Generators At Construction Site
Any construction activity requires electric power to run the various equipment and machinery used at sites where construction is taking place. These sites cannot avail grid supply as they are often in remote areas where grid supply does not reach or the grid is unable to supply the required power continuously. This is where the power generation industry comes into play by providing generators to supply the much needed electric power.
Types of equipment used at construction sites
Construction sites utilize a variety of equipment needed to carry out different types of construction activities. For instance, road construction requires a set of equipment which differs from that required for building construction. Typically, construction equipment such as excavators, backhoes, bulldozers and road rollers are self-powered and don’t need generators.
However, there are other machinery and tools that require motive power. Generators supply this motive power. Some of the machinery and tools required at a construction site include air compressors, hand drills, chain saws, battery chargers, circular saws and electric welders. Each of these has a power requirement that is different from one another. For instance, a portable air compressor has a power rating of around 1200 W while a typical electric welder would need around 9000 W of power.
Another important requirement at construction sites is lighting. Often, contractors undertake construction work during night time and sufficient light is a necessity. Further, contractors carry out a number of administrative tasks through computers, laptops and mobiles. Construction sites often provide temporary accommodation to working staff which needs electric energy to power various appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, fans and kitchen appliances. Thus dedicated generators are required to supply electricity to these applications.
Types of generators commonly used at construction sites
Construction activities take place in various forms from small bridges, small houses, small commercial shops and rural roads to large bridges, large bungalows, large commercial establishments including malls and national highways. Various types of industries such as housing, mining, road construction, railways and metro rail, building construction, oil and gas, shipping, waterways and aviation undertake various types of construction activities unique to those industries.
Thus, construction activities require generators that can provide the necessary power. Each type of activity requires specific power and there are all kinds of generators available in the market to suit any requirement in the building & construction industry.
Let’s take a look at the different types of generators that can be used to power various types of equipment used at construction sites:
High powered generators
These are generators that provide huge amounts of power required at large construction sites. For instance, earth moving equipment, material handling equipment, road building equipment and concrete equipment are all part of construction activities requiring a large amount of power. For such kind of applications, generator manufacturers offer heavy duty generators that can provide power output in the range of 200 kW to 2500 kW. Often, some equipment requires startup voltage which is very high and these details should be factored in while determining the total power requirement.
Medium powered generators
Medium powered generators that can produce power in the range of 5 kW to 200 kW are required for smaller construction activities such as building single houses, smaller roads, low rise apartments, temporary construction jobs and repair works. Some medium to small sized construction sites would require electric equipment and tools such as circular saws, concrete mixers, tile cutters, vibrators, compressors and temporary lifts or elevators. Medium powered generators can provide the required power at such construction sites.
Standby generators
These are generators that can serve the purpose when the main generator supply fails for some reason or the other. These can act as a stop-gap arrangement when the main generator is under repair or maintenance.
Portable generators
Construction sites are spread over a large area and it becomes difficult to draw power from a massive central generator. Instead, construction sites make use of several generators of different wattages placed at strategic locations where such power is needed. These generators either have wheels attached to them or are mounted on a base with wheels enabling them to be transported easily from one area to another.
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Article source: Economic Times
