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ENERGY STORAGE

HOW THE MARKET AND THE TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED

O&M

COMBATING CONDENSER LEAKAGE

NATURAL GAS:

GAS TURBINE COATINGS

THE KEY TO LONGER LIFE AND GREATER PERFORMANCE

119
YEARS

On a Path
to Dominance

July 2015 www.power-eng.com

SOLVAir Solutions
Innovative Solutions for air pollution
control!

Working with our customers for over 25 years on their air pollution concerns, SOLVAir Solutions
has evolved along the way. From systems and sorbents expertise and in-the-feld case studies,
to negotiating the quagmire of regulatory compliance and the creation of our joint venture
with Natural Soda, LLC, our primary focus has been on helping you, our customer.
In the same vein, our new website, recently unveiled, has been developed in response to the
customers need-to know. The URL remains the same www.solvair.us - but content and
design are innovative and fresh. Easy to navigate, not only is the site mobile device friendly,
but it is equipped with many tools for enhanced experience, as well as allowing for submittal
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Knowledge and a hands-on approach to the problems of air pollution control have always
been a hallmark of the SOLVAir brand, an assurance of help where and when needed. Access
our new website solvair.us today for critical information necessary for air pollution control.

Natural Solutions
www.solvair.us
Copyright 2015, SOLVAir Natural Solutions. All Rights Reserved

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FEATURES 119
VOLUME

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14 The
Gas-Fired Generation

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in North America

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration anticipates


natural gas will be the primary fuel for power generation
by 2035. Join in as top natural gas executives discuss the
future of the industry.

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22

The Power of Flexibility: Turbine Air


Inlet Chilling Benefits from Leading
Edge Control Technology

Operations management in the power industry faces many challenges as it


attempts to adhere to increasingly tighter compliance requirements. Find out how
Stellar Energy is applying leading-edge control technologies to help its customers
improve the efficiencies of their turbines.

26

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Power Engineering

A Journey to Improve
Condenser Performance

The long-term effects of compromised condenser tubes can create unplanned


outages and loss of revenue. Read about how a thorough condenser analysis
and cleaning can dramatically improve outcomes at power plants.

CHAIRMAN Frank T. Lauinger


PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Robert F. Biolchini
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT Mark C. Wilmoth

No.7, July 2015

32

Braving the Heat: The Importance


of Gas Turbine Coatings in Modern
Combined-Cycle Power Plants

As power plant firing temperatures rise every higher in the quest for greater efficiency,
turbine components are exposed to greater and greater thermal stresses. Learn about
the role gas turbine coatings play in keeping power plants up and running.

36

Energy Storage:
The Key to the Modern Grid

The industry has increasingly accepted the viability of energy storage as


a meaningful grid resource. Read about how Southern California Edisons
selection of more than 250 MW of energy storage cemented the merits of
energy storage as a viable alternative to traditional peaking generation.

DEPARTMENTS
2
4
6

Opinion
Clearing the Air
Industry Watch

8
10
12

View on Renewables
Energy Matters
Nuclear Reactions

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the top power generation news

Industry News:
Global updates
throughout the day

OPINION

Natural Gas:
The Preferred Choice
BY RUSSELL RAY, CHIEF EDITOR

here is no global market for


natural gas. Thats why the gap
between natural gas prices in Europe and North America is so wide. Unlike oil, the price of natural gas is based
on regional market conditions because
large supplies of gas cannot be shipped
overseas affordably or easily.
Over time, that may change.
The divergence in global gas markets
was clearly evident during a recent visit to
the Netherlands, where gas is being sold
at historic highs. At POWER-GEN Europe
in Amsterdam, attendees toured a pristine combined cycle gas-fired unit built
in 2012. But like so many other gas-fired
units across Europe, the 435-MW unit
was idle, made uneconomical by the high
cost of natural gas. The coal-fired unit
next to it was running near full capacity.
Combined cycle plants fueled with
natural gas are cheaper to build, more efficient, easy to permit and quicker to construct. The only caveat: They are sensitive
to the cost of natural gas.
The price of natural gas is the defining
difference between the North American
and European power generation markets.
Americas access to abundant low-priced
gas, public demand for more renewable
power, and the retirement of old inefficient coal-fired plants have spawned the
construction of several new gas-fired projects in North America. The trend will continue as gas prices in the U.S. hover below
$3 per million British thermal units.
In 2015, More than 6,000 MW of gasfired generation will be added to the U.S.
grid, according to the Energy Information
Administration. By 2035, natural gas is
projected to be the biggest source of power generation in the U.S.
As a result, demand for highly efficient
2

gas turbine technology capable of sup- gas-fired generation. We sat down with
porting the growth of variable generation three high ranking executives from Amersuch as wind and solar is strong.
ican Electric Power (AEP), Electric Power
GE said it has received 16 orders for its Research Institute, and GE Power & Water
new HA air-cooled gas turbines. In addi- to discuss the technology, the challenges
tion, the HA turbine has been techni- and the benefits surrounding this promcally selected for 53 new gas-fired units ising market.
worldwide. A tech-selection means the
Dan Lee, senior vice president of Fossil
unit will use GEs technology if it is com- Generation at AEP, said most new central
missioned and constructed. GEs Laurent power stations in the U.S. will be fueled
Cornu said he expects about 90 percent with natural gas. But, Lee added, the
of those tech-selections will lead to real growth of gas-fired generation may not
contracts with power producers within be as great as some are predicting.
two years.
Within
AEPs
Cornu is the prod- We continue
service territory, we
uct manager for GEs
continue to see relato see relatively
9HA.01 gas turbine.
tively flat forecasted
The 9HA.01 turbine fat forecasted
demand, and cacan reach full capacity demand, and
pacity markets like
in less than 30 minPJM are simply not
capacity markets
utes, and delivers a
providing a clear ecowhopping 61.4 percent like PJM are simply
nomic signal for new
net fuel efficiency.
gas generation, Lee
not providing a
Virginia Electric and
said. We are aware of
clear economic
Power recently ordered
newly permitted and
three gas turbines from signal for new gas
proposed natural gas
Mitsubishi
Hitachi generation.
combined-cycle units
Power Systems Ameri- Dan Lee, AEP
in the PJM footprint,
cas (MHPSA). The gas
but permitted and
turbine manufacturer has secured 39 proposed does not always result in units
contracts with power producers to sup- being constructed.
ply its J-class gas turbines, including
According to a recent study, just 7 pernine contracts in North America.
cent of all new generation proposed in
Last year, MHPSA entered into a con- PJMs territory between 2000 and 2014
tract with Oklahomas Grand River Dam was placed in service.
Authority to supply the 501J for a new
Nevertheless, the biggest trend in powcombined cycle plant near Chouteau, er generation in North America is the
Oklahoma. The new plant is expected to steady transition to natural gas. Issues rebe up and running in spring 2017. The lated to operations and maintenance, sit501J is known for its higher firing tem- ing and construction, gas turbine design,
peratures and improved efficiency.
and gas engines will be featured at POWOur cover story on page 14 provides ER-GEN Natural Gas 2015, Aug. 18-20 in
more perspective on the market for Columbus, Ohio.
www.power-eng.com

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#2

CLEARING THE AIR

Choosing Sides:
Benefits of Clean Side
SCR for Biomass
BY RYAN HENSEL, SCR PRODUCT LINE MANAGER, BABCOCK & WILCOX

ith the increased popular- the SO2 and SO3 concentrations in the
ity of biomass and other flue gas and the SO2 to SO3 oxidation
renewable fuels in the gen- across the catalyst bed. The more SO2
eration portfolio, new emissions control and SO3 present, the higher the minichallenges are emerging, especially for mum ammonia injection temperature.
selective catalytic reduction (SCR) sys- A typical coal-fired, high dust or dirty
tems, where biomass can have much side SCR is located upstream of the air
higher concentrations of catalyst poi- heater, where the flue gas temperature
sons - most notably sodium, potassium, exceeds the minimum ammonia injecand phosphorus - than other fuels. The tion temperature to prevent ammonium
elevated levels of these catalyst poisons salt formation. A typical clean side SCR
results in an increase in required cata- is located where the operating temperalyst volume, as well as a decrease in the ture is below the minimum ammonia
injection temperaexpected catalyst life,
Maintaining
fue
ture, which means
reducing the duration
the SO3 in the flue
between outages. In gas temperature in
can react with
order to maintain an
the proper operating gas
ammonia to form
acceptable operating
ammonium sulfate
period between out- range can be
or ammonium biages, it may be benefi- accomplished
sulfate (ABS), the
cial to locate the SCR
several ways.
latter of which can
on the clean side,
block the active sites of the catalyst.
downstream of the particulate collector.
This low dust arrangement lessens Therefore, in a clean side SCR system,
the exposure of the catalyst to ash, SOx mitigation is likely required.
On a recent project that fired wood
which decreases the potential of plugging the catalyst, eases concerns of any biomass, a lower sulfur fuel with relaunburned carbon in the ash sintering tively low variability, B&W utilized a
the catalyst, and mitigates catalyst deac- dry sorbent injection (DSI) system in
tivation due to detrimental constituents combination with the fabric filter to
in the ash. It also allows other catalyst achieve SOx concentration in the flue
poisons that precipitate at lower flue gas low enough for the SCR to operate
gas temperatures to be collected by the at temperatures in the range of 400particulate collection device prior to the 450F. On a project that fired municcatalyst and no longer pose a threat to ipal solid waste, a higher sulfur fuel
deactivation of the catalyst. Removing with much higher variability, utilizing
ash prior to ammonia injection also only a DSI system with the fabric filter
eliminates concerns over ammonia be- would have resulted in SOx concentraing absorbed by the ash and released tions consistent with a minimum ammonia injection temperature of nearly
after disposal.
The minimum ammonia injection 600F, which would require a signifitemperature for an SCR is a function of cant amount of re-heating of the flue
4

gas. To reduce the amount of re-heat


required, B&W located the SCR downstream of the flue gas desulfurization
(FGD) equipment so the SO2/SO3 in the
flue gas was minimized. In this case,
utilizing a spray dryer absorber (SDA)
in combination with the fabric filter removed more than 90 percent of the SO2
and almost all of the SO3 in the flue gas,
lowering the minimum ammonia injection temperature to the desired range of
400-450F.
Maintaining flue gas temperature
in the proper operating range can be
accomplished several different ways.
Where DSI/fabric filter can reduce the
SO2/SO3 concentration sufficiently, the
economizer surface could be modified
to remove surface prior to the DSI/fabric filter/SCR and surface added downstream of the SCR. This increases the
inlet temperature to the SCR without
sacrificing boiler efficiency. If the fuels sulfur content requires an FGD system before the SCR, the SCR inlet temperature can be increased by adding a
heater to the SCR inlet fluework. If this
additional heater is selected, given the
operating costs associated with re-heating the gas prior to the SCR, its typical
to include a gas to gas heat exchanger
(GGH) near the SCR reactor. This GGH
uses the heated gas leaving the SCR to
help heat the flue gas entering the SCR,
greatly reducing operating cost.
These are only a couple of scenarios
for SCR flexibility in the wide world
of fuels in use today. For each unique
opportunity, there is an equally unique
solution to achieve reliable emissions
compliance and optimize operating
costs.
www.power-eng.com

