In 2018, Horlick successfully completed and shipped a Model 50SC-253 motor generator set to a California-based government contractor. The set was used to power military radar equipment for a Navy department firing range. The customer had procured equipment from overseas and needed a way to supply it with 50 Hz power.
In the past, the contractor had used solid-state frequency converters; however, these have repeatedly proven to be unreliable in the field. In search of a better solution, they found that a motor generator set was more robust and that it would deliver a more reliable means of frequency conversion.
Additional research suggested that Horlick was a good candidate for the purchase of a motor generator set, and a visit to their website proved to be informative and useful. In particular, the on-line quote form made it easy to supply Horlick with all the required design information such as the input and output voltage and frequency.
The military procurement process requires that multiple bids be submitted to an independent procurement contractor who places the order. The contractor has no influence in the procurement decision other than to make a recommendation. As a result, many potential vendors are unwilling to take the time to bid these types of projects. Additionally, due to the nature of the government and its procurement policies, it can often take more than a year for a project to move from an initial inquiry to an actual procurement. The contractor was very impressed with the immediate response from Horlick, including the detailed discussion of the voltage, frequency and power requirements of both the Horlick machine and the radar equipment it would be powering.
The lead EW systems field engineer on the project expressed his “appreciation for the support provided by Shawn Hennessey, VP of Engineering at Horlick, during both the bidding and procurement processes.”
In particular, the Horlick outreach resulted in the discovery that an incorrect value for the input voltage had been provided. This discovery allowed the error to be corrected prior to the order being placed, and thus prevented a problem during procurement. The entire process took around two years. “Horlick was very supportive throughout providing timely updated quotes when requested at consistent prices,” the engineer said.
The Model 50SC-253 motor generator set was delivered in a custom, weather-resistant enclosure. When it was first energized, it was so quiet that several witnesses did not initially believe that it was even running! Horlick 50SC Model motor generator sets utilize a 4-pole, 1800 RPM, induction motor to drive a 4-pole, 1500 RPM synchronous generator through a V-belt drive system. The output frequency is 50 Hz (+/-1.5%).
The engineer continued, “I highly recommend Horlick for an extremely efficient and helpful procurement process”.
