mps 0612 sample

WWW.MODERNPOWERSYSTEMS.COM JUNE 2012

INTEGRATEDGASIFICATIONCOMBINED CYCLEWorld first at Kemper County

CCGTDEVELOPMENTSHRSG insulation improvementNew dash for gas in the UKMiddle Eastmega-projects

RUSSIAN FOCUSThe challenges ofconstruction in Russia,and how to deal with themKirishi 6 repowering – thefirst of a kind

BIOMASSIntegrated pyrolysis: how toturn your fluidised bed boilerinto a biorefinery

WIND POWERMarket outlook: brief lullfollowed by rapid recoverySiemens 6MWmachine ontrialEuropean debut for “world’smost efficient wind turbine”

ENERGY STORAGEIs it ready for take off?New report says yesAdele updateHydropumped storage: thebenefits of varyingyour speed

SMART GRIDThe seven deadly sins

DISTRIBUTEDGENERATIONRecent recip projects

COMMUNICATING POWER TECHNOLOGY WORLDWIDE

ModernPowerSystemsLessons fromthe Yajva newbuild project

IGCC + CCS: takingshape in Mississippi

www.modernpowersystems.com June 2012 Modern Power Systems 5

NEWS HEADLINES

Oil price ‘still a serious obstacle to recovery’FINANCE GLOBAL

Oil prices remain a threat to thefragile global economicrecovery despite a recent fall,the International EnergyAgency's chief economist toldnews agency Reuters in aninterview last week, adding thatthe IEA remained ready torelease emergency oil stocks ifneeded.North Sea Brent crude oil

reached a peak of more than$128 in March before decliningaround $15 gradually over thelast two months as tensions intheMiddle East have eased andoil supplies have increased.‘Even current prices are far

too high for the currenteconomic context ... and pose aserious risk,’ the IEA's chiefeconomist Fatih Birol toldthe 2012 Reuters GlobalEnergy & EnvironmentSummit. ‘Economic recoverywas especially at stake inEurope, the U.S., Japan andChina’ he added. ‘I'mconcerned for Europe and I'malso very concerned that thesehigh prices would hit the stillhesitant and slowUS economicrecovery.’• TheG8 summit that started on18May at CampDavid, the USpresident's retreat and

Saudi Arabia ‘should aim at41 GW solar power by 2032’SAUDIARABIA SOLARPOWER

NORWAY CARBONCAPTUREANDSTORAGE

Saudi Arabia should installmore solar power over the next20 years than any country hasmanaged so far, whilesimultaneously buildingaround 21 GW of nuclearreactors. This is the opinion ofthe body responsible forplanning the Saudi energy mixand presented in its 8 Mayreport to the Saudigovernment.That body is the King

Abdullah City for Atomic andRenewableEnergy (KACARE),set up to advise on the energy

mix. It has concluded that thekingdom should aim to buildup to 41 GW of solar capacity(around 16 GW inphotovoltaics and about 25GW of concentrating solarpower), enough to meet a thirdof expected peak powerdemand in 2032. KACAREsays the kingdom should aim tobuild this new capacity by thatdate. A sixth of new installedcapacity should come fromnuclear and about half from oiland gas. The world's largest oilproducer has created only a

small amount of solar powercapacity to date, less than 50MW, although its ambition tobecome a major solar powerproducer was set out someyears ago. But the target of41 GW, if met, would propel ittowards the top of the solarpower table.World solar leaderGermany installed more than7000 MW in both 2010 and2011, raising its total at the endof last year to 25 000 MW.Solar power could in

combination with Saudi oil andgas fired power plants help

meet peak demand for power ina country where electricitydemand surges in summer.Under most of the scenarios

modelled by KACARE,nuclear energy emerged as oneof the best ways for generatingbaseload electricity, and the21GW target implies that morereactors would be built duringthe next 20 years than thosecurrently planned by anycountry other than China,India, Russia or the USA,according to World NuclearAssociation data.

international venue, was beovershadowedby theEuro zonecrisis but at the request of UKprime minister David CameronBarackObama and other worldleaders arranged to hold talksabout tapping into emergencyoil reserves.The position has changed

somewhat since earlyMaywhenthe European Commission wasin close contact with the UnitedStates and the InternationalEnergy Agency (IEA) but sawno urgent need for theimmediate release of oil stocks,according to the EU's Energycommissioner Guenther