INDUSTRY
BRIEF

NOW

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Evolving Energy Needs
for and in the Americas
Maximizing availability, reliability and
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existing and evolving energy needs with a
signicant local presence of personnel and
state-of-the-art manufacturing, maintenance
and repair facilities in support of our world
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World Class Solutions
Reliable and Efcient Gas Turbine
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Advanced Steam Turbine Technology
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Manufacturing and Maintenance Services
from resources based in the Americas

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For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#3

INDUSTRY WATCH

PJM Capacity
Performance
Market to Shake
up Power Market
BY DOMINIC DIBARI AND MELISSA REYNOLDS, BLACK & VEATCH

Authors:
Melissa Reynolds
and Dominic
DiBari are
managers with
Black & Veatchs
Management
Consulting
business.

n June 9, The Federal EnPayments for CP are expected to


ergy Regulatory Commis- rise accordingly with the requiresion (FERC) largely accept- ment that generating resources esed PJMs Capacity Performance (CP) sentially be able to provide energy
Filing of Dec. 12, 2014, as amended for the entire delivery year at any
in April 2015.
time. Unavailability of natural gas
This ruling establishes a means due to curtailment or nomination
to address the unprecedented forced issues will not be a force majeure
outage rate experienced by power event that previously excused the
generators across the regional trans- assets unavailability from being
mission organizations footprint classified as a forced outage.
during the 2014 Polar Vortex. PJM
Recognizing the complexity of
brought about the action after nearly generation assets, the order provides
one-quarter of the generation assets a means to transition the capacity
(22 percent) in PJM were unavail- market so that by [2020/2021] all
able to deliver
generat ion
power due to
resources
the impacts of
will
satisextended cold
fy CP retemperatures.
quirements.
As a result
Should the
of the initial
operator fail
filing, PJM deto be availlayed the May
able,
they
2015 base re- - Black & Veatch
would
be
sidual auction
exposed to
(BRA), for the 2018/2019 delivery significant penalties that could diyear to August 2015. Unlike previ- minish capacity revenues and overous auctions, the upcoming auction all asset value.
requires a CP resource to be capable
This new, more stringent penalof sustained, predictable operation ty structure means that, for many
and be available to provide energy units, a significant portion of their
and reserves whenever PJM deter- once stable capacity revenues will
mines an emergency condition ex- now be at risk unless investments
ists. Emergency conditions typically are made to enhance fuel security,
occur when assets trip and go offline reliability, and unit flexibility. Penor when load comes in at unexpect- alties will be assessed in an hourly
edly high levels, frequently due to manner with an annual cap as exextreme weather conditions.
plained by the following example:

A unit with a 100-MW


commitment could be
exposed to penalties
of approximately
$16,000,000 per year.

HOURLY
NON-PERFORMANCE
PENALTY
In some areas of PJM where the
Net Cost of New Entry (CONE)
is $300/MW-Day this penalty can
equate to a rate of $3,650/MWh for
non-performance. Assuming a Balancing Ratio of 85 percent, and a
unit with a commitment of 100 MW
is not online during an Emergency
Action this would equate to a penalty of $310,000 in a single hour.

ANNUAL NON-PERFORMANCE PENALTY CAP


Using the same assumptions in the
above example, a unit with a 100MW commitment could be exposed
to penalties of approximately
$16,000,000 per year ($300/MWDay Net CONE x 1.5 x 365 Days x
100 MW)
Black & Veatch expects that implementation of CP will necessitate
investment by generators in PJM to
improve unit performance by enhancing fuel security, reliability,
and operating parameters. Generators with the highest potential exposure to CP penalties include single fuel gas-fired units or coal units
with gas start-fuel in eastern and
central PJM along with units needing longer start times.
With the significant interest in the
how CP impacts the PJM market, it
is expected that all stakeholders will
monitor this issue closely.
www.power-eng.com

NOx/CO Catalyst

Meet emission
standards with
two catalysts
in one

Is your plant struggling to meet emission standards without sacricing


performance and protability? If so, consider the GTC-802 NOx/CO reduction
catalyst.
The GTC-802 combines two catalysts in one, delivering both superior NOx
reduction and outstanding CO and VOC oxidation. Low pressure loss, limited
SO2 oxidation, and reduced ammonia slip add up to fuel savings, increased
production and fewer cold-end maintenance issues. And positioning
downstream of the ammonia injection grid will save you costly layout space.

www.topsoe.com

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#4

VIEW ON RENEWABLES

Hydropower Continues
to Brighten U.S.
Renewable Energy
BY CARL ATKINSON, P.E., VOITH HYDRO

n April, hundreds from the world of


water power gathered in Washington, D.C. for the National Hydropower Associations annual conference.
Across town, some of hydropowers strongest champions were introducing legislation that could expand deployment of
Americas most abundant renewable resource.
A renewed focus on hydropower has
become commonplace over the last several years. The lawmakers are building
on 2013 landmark laws that sought to
streamline the licensing process for small
hydropower projects. Though a significant achievement, we are pleased hydropowers allies in Congress have realized
that these laws were only the first steps for
expanded hydropower production.
Its not just Congress thats paying attention. Earlier this year, the Departments of
Energy and Interior and the Army Corps
of Engineers renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for hydropower, which has led to unprecedented
coordination between the agencies key to
federal hydropower development. With
roughly half of the installed US hydropower capacity under federal control, this
renewal continues to encourage focus and
attention on this important part of the
U.S. renewable energy portfolio.
The federal governments focus on
hydropower mirrors what private industry is already accomplishing. Interest in
small hydropower has increased, due to
its tremendous potential along with an
improved regulatory landscape. With
65,000 MW of untapped hydropower
potential in the U.S., current owners and
new project developers are interested in a
variety of hydro projects.
8

Existing facilities are part of the equation, too. As turbines and generators
reach and exceed their design life, more
efficient, higher-powered, and environmentally-friendly options are now available. In the next 10 years, approximately 250 FERC licenses representing over
11,000 MW of installed capacity will be
up for relicensing, providing many hydro
operators the opportunity to make these
enhancements.
Considering the stakes, improving
the regulatory process is a necessity. Any
disincentive to license or relicense hydropower could mean less renewable energy
for our electric grid, and a missed opportunity to boost output and improve the
environmental performance at hydropower facilities.
Like most businesses, power producers
want regulatory certainty when they enter
into long term contracts and investments.
Unfortunately, not only is the FERC licensing process long and costly, it lacks a
set timeframe. By some measures, it takes
longer to license hydropower than a nuclear facility. Setting a more certain time
frame will encourage and provide certainty for new investment.
Expanding hydropower production is
essential to our national energy needs.
On a near weekly basis, a coal-fired generating unit in the United States is permanently retired due to increasing environmental performance requirements. Yet
demand for energy continues to grow.
This baseload power must be replaced,
and it often must be replaced with clean
and renewable sources.
When choosing hydropower, an operator gets benefits far beyond power generation. In many cases, a hydropower facility

is supporting wind and solar by providing


baseload power in times of low generation. Add these benefits to hydropowers
other features flood control, irrigation,
recreational opportunities, improved
navigability and continued investment
in Americas largest renewable energy
source becomes even more attractive.
At Voith Hydro, our commitment to
hydropower spans over 135 years. Many
of our product offerings are designed to
boost the already strong environmental performance of hydropower facilities. For instance, our aerating runners
improve the dissolved oxygen content
downstream from hydropower facilities,
while fish-friendly turbines significantly
improve fish passage through dams, approaching 100 percent survival rates.
Our newest product is essentially plugand-play hydro, and can provide power
on irrigation canals, small rivers and
creeks, spillways, and other infrastructure
previously determined unfeasible for hydropower production.
Of course, challenges remain. Low natural gas prices have led to more gas-fired
plants. Additionally, while hydropower
does enjoy strong bipartisan support,
further regulatory reforms are far from a
guarantee in a Congress tasked with addressing a multitude of issues. However,
no other source of energy can match both
hydropowers cost competitiveness and
its environmental benefits.
The industry has much to be excited
about. But just like the turbines we manufacture that can last 50 years or longer,
hydropower measures success in decades.
It is encouraging to see that the groundwork is being laid to ensure hydropowers
future success.
www.power-eng.com

READY TO ASSEMBLE

Pre-engineered package solutions, a full inventory of ready-to-fre equipment, and a


state-of-the-art turbine shop means no matter what the project scope, ProEnergy has the right
pieces to complete your power project with industry-leading efciency and expertise.

US Corporate Office | 660.829.5100

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#5

proenergyservices.com

ENERGY MATTERS

Falling Ozone
NAAQS Ahead

BY MARY HAUNER-DAVIS, BURNS & MCDONNELL, AND ROBYNN ANDRACSEK, P.E.,


BURNS & MCDONNELL AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

eve reached that time of the


decade when EPA changes
the ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Normally, a change to a NAAQS has substantial impacts on a limited area; however,
the proposed new ozone NAAQS would
have significant effects to many areas of
the country (and were not just talking urban areas anymore.)
The current ozone NAAQS is an 8-hour
standard of 75 ppb (0.075 ppm) based on
a 3-year average. In January of 2010, the
EPA issued a proposed new NAAQS for
ozone at 60 ppb. In that instance, President Obama cancelled that rulemaking
in September 2011 because he did not
support asking state and local governments to begin implementing a new standard that will soon be reconsidered. Four
years later, the revised proposed standard
has come back a little less stringent than
that proposed in 2010. The current proposal is an ozone limit between 65-70
ppb based on the annual fourth-highest
daily maximum 8-hour concentration,
averaged over 3 years. (Yes, the statistics
really matter.)
Figure 1 shows the areas of the country that would be out of attainment if the
NAAQS were set at different levels. The
number of rural areas that could be classified as non-attainment is quite dramatic. State officials have stated that they are
very concerned about how to write their
State Implementation Plans (SIP) because
the normal RACT items are not items that
are appropriate for rural areas, such as vehicle exhaust testing.
You need to know if you are in an area
that is changing to may be nonattainment after the ozone NAAQS is lowered.
Ozone is formed in the atmosphere when
10

