1. Raja Ratnam
20th Sept 2004
Optimising Capacity andOptimising Capacity and
Efficiency of Coal-Fired Power PlantsEfficiency of Coal-Fired Power Plants

2. BackgroundBackground
 Wholly owned subsidiary of ALSTOM Power
 Operates Independently
 Former Engineering Support Group for the QLD Utilities
 Over 48 Engineers & Scientists - Brisbane
 Covers 4 Sectors - Power, Mining, Petro-Chem & Processes
 Recent Major Projects -
 Owner’s Engineer in conjunction with PB Power for CS
Energy’s Kogan Creek 750MW supercritical coal-fired plant
 Shortlisted for the Collie 330MW O&M contract in WA

3. Presentation Objectives:
 Overview Business Environment
 Why Upgrades no longer an option ?
 Overview of some current Upgrade applications
 Why a Wholistic Approach ?

4.  Business Mentality - Optimise because you want BOTH at the
Same Time - Capacity & Efficiency
 IR impacting on business decisions
 New Environmental Regulations delayed
 Local Economy concerns only
 Liability - ring fenced to within operational boundary
 Government Owned Utilities - not profit driven
 Oversupplied market
 Plant generally within design life
Past Business Environment

5.  Meet Shareholder’s Demands - Maximise Profitability
Want Highest Capacity when Price is HIGH
Want Maximum Thermal Efficiency when Price is LOW
 Must have Reliability - minimise expensive hedging
 Positive Cash Flow
 No Risks
New Business Drivers

6.  Probability of Failures Increasing
Plant Ageing - more than 30 years old
Experienced Personnel numbers down - Attrition Rate
increasing Exponentially with Batch retirement
 Peak Demands critical - summer & winter
 Rapid growth in Technology and Options - too many choices ?
 Rising Class Action initiatives - 3rd party claims
 Foreign IPP’s exiting because of overseas issues
 Threat of Terrorism - unknown & unpredictable
 Community Environmental Attitude is Aggressive
 Capital is scarce - short payback
Current Business Environment

7. Why Upgrade?
Ageing Plant - Refurbish not enough !
 Impending Environmental Laws
 Greater Operating Flexibility - Maximise Profits
 Less People Dependent
 Minimise Business Risks
Capital is scarce
 Need higher ROI , shorter payback
 New technology for better returns

8. Regain Design Performance
Review Risk Management Strategies - eg redundant plant
Understand Plant Limits - use technology to improve
measurements and monitor degradation
Operate closer to limits - use technology
Real-time production strategy - capacity or efficiency ?
Include all costs for specific strategy - eg increase
maintenance
Before Upgrade - Back to Basics

9. How well is this Controller doing ?How well is this Controller doing ?

10. What is ProcessDoctor ?What is ProcessDoctor ?
ProcessDoctor is a software solution for automatic,
control loop performance assessment and
monitoring

11. BenefitsBenefits
Identify
Variability
Diagnose, Maintain to
Reduce
Variability
Move
Target
Benchmark, Monitor
& Sustain
Excessive process variability prevents operators from running the plant at or near its operating limits
or constraints.
time
throughput
Current Performance
Process Constraint
Optimal Performance
$

12. Other
900
35
180
25/40/35
5
Power
2000
65
350
25/40/35
8
PetroChem
1500
100
180
25/40/35
9
Oil & Gas
1200
50
220
25/40/35
6
EEMUA
144
9
10
80/15/5
1
Industry Findings - AlarmsIndustry Findings - Alarms
How many alarms do you get every day?
Average Alarms
per Day
Average Standing
Alarms
Peak Alarms
per 10 Minutes
Average Alarms/
10 Minute Interval
Distribution %
(Low/Med/High)

