Caterpillar: Let’s Talk About How to Choose High and Low Voltage Units

In the design and selection process of diesel generators, we often face the selection problem of low-voltage diesel units and high-voltage diesel-fired units, which voltage level of diesel hair is more suitable for our project, here and we will briefly talk about it.

First, we need to figure out how Caterpillar’s diesel-fired unit divides high and low pressure.

For Caterpillar, the power of less than 5MW of the generator set, less than 1kV is called low voltage, 1 to 15kV is called high voltage, of course, in the high voltage and low voltage level, will also match different voltage levels according to customer needs, such as 6kV, 10kV and so on.

So how should users choose high voltage or low voltage generator set?

If the power of the generator set is maintained for a certain period of time, the voltage is reduced, and the current will increase accordingly. So when the current is greater, more and thicker wires are needed to deliver electricity from the generator set end to the power end, which means higher cost. In addition, with the increase of the physical distance between the power generation equipment and the power equipment, the increase in the length of the wire will also bring about an increase in cost. However, from another point of view, the price of low-voltage generator sets will be lower than that of high-voltage generator sets, mainly because the manufacturing process and process are relatively simple, and the delivery cycle may be shorter. Whether you look at the strengths and weaknesses of low-voltage units, these are some very practical factors to consider in the design of your project.

Low-voltage diesel power unit is more suitable for some of our end power supply guarantee projects, the capacity of this type of project is not large, only need to ensure the reliability of the power supply at the end, do not need to do multiple diesel power merger. If you need a low-pressure diesel parallel machine, you must also strictly control the number of parallel machines, otherwise when multiple low-pressure diesel parallel machines will lead to excessive flow of the parallel busbar, which will improve the overall investment of the project. Low-voltage diesel hair is especially suitable for use in the expansion of small computer rooms, when the expansion capacity matches the diesel hair, the original organic room electrical architecture can be made without major adjustments, just increase the low-voltage diesel hair can achieve machine room expansion, reduce costs, and simple construction.

In general, how to choose the high and low voltage units is more to have a clear understanding and grasp of the entire project. Sometimes, it may be too focused on each device link and ignore the layout and limitations of the system, which may make a less reasonable choice. When designing, you can consider the distance between the location of the generator set and the location of the load, whether the parallel design is required, and what the end load is, and what the distribution logic is, etc., which will help you make the most suitable design for your project needs.

If you have any questions about power system design, you can always find a Caterpillar dealer near you to help you answer these technical questions. Caterpillar dealers have extensive project experience and strong technical capabilities, and will be sure to provide you with reasonable and suitable advice for your design.