Mary Hauner-Davis, Burns

Robynn Andracsek

NOx and VOC react in sunlight. There- new NAAQS is implemented, there will
fore, ozone is regulated by its precursors not be many offsets available (generated)
(NOx and VOC). If there is ozone NAAQS so finding these precious emission credits
exceedance, the state agency will figure will be just another headache to endure.
out if it is NOx or VOC limited and will Similarly, if you are planning to construct
reduce emissions from either or both a new greenfield power plant, be aware of
sources of these pollutants.
the areas that switch to nonattainment,
If your plant is in a county that will so you can avoid NNSR if possible.
be changing to nonattainment after the
The final 2015 ozone NAAQS is expectNAAQS is lowered, you may have to re- ed to be published in October 2015, after
duce emissions
Nonattainment Counties Under
as required by
Different Ozone Standards
the SIP. This
could mean addon NOx or VOC
controls for your
plant.
Further
this could affect
proposed modification/expansions. The level of
nonattainment
(marginal, modBased on proposed 70 ppb
75 or Greater
erate, serious, se67-69
vere or extreme)
65 and 66
determines the
Source: http://www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone/pdfs/20141126-20112013datatable.pdf
emissions threshold that makes
your plant major or minor for nonattain- which follows several years of implemenment new source review (NNSR) applica- tation. It is unclear if new projects will
bility. For example, if you are in an area have to comply with the revised standard
that is deemed severe nonattainment before the final designations are made in
then any project that has emissions over October 2017. The EPA has stated that in25 tons per year of NOx or VOC will be the-pipeline permit applications might
subject to NNSR. Not only does this mean be required to consider project impacts
the installation of Lowest Achievable on the 2008 NAAQS but not the 2015
Emission Rate (LAER) (which does not NAAQS but this has not been finalized
take into account costs like Best Available either. There are lots of uncertainties reControl Technology does in attainment lated to new ozone NAAQS. Plant ownareas) but it also means obtaining offsets ers are forewarned to keep a close eye on
at a ratio of 1.1 to 1 (marginal) up to 1.30 this rule and its implementations as it will
to 1 (severe). Clearly this will increase the affect a lot of new-to-the-nonattainmentproject costs. In the near future, as the world areas.
www.power-eng.com

YOUR COMBINED CYCLE SPECIALISTS

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NUCLEAR REACTIONS

Under the Big Tent


(Maybe)
BY BRIAN SCHIMMOLLER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

ou may not see them, but many


tents are being pitched around
the world. A number of climate-related circuses are on the docket
this year, and its an open question whether the circus strong men will let nuclear
completely under the tent or if nuclear
will be peaking in from the outside.
Circus #1 is the United Nations Sustainability Summit in New York in September, which will establish sustainable
development goals to guide policy and
funding for the next 15 years. The sustainable development goals are a follow-on to
the millennium development goals formulated in 2000.
Energy is a core element of the proposed sustainable development goals:
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. And
climate change gets prime billing as well:
We are determined to address decisively
the threat posed by climate change and
environmental degradation. The global nature of climate change calls for the
widest possible international cooperation
aimed at accelerating the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions.
Clearly, nuclear would have a role in
this call for the widest possible international cooperation, right? Apparently
not. As part of the targets laid out in a
draft document published ahead of this
years meetings, there is no mention of
nuclear, although fossil energy gets a nod:
By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate clean energy research
and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and
cleaner fossil-fuel technology.
Tent #1 is looking rather exclusive.
Circus #2 is the 21st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP21), or more
simply, the Paris Climate Talks, scheduled
12

for late November/early December. The


goal of this gathering is to develop a new
international agreement on climate applicable to all countries with an aim to
keep global warming below 2 degrees C
above pre-industrial levels. The current
slate of greenhouse gas commitments,
established by participating countries
through the Kyoto Protocol in 2000, run
out in 2020.
Interestingly, the Paris organizers are
calling for contributions rather than
commitments this time around, but
the contributions have to go further than
existing commitments. In somewhat of a
marketing ploy, the Paris conference is intended to spark a race to the top. While
COP21 appears to be taking a relatively agnostic view on solution pathways,
nuclear is not overtly part of the race. I
didnt find any mention of nuclear on the
COP21 web site.
So I guess we can say Tent #2 is open,
but prime seating may not be available.
Circus #3 is the Clean Power Plan, the
pending U.S. regulation that would cut
carbon pollution from the power sector
by 30% from 2005 levels. The proposed
regulation lays out four building blocks
for achieving this goal.
Nuclear qualifies under the third building block using more zero and low-emitting power sources but the extent of the
contribution may be limited. In setting
the carbon intensity goal for each state,
the proposed guideline already includes
those nuclear plants in operation and
those under construction. And for those
plants under construction in Tennessee,
Georgia and South Carolina, it assumes
they are already operating at 90% capacity factor, making the states carbon intensity goal more stringent than it otherwise
would be.

In a nod to the importance of nuclear,


the proposed rule recognizes that some
nuclear plants are at risk of retiring due to
economic or other forces. The carbon intensity target, therefore, enables states to
add 6% of current nuclear electricity generation to the denominator of each states
target. But at-risk plants are not evenly
distributed across states, and the at-risk
factor may have other unintended consequences. For example, if a state lost all its
nuclear generation, it could replace only
6% of it with other zero-carbon resources
and still meet the intensity target, but total carbon emissions would increase.
While there is reason to believe the
final rule will modify the nuclear treatment to some extent, for now at least, the
flaps on Tent #3 are up, but maybe only a
few inches.
Some entities are trying to cast the
tent support poles wider and raise the
flaps further. In early May, for example,
the presidents of almost 40 scientific
and international societies representing 50,000 members and 36 countries
signed the Nuclear for Climate Declaration at the International Congress
on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants in
Nice, France. The declaration calls on all
nations to deploy the widest possible
portfolio of low-carbon technologies
available, including nuclear energy, in
order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and meet other energy goals.
Will that help? Theoretically, yes, but
the scientific community making such
proclamations does not equate to political action. We need those in charge
to understand one of the subtle attractions of the circus: that all the participants have their own acts, but all are
welcome under the big tent if they can
perform.
www.power-eng.com

break through
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ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

The Future

of Gas-Fired
Generation in
North America

BY RUSSELL RAY, CHIEF EDITOR

atural gas-fired generation is projected


to grow 3.1 percent
a year through 2038.
At that rate, more
than 340,000 MW of gas-fired capacity
will be added to the U.S. grid by then.
Enhancing the reliability and extending
the life of these assets is paramount as
power producers turn to gas to supply a
larger share of baseload capacity.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administrations 2014 Annual
Energy Outlook, coalcurrently accounts
for about 41 percentof the nations power versus 27 percent from natural gas.
But by 2035, the agency anticipates
natural gas will be the primary fuel for
power generation.
The editors of Power Engineering sat
down with three executives to discuss
the transition to gas-fired generation in
the U.S., the technology, and the operations and maintenance challenges related to a substantial increase in capacity
factors for gas-fired plants.
Executives participating in this years
roundtable discussion on natural gas
are: Dan Lee, senior vice president of
Fossil and Hydro Generation at American Electric Power; Thomas Alley, vice
president of Generation for the Electric
Power Research Institute; and Guy DeLeonardo, executive product manager
for GE Power & Water.
14

www.power-eng.com

The 550-MW El Segundo Energy Center consumes 30 percent less


natural gas than the units it replaced and uses rapid-response
technology to provide critical backup power for intermittent forms
of generation such as wind and solar power. The new two-unit
combined cycle cplant, owned and operated by NRG Energy, uses
Flex-Plant technology from Siemens. Each unit features a SGT65000F gas turbine. Photo courtesy: Siemens

www.power-eng.com

15

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

What follows is a transcript, edited for gas. Within AEPs service territory, we
style and clarity, of that discussion:
continue to see relatively flat forecasted
Power Engineering: Several new demand, and capacity markets like PJM
combined-cycle
projects
are are simply not providing a clear ecoin some stage of development nomic signal for new gas generation. We
throughout North America. De- are aware of newly permitted and proscribe the market for new gas-fired posed natural gas combined-cycle units
generation in the U.S. Is the dash for in the PJM footprint, but permitted
gas alive and well?
and proposed does not always result in
Alley: I believe we are still experi- units being constructed.
encing a robust dash for gas, driven by
Based on a recent PJM study, just 7
the favorable economics of building percent of the total megawatt capacity
gas plants, confidence in the long term of all new generation proposed in PJM
fuel supply, and the regulations
that are making the market for
coal-fired generation more
challenging. The industry has
or will close approximately 70
GW of coal generation by the
end of 2016. This represents a
significant amount of energy
and capacity that is retiring
from the US electricity market.
The retired coal plant capacity
Guy DeLeonardo
Dan Lee
in many cases is being replaced
by natural gas combined-cycle
(NGCC) units. Typically an
NGCC plant is easier to site, permit, between 2000 and 2014 was actually
cheaper to build, has higher efficiency placed in service. It will be interesting
and requires less staff than most other to see how the capacity market adjusts
large-scale generation options.
after the coal retirements this year and
With gas forecasted pricing of $4-$6 changes to the PJM capacity market
per MMBtu (current prices are $1.60~ from the Capacity Performance propos$2.60 per MMBtu) for the foreseeable als (expected to be ruled on by FERC
future, and CO2 emissions meeting June 9 with the PJM 2018/2019 capacity
the proposed EPA Section 111(b) new auction to follow in August.)
source performance standards for carDeLeonardo: Drivers of coal retirebon emission limits of 1000 pounds ments and low natural gas prices are
per MWh, NGCC plants are the obvi- fueling the need for both combined
ous choice for bulk power generation. I cycle and simple cycle capacity addisee many organizations heading in this tions. GE forecasts half of the orders
direction. I also see some interest in for grid-connected capacity in North
coal to gas conversion in boilers where America over the next five years will be
infrastructure and pipeline capacity gas generation. Especially in the case of
are present.
the HA gas turbine economics, we are
Lee: While we would agree that any seeing those combined cycle projects
new, centralized power generation in displace smaller, higher variable cost
the U.S. in the near-term will likely be assets throughout the U.S. Customers
fueled with natural gas, we would not have technically selected 22 of GEs
necessarily characterize it as a dash to new 7HA units for power projects in
16

the U.S. in the last year. A technical selection is one of the first steps in developing a new power plant. It means that
if the power plant is constructed and
commissioned, it will use GE gas turbines. Following technical selection, a
developer will proceed with securing
financing, permitting and more.
Power Engineering: Weve seen
a substantial increase in capacity
factors for gas-fired power plants
for a number of reasons. Clearly, power producers are counting

Tom Alley

on gas to supply a larger share


of baseload capacity. As these
plants run longer and harder, how
important is it for power producers to revisit and adjust their O&M
strategies to reflect the actual operation of these plants?
Alley: I would challenge your description of the fossil fleet in terms
of baseload. Today, I would reserve
that description for the nuclear fleet,
the only segment of the generation
asset mix that regularly experiences
long run times at steady-state load. I
do agree that it is expected that the gas
fleet will experience more operation,
but it will be accompanied by frequent
starts, load-following, and shutdowns
to meet seasonal demands.
Maintenance internals and replacement part intervals for the combustion turbine typically are start-based
or hours based, both of which I expect
www.power-eng.com

