Case History – Kanowit Palm Oil Mill, Sibu, Sarawak, East Malaysia
Prime power
> Case History
Kanowit Palm Oil Mill, Sibu, Sarawak,
East Malaysia
Our energy working for you.TM
Where:
Cummins engines drive prime power for
Kanowit Palm Oil Mill, Sibu, Sarawak, East Malaysia
palm oil factory and housing in remote
What:
East Malaysia
One Cummins Power Generation generator set,
powered by a QST30G2 engine, rated at 640 kW
SIBU, SARAWAK, EAST MALAYSIA — Worldwide
and two Cummins Power Generation gensets,
production of palm oil nearly doubled during the period
powered by KTA19G4 engines, each rated at 409
1990 to 2001, in response to increasing demand.
kW, to complement the steam turbine
Leading both the production and export is Malaysia,
Purpose:
which increased the land area planted with oil palm by
To start up the boiler, as well as to generate power
more than 150 percent during the period. Today, the
for the electrical requirements of the plant and
industry employs around 300,000 people in the eastern
offices, and the residential units in the area, when
and western states of the country.
the steam turbine is not operational
Malaysia’s output of palm oil is approximately 12
Primary choice factors:
million tons, which is more than 50 percent of the
Previous track record, product reliability, efficient
approximately 23 million tons produced annually
after-sales support and parts availability
throughout the world. The country exports close to
11 million tons, which exceeds 60 percent of the total
international exports of about 17 million tons.
The Kanowit Palm Oil Mill, which commenced
operations in July 2003, is wholly owned by listed
Malaysian company, Boustead Holdings Bhd. The
factory is located in Sibu, Sarawak, in East Malaysia.
The plant processes oil palm fruit into crude palm oil
and palm kernel. Approximately 150,000 tons of fruit are
processed in a year, yielding about 32,000 tons of crude
Cummins Power Generation gensets are used in part to start and
Paralleling switchgear automatically synchronizes gensets with the
power up the boiler for the steam turbine.
steam turbine.
palm oil and 7,500 tons of palm kernel oil. Since the
Power Generation gensets provide the minimum power
palm trees in the plantations owned by the company are requirements of the plant such as emergency lighting, as
still growing, the output of fruit and, therefore, the palm
wel as the requirements of the residential units in the area.
oil as well, is expected to increase in the coming years.
Synchronization of the gensets with the steam turbine
As there is no grid power supply in the area, the mill
is achieved automatically via a switchboard. At the
generates its own electricity for its operation, as well
commencement of the day’s operations, the gensets are
as to cater to the needs of the residents in the area.
run to start up the boiler. The steam from the boiler
drives the steam turbine. Both gensets and steam
“Since this is a prime generation responsibility
turbine are operated together and, after synchronization,
in a remote area, our product reliability
the gensets are stopped. Likewise, the gensets are
and the after-sales service are particularly
started and synchronized with the steam turbine, before
important,” said Mr. Alex Tan from Scott &
the turbine is stopped, at the end of the day.
English (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the Cummins
“Since this is a prime generation responsibility in a
distributor in Malaysia.
remote area, our product reliability and the after-sales
service are particularly important,” said Mr. Alex Tan
The factory is operational 16 to 20 hours a day
from Scott & English (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the Cummins
throughout the year, except during the 10-day
distributor in Malaysia.
maintenance shutdown as required by government
regulations.
“We had the advantage of dealing with a regular
customer who had given us the opportunity to prove
After the extraction of the oil from the oil palm fruit,
the quality of Cummins Power Generation gensets, and
a fibrous residue is left behind. This residue, together
we had already installed 10 units since 1985, at four
with the outer shells of the palm kernel nut, are used
locations,” Mr. Tan added.
as the fuel for a waste-fired boiler. The boiler generates
steam to drive a turbine that produces 800 to 1000 kW
Before the Kanowit project, Cummins Power Generation
of power.
gensets had already been installed at Boustead’s
palm oil mills in Johor Bahru (three gensets powered
One of the Cummins Power Generation gensets is
by KTA19G4 engines), Bintulu (two gensets powered
powered by a QST30G2 engine, rated at 640 kW and
by KTA19G4 engines and one genset powered by
another two Cummins Power Generation gensets are
a LTA10G3 engine), Tawau (one genset powered by
powered by KTA19G4 engines each rated at 409 kW.
a KTA38G5 engine and one genset powered by a
They are used in a prime application at the Kanowit
Cummins KTA19G2 engine) and Taiping (one genset
Palm Oil Mill to complement the steam turbine.
powered by a Cummins QST30G2 engine).
The gensets are run to start up the boiler every day.
For more information about integrated prime power
Also, during the four to eight hours when the plant
systems, contact your local Cummins Power Generation
and the steam turbine are not operational, Cummins
distributor or visit www.cumminspower.com.
www.cumminspower.com
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Generation and Cummins are registered trademarks of Cummins Inc.
“Our energy working for you.” is a trademark of Cummins Power Generation.
F-1975 Rev. 2/08 (2005)
