IMGASA'S REDUCE ENERGY POVERTY PROJECT

A for-profit humanitarian business plan.

The substantial savings in maintenance costs of refurbishing fuel pumps in the internal combustion (IC) engines in Central American power plants, versus the cost of replacement fuel pumps, is invested in expansion of electric services to people in the grip of energy poverty.

BACKGROUND

In 2012 Importaciones Gamboa, S.A. (IMGASA) was a manufacturer’s representative of a USA industrial hard chrome machine shop.  IMGASA was contacted by Costa Rica’s Institute of Electricity (ICE), the government electricity services provider.  ICE’s Quality Assurance Precision Workshop (“QAPW” located at Turrucares Costa Rica), was trying to repair leaks in the fuel pumps at the Garabito (Puntarenas Province) IC power plant.  QAPW sought assistance from IMGASA, an industrial hard chrome services broker.

     

     

The Garabito power plant has 11 MAN Diesel & Turbo diesel / bunker fuel engines.  Each engine has 18 cylinders and there is a fuel pump for each cylinder.  After 12 months of 24 hour 7 days a week use, the hard chrome wears down at the bottom of the pump barrel’s deep dead hole, the exhaust ports become corroded, and the plunger tip becomes corroded.  The leaking that results requires the purchase of a new pump at a cost of $15,000 unless a repair could be developed.  Industrial hard chrome was the solution QAPW was looking for.

A FUEL PUMP IS A BARREL WITH EXHAUST PORTS AND VALVES, AND A PLUNGER

     

DETERIORATION OF HARD CHROME OCCURS AT BOTTOM OF BARREL’S “DEEP DEAD HOLE”, AT EXHAUST PORTS, AND AT NON-CHROMED PLUNGER’S INSERTED TIP

After 2 years IMGASA and USA based partners perfected a complete refurbishment of the pumps at a cost to ICE of $6,000 per pump.  With the concept proven ICE has now decided to attempt to do the refurbishment themselves at their Turrucares workshop.  The links below have flyers in PDF that explain the before and after refurbishment.

Click For English PDF Flyer     Click For Spanish PDF Flyer

NOW OFFERING THE SERVICE TO OTHER PUBLIC UTILITIES

While ICE is attempting to refurbish the pumps themselves, other Central American IC power plants have the identical problem but lack the resources of ICE’s Turrucares workshop facility.  Those power plants are located in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

GUATEMALA

IMGASA estimates that refurbishing all of the pumps at the Guatemala Puerto Quetzal Barge Power Plant (pictured above) could result in cost savings, that if reinvested in expanding electric services, could connect 2,268 new customers.

Click here for a PDF flyer explaining the Guatemala estimate.

For all estimates if the cost of a new connection is higher or lower than $500 the number of new customers changes.  In addition, the need to replace pumps will vary by power plant depending on the annual hours the IC engine is running.

HONDURAS

Refurbishing all of the pumps at the Honduras Choloma III IC Power Plant (pictured above) could result in cost savings, that if reinvested in expanding electric services, could connect 4,536 new customers.

Click here for a PDF flyer explaining the Honduras estimate.

NICARAGUA

Refurbishing all of the pumps at the Nicaragua Corinto Barge IC Power Plant (pictured above) could result in cost savings, that if reinvested in expanding electric services, could connect 1,296 new customers.

Click here for a PDF flyer explaining the Nicaragua estimate.

PANAMA

Refurbishing all of the pumps at the Panama Pedregal Pacora Power Plant (pictured above) could result in cost savings, that if reinvested in expanding electric services, could connect 1,944 new customers.

Click here for a PDF flyer explaining the Panama estimate.

 
 
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