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#8

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

to increase so the frequency of outages


and the costs of replacement parts will
increase under these operational missions. We can easily predict that O&M
costs are expected to increase. Owners
of the equipment are wanting to understand the technical bases of inspection
intervals and parts replacement intervals to evaluate strategies and opportunities to adjust these intervals to mitigate costs and optimize outages times.
Understanding material degradation,
improving inspection technologies
and developing innovative approaches
to parts management are priorities for
many operators. This is particularly true
for the older classes of turbines that have
long-term service agreements that are
expiring. EPRI has ongoing R&D to explore new NDE techniques for compressors, turbines and other components.
We are also exploring ways to monitor
combustion to extract data that can give
us insights into the performance of the
turbine and also provide early warning
of component failure.
Likewise, maintenance costs for the
heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)
is expected to increase. We already
know HRSGs have start-stop challenges to their drain systems, dampers and
other components. Strategies to mitigate or reduce damage will become important. The role of instrumentation
and monitoring to optimize maintenance strategies and assist staff to
make informed decisions will be integrated in the O&M process and become
much more important.
EPRI is conducting a pilot project of
comprehensive deep dives into the
technical issues around the changing
missions of these assets. The objective is
to collect industry experiences and best
practices to develop guidance on how
individual units can most cost-effectively accommodate new mission profiles.
Lee: Running natural gas-fueled
units longer will result in adjusted outage schedules, increased variable O&M
18

costs for things like fuel, chemicals and


consumables, and increased fixed O&M
costs for additional equipment maintenance related to how the units are operated. However, running a unit at base
load may offer some maintenance advantages over cycling the units to follow
load. Depending on the actual performance of, and demand on the gas fleet,
we will adjust our maintenance activities accordingly, but there is no reason to
believe that we could not sustain higher
capacity factors on our gas fleet. O&M
strategies that might need to be adjusted
include winterization, equipment and
controls redundancy, and removal of
single-point failure liabilities.
DeLeonardo: We see the shift in focus on planned maintenance and in the
scope of service agreements for what we
call covered maintenance. This includes
planning for available spares and overall maintenance event logistics/duration
for combustion, hot gas path, and major
inspections. From our perspective, we
have simplified and packaged how the
equipment and systems are assembled/
disassembled to enable high availability
and capacity factors.
Power Engineering: For the first
time since F-Class turbine technology came to dominate the market
over 20 years ago, the technology is
no longer the leader in North America 60 Hz heavy duty gas turbine
(HDGT) sales. Sales of advanced
class turbines (typically defined as
G-, H-, and J- technologies) have
seen greater than 50% year-on-year
growth in the past five years. Is this
trend here to stay?
Alley: I sense there was hesitation on
the part of the industry to embrace the
advanced-class machines because of
concerns (real or just perceived) about
equipment reliability and the high costs
of parts and maintenance. More recently, I have seen domestic deployment of
the advanced class machines as utilities

place more importance on efficiency,


and as vendors are accumulating operational experience from the early deployment projects, mainly outside the U.S. I
would expect this trend to continue as
these new machines demonstrate their
reliability and durability.
DeLeonardo: Advanced class economics are compelling even at low fuel
prices. So yes, the trend will continue to
grow as these offerings bring lower $/
kw capital expense and lower variable
cost through efficiency. The trend is
there globally as well, with an expectation that 50 percent of all gas turbine
orders will be in the H class.
Lee: Economic and environmental signals all point to higher efficiencies. Higher efficiency plants produce
lower emissions and result in lower
fuel costs to the customer. As regulatory agencies and utility commissions
challenge utilities to consider the most
efficient and most economic options
for power generation, we will continue
to see a push toward higher efficiency. However, a push toward higher
efficiency is governed by the law of diminishing returns, and at some point
the cost of achieving higher efficiency
probably becomes too great for the incremental benefit. We believe economics can prove favorable for G-, H- and
J-class technologies on a project-specific basis, but there likely exists a break
point where the costs to incorporate
new materials or state-of-the-art components will outweigh the efficiency
gain, discouraging investment until the
technology costs decline.
Power Engineering: Modern-day
gas turbines and combined cycle
systems operate at higher temperatures and higher efficiencies.
The energy conversion rates for
combined cycle plants range from
50 to 61 percent. Is there room for
more efficiency improvements?
DeLeonardo: Absolutely, as is the
www.power-eng.com

nature with technology. Technologies


related to materials, cooling, sealing
and combustion continue to advance
the ability to withstand the temperatures and pressures needed for over
61 percent efficiency. What is highly
inter-related are advances in manufacturing technology as well related to
additive technology and the ability to
introduce complex passages to improve
cooling effectiveness.
Alley: There is room for increasing
efficiency but this is directly related
to firing temperatures and compressor
pressure ratios.
The advanced class combined-cycle
units are designed to deliver net efficiencies on a lower heating value basis
of ~ 61% with combustor temperatures
of ~1600 degrees C and turbine rotor
inlet temperatures of ~1425 degrees
C. Getting to this point has required

advances in metallurgy, thermal barrier coatings and cooling schemes for


combustors and turbine blading, as
well as improved aerodynamic designs
and seals for compressors and turbines.
EPRI is hearing of combined-cycle
plant designs that will produce up to
65% efficiency, but additional advances are required to accommodate higher
temperatures.
Lee: We are likely nearing the practical limits of thermal efficiencies utilizing a conventional steam cycle. However, we are monitoring technological
developments around innovative power
cycles like Supercritical CO2 and the
advanced materials that will handle the
high temperatures and pressures that
such cycles might demand.
These technologies are still being
developed at the bench and lab scale,
but could offer significant efficiency

MORE POWER TO YOUR POWER PLANT.

improvements to the power generation industry in the 2025-2035 timeframe. Combined heat and power is
another way to improve overall plant
efficiency by capitalizing on waste heat
available from the cycle and could present opportunities on a case-by-case basis for certain natural gas power generation projects
Power Engineering: Describe the
need for improvements in the infrastructure for natural gas. If the EPAs
Clean Power Plan is finalized without delay, will the industry be able
to achieve a sufficient expansion
of pipeline and storage capacity
in time?
Alley: Pipelines like many other energy-related projects can take years
to site and construct. Whether pipelines can be built in a timely manner

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ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

GEs 9HA.01 Gas Turbine being aligned into its


final position for testing inside GEs validation
test stand at GEs gas turbine manufacturing
plant in Greenville, South Carolina. The final
round of testing was completed earlier this
year. Photo courtesy: GE Power & Water

is a regional question based upon the


consumption in that region and the capacity of the existing infrastructure. In
20

the case of the U.S. Northeast, I believe


that the answer to the questions is no
-- pipelines in this region of the country already are capacity-constrained
during winter peaks, so expansion is
needed now.
There are several projects currently

under way; the gas pipeline industry is investing billions of dollars to


increase pipeline capacity, but most
would agree the problem with capacity
will get worse if U.S. gas companies increase exports.
Lee: This question should more
www.power-eng.com

times of peak energy demand (particularly winter), as well as issues around


how the electricity and gas markets interact to secure gas delivery for power
generation.
DeLeonardo: In general, there is
adequate gas infrastructure, however constrained areas exist which may

introduce reliability concerns during


extreme events, such as the 2014 polar
vortex.
The implementation schedule must
include sufficient time to ensure such
necessary infrastructure upgrades
can be planned, permitted, and
constructed.

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www.power-eng.com

21

POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE

Control technology plays an integral role in maximizing


operational flexibility. Automated control technologies
enable power producers to optimize operations and limit
life cycle costs to protect their investments. Photo courtesy:
Rockwell Automation

Authors
With 15 years experience in automation
and controls engineering, Steve Balek
serves as automation manager for Stellar Energy. Tom McDonnell is Rockwell
Automations manager of Power Generation and Energy Industry Sales for North
America.
fall as ambient temperatures rise and
air density falls. The loss of sellable
power can be up to 30 percent of a
turbines rated output. The purpose of
Turbine Inlet Air Chilling (TIAC) is to
restore the power output of a combustion turbine at elevated ambient temperatures to its rated capacity or better.
By cooling the ambient air with a
TIAC system, the air density increases
and the mass flow rate to the gas turbine increases, allowing the turbine to
operate at peak performance and maximizing the profit of the power plant
asset.

INCREASING POWER
WITH INLET AIR CHILLING

The Power
of
Flexibility
Turbine Inlet Air Chilling Benefits from
Leading Edge Control Technology
BY STEVE BALEK, STELLAR ENERGY, AND TOM MCDONNELL,
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION

oday, Operations Management in the power


industry faces difficult challenges. How
can power plants adhere to increasingly tighter compliance requirements while maintaining
power generation to meet its growing
22

demand? Stellar Energy, based in


Jacksonville, Florida, is applying leading-edge control technology to help its
power industry customers improve the
efficiency of their turbines.
Gas turbines are constant volume
air intake machines; consequently, air
mass flow and resultant power output

A TIAC system continues to be one


of the most reliable and cost-effective
ways for power producers to improve
the performance of the combustion gas
turbine, thereby increasing power production. TIAC is the use of a refrigeration system mechanical chilling or
absorption chilling to supply chilled
water in order to cool the inlet air to
the gas turbines.
The major difference between evaporative and mechanical chilling is that
an evaporative system cannot cool the
air below the ambient wet bulb temperature, while mechanical chilling
can cool the inlet air to the dew point
and below. Mechanical TIAC gives the
operator the ultimate control of the
turbines inlet air temperature, thereby
making output predictable, including
the option of using heating/anti-icing
to protect against ice formation on the
compressor guide vanes. Adding thermal energy storage (TES) can further
boost the benefits of inlet air chilling.
With TES, plant operators can shift the
power required to run the chilling system to off-peak times, when power is
www.power-eng.com

in less demand and the value of power sold from the power plant is at the
lowest value. This increases the power available during peak periods, and
improves the financial performance of
the power plant asset.

TAKING CONTROL WITH


CONTROL TECHNOLOGY
As the critical operating system of
the TIAC enhancement, the control
technology plays an integral role in
maximizing operational flexibility. For
example, the Allen Bradley CompactLogix control platform from Rockwell
Automation enabled one Southwestern
U.S.-based power plant to change functionality of its TIAC system in order to
quickly respond to a new market opportunity.