Norwegian prime minister JensStoltenberg has officiallyopened the world’s largest andmost advanced centre for thetesting and development ofcarbon capture technologies.The NOK5.8 million

government funded centre atMongstad is able simultaneouslyto test two post-combustioncarbon capture technologies andhas invited vendors in the field to

Mongstad CCS testing gets underway

Oettinger. But he added ‘Wehave a pragmatic approach ifthere is any need to organisevolumes coming out from ourstocks, we can activate (them) ina few days. We are thinkingabout this.’Oil markets have been on

alert for a possible release fromstrategic reserves after news inMarch that the US governmenthad held talks with the Britishand French governments overthe issue. In an election year,the US administration isanxious to bring down gasolineprices as the summer drivingseason looms.

participate in the programme.The opening ceremonymarks

the end of the constructionphase of Technology CentreMongstad (TCM) and the startof the first phase of testing.‘The knowledge we gain here

at Mongstad will help preparethe ground for future CO2capture initiatives, and therebycombat climate change,’ saidJens Stoltenberg.

Aker Clean Carbon andAlstomwill test their respectivecarbon capture technologies inthe first phase of operations atTCM, which recently invitedmore vendors to compete for arole in the second phase. Thetechnologies will capturecarbon from the flue gasstreams of an adjacent gas-firedcombined heat and power plantand a refinery catalytic cracker.

TCM, a joint venture of Shell,Statoil, Sasol and Norwegiangovernment-owned Gassnova,says that the response fromvendors has been‘overwhelming’. It intends tobecome a global resourcecentre for carbon capturetechnologies and will share theknowledge gained from testingwith vendors and the globalresearch community.

NEWS HEADLINES

GE forms T&D partnershipwith XD ElectricUSA, CHINAMERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

UK CARBON CAPTURE

In a move intended to create anew global player in the $100billionandgrowingtransmissionand distribution industry, GEandandXDElectricGrouphaveformed a new partnership todeliver a full line of electrictransmission and distributionand grid automation products tothe world market.The three major components

of the partnership are – creationof a global partnership tocombine GE’s grid automationand service capabilities with XDElectric’s portfolio of primarypower equipment to offer arange of integrated transmissionand distribution solutions,establishment of a joint venturewith XD Electric to offercustomers in China localisedgrid automation solutions, andGE’s purchase of a 15 % equitystake in XD Electric. The latter

carries with it the appointmentof a representative to the XDboard of directors.In the T&D segment, GE is a

provider of grid automationsystems but also brings to thepartnership its global reach andvarious relatedareasof expertisein utility and energy-intensiveindustries such as oil and gas,metals and mining.XD Electric, which is traded

on theShanghai stock exchange,specialises in the research,application, development andmanufacture of high and ultra-high voltage T&D equipment. Itis one of China’s largest primaryequipment providers and has abroad range of products tocontrol the flow of power.Gobally, T&D is an industry

with strong growth prospectstied to the rise in electricitydemand as the proportion of

middle-income populationsgrow around the world. Chinarepresents approximately aquarter of the T&D industry’sprojected expansion and is aleader in the deployment of highand ultra-high voltagetechnology. Over the nextdecade, China plans to invest$600 billion in its electricity

supply infrastructure.The formation of the

partnership remains subject toregulatory approvals and thesatisfaction of customaryclosing conditions. GE andXDElectric expect that thepartnership will be able tobegin operations in the fourthquarter of 2012.

6 Modern Power Systems June 2012 www.modernpowersystems.com

The $30m contract to refurbish and rehabilitate unit 7 of the Castaichydropower plant in California has been awarded to Alstom by the LosAngeles Department of Water and Power. Under the terms of thecontract, Alstomwill design, install and commission an Alstom-patented Hooped Pelton runner (an impulse turbine with bucketssupported by two separate hoops, top picture) a new generator andnew governor, as well as providing an exciter and controls. And inMarch, the Bureau of Reclamation awarded Alstom a contract worthover USD$10million to replace and overhaul units 1 and 2 at the 140MW Trinity Power plant in Northern California. The contract provides forthe design, fabrication and testing of amodel turbine and of twoidentical 70MW vertical Francis runners (lower picture).

