Atlas Copco upgrades gensets
Atlas Copco continues to expand and upgrade its range of generators to enhance their environmental-friendliness and ensure their reliability in the harsh environments they operate in.
01 July 2004
Atlas Copco is currently redesigning its QAS 14 to QAS 338 portable diesel-powered generating sets in a bid to enhance their environmental-friendliness.
The upgraded units are expected to be launched in the Middle East by early next year, says a spokesman for the company.
Rated at between 13 to 360 kVA, the skid-based units are part of Atlas Copco’s sturdy QAS range of stationary and portable generators.
The company last year launched four new QAS generating sets with continuous prime ratings at 1,500 r/min of between 150 to 300 kVA at 50 Hz optional with dual frequency, which complemented the range rated at 13 to 360 kVA.
Designated the QAS 150, QAS 200, QAS 250 and QAS 300, these generating sets are all powered by Volvo Penta four-stroke six-cylinder diesel engines with direct injection, turbocharged and intercooled. The four sets are standby rated between 165 kVA to 330 kVA.
“These high-specification units have been well-received in the region’s rental markets of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar,” he says.
The QAS 150-300 high-performance sets feature low exhaust emission in line with all other QAS models and the latest international emission regulations. Equipped with Mecc-Alte synchronous brushless type alternators, the sets offer minimal wear, a choice of voltages and quick response to any sudden load change, he adds.
All QAS machines are built to ISO 9001 quality assurance standards and are tested to perform in the most demanding conditions, says the spokesman.
The company has recently introduced its QUB range of generating sets, which are already proving popular with contractors throughout the UAE and Bahrain, he says.
Sharjah-based Al Safat International is the latest contractor in the UAE to take delivery of the QUB 109.
Purpose-ordered from local distributor Inma, the set is providing ‘prime’ power for a four-storey building in Sharjah. Rated at 87.2 kW, 109 kVA at 50Hz, the set operates 10 hours a day, six days a week and in addition runs for six hours on the seventh.
The set’s load includes a Liebherr 4.5-tonne capacity tower crane, a reinforcement bar cutting machine and other site tools, plus office equipment including air-conditioning, lighting and computers, says the spokesman.
“The generating set is providing trouble-free reliability, ease of operation and excellent fuel economies,” says project manager Jaffal. “I have also been impressed with its loading capabilities.”
The QUB range has been introduced by Atlas Copco as a ‘no frills’ range rated between 25 to 143 kVA and ideally suited for the Middle East and African markets; where clients require high durability from an uncomplicated power supply, says the spokesman.
The sets have been designed for reliable operations in remote and harsh environments with a capability to operate at up to 55 deg C ambient temperatures. This apart, a new control system offers a range of modules to suit individual customers’ requirements, including local start or remote start facilities.
Bahraini contractors have also come to recognise the benefits of the ‘no frills’ QUB range with Panorama Contracting recently taking delivery of two sets and Crystal Maintenance three sets.
Crystal Maintenance has identified a niche in the market in Bahrain supplying tower crane and a QUB generating set as a rental package for construction sites.
Atlas Copco has strengthened its presence in the Middle East with the recent establishment of a new regional support centre operating from Bahrain. The support centre, operating as Atlas Copco Services Middle East, provides all required assistance and training to the distributors in the whole Gulf, and to the company’s branches in Saudi Arabia. The group produces and markets compressed air equipment and generators, construction and mining equipment, electrical and pneumatic tools and assembly systems, and offers related service and equipment rental.