In 2013, Stellar Energy designed and


delivered a custom TIAC solution for
this 500-MW combined cycle plant
that includes a water-cooled chiller
plant, thermal energy storage tank
with stratified chilled water design,
a unique coil design that simplifies
the filter house modification, and an
innovative freeze protection system
for the coils that allows the system to
remain in use during the warm days
in the winter. The system features a 3
million -gallon thermal energy storage
tank, two inlet filter house retrofits
including cooling coils, and one nominal 6,780 TR water-cooled modular
chilled-water plant to serve two GE 7FA
turbines at guarantee case.
In consideration of the site conditions and the clients objectives, Stellar

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Energy proposed N+1 redundancy configuration on both the chilled water


and condenser pumps utilizing water-cooled mechanical chillers in a parallel configuration combined with the
TES tank to deliver 12 hours of partial
storage with a two-hour superpeak capacity. The parallel chiller design provides added system reliability in the
case of a single chiller loss, the entire
plant capacity is not shutdown. The
efficient system utilizes the TES tanks
chilled water to help the chillers supply 50F inlet air to two turbine inlets
during the day and then the chillers
charge the tank at night.
For the system control technology, Stellar Energy relied on the CompactLogix controllers. The ControlLogix controller platform delivers the

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www.power-eng.com

23

POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE

required processing and communication power to handle a system of this


size, and it has proven its reliability
by operating for two years with zero
downtime related to hardware failure.
The system incorporates Ethernet remote I/O, Modbus remote terminal
unit (RTU) serial communications,
and two human-machine interface
(HMI) stations running Rockwell SoftwareFactoryTalkView Site Edition applications. Stellar Energys automation
team configured the system so that the
operator can switch from inlet chilling
to charge mode and back with a couple clicks of a button and the system
would seamlessly stage the chillers
based on load of the system.
Recently, the power plant had an opportunity from a buyer who wanted to
purchase a constant MW feed from one
of the turbines but it required a guarantee of supply 24/7/365. The power plant
contacted Stellar Energy to find out if it
could run one turbine 24 hours a day
at a higher inlet temperature and still
be able to charge the tank at night. So
instead of using the chillers to either
chill the inlet coils or charge the TES
tank, this system would need to be able
to cool both inlet coils during the day
(one at 50F and one at a higher temperature) and also charge the TES tank
while cooling the one turbine. Stellar
Energy engineers determined that at
an inlet temperature of 65F on one of
the turbines, the TIAC system would
have enough cooling capacity from
the two chillers to fully charge the TES
tank during the night.
With Rockwell Softwares robust
RSLogix5000 programming software
and FactoryTalk View Site Edition HMI
software, programmers quickly and
easily changed the logic from the existing system to this new control method.
The client was given a lot more flexibility. Although early in the re-design the
client wanted to dedicate one turbine
to run at this higher setpoint, during
24

the course of the implementation they system can also become part of the onrequested if the logic could be set up so site process control system network,
that the operator can select the other connecting with the site-wide HMI and
turbine to run at the higher setpoint in historian servers.
the event that the first turbine needed
As industrial power plants move
to be shut down. Again, the control toward gaining greater visibility into
logic made it possible for this change to their operations and TIAC process
be quickly and seamskids, their need to
Previously,
lessly incorporated
establish a seamless
traditional skid
into the system.
flow of information
Operational flexi- systems were built
from device to enbility, quick changeterprise has become
based on unique
over and simple
a requirement of
operation are just a designs, which
modern
industrial
few of the benefits were closed and
automation systems.
of a modular plant
A modern network
non-scalable.
design. A skid-based
design utilizes open
approach allows the TIAC chiller equip- standards such as EtherNet/IP, which
ment and automation control system to is capable of handling the widest range
be assembled and Factory Acceptance of industrial applications
Tested (FAT) prior to shipment to site,
Because of its control system netimproving consistency and reducing work capabilities, the modern TIAC
time to market.
process skid is able to easily integrate
Previously traditional skid systems with devices such as variable frequency
were built based on unique designs, drives (VFD) and electronic overload
which were closed and non-scalable. on motor starters within motor control
Typical skid designs offered a limited centers with IntelliCENTER software.
choice of optimal controllers for very
large applications. In contrast, a mod- REDUCED TOTAL
ern control system for TIAC process COST OF OWNERSHIP
skids are built for the needs of todays
Consolidated deployment tools
power plants, providing wider ranges greatly benefited the projects engiof architecture options and increased neering and configuration. They proflexibility. A modern design with a vide a single starting point for system
scalable control platform provides configuration and tools for library
the right-size control at the right cost, management. Using predefined logic
which eliminates the previous need to and HMI objects shorten development
purchase expensive control capacity and testing time. This increased prothat isnt needed.
ductivity saved 20% in engineering
This design is ideal for modular im- and at the factory witness test.
plementations, providing wider ranges
Defined system architectures miniof build options and increased flex- mize risk of control system errors and
ibility. At the same time engineering ensure system performance, which
costs are dramatically reduced when saved 30 percent in getting the TIAC
the same programming tools are used, process skid commissioned.
regardless of system size or I/O capaciBy use of IntelliCenter Motor Conty. Scalable HMI displays, alarms, data trol Centers, these systems are simplicollection and alarm management re- fied by using networks to reduce the
quirements can be provided at a small large amount of control wiring from
scale. This skid-based automation the control system to the VFD and
www.power-eng.com

motor starter controls. Reduction in


system costs include: less I/O modules, smaller control panel size and
wall space, reduced control wiring cost
and installation labor by the electrical
contractor, faster installation of the
system, less time for system I/O check
out at commissioning, less risk of wiring errors and time for corrections, less
time in the fabrication shop and earlier
process skid ship date, which saved on
average 10 days.
Instrumentation integration using
Endress+Hauser Faceplates provide
directly from the instrument: Description, Message/Label, Engineering
Units, Zero and Span, Analog fault
status, Diagnostic Information, Device
specific error codes, warnings, information, etc. This productivity saved an
average of one day in engineering and
at the fabrication shop floor.
These factors are all TIAC process
skid control capabilities which help
reduce the total cost of ownership
(TCO). By taking in to account the
lifecycle costs associated with engineering, inventory, training, system
maintenance and support, and future
system expansions, the savings can be
even more substantial.
To further illustrate the impact of
integrated control architecture of the
TIAC process skid controls systems on
the total cost of ownership, consider
the following:
The integration of devices and networks reduced the number of vendors needed to support the TIAC
process skid, and enables on-site
support in a timely manner.
Reduced amount of vendor training required for engineers, operators, and maintenance professionals. Less training and simplified
maintenance.
Design provided a reduction of inventory/spare parts for the control
systems.
Do the disparate systems integrate
www.power-eng.com

easily with your skid equipment or


are excessive integration time and
resources necessary?
Ability to transfer real-time information across the power plant
facility from the TIAC process
skid can affect optimization and

TECHNOLOGY

TO

productivity.
These items are often overlooked factors that result in higher costs over the
lifetime of any control system. By utilizing a modern control system on the
TIAC process skid, power plants can help
reduce their total cost of ownership.

PROTECT

AND

PRESERVE

Avoid Any Confusion, Specify


Success for Your Next Project
SSPC Certication Quality Programs and
Standards are your way to avoid confusion and
get your projects nished successfully.
For 20+ years, SSPC has led the way in Certication
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Certications are nationally recognized certication programs
designed to help facility owners, engineers, and speciers
select qualied industrial contractors. Certied contractors
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expertises; have proven ability to protect their workers and the
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For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#12

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

A Journey to

Improve Condenser
Performance

W
BY BARRY VAN NAME

hile there is an
i ndu st r y-w ide
understanding
that
compromised condenser tubes reduce unit performance in
the short term, the long-term effects of
this neglect can be detrimental, forcing
unplanned outages and loss of revenue.
In our work with engineers and
project managers on site, we often see
that these people have so much on their
plates, so much responsibility, said
George E. Saxon, President of InternaEroded tube ends or wall thinning.
Photo courtesy: Conco Service
tional Markets at Conco. The sense of
relief is palpable when we formulate a
plan to get their unit condensers and
heat exchangers back up and running, power generation plants, said Saxon,
working at close to specification again. is that the expected results can be
Its a dynamic process and very reward- quantified and the return on investing for everyone involved.
ment can be calculated prior to a conSaxon noted that
tract being signed or
when a unit is strug- The contaminants a technician setting
gling to meet megafoot on site.
that build up
watt
demand,
a
So why is it so imthorough condenser and damage
portant for condenser
analysis and cleaning condenser tubes
tubes to be cleaned
can have very dra- over time run
and inspected? Over
matic results.
time, as condenser
the gamu from
Recovered megatubes become fouled
watts in the condens- soft and sticky to
with deposits, heat
ers can mean hun- extremely hard.
is not transferred efdreds of thousands
ficiently, the cooling
of dollars recouped for just that unit process is compromised and there is
in a very short time, usually weeks or a noticeable reduction in unit output.
months. Most advantageous for the In addition, under-deposit corrosion
26

Under deposit corr


Deposits). Photo c

can occur in condenser tubes as the


deposition material causes damage to
the tube wall. A breach or tube leak can
cause damage to other components in
the unit system. An unfortunate but
common scenario is for cooling water to enter the condensate and travel
through the boiler and into the turbine.

THE INSIDE OF FOULING


The contaminants that build up and
damage condenser tubes over time run
the gamut from soft and sticky to extremely hard, and often depend on the
geographic location and cooling water
source of the plant.
In power generation plants in the
Midwest, for instance, condenser tubes
www.power-eng.com

are often filled with calcium carbonate


deposits, whereas in coastal southeastern U.S. plants, microbiological, particulate and sediment are the frequent
culprits.
Plants obtain all-important cooling
water from either fresh, brackish or
seawater sources and the unique chemistry of a water source presents a unique
set of fouling problems. Particulate
fouling is the process of debris from
water sources settling on to the surface

rosion (Pitting Due to Manganese


courtesy: Conco Services

of a condenser tube. Particulate matter


can be natural sediment or bio-growth,
and this fouling is often the result of
low-flow conditions in the condenser.
If left unaddressed, particulate fouling
will cause damage to condenser tubes
and adjacent components.
When the saturation point of dissolved constituents in the cooling water is exceeded, another type of fouling
called scaling or crystallization occurs.
Scale deposits, such as calcium carbonate, are known to be some of the
most tenacious condenser tube fouling
issues.
Scale deposits are also more likely to
form in high temperature conditions,
and in condenser tubes this buildup of
scale is detrimental to heat transfer.
www.power-eng.com

Like other types of fouling, scale


deposition can cause under-deposit
corrosion and even erosion-corrosion
around the scale itself. Removal of the
scale is necessary to return the condenser to optimum efficiency.
Mechanical tube cleaners with precision cutting blades have been engineered to break through the hard shelllike coating, while safeguarding the
valuable tube wall.
Microbiological fouling is caused

particulates from the cooling tower.


When sea water is used for cooling, the
most frequent culprits of macrofouling are aquatic wildlife and shellfish.
While filters are in place at most plants,
debris often makes its way to the tube
sheet, causing partial blockages and
reduced flow through the condenser
tubes.
The resulting partial flow blockage
will allow particulates to accumulate
and local flow around the deposits

Silica. Photo courtesy: Conco Services

by high bacteria content in the cooling water and low velocity flow. This
type of fouling can result in substantial
particulate deposition as fine matter
adheres to the sticky biofilm coating
of bacteria on the tube wall. Worse yet,
the thickening deposits produce corrosive bacterial by-products that can eat
through the base metal of the condenser tubes.
A condensers inlet tube sheet is
the entry point into the thousands of
condenser tubes that comprise a unit.
Debris and macrofouling of this important gateway can cause condenser
efficiency problems.
Depending on the plants water
source, debris can include sea grass,
mud, leaves, sticks and even large

may cause erosion-corrosion. To ensure that the tube sheet is free and clear
to operate, debris screens and filters
should be inspected and cleaned on a
regular basis.
Not all condenser tubes are alike.
Knowing what they are made of provides a necessary understanding of
why some condenser tubes are more
prone to fouling.
The three most common materials
used for power plant condenser tubes
are: copper, stainless steel and titanium.
Copper is a natural antimicrobial
material, and while copper condenser
tubes disrupt the growth of some microbes, they are also prone to the formation of a hair-like oxide deposition
27

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Stainless Steel Condenser Tube with Calcium


Carbonate Scale. Photo courtesy: Conco Services

Conco Cal-buster and calcium scale.