Alstomwins largeCalifornia contracts

Some 16 companies fromaround the world have signalledtheir intention to participate inthe UK government’s latestcarbon capture and storage(CCS) competition. Doosan,Alstom, Air Liquide, SSE andShell are some of the companiesthathaveexpressedan interest insubmitting bids for thecompetition, which is aimed athelping the UK develop acommercial-scale CCS project.Although the deadline for

submitting bids is not until earlyJuly, the UK government haspublished a list of companiesthat have registered an interestin order to encourage discussionbetween companies in the CCSfield and potential suppliers.Other companies on the list

include Centrica, 2Co andSummit Power.‘This high level of interest

proves that the UK is back ontrack with CCS,’ said aspokesman representing the

Department of Energy andClimate Change. ‘From theoutset, we are working throughcollaboration with industry toensure we make CCS a realityand importantly create themaximum return for what is oneof the best offers availableanywhere in the world.’The winner of the competition

will be offered up to £1 billion incapital funding to support thedevelopment of a commercial-scale CCS project. The UK’sfirst CCS competition failed toaward any funding after biddersgradually dropped out and thegovernment failed toagree termswith the one remaining bidder, aconsortium of Shell, ScottishPower and National Grid.In order to qualify for the

competition, projects mustdemonstrate the full CCS chain,or demonstrate the prospect ofbeing part of a full chain in thefuture, andabate carbondioxideat a commercial scale. Projectsmust be operational between2016 and 2020.

Strong interest in UKCCS competition


INTEGRATED GASIFICATION COMBINED CYCLE

Kemper County: constructingtheworld's first IGCCwith CCSThe Kemper County IGCC plant is one of only two large scale power generating facilities with CCS to have entered the construction

phase (the other being Boundary Dam 3, profiled in last month's issue). On 15March, in response to a challenge by the Sierra Club, the

Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that theMississippi Public Service Commission's original decision in favour of the project (in June 2010)

had not given sufficiently detailed evidence. In response, on 24 April 2012, the PSC issued amore detailed order authorising Mississippi

Power to continue the project. The project still faces legal challenges, however. The Sierra Clubhas contested the 24April PSC order.

In the following article, Prasad Koneru and Ahsan Siddiqui of KBR, Houston, TX, USA, and Randall Rush of Southern

Company, Birmingham, AL, USA, provide anoutline of themain design features of the plant.

TheKemperCountyplant isalignite-fuelled2-on-1 IGCC (integrated gasificationcombined cycle) facilitywhichuses the air-blownTRansport IntegratedGasification

(TRIG™) technology jointly developed bySouthern Company, KBR, and the US DoE atthePowerSystemsDevelopmentFacility (PSDF)in Wilsonville, AL.Thefacility isbeingbuiltbyMississippiPower

Company,aSouthernCompanysubsidiary, forbaseload generation. The plant location,Kemper County, is about 20 miles north ofMeridian, in Mississippi.The greenfield site, of about 3000 acres, is

adjacent to a lignite reserve developed andmined by Liberty Fuels, a subsidiary of NorthAmericanCoalCorporation,andthiswillbethefeedstock for the IGCC plant.The facilitywill havea syngas-onlynetoutput

capability of 524 MW, with a peak net outputcapability of 582MWwhen using syngas in theSiemens SGT6-5000F combustion turbinescoupled with natural gas firing in the heatrecovery steam generators, which supply steamto a Toshiba steam turbine (of the tandemcompound double flow type).The facility will produce marketable

byproducts: ammonia; sulphuric acid; andcarbon dioxide, for enhanced oil recovery.

Some 65% of the carbon dioxide will becaptured, making theKemper County facility'scarbon emissions (about 800 1b per MWh)comparable to those of a natural gas firedcombined cycle plant. The anticipatedcommercial operation date of the KemperCounty IGCC facility is May 2014.

What is TRIG™?TheTRIG™technology,derivedfromfluidisedcatalytic cracking units used in thepetrochemical industry, employs a pressurised,circulating fluidised bed unit. The systemfeatures high efficiencies and is capable ofprocessing low rank coals such as lignite, whileachieving high environmental standards forSO2, NOX, dust, mercury and CO2. Costanalysis based on extensive design has shownthat the economic benefits offered by the air-blown Transport Gasifier relative to othersystems are preserved even when CO2 captureand sequestration are incorporated into thedesign.The largest Transport Gasifier built to date

started operation in 1996 at the PSDF. Thegasifier and auxiliary equipment at the PSDFwere sized to provide reliable data for confidentscale-up to commercial scale. Thedemonstration unit has proven easy to operate

and control, achieving over 15 600 hours ofgasification. It successfully gasified highmoisture lignite from the Red Hills mine inMississippi in four separate test campaigns,totalling over 2300 hours of operation. Onlignite, the Transport Gasifier operatedsmoothlyoverarangeofconditions,confirmingthe gasifier design for Kemper County. Thebenefits of TRIG™ can be summarised asfollows:• The TRIG™ gasifier offers a simpler, morerobustmethodforgeneratingenergyfromcoalcompared with other available alternatives. Itisuniqueamongcoalgasification technologiesin that it is cost-effective when handling lowrank coal, as well as coals with high moistureor high ash content.