13. How many alarms do you get every day?
ProcessGuard is out-of-the-box Alarm Management
software that lets you:
•Seamlessly reduce nuisance alarms in
your control system
•Automatically:
•Collect & store alarm data
•Analyze and identify bad actors
• Remove bad actors
• Monitor to sustain results
•Increase uptime, increase equipment
reliability, and improve plant safety

14. Example

15. Condenser Performance ImprovementsCondenser Performance Improvements
 Maintain Tubes
 Early replacement - ECT surveys
 Maintain cleanliness - on line and off line, filtration
 Eliminate Shell Air Leakage
 Improve CW Flow stratification - tubes fully primed
 Improve Internal Steam Paths
 Maintain Air Extraction system
 On line Performance Monitoring - reduce variance - use
remote experts

16. TECHNOS
TCW is a Remote Monitoring & Control SystemTECHNOS

17. MONITOR & ANALYSE CONDENSER PERFORMANCE
TECHNOS
1
L o w p e rfo rm a n c e th re sh o ld
C o n d e n se rP e rfo rm a n c e fa c to r
O p tim u mp e rfo rm a n c e
80
85
90
95
100
Condenser
Performance Factor
(% of optimum)
Time
Typical usage of your Technos Condenser Watch
Low performance threshold
Condenser Performance factor
Optimum performance
Corrective action with TCW=
Inject new balls ?
Modify cycle times?
Adjust alarm thresholds?
Add CTCS ?…
Loss of Condenser performance
Remote alarm notification

18. TECHNOS CTCS- Condenser Tube Cleaning System
0 12 24 36
P re d ic te d (fro m d e sig n c o n d itio n s)
A c h ie v e d (fro m fie ld d a ta )
-500
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
Cumulative
increase in
revenue (k$)
Time (months)
CTCS Payback analysis
Predicted (from design
conditions)
Achieved (from field data)
TCW Calculations are made with actual data

19. Condenser tube condition assessmentCondenser tube condition assessment
EXTERNAL
DEFECT
INTERNAL
DEFECT
THROUGH
DEFECT
SUPPORT
PLATE
EDDY CURRENT SIGNAL
1999
1994
% THROUGH WALL% NUMBER OF TUBES AFFECTED
1997
Eddy Current Testing

20. Boiler Plant Upgrades Applied in Australia
Playford South Australia

21. Existing 1400mg/N cu m
burner
RoBTAS burner to give 60%
reduction, OFA not shown
Low NOx

22. Conversion of ESP Casings to Baghouses (Fabric Filters)

23. Burner Tip UpgradesBurner Tip Upgrades
 Improvement of Plant Competitive
position by re-establishing the tip
design to suit the fuel now fired.
 Unburned Carbon reduction was the
achieved aimof the project.
 <12 month paybackforcustomer.
 Higherturndown achieved formills

24. Turbine Plant Upgrades Applied in Australia

25. Co-ordinate measuring machineCo-ordinate measuring machine
 Simple 3D “wireframe” CAD
model generated
 Complex surface
representation
 High degree of accuracy
 Full model assembly is the
basis of the retrofit design
without further work

26. Retrofit Design from Site SurveyRetrofit Design from Site Survey
 “Virtual assembly”
guarantees fit
 Flexible design
accommodates
features
inaccessible during
survey

27. Before Retrofit
p=
T=
m=
104bar
538°C
200kg/s
200MW 8929kJ/kWh
After Retrofit
p=
T=
m=
104bar
538°C
200kg/s
205MW 8885kJ/kWh
S:SDPrespgi-psu6.12.00Hazelwood Info.ppt
Parsons HP-IP

28. StageStage
LossesLosses

29. Efficiency improvementsEfficiency improvements
High power density bladingHigh power density blading
 Reduced profile losses
 Reduced secondary (end-wall losses)
 Reduced leakage losses
 Further aerodynamic refinements
Total improvement in stage efficiency:
5-6 percentage points relative to late 1980s
 Bigger improvements on older units