Photo courtesy: Conco Services

that will disrupt heat transfer if left


unattended. Stainless steel tubes are
prevalent in midwestern U.S. power
plants, and are generally considered

high-performing tubes. The most important consideration for stainless steel


tube maintenance is keeping them
clear of slime and microbiological

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deposits. Titanium condenser tubes are


a more recent addition in condenser production.
Titanium has good heat transfer characteristics, the tubes do not corrode,
and there is a longer incubation period
before the first cleaning is needed, after
which, fouling will occur at the same rate
as stainless steel tubes.

THE CONSEQUENCES
OF FOULING
Unfortunately, there are serious economic consequences to be endured
by power generation plants when
condenser tube fouling progresses
and tube performance is impaired.
Increased turbine back pressure, increased unit heat rate, increased losses
to cooling water, increased C02, and
increased N0X emissions can lead to
dramatic losses in unit output, unit
availability and, undeniably, revenue.
Fouling that is severe enough to
cause tube failure can also lead to damage in other unit equipment as contaminants enter the condensate. Because
the stakes are so high, effective diagnostic testing to determine the nature
and severity of tube fouling conditions
must be done.
Deposit sampling, fouling monitors,
computer-based performance analysis

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#13


28

www.power-eng.com

Industry Standard Metal Cleaner


In Tube. Source: Conco Services

and borescopic examination are effective diagnostic approaches that pinpoint and clarify fouling conditions.

THE IMPORTANCE
OF CLEANING
Once analysis has yielded important
data on the nature and severity of fouling, cleaning the tubes is the next step.
There are four primary cleaning
approaches to cleaning fouled tubes:
chemical dissolution, hydrolancing,
continuous online cleaning systems

and mechanical tube cleaning.


Use of chemicals can be complicated.
While each fouling scenario will
require a unique chemical cleaning
strategy, there can be economic costs
associated with disposal of used
chemical agents, and legal restrictions
on what can be used and where because
of valid environmental concerns. When
chemicals are used, the use of high
volume water to flush the chemical
out of the tube may remove residual
deposits, and avoid acid degradation of

the tube metal.


The effectiveness of hydrolance
cleaning is dependent upon the random lance travel speed, the nozzle
used, and of course, the deposit and
fouling conditions of the tubes.
When hydrolancing, water travels at
20,000 psi or more. The Hydrolance
method can be dangerous for wall
thinning and tube-to-tubesheet joints,
and cannot be used if tube coatings are
in place.
In drought-stricken regions where

SOLUTIONS FOR THE WORLDS


NEXT GENERATION OF POWER
Every day, industry recognized experts at Fluor endeavor to provide
excellence in execution for our clients, through both integrated and
innovative solutions, to bring new power generation facilities on line.
In business for more than a century, we support the power industry in
engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, maintenance, and
project management. Clients trust Fluor to optimize their assets, improve
their competitive position, and increase their long-term business success.
Together, we can build the next generation of power.
For more information, visit www.Fluor.com.
FLUORS POWER MARKETS
Fossil, Nuclear, Power Services, Environmental
Compliance, Renewables, and Alternative Technologies
2015 Fluor Corporation. All Rights Reserved. ADGV122015

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#14


www.power-eng.com

29

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

Technicians shooting condenser.


Photo courtesy: Conco Services

water conservation is paramount, consider that


hydrolancing a unit with
5,000 tubes will consume
well over two million gallons of water.
By contrast, mechanical
tube cleaning the same
unit would consume less
than nine thousand gallons of water.
Some plants opt for
online cleaning systems.
While they work to a general extent, there are several shortcomings. Most
notably, not all tubes in
the condenser are effectively cleaned by the online system because mechanical cleanings.
there is a random, uneven distribution
Mechanical condenser tube cleanof cleaning balls, allowing deposits to ing is the option most frequently chocontinue to accumulate in a portion of sen by power generation plants in the
tubes. Moreover, the balls do not remove U.S. Mechanical cleaning is generally
obstructions and they can become lodged applicable in most situations because
within the tube, becoming an even great- it is fast, effective, very safe and easy
er obstruction than the deposition related to use. Most importantly, it improves
to source water.
heat transfer and provides protection
When online ball systems are installed, from under-deposit corrosion.
online cleaning and offline mechanical
Once tubes are cleaned with mechancleaning should be
ical cleaners, water flow
Mechanical
viewed as complewill be restored and the
mentary technolo- condenser
condenser returned to
gies, each achieving tube cleaning
an as-new state.
specific objectives:
Compared to othis the option
restoring cleanliness
er cleaning methods,
and
maintaining most frequently
mechanical cleaning
cleanliness.
minimizes unit downchosen by power
A complete analgeneration plants time during the cleanysis of return on
ing process because a
investment should in the U.S.
typical team of techtake place when considering an online nicians can clean 5,000 tubes during a
cleaning system. Online ball cleaning ten-hour shift.
systems are expensive and operating
It is often the case that a unit can be
costs are high, requiring maintenance, cleaned over a weekend and brought
consumables and spare parts that, back online by the following Monday
combined, can equal the cost of two morning, generating megawatts and
30

revenue.
There are numerous cleaning strategies
available that are safe and effective on all
types of deposits.
In selecting the best cleaning strategy
with the appropriate mechanical cleaner, fouling deposits, corrosion products,
physical obstructions and tube surface
roughness will be removed quickly. An
effective strategy can be formulated before a technician arrives on site and before a unit goes offline, by trial cleaning
of a units tube sample.
In figuring your return on investment
with mechanical tube cleaning, consider
cleaning 24,000 1O.D. x 20 BWG tubes
in a typical 625 MW unit.
The estimated cost to clean these tubes
is $32,400. We know from industry reports that the cost of fuel for a rise of 0.3
Hg in backpressure in a 600 MW unit
would be $562,500. With a cash flow out
of $32,400 and cash flow in of $562,500
there is a net present value of $530,100.
This calculation reflects a +1,636% return on investment. A comparable return
on investment is achievable with your
own plants condenser cleaning.
www.power-eng.com

AUGUST 18-20, 2015


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For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#15

GAS TURBINES

Thermal barrier coatings can be applied using different processes. They can be wet-sprayed or applied using an air plasma
spray gun, as pictured here. Photo courtesy: GE Power & Water

Braving the Heat:

these extremes and continue to function


normally. Gas temperatures, however,
can climb to greater than 1500C, which
is beyond the point at which metallic
components can survive intact. To maintain the integrity of these components
then, it is essential to have coatings in
place between them and the hot gas paths
to which they are exposed.
Coatings provide a thermal barrier
that maintains the metal at a cooler temperature, says Ramesh Subramanian,
Principal Expert in Gas Turbine Engineering at Siemens Energy. The industry
relies largely on ceramic materials which
are applied to the metallic substrate via a
spray process, much the way you would
apply stucco to drywall, except that ceramic materials actually melt and then
solidify.

The Importance
of Gas Turbine
Coatings in Modern
Combined-Cycle
Plants

BY TIM MISER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

he quest for higher efficiencies in modern combined-cycle power plants


is relentless. State-of-theart facilities now operate
at efficiency rates surpassing 60 percent,
and the industry doesnt seem inclined to
rest on this accomplishment. Even now,
engineers at major and minor OEMs alike
are working tirelessly to improve these
numbers still further. To do this, they
are increasing firing temperatures within
gas turbines and, in the process, creating
32

operating conditions that would try even


the most resilient components. Manufacturing components that can survive these
conditions means making significant advances in material science, and increasingly these advances have been realized
not in improvements to the metallic substrates of the machinery itself, but to the
coatings that shield this machinery from
the severe abuse of hot gas paths.
Temperatures within a turbine are brutal. Metal components can easily reach
800-900C, though they can withstand

RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT

Relative to other technologies, the impact of coatings is very high,


Subramanian says. This is because coatings represent the first line of defense
against hot gases in a gas turbine. The
largest gains in engine efficiency are leveraged in the turbine. Siemens is always
pushing for higher efficiencies in this
area, especially in its H-class turbines.
Materials have been asked to cope with
increasingly hot temperatures over the
decades. Because of this, the most fertile
area of research, development, and applied science exists in the materials and
coatings for the hot section of the gas turbine. To improve coatings, it is necessary
to understand the material science. What
are the atoms doing? What is the chemistry doing? How can we change particular
atoms to achieve a desired outcome?
Jon Schaeffer confirms the value of
www.power-eng.com

research and development in material science as it applies to gas turbine coatings.


As Senior Manager for Materials and Processes Engineering at GE Power & Water,
hes well positioned to know. We must
continually iterate our patented chemistry to perform better in our machines,
he says. Using the information we get
back from the field, we are able to adjust
the chemistry to achieve better results
from our coatings. Within the combustor
we are very interested in making sure the
base metals dont melt, especially in our
high-efficiency HA gas turbines that fire
at such high temperatures. Here we use
ceramic coatings as part of our Thermal
Barrier Coating (TBC) system.
One of the key properties of coating
materials is thermal conductivity, Subramanian adds. The goal is always to reduce the thermal conductivity as much as

possible, and the only way to do this is by


playing games with the periodic table and
changing various elements in and out to
discover what works and what doesnt
work. This is where university research is
so valuable. The industry can then take
this new knowledge from academia and
figure out how to manufacture it for practical use.
Subramanian continues: Materials last
longer at lower temperatures. That means
its important to insulate them with effective coatings. As hot gases become still
hotter in the quest for greater efficiency,
these coatings must become either thicker or better, and good research helps us
make this happen. As part of our Siemens
Berlin gas turbine manufacturing plant,
which has one of the most modern and
high-capacity test beds in the world, we
have commissioned a new burner test

center for gas turbines in Ludwigsfelde


near Berlin. Here we conduct tests to ensure that advanced coatings maintain
high temperature durability in combination with advanced cooling technologies,
under the very demanding combustion
conditions of our H-class engines. We test
technology in realistic engine conditions
to enable faster iteration and implementation of our products.

APPLYING THE COATING


The engineering challenges dont end
with the discovery of dependable coating
materials, however. Just as crucial are the
processes used to apply these coatings
to metal components. Not unexpectedly, different components within a gas
turbine experience different degrees of
heat and mechanical stresses during operation. These variable conditions mean

FUEL | AIR | GAS | ASH


processbarron.com/power
205-663-5330
For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#16
www.power-eng.com

33

GAS TURBINES

Only by combining an adhesive layer with a thermal-insulating layer


have Siemens researchers succeeded in building a protective coating
for turbine blades that can withstand high operating temperatures.
Siemens coated blades have a service life six times longer than that of
unprotected blades. Photo courtesy: Siemens Energy

that different parts of a turbine require


different types of coatings, and these
coatings require different application
processes to render them ready for duty.
Our compressor, combustor, and turbine coatings are sprayed using various
processes, says Schaeffer. Compressor
components are wet-sprayed using a process that most people are familiar with.
Combustor and turbine components are
coated using a different process in which
very high-temperatures are used to melt
coating materials. We use this process
for both metal and ceramic coatings. We
use a similar system within the turbine.
Applying material is a lot like baking
a cake, Subramanian says. Even if you
have the right ingredients, things can go
wrong if you dont process them correctly. You can end up with a hard cake instead of a light, fluffy one. Materials in
engines are really no different. You need
to know how to heat them in a way that
will give them the right textures so they
can work for a very long time. When
blades experience coating spallation,
they become damaged very quickly. In
order to ensure that utilities dont experience down time then, its important
to make sure coatings do not fall off so
that components can continue to work
reliably.
One challenge we face in coating
components is brought about by larger
machines like GEs 7HA and 9HA gas
turbines, says Schaeffer. Machines of
this size mean it takes longer to process components. Because of this, we
need to ensure that our processing can
be completed with limited amounts
of cycles. The longer things stay hot in
processing, the more undesirable things
can happen. This makes materials with
34

lower thermal conductivity very advantageous. For example, if we would normally need to apply 20 mils of a coating
system, but we can actually apply only
10 mils of a superior coating that has the
same heat-handling capabilities, we can
do this faster and create all kinds of bonus processing synergies.