• The TRIG™ gasifier is an advanced non-slagging pressurised circulating fluidised bedgasifier that operates at moderatetemperatures (1500-1950°F).

• The TRIG™ gasifier has no internals,expansion joints,valvesorothermovingparts.

• The TRIG™ gasifier is designed to operateusing air or oxygen, or enriched air/oxygenmixtures as the oxidant depending on theapplication.

• TheTRIG™gasifier canachievehighcarbonconversions and mitigate tar and oilformation.

• The TRIG™ gasifier has the capability toachieve natural gas equivalency in terms ofCO2 emissions, with proper downstreamequipment.

Kemper County process outlineThe Kemper County IGCC design has twoseparate gasification trains. Each gasificationtrain supplies syngas to a single Siemenscombustion turbine and HRSG.Each gasification train has three parallel coal

drying andmilling units and each of these unitsfeed two high pressure coal feed systems.There are two process air compressors per

gasification train. About 60% of the process airrequirement is supplied by the process aircompressors,withtheremainderextractedfromthe combustion turbine located in the powerisland.Six proprietary Pressure Decoupled

Advanced Coal (PDAC) feeders, developed atthe PSDF, will supply each of the two gasifierswith raw lignite at a rate of 575 ton/hour.

Photograph of the Kemper County site as ofApril 2012, construction well underway



A proprietary Continuous Fine AshDepressurisation (CFAD)systemandaproprietaryContinuousCoarseAshDepressurisation (CCAD)system cool and depressurise the ash for storing ina silo and for disposal.The syngas from the gasifier is cooled in the

Primary Syngas Cooler to produce highpressure superheated steam,which is sent to thepower island for power generation in the HPsteam turbine.The syngas from the syngas coolers is routed

to theParticulateControlDevice (PCD),wherethe fine ash is removed by CFAD. Theparticulate free sour syngas is scrubbed withwater inthesyngasscrubbertoremovehalogensand other contaminants and to saturate thesyngas to facilitate shift reaction.The syngas leaving the scrubber undergoes a

water gas shift reactionwhere about 90%ofCOis converted to CO2. The shifted sour syngasthen passes through a COS hydrolysis reactorand is routed through the ammonia scrubber toremove ammonia, an acid gas removal (AGR)unit to remove sulphur andCO2 and amercuryremoval bedbeforebeing sent to the gas turbinefor power generation.TheAGRunit employsUOP's SELEXOL™

process. The H2S and CO2 absorbers in theAGR unit remove over 99% of the H2S and aportion of the CO2 from the syngas usingSELEXOL™, a physical solvent. The capturedH2S is subsequently stripped from the solventusingsteamheat,producingaconcentratedH2Sstream,while the purified solvent is refrigeratedand recycled to the absorption units.The concentrated H2S acid gas stream is

routed to a sulphuric acid plant where thesulphur is converted into commercial gradesulphuric acid using Haldor Topsøe's WSA(Wet gas Sulphuric Acid) process.The removed CO2 stream is dehydrated and

compressedandused for enhancedoil recovery.The condensed sour water from the syngas is

stripped in three columns to remove H2S andCO2, which are sent back to theAGRunit, andsaleable ammonia produced.Treated effluent from Meridian is used for

make-up water.The plant is a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)

facility.

Engineering theKemper County plantThe detailed engineering work for KemperCounty is being executed by both KBR andSouthern Company Services (SCS) withprocurement and construction management bySCS. In addition to the engineering effortassociated with the scale up to commercial scale,

someoftheotheraspectsof theengineeringdesignandexecutionworthnoting include the following:

Integration• High level of heat integration betweengasification,gascleanupandpowergeneration.

• System integration and controls.Oneof thegoalsduring theprocessdesignphaseof the project was tomaximise the overall plantefficiency with carbon capture. Multipleoptions for heat integration betweengasification, gas cleanup and power generationwere evaluated. This has enabled the KemperCounty process to meet a good plant heat ratewhile using coal with an average of 45%moisture andachievingover 65%CO2 removal.Steamisaproduct fromthegasifier islandand

therefore a high level of heat integration helpedto increase efficiency.Unlike a natural gas combined cycle plant where

thenaturalgas flowfrompipeline to thecombustionturbine can be adjusted based on demand, thesystem integration in this IGCC plant requiresintegration between combustion turbine loadrequirements and coal and air feed to the gasifier.In addition, the extraction air from the

compressor section of the combustion turbineprovides partial air feed into the gasifier and theremainder is made up by process aircompressors.Thisrequiresahighlevelofsystemintegration to be able to operate the plant andmeet the demand for power generation.

