By Cary Grant The main locations of generator sets in large buildings are known: technical or basement floors, basements, special rooms adjacent to the building. And where to place the generator if none of the listed places is already available, if all these areas are used for other purposes? In such a situation, experts recommend considering the option of placing an electric generator on a flat section of the roof of a building.
It is clear that this section of the roof must be strong enough to withstand such a massive unit as a diesel generator. Experience with this type of installation shows that 2 MW installations are suitable for it. The generator is placed in appropriate housing and equipped with appropriate soundproofing.
Advantages and disadvantages of rooftop generators
The roof placement option is recommended not only in the absence of other more suitable rooms, but also because installation of rooftop generators is cheaper than the other ones. As with any process, there are advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include the absence of problems with the air supply and the need to create an air duct system. Placement of generators on the roof sweeps aside the problems that are common for such equipment: the release of exhaust gasses, the noise and lack of free space around.
The disadvantages include the need to strengthen the roof structure; attract a heavy-duty crane, using longer cables. Also the volume of fuel storage tanks will be limited here due to objective reasons.
In any case, consider all the aspects before deciding which silent diesel generator for sale to choose.
How to eliminate side effects
The vibration that will be transmitted to the building during the operation of the unit is reduced by means of anti-vibration devices built into the unit. An additional installation of vibration isolators between the diesel chassis and the roof can also be carried out. When units larger than 1 MW are used, they must be placed on a prepared concrete slab base resiliently fixed to the building.
To combat noise, diesel power generators located on roofs are covered with a soundproof casing or placed in rooms with absorbers at the air inlet and outlet. Twin permanent silencers can be installed for the same purpose. Noise-absorbing hoods can reduce the level of noise produced by the installation by 15 – 30 dB. Additional noise protection measures are not required if the noise level from the generator at a distance of 1 m does not exceed 75 dB.
In order for the diesel power generator not to visually change the contours of the building, the casings of the units are usually painted in the specified shades of the same color range: from light gray to dark blue. As for fuel reserves, in accordance with fire safety requirements, its volume is limited to 450 liters.