The Pacific island of PohnPei has new units to generate electricity from heat

After two years of project preparation and endless waiting for the relaxation of restrictions that caused some islands in Micronesia to be completely closed, we managed to get to the assembly site of the ORC units on the island of PohnPei.

A total of 6 of our employees ensure the on-site implementation. Together with the locals, they put into operation 3 hot water ORC units to use the waste heat from the diesel generators. This will significantly increase their effectiveness. The installed ORC units will increase the power of the motors by a total of approx. 200 kWel.

At the same time, this will fully replace the existing coolers, which will significantly save operators on the existing heat dissipation.

Containers with ORC units on PhonPei Island

One of the big challenges is the specific local climatic conditions. "Probably the biggest challenge, apart from the organization of the work, is the almost constant rain. At times, the excavation work was more like swimming lessons", adds Karel Šmíd, head of implementation, who has spent the past month at the site, with exaggeration.

In addition to the excavation work, it was possible to install flue gas exchangers, install part of the ORC units including coolers - see photos below. An important part was also the construction of the cable route to the new substation.

Work to commission the ORC units continues to be in full swing. "These days we are working on the installation of the pipeline between the ORC unit and the flue gas exchanger with serial number 3", adds Šmíd. The full start-up of all units is planned for the beginning of 2023, when the equipment will be officially handed over to the operators.

Place of implementation
after the morning torrential rain

Equipping the ORC unit with a dry cooler