MANAGING EXPANSION
Because the metallic components of
turbines have different expansion coefficients than the ceramic coatings that
are applied to them, it is essential to
build into any coating system the ability to expand and contract freely. In this
way, coatings can maintain their integrity rather than cracking and falling off,
even as the metal beneath them expands
at a different rate than they do. This expansion is facilitated by the deliberate
introduction of cracks into the ceramic.
We introduce expansion cracks to
the coatings which work very much

the way an expansion crack in concrete


would, says Schaeffer. The metal has
a higher expansion coefficient than the
overlying ceramic materials. To handle
this differential, cracks allow the TBC
to expand and contract during service.
GEs Dense Vertically Cracked (DVC)
ceramic coatings make all this possible, and as a bonus they also impart a
lot of erosion resistance to our coatings.
Many companies apply porous ceramic
coatings which deteriorate very quickly
in service. The density of our coatings
allows them to handle the debris that
comes through a machine.
Schaeffer continues: We can also
place additives in the coatings to create
desirable qualities. For instance, calcium
magnesium aluminum silicate (CMAS)
can form on components during service.
These accumulations come from sand
and dust in the environment which are
sucked into a turbine and deposited on
the TBC. Once there they can actually
www.power-eng.com

glue together the vertical cracks such that they


can no longer expand
as designed. To combat
this, we add layers of
materials that mitigate
against this issue. Stability is a big issue in coatings. Were interested in
coating systems that are
fully stabilized at higher temperatures, so that
they dont come apart in
service.

REPAIRING
COMPONENTS
Due to the unrelenting pressures of high-efficiency firing temperatures, even well-coated
components wear out
eventually. Owners and
operators would love to
have machines that last
forever, Schaeffer says,
but this simply isnt possible given the duty cycles
that we must work with. Because of this, it is important that turbines are repairable at the component level. Most of these repairs take place in-house at GE. Its
very challenging to find ways to sufficiently manage
the material science such that repairs can be made in
the field. Weve had some success, but theres a lot a
progress still to be made when it comes to restoring
OEM capability at the local level.
GE is very fortunate to have our research center,
adds Schaeffer. This acts as a synergistic champion
across the business, bringing in a knowledge storehouse from the companys many areas of expertise
including healthcare, oil and gas, aviation, power, etc.
For instance, we have benefitted from GEs expertise in
CT imaging that comes out of the healthcare field. In
addition to imaging the human body, this technology
also allows us to inspect the internal components of
large machinery. Just as a doctor might need to find a
lesion or abnormality within a patient without injuring them, our engineers also need to find lesions or
abnormalities in their components without destroying
them. This allows us to investigate problems without
sacrificing assets.
www.power-eng.com

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#17

35

36

www.power-eng.com

Author
Janice Lin is the co-founder and executive director of the California Energy Storage Alliance, the co-founder and chair
of the Global Energy Storage Alliance,
and the chair of Energy Storage North
America.

Energy Storage:
the

KEY to the

MODERN GRID
BY JANICE LIN, CALIFORNIA ENERGY STORAGE ALLIANCE

doption of energy storage


has evolved greatly in the
last five years. Though its
benefits have never been
disputed, the viability of
energy storage as a meaningful grid resource was repeatedly called into question
in the early years of storage deployments.
But all this changed last November when
Southern California Edison (SCE) selected more than 250 megawatts (MW) of energy storage in its competitive solicitation
for capacity, thus cementing the merits of
energy storage as a smart and viable alternative to traditional peaking generation.
www.power-eng.com

SCE worked to identify the true value that


energy storage holds for the power industry, beyond ancillary services in their procurement process. The selection marked
a significant milestone, not only for the
industry, but also for how companies will
develop, procure, and implement innovative energy resources in the future.
The SCE selection marked the first time
energy storage had been selected to supply generation alongside other peaking
and capacity alternatives. The selection
process has shown that energy storage can
be competitively compared to traditional
generation across many metrics, including

cost. Through its evaluation, SCE identified the unique benefits of energy storage,
including its above average reliability and
its ability to scale over time, proving the
viability of the technology and forcing
regulators, utilities, and policymakers at
all levels to recognize its potential for the
grid. With the added capability to perform multiple grid-level jobs at a competitive price point, it seems the industry is
just scratching the surface of opportunities the technology can provide, as well as
the many benefits it can add to the power system, like assisting with renewable
energy integration. While SCEs storage
37

requirement was just 50 MW (as estab- Brown issued a new executive order relished by the California Public Utilities quiring Calif. to also reduce its emissions
Commission), the utility procured more to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
than five times this amount, ultimately
Energy storage offers a solution which
selecting 260 MW of storage from more is both innovative and proven, and can
than 1,800 offers of all types of resourc- directly assist with each of these bold new
es. This clearly demonstrates that energy goals. Energy storage is ideally suited to
storage resources are commercially avail- manage the variability in our electric powable and can be procured cost-effectively, er system, allowing existing transmission,
even when compared against traditional distribution, and generation assets to be
alternatives.
utilized to their fullest
The SCE procure- With solutions like
potential, and with
ment was put in place energy storage
fewer emissions. Furto choose an efficient
thermore, while the
available
today,
the
resource that would
emissions profiles of
ensure critical power industry has the
power plants are well
system reliability in ability to shift toward documented, power
the Western Los Anplants are also signifnew
technologies
geles Basin, as Calif.
icant users of water,
seeks a variety of new that allow it to do
which they rely on for
generating resources more with the power cooling or other uses.
and advanced energy
capacity at hand.... Energy storage can besolutions to replace
come a game changer
the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Sta- for similar markets facing unique climate
tion (SONG) and other aging and less challenges and goals, with zero added
efficient generation assets. During the emissions or water usage, as well as sigprocurement process, SCE reported that nificant other benefits like faster siting,
more than 1,800 offers were submitted permitting, and overall increased grid
between energy storage, thermal gener- flexibility and reliability.
ation, demand response, and other preWith solutions like energy storage availferred resources. Never before had energy able today, the industry has the ability to
storage competed head to head with such shift toward new technologies that allow
capacity alternatives.
it to do more with the power capacity at
It is not surprising that Calif. is leading hand and save existing natural resources.
in this area. Strong legislation, coupled Thankfully, the SCE selection process has
with overwhelming support from local produced a number of key learnings that
stakeholders and clear direction from will be helpful to other power markets
Governor Brown and the Public Utilities in the U.S. which seek ways to bring the
Commission, has made Calif. a leader benefits of energy storage to their regions.
in progressive decisions about its energy
mix. More recently, Governor Brown es- THE SAME PROCUREMENT
tablished in his inaugural address a bold CRITERIA YIELD BETTER
new set of clean energy goals for 2030:
OUTCOMES
Increase renewable electricity use
The SCE selection was progressive in
from 33 to 50 percent
that the utility took the necessary first
Reduce petroleum use in cars and step to vet energy storage technologies
trucks by up to 50 percent
against the same factors it historically
Double the efficiency of existing used to evaluate traditional power plants.
buildings and make fuels cleaner
This process allowed SCE to understand
A couple of months later, Governor how storage stacked up against traditional
38

resources and where it could provide unforeseen benefits and increase value.
The end result allowed SCE to implement technologies that will help it achieve
a more modern grid. A grid that utilizes
energy storage can maximize the most
beneficial forms of power generation
available, minimize fuel costs and emissions, and maintain reliability. Energy
storage provides needed flexibility in the
grid, whether the grid is predominantly
powered by relatively inflexible resources like nuclear or coal, or it is powered
by large amounts of highly intermittent
renewables like wind or solar. As more
states adopt aggressive clean energy goals
with high renewable energy penetrations,
energy storage will become an even more
essential resource. It can be utilized at any
time and has no minimum start time or
load requirement. Storage is flexible and
more easily scalable, and it can be in commercial operation in a matter of months.
In addition to the benefits available today,
energy storage has established itself as a
future-proof solution that can adapt to
the newest grid problems by adding new
capabilities in a modular way. Essentially,
storage is a simple solution for managing
todays most complex grid challenges.

INNOVATION IS NOT
SYNONYMOUS WITH RISK
During the selection process, SCE
found that energy storage technologies
are mature, and that the applications for
the technology are proven. Though the
technology itself is innovative, it can be
delivered in a standard contract form,
meaning it can be paid for based on performance similar to what has been used
for traditional generation. This contract
structure helps to guarantee the performance of storage to mitigate concerns
over utilizing newer technologies for critical grid services.
Additionally, leading energy storage
companies have been operating storage
at grid-scale for close to a decade. Tapping
into the mature and robust supply chains
www.power-eng.com

for the transportation and consumer electronics industries and millions of megawatt-hours of service and experience to
date, energy storage providers have taken
the risk out of its operation.

ENERGY STORAGE
PROVIDES TWICE THE
RESOURCES FOR THE
SAME COST
When compared to a peaking power
plant, energy storage costs less and effectively does more. Battery-based storage
serves as both a generation and load resource, providing twice the flexibility on
the same interconnection. This gives customers twice the value at the same cost.
Additionally, battery-based storage is
unique in its flexibility to grow over time
in order to meet future demand in lock
step. The technology is modular and thus
easily scalable, providing the ability to
simply add on additional capacity to meet
www.power-eng.com

specific needs in a variety of footprints.


This eliminates the need for expensive
and time consuming procurements to
achieve incremental growth.
The momentum experienced as a result
of the SCE selection has led other power
markets and individual states across the
United States to consider energy storage
for their energy mix. For example, Texas
and New York have begun to introduce
state legislation to invest in energy storage
projects that will help with reliability and
renewable integration needs. This recent
momentum in the industry has underscored many of storages benefits, including its cost-effectiveness, scalability, and
flexibility. This sets the industry up for
explosive growth in 2015 and beyond.
While the nation is still a long way from
consistently adopting storage across all
regions, its clear it is on a path toward a
safer and more resilient grid with the proliferation of energy storage.

