckeyD]

Loading TQG Main Gens and Contactors. The gen is rated at 5KW. I do not recommend for long periods of time to go over 100% load. The main gen windings in all TQG gens will over heat, expand, and you wind up with a birds nest as it chews up the rotor and stator and exciter windings. The exciter diode packs usually hold up. You hear some folks say they load it 125% no problem but they don't do it 24/7 365. Time will eventually pop a winding out of place and poof. Before starting, set S8 to your desired output. Recommend 120/240, but I always did it in 3 phase. Depends on your load. 1 phase space heaters set it to 120VAC and connect L3 to L0. Regulator only senses L3 and you get the entire 5KW out the L3 to L0 load terminals. Monitor using the S6 set to view that phase. This is explained in the -10 manual under Tech manual portion of the forum for 802s. If already warm, apply load stepping it up to the 80-100%. After you figure it tests good (usually an hour) step off the load and run a few to cool down the main gen. Shut down and remove load. Light gray smoke is normal as you approach full load. I gathered you have experience with all this from your post. Supercool!
Not a cool thing to slam on 100% load from nothing. Main Contactor and S8 don't like this and you pit the contacts inside the main contactor. Never switch the S8 while gen is running. Poof. Failure occurs with time on the K1. That switch box is spring loaded, and is designed to switch over from one gen to another. The MJQ-35 or 36 switch box contacts get the pitting not the main contactors in the gens. Best to switch gens when both are warmed up. Yours sounds great. Vibration is normal on a 802. Excessive vibration is minimized by: 1: ensuring mounts of Main gen and engine are torqued to spec, and 2. setting those injectors as one is probably injecting more fuel than the other. This is a touchy feely thing. new to the forum, but old with gens.

 

[Powerlinefixer]

Great stuff. Super helpful.

I'm on-board with the overload stuff. I ran it at overload for a minute at the very most. With equipment, I believe that the redline is a warning not a goal. Generally speaking.

Sometimes I do have lapses in judgment. Especially with rentals. LOL