Delivering power and heat for microtunneling

A Manitoba construction site with no utility power needed both temporary power and heat for microtunneling throughout the winter season. Extensive use of water and pumps during microtunneling make it crucial that the contractor avoid freezing hazards affecting the integrity of the jobsite.

During the winter, operations cease once temperatures reach around 0°C. Several of the fluids involved could be compromised, including water, drilling fluids, fuel and hydraulic oil.

Otherwise, operators have a limited window of keeping these fluids from freezing. Concerns include avoiding freezing of the water needed to maintain lubricity and remove cuttings from the borehole during drilling, as well as for spraying the equipment clean.

Based on the needs and related infrastructure, we
provided:

• Two 500 kW diesel generators configured in parallel
• Two 1.2 million BTU boilers
• One 60 kW generator to power the two boilers
• One 125 kW generator powering a lift for winter operations

These assets delivered the required power and thermal energy to heat everything from the employee work areas down to the hydraulic circuits. With remote monitoring, we were able to ensure the project site held temperatures without compromising integrity.

The project was successful due to the significant savings from not having to run propane heaters while paralleling two smaller and efficient generators, rather than one large unit.

Fuel cost savings were no doubt significant, while the remote monitoring of equipment during the cold winter weather put the contractor at ease. With assured response times
within 20 minutes (or less) of detecting a potential problem.

Aggreko’s modular systems provide contractors with the convenience of rolling power, heating and remote temperature monitoring into one package, so that the contractor only has to deal with one supplier, one point of contact and one invoice.