Evolution,

History and
Development
 1920s
Most engines of the late-19th and early-20th centuries ran at
speeds too low to drive a dynamo or alternator directly. As with other
equipment, the generator was driven off the engine's flywheel by a
broad flat belt. The pulley on the generator was much smaller than
the flywheel, providing the required 'gearing up' effect. Later spark-
ignition engines developed from the 1920s could be directly coupled.
1930s
Up to the 1930s most rural houses in Europe and North
America needed their own generating equipment if electric light was
fitted. Engines would often be installed in a dedicated 'engine house',
which was usually an outbuilding separate from the main house to
reduce the interference from the engine noise. The engine house
would contain the engine, the generator, the
necessary switchgear and fuses, as well as the engine's fuel supply and
usually a dedicated workshop space with equipment to service and
repair the engine. Wealthy households could afford to employ a
dedicated engineer to maintain the equipment, but as the demand for
electricity spread to smaller homes, manufacturers produced engines
that required less maintenance and that did not need specialist
training to operate.
 1934
The first mobile diesel power plants in the USSR were bu
ilt in 1934 and were known as diesel trains. Such diesel trains h
ave all the power plant equipment installed on platforms or in c
ars. The power ratings of diesel trains are 1, 2.5, 4.5, and 10
megawatts.
Diesel Power
Plant in the
Philippines
1.Station: Bohol Diesel Power Plant
Capacity: 11 MW
Community: Tagbilaran, Bohol
Commissioned: 1978, 1986,1996
2. Station: Bauang Diesel Power Plant
Capacity: 255 MW
Community: Bauang, La Union
Commissioned: 1994
3. Station: Therma Marine Inc.- Mobile 1
Capacity: 100 MW
Community: San Roque, Maco, Compostela Valley
Commissioned: 1994
4. Station: CELCOR Power Plant
Capacity: 26.5 MW
Community: Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija
Commissioned: 1996
5. Station: Panay Diesel Power Plant
Capacity: 74.9 MW
Community: Iloilo City, Iloilo
Commissioned: 1999
6. Station: Western Mindanao Power Corporation
Capacity: 100 MW
Community: Brgy. Sangali, Zamboanga City
Commissioned: 1997
Diesel Power
Plant in other
countries
1.Station: Musandam
Capacity: 120 MW
Community: Musandam Grid in the Sultanate of Oman
Commissioned: 2017
2.Station: Yanbu Cement Co
Capacity: 11.7 MW
Community: N/A
Commissioned: N/A
3.Station: Samoa Electric Power Corporation (EPC)
Capacity: 23 MW
Community: Samoa
Commissioned: 2013
 As of 2019, there are about 47 diesel power plants at the
Philippines that are existing. These power plants have the
capacity ranging from 3MW up to 200 MW. Below is some list of
existing diesel power plant in the Philippines:
Name Capacity Date Commissioned Location
(MW)

Bohol Diesel Power Plant 11 1978, 1986, 1996 Tagbilaran, Bohol

SPC Cebu Diesel Power Plant 43.8 1994 Naga City, Cebu

Cebu Private Power Corporation 43.8 1994 Cebu

Panay Diesel Power Plant 74.9 1999 Iloilo City, Iloilo

CELCOR Power Plant 26.5 1996 Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija

Western Mindanao Power Corporation 100 1997 Brgy. Sangali, Zamboanga City

Bauang Diesel Power Plant 255 1994 Bauang, La Union

Subic Diesel Power Plant 116 1994 Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Therma Marine Inc. - Mobile 1 100 1994 San Roque, Maco, Compostela Valley

