Extreme Cold Weather Capabilities

Cold Weather Fortification

Extreme cold weather has the potential to cause many problems. Once temperatures reach sub-zero utility power becomes more and more unreliable as temperatures keep dropping. To maintain power resiliency it is crucial to have an alternate means of powering your critical infrastructure. You also have to prepare your alternate means of power to handle the cold weather as well. When using backup diesel generators, it is vital to keep the diesel fuel from solidifying during freezing weather. Diesel fuel solidification is called fuel gelling. On January 30, 2019, when actual temperatures reached <-30 °F in the upper Midwest, wreaking havoc on the utility as well as unprepared backup power sources.

To prevent diesel fuel from gelling you can do many things including:

• Building an all-weather, insulated building with electrical heaters placed around the main fuel tanks.

• The fuel transfer piping from the main fuel tanks to the individual engine day tanks can be electrically heat traced and insulated.

• The excess fuel from the engine which normally goes through a fuel cooler can be fitted with a diverter valve to bypass the coolers during winter months.

• Fuel additives can be used to drop the gelling point of diesel fuel.

• You can make use of an Underground Storage Tank (UST) to store your fuel as it is warmer underground than it is above ground during winter months.

These are some things that can be done to mitigate the issues that arise during extremely cold weather. Let IEA help find the best fit solution for you to prevent mishaps during extreme cold weather events.