Gasifier and support systemdesign• Thermal design: the gasifier was designed tocontain high temperature burning coal.

• Pressure design: the gasifier requiredthorough finite element analysis.

• The gasifier is a double pipe loop thatcirculates ash by hydraulic balance with nomoving parts.

• The layout between the gasifier and thestructure and other equipment/piping iscritical inorder toprevent interferences.Also,"pull areas" must be established formaintenance.

• The differential deflection between thegasifier and the structure must be accountedfor in the design as it places additional loadson both the gasifier and the structure.

Significantly, the total weight of the gasifierexceeds 2500 tons and it is supported with aseries of spring supports. The overall supportsystem had to be designed for operating load,seismic load and thermal loads.Critical to the system are the differential

thermal deflection tolerances required forgasifier operation. Although the supports

consistofanumberof springsupports, themainsupports consist of four special variable basespringcans for eachgasifier.The sizes and loadsof these spring cans presented unusual designand fabrication circumstances.

Coal handling and feeding• Pneumatic conveying of milled coal at highpressures and temperatures.

• Balancing requirements of low velocity tolimit erosion, high velocity to stay abovesaltation velocity, and minimisation of gasusage for conveying and aeration.

• Providing means for fluidisation for caseswhere gravity discharge from bins may be aproblem (bridging, rat-holing).

• Large vertical space required for equipmentlayout toassurecorrectangles forgravitychutes.

The fluid bed drying system to be used on theKemperCountyIGCCproject isemployedinawidevariety of industries for drying solids, but has notbeen commonly used in conventional coal plants.Ahigh level of heat integration is incorporated in theKemper County design to recover heat from theprocess for use in the coal drying system. Thisminimises the use of steam for drying the coal.One engineering focus in the coal handling

area is feeding the finely ground coal particlesinto a gasifier that is operating at over 620 psia.PDAC – a technology to control coal flow intothegasifierdevelopedat thePSDF–willbeusedon the Kemper County project. By controllingthe pressure differential between the feedhopper and the gasifier, the coal solids feed ratecan be accurately controlled.

Visualisation of the completed plant

View from the other side, showingLignite Delivery Facility

Transport Integrated Gasifier– the basic concept

Syngas

Cyclone

Standpipe

Loop-seal

J-LegO2/air

Coarseash

O2/airsteam

Mixingzone

Coal

Riser

Cyclone/disengager



Continuous ashwithdrawal• Depressurising and cooling of ash.• Pneumatic conveying of ash.The largeashparticles fromthecoalaccumulatein the gasifier and need to be removed tomaintain solids inventory in the circulatingloop, and the smaller particles captured in thePCD also need to be removed from the system.In addition, the ash has to be cooled fromaround 1800°F to 350°F.To address the issue of ash withdrawal and

cooling the CCAD and CFAD, bothproprietary systems, were developed at PSDF.The systems work by using the pressure in thesyngas to push the ash out of the bottom of thegasifier or the PCD.

Carbon capture• The SELEXOL™ process is used to removeH2S and CO2 from the syngas.

• About 90% of the CO in the syngas is shiftedtoCO2to increase thepartialpressureofCO2,which helps to lower the station servicerequired in the SELEXOL™unit and also tomeet the CO2 pipeline purity requirements.

Ammonia recovery• Ammonia is recovered from sour water toproduce a saleable product.

The Kemper process is set up to recoveranhydrous quality ammonia from sour water.Ammoniaisstoredintheammoniastoragetankwhere it can be used locally in the selectivecatalytic reduction system or trucked to otherlocations. However, if the ammonia storagetank fills up, and there is no transportationavailable to empty it, anhydrous ammonia canberecycledbackto thegasifier. In thisoperatingscenario, ammoniawill ultimately be convertedto N2 and H2 in the gasifier.