30. Installation of Hartlepool HP Turbine Retrofit

31. Hartlepool HP Turbine Retrofit (UK)
High Efficiency Blading in Operation

32. Generator Upgrades Applied in Australia

33. Advances in TechnologyAdvances in Technology
 Stainless steel hollow
conductors
– No copper in water system
 Welded water box design
– No braze joints in water
system

34. 4
5
6
7
8
1
2 3
1 brazed electrical copper connection
2 welded special alloy block
3 stainless steel water chamber
4 teflon hoses
5 stainless steel hollow conductor
6 electrical connection brazed during
assembly (joined with high frequency
brazing within 1,5 minutes)
7 stainless steel fittings
8 Micadur bar insulation
Main Advantages: bars prefabricated
(including water chambers and electrical
connection)
Water Cooled Stator Bar EndsWater Cooled Stator Bar Ends

35. original water chambers
new water chambers
out of stainless steel
HAZELWOODHAZELWOOD

36. New parts in colour :
• End winding support
• Water manifold
• Teflon hoses
• Stator bars
• Circular winding

37. Stator rewinds with this technology can provide a
10 - 15 %increase in capability
Insulation SystemInsulation System
– MICADUR® insulation
system
• Outstanding 40 year operational
record
∀ ≈ 4500 V per mm thickness
(≈ 114 V/mil)
• Tested at 4 times operating
voltage
• Non-hygroscopic

38. Stator Cross Double Roebel barsStator Cross Double Roebel bars

39. Benefit from Additional Power Output -> 2-pole
Stator bar design with a
double Roebel bar
of a 2-pole generator
Apparent Power 686 MVA
All copper hollow Mixed stainless hollow
& copper solid
Loss reduction / kW ------ ≈ 634
Benefit / 7000 h full load a year,
@ 0.03 $/kWh
------
≈ 135 000 $/year
Typical Efficiency Increase with SS Hollow Conductors

40. Technical features derived from typical pre-engineering studies
Typical GE generator
Before rewind After rewind Comment
MVA 590 590
MW 560 560
p.f. 0,95 0,95
KV 22 22
Winding inlet temperature (°C) 45 45
Winding outlet temperature (°C) @ Un 78,4 74,2
Winding outlet temperature (°C) @ Umin= Un-5% 81,7 77,1
Water velocity in hollow conductors (m/s) 1,25 1,8
Pressure drop through the winding (bar) 1,7 2,5
Stator winding losses (kW) 3488 2820 - 668 kW
Winding DC resistance (ohms) 0,00307 0,00274
Reserve of output (%) 4% 12%
Double Roebel bars
& Stainless Steel Hollow conductors
ACTUAL LOSS REDUCTIONS DEPENDANT ON
MACHINE TYPE

41.  After cleaning
Chemical Cleaning: CuproplexChemical Cleaning: Cuproplex
 Oxide deposits

42. Typical Arrangement for CuproplexTypical Arrangement for Cuproplex

43. Air – Water Reverse Flushing of Winding Cooling SystemAir – Water Reverse Flushing of Winding Cooling System
Normal cooling water flow
Pressurised air-water
flow
Scales of copper oxyde
Mechanical flushing of stator bars

45. Result Without MonitoringResult Without Monitoring

46. New stator core & winding with conversion to water cooling
 OEM : WESTINGHOUSE
 Generator : 495 MVA
Direct hydrogen cooled
 Problem : Stator core
– Hot spots in stator core. Damage caused during stator slot
rewedging
 Solution :
– New stator core and stator winding
– Conversion to water cooled stator winding
– 45 MVA power increase, 300 kW losses reduction

47. Why a Wholistic Approach ?Why a Wholistic Approach ?
 Capital is scarce - must maximise investment
 Power Plant systems are inter-related
 Desk-top Study - Total Plant
 Restore than Upgrade
 Follow Business Drivers - capacity or efficiency ?
 Staged Risk Managed Process
 In-house plus External Expertise