FEATURED PRODUCTS
StartAlert
Generator Starting System Monitor
The StartAlert System is designed to interface with all the critical parts of the generator electric starting system such as the battery, charger, starter motors and associated circuitry.
Today, many mission critical applications consist of large multiple standby power generator systems. These systems typically range from 1 to 4 megawatts using one or two 24VDC starter motors. The starters are powered by float charged storage batteries, either lead-acid or Nickel Cadmium. The engines, or turbines are generally fueled by diesel or natural gas.
It is a general consensus among engineers and facilities managers that starting problems with the generator emergency power plants are approximately 50% due to fuel related issues and 50% related to the electrical starting system.
Many of the engineering firms and facilities managers are seeking a predictive maintenance solution for all the systems in a mission critical facility. With a reliable proactive solution, it is much easier to get an early indication of potential problems and be able to address them during a planned scheduled maintenance visit than having to react to an emergency breakdown.
Big City Sales offers a family of products that has a proactive approach to monitoring and testing of the generator electrical starting system. The available units will monitor and display the battery performance on each cranking cycle and also provide a high or low current limit, which would indicate a variety of potential faults. This will allow the user to preset the alarm limits on these critical parameters.
The StartAlert system monitors battery voltage during the cranking cycle and is preset to the acceptable SAE and EGSA standard limits, and if a marginal, or below limit is exceeded an alarm is initiated and latched even though the engine has started. The unit also monitors the current flow into the starter motor and will alarm at a preset high or low current limit, this would indicate a variety of potential faults. The current signals are conditioned, delayed and interfaced to visual monitoring instruments with presettable high and low signal alarm comparator circuits. Based on detecting an over or under current condition can identify problems related to high resistance connections, bad starter relay, or a deteriorated starter motor. In a dual starter system this will help identify a failed starter motor. Best Battery isolation diodes can also be built into a StartAlert designed for dual starters to further enhance system reliability.