Quartzelec’s solutions for Asia’s Generation Plant

Quartzelec, the world-renowned electricalengineering group, is investing significantlyin the Asian and Middle East region as partof its strategy of seeking new business opportunitiesin markets outside the UK and mainland Europe.

Today the company is one of the UK’s largestindependent electrical engineering businessesand delivers design, engineering, manufacturing,installation and maintenance solutions tocustomers worldwide. Service delivery is based upon Quartzelec’s technical authority regardingHV rotating machines together with many years
experience of servicing and refurbishing machinesof all major OEM manufacture.

Employing more than 500 people in the UK,Quartzelec’s clientele has grown from a numberof highly-respected engineering names such asGEC, AEI, Alstom, and Cegelec. Clients are in abroad range of sectors and Quartzelec supportsowners and operators of power stations, utilities,major processing and mining companies and boththe offshore and onshore oil and gas business.

Quartzelec employs technical engineering specialistsand has one of the largest workshop facilities in the
UK for the repair and service of rotating machines.

Why is Quartzelec investing in Asia?

Steve Cooper, Director, Power Generation,explained: “In carrying out a review of regionsaround the world we identified Asia as an evolvingmarket. We could see that control was movingfrom the national generators to the independentpower producers. This change in the structureof the market opens up more opportunities forother service providers like Quartzelec. Traditionallynational generators have turned to OEMs to act astheir service partners – now that’s changing.”

Why is Quartzelec a valued partner?

“Quartzelec has been involved with rotatingelectrical machines for over 100 years. Today weare no longer an OEM, however we have retainedOEM expertise and know-how and being totallyindependent allows us to add significant value toour clients’ operations.”

“In addition we are cost effective and provide afast response. We work with our clients and theirengineers to help advance the understanding oftheir plant.”

“The history of our company has given us aunique understanding of machines in the Asianregion, as we knew there were many machinesthat had been built at our UK facility which wereoperating in Asia.”

“Our exploratory visits to the region confirmedthere was a need – and a demand – for a third partyservice provider as a viable alternative to the OEMs.”

What work have you been carrying out inAsia?

“One of the first contracts was for the overhaul ofthree 125 MVA ALSTOM generators in Malaysia.We have continued to meet and develop ourrelationships with both the national and independentpower producers in the region which has resulted inother significant work being awarded to us.”

“We are currently performing the duties ofowner/engineer, overseeing - on behalf of theowner - a significant package of work including acomplete stator rewind of a GE 9ECH2, 212 MVA,2 pole generator at 15.75kV with re-designedcomponents in Rayong, Thailand. We were chosenfor this work specifically because of our expertise in
generator design and repair.”

“A significant rewind on-site in Macau has alsojust been completed. Although these machineswere horizontal, we utilized our hydro generatorexperience to develop a unique methodology toremove 16 from 60 rotor poles, turning the rotor toaccess sections of the stator, instead of employingthe conventional technique of removing the rotor.
The stator diameter for these machines was around9m.”

What is your commitment to the Asianregion?

“We are continuing to assess investmentopportunities so we can further enhance the servicewe can offer to customers in the Asian markets inparticular for the ASEAN countries.”

“We already have UK ex-pat engineers living inthe region providing local interface and support andwe are currently looking at investing in workshopfacilities within the region to further support ourcustomers.”

“Singapore is opening up to us as we becomebetter known in the region. We are very confidentabout our expertise within all traditional powerplants such as thermal, combined cycle gas turbine,and hydro.”

“Our investment in the region includes having apresence at major power generation exhibitions. Wehave exhibited in KL and Bangkok and will appear atSingapore this year where we’ll be pleased to meetpast, present, and – hopefully – future customers todiscuss their requirements and any issues they wishto raise.”

What resources do you have available tosupport customers?

“We continue to invest in diagnostic and testingequipment, introducing a robotic inspection vehicle(RIV) to provide cost effective in-site inspection oflarge rotating electrical machines, enabling remotescanning and testing of the stator core with orwithout the rotor in place, reducing traditionaloutage periods.”

“From the UK our engineering team designsand engineers significant generator refurbishmentsincluding stator rewinds where replacementstator bars for machines up to 600MW are alsomanufactured in a totally new facility.”

Quartzelec Ltd
Leicester Road, Rugby, Warks, UK,
CV21 1BD
T: +44 (0) 1788 512512
E: [email protected]
www.quartzelec.com