Optimizing performance
As part of the first stage of the project, Units 1 and 2 also were retrofitted with NeuCo's PerformanceOpt system. Because it embeds a first-principles–based integrated boiler and steam cycle model within an optimization software framework, PerformanceOpt can monitor unit operations in real time.
Displaying its results on customized screens, the system provides real-time detection of fine-grained efficiency and capacity losses based on model-predicted achievable values under current plant conditions. PerformanceOpt's home screen (Figure 5) provides current and historical overviews of performance, identifies operational problems, and quantifies their impact on unit capacity and efficiency. The software is smart enough to know whether to take action to fix a problem or recommend having operators investigate it further.
5. Bird's-eye view. PerformanceOpt's home screen delivers tailored efficiency and capacity knowledge to Baldwin's unit operators. Courtesy: NeuCo
Optimizing maintenance
The final technology piece of the Baldwin project is NeuCo's MaintenanceOpt, which uses a powerful diagnostic knowledge base to determine the root causes of problems that are affecting unit efficiency and capacity. The software also is predictive and capable of differentiating near-term and slow-developing reliability problems. Because the heuristic rules that make MaintenanceOpt an expert forecaster are resident in the ProcessLink platform's infrastructure and calculation engine, any decisions the software makes can be applied plantwide and in real time.
MaintenanceOpt's real-time decision-support interface alerts operators to problems requiring immediate or early attention, their causes and remedies, and their impact on unit efficiency and availability. For each problem it detects, the software automatically generates a work order and forwards it to the unit's computerized maintenance management system.
The version of MaintenanceOpt that was recently installed on Baldwin Units 1 and 2 includes the diagnostic heuristics for a preliminary set of condition variables such as feedwater heater performance, condenser cleanliness, and turbine inefficiencies. Additional condition variables will be added over the next several months.
The bigger picture
In coming months, NeuCo and Baldwin will further test and refine CombustionOpt, PerformanceOpt, and MaintenanceOpt at Units 1 and 2 and will incorporate backpass optimization for the SootOpt at Unit 3. This will be followed by subsequent refinement and releases based on feedback from Baldwin and other NeuCo sites, as well as the integration of CombustionOpt, SootOpt, and PerformanceOpt at Unit 3.
Ultimately, NeuCo and Dynegy hope to demonstrate the value of approaching plant emissions, efficiency, and availability problems in a real-time, integrated fashion—across many plant systems and generating units. Another goal is to emphasize the key role that advanced information technologies can play in developing competitive business strategies.
"NeuCo's individual optimization solutions have already proven to be beneficial," said Joe Naberhaus, director of Dynegy's Midwest Fleet Operations. "As we move into the second half of the CCPI project, the integration and coordination of these solutions will allow us to continue our commitment to reducing emissions while improving our operating efficiency and reliability."
According to NeuCo's Lefebvre, "The CCPI project will demonstrate that multiple optimization products and technologies, each working to optimize critical pieces of equipment, can be integrated into a single software architecture and coordinated to achieve common goals. It will lay the foundation for future fleet-level optimization initiatives."
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