The industry can be encouraged by


the changing perceptions about energy
storage technologies and the continued
recognition of storage as a critical grid resource. It has become widely accepted that
the country needs a more sustainable,
more flexible, and smarter grid. Industry
has only just begun to recognize that energy storage can provide this smarter and
more sustainable solution. As utilities,
planners, and operators in Calif. prepare
for the retirement of older and less efficient generation resources, the storage
industry looks forward to seeing continued leadership in the implementation of
this smart solution, including from other
forward-thinking, load-serving entities
in the state. Many years from now, it will
be clear that innovative leaders like SCE
opened the door to a more modern grid
in Calif. and set a course for many others
to do the same, all by utilizing energy
storage as part of their power mix.
39

GENERATING BUZZ

The Unfair
Assault on Coal

Author
Gary McAuliffe is an independent consultant with forty years experience working on power generation and energy
projects and with ffteen years service on
the POWER-GEN International Program
Committee.

BY GARY H. MCAULIFFE

n the U.S., there is a sense of fairness that often plays out but this has
been abandoned over the years in a
number of cases and one significant example is The Unfair Assault on Coal. This
assault is eliminating consideration of
new coal-fired power plants and accelerating the closure of existing plants. The
remaining strong plants are in jeopardy,
as well, due to proposed carbon emission
regulations.
Environmental pressure is the principal driver as supported by the increased
availability of competitive natural gas.
Important considerations are being left
behind such as fuel diversity, reliability,
advances in technology and the unique
requirements of other countries.

ENVIRONMENTAL
PRESSURE
The environmental movement started
many years ago and the early fruits of its
work include the bipartisan Clean Air Act
of 1970 and the Clean Water Act of 1972.
A number of good things have been accomplished since that time but many believe that environmentalists and government regulators have gone too far.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is very active in continually tightening environmental standards
through new regulations and related
actions. In addition, many non-governmental organizations that are environmentally focused work ostensibly
to press the EPA on its decisions and actions. These NGOs have grown large and
spawned a complete industry of specialists that make money on what they do.
In their book The New Leviathan, David
Horowitz and Jacob Laksin point out the
40

extent of progressive/anti-capitalist environmental groups and contrast them


to the conservative/free market environmental groups. The dominance of the
progressive groups is overwhelming in
numbers, endowments and federal grants.
The EPA and the current administration are focused on climate change. The
debate over climate change has been
muted by those that proclaim the science is settled. In spite of this effort to
declare the debate closed, it is easy to find
new information that reinvigorates it. The
debate is not only about the cause of climate change but also about what to do
and the potential economic impacts are
huge. Some of the best information on
the subject is by Bjorn Lomborg who authored The Skeptical Environmentalist, Cool
It and numerous editorials including one
published in The Wall Street Journal on
February 2, 2015 entitled The Alarming
Thing About Climate Alarmism.

FUEL DIVERSITY
Over the years there have been statements about the future that proved
wrong. In this context, there are many
reports which indicate that natural gas is
abundant and will be for a long time. The
abundance is so evident that new uses of
gas are envisioned and as these uses add
to the existing uses of gas, demand for gas
is rising rapidly.
Solar and wind renewables are making
significant headway and with them one
can identify what could be called the 24/7
Generation Triad. The Triad includes the
power generation systems that can be on
line at full load continuously on a 24/7
basis which include natural gas, coal and
nuclear. Power generation costs are best

addressed when fuel diversity is achieved


by these three being a large percentage of
installed capacity and energy delivery.

RELIABILITY
The concept of a 24/7 Generation Triad is valuable not only for fuel diversity
but also for reliability. Nuclear plants are
among the most secure plants against
threats of weather and terrorism as they
are designed in a robust manner and their
refueling cycles are measured in years.
Coal is likewise secure with regard to
weather as it benefits from the ability to
store several months of coal consumption on site. Coal plants may be less secure than nuclear plants due to the lack
of perceived risk but increasing their security could be easily accomplished.
Natural gas has many uses that are critical during times of inclement weather.
Gas is backed up by regionally dispersed
storage and yet still depends on pipelines
to make the final delivery. Such pipelines
can be protected but still remain vulnerable to terrorism and gas fuel storage on
site is measured in minutes as opposed to
months and years.

www.power-eng.com

ADVANCES IN
TECHNOLOGY
At the POWER-GEN International
Conference in December of 2014 one
session included a panel entitled Current
Developments in Coal Fired Generation.
Among the highlights was the discussion
of the ultra-supercritical John W. Turk Jr.
power plant in Arkansas which achieved
the best heat rate of coal plants in the
USA in 2013. The Kusile Power Station
in South Africa was presented and the
scope, design considerations and economic impact of this new multi-unit station are impressive.
The news from EPRI focused on the excellent track record of reducing emissions
in coal fired plants over many years and
provided insights on new technologies
that will bring significant improvements

www.power-eng.com

in efficiency and emission reductions in


the future.
The multi-unit Samcheok Green Power
Plant in South Korea and Manjung Unit
4 in Malaysia were presented which are
scheduled for commercial operation in
the next two years and which will be
economically and environmentally successful in providing power generation
requirements.
For coal the overall news is good on the
technology side in both performance and
control of emissions.

WHAT OTHERS
ARE DOING
China is the largest owner of coal fired
power plants in the world having approximately twice the capacity of the United

States and with plans to install additional


capacity over the next 10 years. Second to
China in the building of new coal fired
power plants is India which has about
half the coal capacity of the USA and is
currently expanding that capacity in a
multi-year program.
In addition to the five countries mentioned, at least fifteen other countries are
building coal fired power plants. Each of
these coal plants is based on specific economic, energy source, and environmental issues for the geographical location.
The role of coal in the USA and
throughout the world should be reconsidered. Great strides have been made in
making coal fired power plants more efficient and in achieving very low levels of
emissions over the last 60 years and additional improvements are planned for
the future. Coal remains an important
element of the 24/7 Generation Triad
due to its contribution to fuel diversity
and reliability. With regard to fuel diversity, it is important to note that the USA
has the highest level of coal reserves in
the world. With regard to reliability, coal
ranks with nuclear in being more capable
of sustained operation through adverse
weather and potential terrorist acts.
Improvement in the lives of people is
invariably tied to economic success and
coal can be a significant contributor. No
source of power generation is without
concerns and a balanced portfolio is necessary as a hedge against unforeseen conditions of the future. Coal remains a valuable source for power generation within
that balanced portfolio and should be for
many years to come.

41

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Chip resistors

Mass fowtube

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tackpoles CSNL
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Touch-panel computers

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ower management company Eaton an-

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Solar inverter diode

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RS-485 and RS-232 interfaces.

42

lympus Corporation launched the new STM7

unit-cost reduction approaching 15 percent.

Customers also use Multitec pumps in power

www.power-eng.com

Nominations are now Open!


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Honoring excellence in design, construction and engineering


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Air Pre-Heaters Economizers Deaerators


Pumps Motors Fuel Oil Heating & Pump Sets
Valves Tubes Controls Compressors
Pulverizers Rental Boilers & Generators

CLASSIFIEDS |

ELIMINATE

FOR SALE/RENT

24 / 7 EMERGENCY SERVICE
BOILERS

INDEX
RS# COMPANY

Babcock Power

PG#

RS# COMPANY

11

PennWell

www.babcockpower.com

Brand Energy and


Infrastructure Services

15 POWER-GEN Natural Gas 31

Buckman

C4

18 Project of the Year


16 Process Barron

19

Conbraco Industries Inc

19 Siemens AG
1
29

Haldor Topsoe Inc

C3

www.siemens.com/sppa-t3000

17

Solvay Chemical Inc

C2

www.solvair.us

Sulzer Management LTD


28

DIGITAL EDITION-BELLY BAND

12 The Society for


Protective Coatings

www.goodway.com

DIGITAL EDITION-COVER

21

www.fluor.com

13 Goodway
Technologies Corp

ProEnergy Services LLC

Rentech Boiler Systems Inc.

www.apollovalves.com

14 Fluor Corp

33

www.proenergyservices.com

23

www.clarcorindustrial.com

25

www.sspc.org

www.topsoe.com

Magnetrol International

13

www.magnetrol.com

17 Membrana

35

www.liqui-cel.com

Mitsubishi Hitachi
Power Systems America

1421 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112


Phone: 918-835-3161, Fax: 918-831-9834
e-mail: pe@pennwell.com
Sr. Vice President North
American Power Group Richard Baker

www.mhpowersystems.com

Mitsubishi Hitachi
Power Systems America
BROWSER EDITION-LEADERBOARD

Reprints Foster Printing Servive


4295 Ohio Street
Michigan City, IN 46360
Phone: 866-879-9144
e-mail: pennwellreprint@fosterprinting.com

www.processbarron.com/power

www.chanutemfg.com

10 Clarcor Industrial Air

43

www.power-eng.com

5
11 Chanute Manufacturing

SALES OFFICE

www.power-gennaturalgas.com

www.brandenburg.com

DIGITAL

EDITION-ANNOUNCEMENT
SPONSOR

www.beis.com

Brandenburg Industrial
Service Company

PG#

Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all contents


(including text representation and illustrations) of advertisements printed, and also assume responsibility for any claims arising therefrom
made against the publisher. It is the
advertisers or agencys responsibility to obtain appropriate releases on
any items or individuals pictured in
the advertisement.

National Marketing
Consultant Rick Huntzicker
Palladian Professional Park
3225 Shallowford Rd., Suite 800
Marietta, GA 30062
Phone: 770-578-2688, Fax: 770-578-2690
e-mail: rickh@pennwell.com
AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO,
MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
Regional Marketing Consultant Dan Idoine
806 Park Village Drive
Louisville, OH 44641
Phone: 330-875-6581, Fax: 330-875-4462
e-mail: dani@pennwell.com
CT, DE, IL, IN, MA, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY,
OH, PA, RI, VT, Quebec, New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Ontario
Regional Marketing Consultant Natasha Cole
1455 West Loop South, Suite 400
Houston, Texas 77027
Phone: 713.499.6311; Fax: 713.963.6284
e-mail: natashac@pennwell.com
AK, AZ,CA,CO,HI,IA,MN,MT,ND,NE,NM,NV,
OK,OR,SD,UT,WA,WI,WY,AB,BC,SK, Manitoba,
Northwest Territory, Yukon Territory
International Sales Mgr Tom Marler
The Water Tower
Gunpowder Mills
Powdermill Lane
Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1BN
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 1992 656 608, Fax: +44 1992 656 700
email: tomm@pennwell.com
Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Slovakia, Sweden
International Sales Mgr Roy Morris
The Water Tower
Gunpowder Mills
Powdermill Lane
Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1BN
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 1992 656 613, Fax: +44 1992 656 700
email: rmorris@pennwell.com
UK, Austria, Africa, Holland, India, Italy,
Ireland, Israel, Russia, Australia & New Zealand,
Singapore, Scotland, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece,
UAE/SAUDI and Iran
Classifieds/Literature Showcase
Account Executive Jenna Hall
1421 S. Sheridan Rd.
Tulsa, OK 74112
Phone: 918-832-9249, Fax: 918-831-9834
email: jennah@pennwell.com

48

www.power-eng.com

PGIE-A10011-00-7600

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power plant operation
SPPA-T3000 Cue success starts in the control room
siemens.com/sppa-t3000

Get in touch with our new release: SPPA-T3000 Cue is infused


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tools, targeted cues, and guided procedures, it provides the
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control system.

For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#19

New
release

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