Therma Marine, Inc. - Mobile 2 100 1994 Sta. Ana, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte
Components
of Diesel
Power Plant
Diesel Engine:
It is the main part of the plant which used to produce power, it
may be of the two-stroke or four strokes.
Engine Fuel Supply System:
it consists of a storage tank where we store the oil supplied to
the plant, all day fuel tank where the oil pumped for usage,
strainer which used to remove suspended impurities of the oil,
and fuel injection (transfer) pump which used to inject the
clean oil into the engine.
Engine Air-Intake System
It is use to remove the dust particles from the atmospheric air
to supply fresh air to the engine for combustion, it may be dry
(or oil) bath filter or oil immersed filter, and it consists of pipes
to supply the fresh air and filters to remove dust particles from
the air.
Engine Exhaust System:
It is use to remove the exhaust gas from the engine to the
atmosphere, and we also add a silencer to this system to
reduce the noise level of the system.
Engine Cooling System:
It is very important in the diesel power station to have a
cooling system to maintain the overall temperature of the
engine at an agreeable level, and this cooling system
requires a water source, a water pump which circulates
water through a cylinder, and cooling towers which used to
cool the hot water.
Engine Lubrication System:
It is use to minimize the wear of the rubbing surface of the
engine as we store oil in a main lubricating oil tank then
draw this oil from an oil pump to pass through the oil filter to
remove impurities.
Engine starting system:
It is use in old conditions as a starter as it uses the air to push the engine and
start an initial rotation until the engine run with its own power
1. Starting of Small Engine: Small sets or small capacity of diesel engines are
started manually.
2. Starting with the help of Auxiliary Engine: When it is started by auxiliary
engine, the auxiliary engine is disengaged by the main engine & started by
hand. When it is warmed up, it is geared with the main engine so that it will
start to rotate. After that within, few seconds auxiliary engine disengaging.
3. Starting with the help of batteries: To start the electrical motor batteries
are used, the motor is geared with diesel engine, it will start rotating with
the motor & will start in few seconds & as it picks up the speed the motor
gets disengaged automatically. In some cases the motor works as a generator,
this will further helps to charge the batteries.
4. Starting with the help of compressed air:
A large capacity (above 75kW) capacity diesel engines are started with the
help of compressed air. Diesel engines are started with the help of
compressed air following procedure adopted:
1. First up all open the compressed air valve, then starting lever operated.
2. First up all air should be cut off in first combustion. Then open ventilating
valve. Start the engine after two or three revolutions.
AC or DC Generators:
1. For Single Phase: Single Phase, 230 Volts, and 50Hz frequency
generators are used as per requirements of load.
2. For Three Phase: Generally, three phase, 50Hz, salient pole
type, the number of poles depends upon diesel engine speed.
Generally, speeds of diesel engines are low that’s why 6 or 8
poles generators used. Generators are coupled with the shaft of
diesel engine. These generators are 3.3kV, 6.6kV or 11kV output
capacities.
3. DC Generator: Generally DC Compound generator is used,
which help to develop an output voltage of 230 Volts.
Diesel power
plant working
principle
The working principle of
the diesel power station is very
simple; as we compress the air
in a cylinder to raise the
temperature, then we burn the
diesel inside the engine and the
combustion produces the
working fluid at high
temperature and high-pressure
to convert the heat energy into
mechanical energy.
And as the diesel engine acts as
a prime mover it rotates the
rotor of the electrical
generator and converts this
mechanical energy into
electrical energy. This working
principle is a working cycle done
by the processes: intake,
compression, expansion, and
exhaust.
 Schematic
Diagram/Arrange
ment of Diesel
Power Plant
Four Stroke Cycle Engine:
Comparison between Four & Two Stroke Engines
Selection of
Site for a
Diesel Power
Station
* Near to Load Center: As far as possible the plant should be
installed near to load center, to reduce transmission &
distribution cost of electrical energy.
* Availability of Land: For erection of diesel power plant, land
should be available near to load center at low cost.
* Availability of Water: The soft water is freely available for
the purpose of cooling.
* Foundations: As we know that, the diesel engines or a
machine produces vibrations. So provide good foundation to
erect the diesel engine.
* Fuel Transportation: The diesel plant is far away from fuel
mines. So to provide fuel to the plant arrange good
transportation facility like road, rail etc.
* Local Conditions: For increasing the demand of power &
future expansion space available.
* Noise Pollution: The plant should away from populated areas,
because it produces noise.
For planning the layout of the diesel
electric power plant the following points
require consideration:
* (i) Approximate dimensions of the equipment.
* (ii) Location of equipment and minimum clearances between
its parts.
* (iii) Provision of natural lighting and proper ventilation.
* (iv) Possibility of future additions to the building with a
minimum changes.
* (v) The spacing required between two units, the distance
between their centre lines, the distance between the centre
line of the end unit and the wall, the distance between the
head end of the engine and the wall, and the generator end
and the wall.
*(vi) The location of switchboard, station auxiliary
transformers, battery room, fuel-oil tank,
compressed-air cylinder bottle for starting of
engine, compressors, lubricating oil system and the
cooling arrangements for cylinder jackets and
suction and exhaust arrangements for the engine.
*(vii) Provision for a small workshop, stores, office
etc.
*(viii) Provision for installation of at least one spare
unit in future.
*(ix) Provision for bringing the equipment into the
building.
*(x) Provision of space for erection work, and for
handling the equipment for maintenance.
Applications
of Diesel
Power Plant
As diesel power station has a capacity in the range of 2 to
50MW; So, We can use it in many applications as:
1. A central station for medium or small power supplies.
2. And for emergency services as a standby plant
to hydroelectric power plants and steam power plants.
3. We can Use with thermal or hydropower plants as a peak
load plant in combinations.
4. For mobile power generation, transportation systems like
automobiles, railways, airplanes, and ships.
5. A nursery station to transport the power from stations to
small power plants, or supply power to small towns.
6. It’s economical for industries where they require a small
power in the order of 500 KW as it offers high overall
efficiency.
7. And also used for electrical power generation in capacities
100 to 500 H.P.
 Advantages
and
Disadvantages
Advantages:
• Diesel power plant design is simple for installation.
• The layout of the diesel power plant is quite simple.
• The limited quantity of cooling water required.
• Standby losses are very less as compared to other Power
plants.
• Low fuel cost for operation.
• Smaller storage is needed for the fuel.
• There is no problem of ash handling.
• Less time monitoring is sufficient required.
• For small capacity power generation, diesel power plant is
more efficient than the steam power plant.
• Quickly started and put on load.
• They can respond to varying loads without having any
difficulty
Disadvantages:
• High Maintenance and operating cost.
• The plant cost per kW power is comparatively more.
• The working life of diesel power plant is small due to high
maintenance.
• The plant produces too much noise.
• Diesel power plants are tough to construct for large scale.
Maintenance of
Diesel Electric
Power Plant
At the time of diesel engine or diesel electric power plant,
following points are considered during maintenance period.
1. To maintain the operating condition of diesel engine at
every half hour.
2. To maintain the correct record of the instrument
reading in log sheet.
3. To maintain the record of instrument temperature,
pressure, electrical load, flow etc.
4. To check the level of fuel oil periodically.
5. Filterized the fuel and remove unwanted impurities.
6. Clean the fuel tank at regular interval.
Diesel Power
Plant
Layout
General Layout of Diesel Engine Power Plant
Simple Schematic Layout of Diesel Engine Power Plant
SAMPLE
LAYOUT