Canadian utility mixes oil and water
June 24, 2008 at 7:07 am | In New Construction, New Technology | Leave a Comment
NB Power’s (Fredericton, N.B.) 1,050-MW Coleson Cove station has received approval to begin a $475-million refurbishment that includes a fuel switch from heavy oil to Orimulsion, environmental equipment upgrades, and a new pipeline and offshore unloading system to deliver the fuel to the plant. The upgrades to the three identical units at the plant are required to meet new environmental standards that take effect in 2005. Coleson Cove, located in the Lorneville area of west Saint John, currently supplies over 30% of New Brunswick’s electrical power. The upgrade project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2004.
Control system upgrades can save big bucks
June 24, 2008 at 7:07 am | In New Technology, Power Plant | Leave a CommentThe decision to upgrade powerplant control systems is not a simple one; however, the economic payoff can be substantial. Recent studies by Siemens Westinghouse (Newcastle, UK) indicate that improvements in plant performance thorough controls modernization can be substantial. For a typical 540-MW coal-fired powerplant, instrumentation and controls changes are projected to save a combined $1.8 million per year:
- Fuel savings during normal operation: 0.4%—or $283,000/yr—is possible, mostly from tighter steam-temperature control, more accurate combustion and oxygen control, and conversion from fixed-pressure to sliding-pressure operation.
- Fuel savings during startup: 50%—approximately $17,000/yr—is possible. Automated controls enable a plant to adhere more closely to stress limitations.
- Fuel savings during load ramps: It is possible to achieve load-ramp rates of 5% of MCR/min above 60% load and 3%/min between 35% and 60% load. Improved ramp rates allow the unit to respond faster, thus “catching” higher market prices and reducing load quicker when the market prices drop. Savings are estimated at $532,000/yr.
- Fuel savings due to reduced forced-outage rates: National Electric Reliability Council data indicate that the average forced outage rate for a coal-fired unit lasts about 20 hours. If a plant can reduce that figure by more intelligent controls, safe run-back to partial loads instead of a trip, and improvements in trip-system reliability, then it can save just over $1 million/yr.
Gas turbine combustors drive emissions toward nil
June 24, 2008 at 7:06 am | In Environmental, Gas Turbine, Low NOx, New Technology, Power Plant | 1 Comment| Best available control technology continues to be ratcheted down to achieve ever-lower NOx emissions. Some dry low-NOx combustors can achieve 9 ppm without post-combustion control, while newer catalytic combustors are operating below 5 ppm NOx. In the late 1980s, gas turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) began to integrate dry low-NOx (DLN)—also referred to as dry low-emission (DLE)—combustion technology into their product lines to eliminate the need for steam or water injection, which had been the traditional method of NOx control. Many DLN technologies were evaluated, and lean premixed combustion emerged as the most promising approach for near-term application. Continue reading Gas turbine combustors drive emissions toward nil… |
Oyster Creek Power 8, Freeport, Texas
June 23, 2008 at 1:05 am | In Combined Cycle, Environmental, Gas Turbine, Low NOx, Natural Gas, New Technology, Power Plant | Leave a CommentTags: Combined Cycle, Gas Turbine, low emission, Low NOx, Natural Gas
Operated and maintained by Dow Chemical Co., Freeport, Texas
Owned by Dynegy (50%) and American National Power (50%)
Sub-10 ppm NOx has been the dream of gas turbine users for many years, and currently there is only one OEM that can deliver on that promise. But OEMs are no longer the only suppliers of NOx retrofit hardware. Power Systems Manufacturing has developed a sub-5 ppm NOx retrofit kit for the GE 7EA that has taken dry low-NOx technology to the next level. Dow Chemical took a chance with the new technology and now operates the world’s cleanest—in terms of NOx—gas turbine.
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