Ovation for huge new Chinese coal plant
The 1,000-MW Units 1 and 2 of the new, four-unit Huaneng Yuhan power plant in China have implemented expert control systems from Emerson Process Management (www.emersonprocess.com). Emerson, a major supplier of process controls to the electric power, water treatment, and wastewater industries, won the $7 million contract for the systems in April 2005.
The 4,000-MW plant, owned by Huaneng Power International, is the first to implement 1,000-MW ultrasupercritical technology in China. Emerson reports that Unit 1 completed its 168-hour performance test last November, and that Unit 2 was synchronized to the grid the following month. An Ovation expert system (Figure 9) monitors and controls the units' data acquisition system, modulating control system, sequence control system, furnace safeguard supervisory system, and major energy converters such as the boiler, turbine, and generator.
Emerson says its Ovation control system was designed specifically for the power generation business and has been used in thousands of installations. According to the company, the Chinese ultrasupercritical units at Yuhan "are currently the cleanest, most efficient, and most advanced in the world." Their reported 45% thermal efficiency compares favorably with the 30% to 38% efficiency of plants operating at subcritical temperatures and pressures.
PG&E dips toe into wave power
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) two preliminary permit applications for wave energy projects to be sited off the California coast.
"The waters west of Humboldt and Mendocino counties have excellent wave power potential," said Fong Wan, PG&E's vice president of energy procurement. "The development of this new type of energy resource, which generates electricity from the movement of water near the surface of the ocean, is one of the many sources of clean, non-polluting, renewable energy that PG&E is aggressively pursuing."
Most of the wave energy conversion (WEC) devices that PG&E is considering for its "WaveConnect" program float on the ocean surface and generate electricity from the movement of waves. As lead developer, PG&E says it will be responsible for site permitting and "will encourage the participation of multiple WEC device manufacturers in the projects."
According to PG&E, its WaveConnect program would be the first in North America "to allow multiple WEC device manufacturers to demonstrate their devices on a common site, which could help accelerate the development of wave energy technology." The timing of the program could not be better. This February, FERC issued a notice asking for comments on how the agency should process applications for ocean-based generating technologies. FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher said, "These emerging new hydroelectric technologies have significant potential. However, [they] present some challenges relating to reliability, environmental and safety implications, and commercial viability."
PG&E said that if technical results look good, it would pursue "phased development" of the two wave power sites. The projects would move ahead, the San Francisco–based utility said, only if "technical results support feasibility, environmental studies show that any significant impacts can be fully mitigated, and stakeholder considerations can be satisfactorily addressed."
POWER digest
News items of interest to power industry professionals.FuelCell Energy gets CARB certification. The California Air Resources Board has certified that FuelCell Energy's new 300-kW DFC300MA molten carbonate fuel cell meets the state's distributed energy generation emission standards for 2007. The CARB earlier approved a FuelCell Energy machine that can produce 250 kW of power.
Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy (www.fce.com) says it will begin shipping the new units in the second quarter of this year. Because fuel cells are classified as "ultra-clean" technology, they are exempt from the permitting requirements of California's local air quality districts
"California is one of the largest power consumers in the world," said William Karambelas, a FuelCell Energy executive, "so it is critical for us to design products that meet its requirements. With this certification, we once again demonstrate our corporate commitment to delivering ultra-clean, efficient power plants. We significantly increased the output of the DFC300MA while reducing production costs and maintaining our low emission standards."
California's Self-Generation Program, a state-supported subsidy, provides over $80 million per year in incentives to renewable and ultraclean generating technologies. According to FuelCell Energy, the state support amounts to $2,500/kW for its products that burn natural gas and $4,500/kW for units fueled by renewable resources such as methane from landfill and water treatment plants.
GE, Toshiba extend turbine services venture. GE Energy and Toshiba have extended their gas turbine services joint venture to include GE's H System machines, the most advanced gas turbine combined-cycle equipment that the company markets.
Toshiba-GE Turbine Services Co. (TGTS) was formed in 1996 to serve customers in Japan that operate GE-designed 50- and 60-Hz E- and F-class gas turbines. When the companies recently renewed their joint venture agreement, they added the H-class machines. Said John Reinker, GE's manager of heavy-duty turbines and combined-cycle products, "The original purpose of the TGTS joint venture was to provide our Japanese customers with faster turn-around times and higher-quality gas turbine components and services." He noted that by adding the H-class equipment, "we are further expanding the scope of services that we can offer customers."
GE notes that three 50-Hz, 9H systems soon will be installed in Japan, at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Futtsu station Group 4. GE shipped the first unit in June 2006. According to GE, the H system is the first and only combined-cycle technology in the world to have broken the 60% thermal efficiency barrier.
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