FG Wilson Engineering is a global company with over 3,000 employees and 45 years of experience in the supply of diesel and gas generator sets. The FG Wilson product range from 6.8 – 2,500 kVA, includes open and enclosed generator sets providing prime and standby power – from standby domestic use, right up to power modules with the ability to operate as complete power stations supplying electricity to national grids.
FG Wilson serves and supports customers all over the world through its global dealer network. The UK has been a particularly strong market for it for many years. With the back-up of FG Wilson’s power solutions team, dealers can meet any power requirement, no matter how complex. One example of a project for which FG Wilson is providing power is One New Change, London – Land Securities’ latest development, located on Cheapside in the heart of the City of London.
One New Change is a contemporary building with a total of eight floors comprising offices on the top four floors and cafes, restaurants and shops on the lower floors. With around 60 stores spanning three floors, One New Change is one of the largest shopping centres in central London, rivaling other London shopping hot-spots. A panoramic lift in the buidling’s centre provides the public with access to a roof level terrace offering impressive views over St. Paul’s Cathedral dome.
Some interesting facts about One New Change:
• One New Change stands at 560,000 sq feet (52,024 sq metres) and is the equivalent of just over 12 football pitches, with 220,000 sq feet of retail space and 330,000 sq feet office space
• One New Change will be home to 3,000 office workers
• The external cladding is made up of 6,500 glass panels of different sizes, shapes and colours, of which 4,300 are individually hand crafted
• Upon completion half a kilometre of perimeter wall will have been built and 330,000 bricks will have been laid (at its peak, 12,000 bricks were delivered every week)
FG Wilson installed the lifesafety and emergency power generation for the total site, comprising of the supply and installation of :
• 2 x P2000 Generators for back-up to the mains
• 2 x P800 Generators for life safety power
Very stringent noise requirements for both the commercial office space, and for Cheapside were met with specifically designed FG Wilson acoustic enclosures, with floating floor arrangements constructed on site during a very complex installation phase. FG Wilson assisted in the modelling of the acoustic installation in order to minimise noise levels at the viewing terrace. The FG Wilson Power Solutions design team also ensured the enclosures and exhaust systems of the generating sets would not detract from the view at the top of St. Paul’s dome.
This project also involved the integration of the fuel system into the fire officer’s philosophy for the building to ensure safe operation during emergencies.
To manage the complex nature of the control and distribution of the electrical power, a Duty / Standby PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and a network of remote input & output PLC out-stations were implemented throughout the building, interfacing through SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) touch screen workstations. This high-level control system included generator control, neutral earthing resister control, HV generator and mains synchronizing, fuel system monitoring and power management of the high voltage distribution system throughout the site.
FG Wilson has invested millions of pounds in recent years in its manufacturing facility in Larne, Northern Ireland. State of the art technology has been incorporated into new production lines and test facilities. The Larne site also encompasses Europe’s largest hemi-anechoic chamber – providing advanced acoustic research and testing capability. The company also has manufacturing plants in Brazil, China, India and the United States.
FG Wilson’s strength is in its dealer network and in-house team of highly qualified electrical and mechanical engineers, whose power expertise includes:
• Advanced control and synchronisation systems
• PLC
• Remote cooling
• Exhaust silencer systems
• Room acoustic treatment
• Weatherproof and acoustic enclosures
• Specialist environmental protection
• High and low ambient applications
• Factory and on-site testing
• Specialised commissioning