General interest press release
"Green Megawatts": Peak Capacity in Less Time
By modernizing older power plants, Siemens engineers have succeeded in significantly boosting the efficiency of facilities, while reducing their CO2 emissions. This has enabled facility operators to get more power output from the turbines, or to bring the power plant up to full capacity in less time. In both instances the improvements are achieved without using more fuel, which means "green megawatts" are generated.
By modernizing older power plants, Siemens engineers havesucceeded in significantly boosting the efficiency of facilities,while reducing their CO2 emissions. This has enabled facility operatorsto get more power output from the turbines, or to bringthe power plant up to full capacity in less time. In both instancesthe improvements are achieved without using more fuel, whichmeans "green megawatts" are generated. E.ON's Farge coal-firedpower plant near Bremen, Germany, for example, has boosted itsefficiency from 39 to 42 percent by means of the modernization.
A method for coaxing greater efficiency out of turbines that hasbeen in use for some time involves the use of 3D computer simulationsto optimize the turbine blades and steam flow patterns.Still another clever approach — one that doesn't require any newhardware — is to adjust the operation control technology. Thisallows the facilities to reach full capacity in less time and also tocool off faster, which makes the power plant much more efficient.Siemens Energy in Mülheim an der Ruhr can reduce thetime it takes to bring the turbine up to full load capacity from onehour to 30 minutes.
Siemens engineers have also modernized a combined cyclepower plant in England. Here, the experts carefully studied all theparameters of the 400-megawatt facility, including pump flowrate, feedwater temperature, steam cation conductivity, andboiler temperature. Then they re-adjusted the parameters of theoperation control system to reduce the time needed to reach fulloperating capacity — without having to replace any components.
Assuming 50 startups a year the investment can be recoupedafter one year. And with minimal effort and expense, the engineersalso shortened the plant's cooling time from 160 to 60hours. The steam turbine is additionally cooled by means of airpumped from the machine room. Now the customer can begin amaintenance procedure as much as four days sooner than previously— and save millions of euros with each overhaul.
Siemens technicians install optimized turbines in between 20and 25 power plants every year. Modernization of power plants isa component of the Siemens environmental portfolio, with whichthe company generated €19 billion in sales in 2008.
Photo: http://www.siemens.com/ct-pictures/in20090602