Construction statusAtthe timeofwriting, totalprojectconstructioncompletion was greater than 25%, with totaldesignandengineering75%complete.Therearecurrentlyover2000workersatthesitewithmorethan 50 contractor and subcontractors engagedinconstruction.Theproject'speakconstructionforce will be more than 2200.The steam turbine and lignite drying systems

have been fabricated and delivered to the site.The gasifier and combustion turbines will bedelivered to the site this summer. All of themajor equipment has been procured.Nearly all of the deep foundations have been

installedandover66000cubicyardsofconcretefoundations have been poured. Structural steelerection began in the autumn of 2011 and isapproximately 25% complete.Construction of the 41 miles of new 230 kV

transmission lines, five substations, and re-conductoring projects to connect the plant withthe transmission system are underway and 60%complete.The treated effluent water line construction

from Meridian Water Association is 65%complete, and the construction of the naturalgas andCO2pipelineswill begin construction inJune. All of the pipeline and transmissionprojects to support the project are scheduled tobe completed in late 2013.Theminemouth facilities to bemanagedbyLiberty

Fuels began construction in December 2011. In April2012, the dragline was purchased and equipmentshipments began from the Port of New Orleans. Themine should be in service next summer andwill supplythe plant with about 4.3 million t/y of lignite. MPS

Carbon dioxidecapture scheme

Block processdiagram for

the plant

CAD imageshowing basicplant layout

Refrig.

Refrig.

CO2absorbers

CO2 flash tanks

ProductCO2

CO2 compressionand drying

To sulphuricacidWater gas

shift reactors H2Sabsorber

CW

SteamCond Cond

Sour syngasfrom gasifier

Syngas toturbine

Recycle gascompressor

Acid gasconcentrator

To gasifier

Recyclegas

compression

Coal

CoarseG-ash

Syngas

FineG-ash

Sour water

Water fromcoal drying

Recycle gas

Sweetsyngas

CO2

CO2

Acidgas

Swee

tsyn

gas

Vent gasAir

Sulphuricacid

Anhydrousammonia

HPstea

m

HPBF

W

To stack

Cond

ensate

Power

Power

HP, superheatedsteam

GasifierIsland

Combinedcycle

Coalmilling &drying

Highpressurecoal

feeding

Transportgasifier

Hightemperature

syngascooling

Particulatecollection

Water gasshift

reaction

Lowtemperature

syngascooling

CO2 andsulphurremoval

Mercuryremoval

WSAprocess

Sourwater

treatmentAmmoniarecovery

Processair

compressor

Heat recovery steamgenerator

Gasturbine

CondenserSteamturbine

Steam

H2Sstripper

HRSGs

CO2 and H2Sremoval

Sulphuricacid

production

Gasifiers (2)

Fluid beddryer system

Ammoniaproduction

Gas turbines Steam turbine Aircompressors

HP coalfeeders

CO2compressionand drying


RUSSIAN FOCUS

Building power stations in Russia is different from elsewhere. Construction of the Yajva combined cycle unit,

located in the Perm region, proved extremely demanding. But the outcome was a highly successful project,

delivered on time, and a power plant that is now achieving an excellent performance record.

Fehmi Bayramoglu, ENKA, Istanbul, Tımur Lipatov, E.ON Russia,Moscow andAsil Gumrukcu, ENKA, Istanbul, Turkey

When Russia opened up its powersector to foreign participation in2006, with the break up of stateowned utility RAO UES and the

launchof an auctionof stakes in newly createdpower companies, including the six wholesalegenerators (OGK 1-6), it was a requirementthat winning bidders would commit to theconstruction of substantial new capacity. Theoutcome has been the addition of about 20GW of new power plants.TheYajvaplant, in thePermregionofRussia,

is oneof fournew400MWcombinedcycleunits(with another at Shatursk and two more at

Surgutsk) that E.ON has added to the Russianpower plant fleet over the past five years, as aresult of undertakings made following itsacquisition of a 76% stake in OGK-4, nowE.ON Russia (www.eon-russia.ru).The Yajva plant represents the first

deployment of Siemens F class technology inRussia. On the basis of performance tests thenet electrical output of the plant is 417 MWand the efficiency is 56.6%, the highest in thecountry.The EPC contractor was ENKA of Turkey

(www.enka.com).Thecontractwas lump-sumturn-key, covering all works including permit

engineering (to meet TEO andGlasgovekspertiza requirements), design,procurement, construction, start-up, testingand commissioning, as well as training ofpersonnel, including operators. The projectscope included all auxiliary equipment such assteam/water cycle, a water treatment plant,control systems, electrical systems,instrumentation, gas compressors and anadministration building.As well as ENKA, engineering was also

carried out by Bechtel, CIMTAS pipe, andTEP Engineering, which acted as the Russiandesigner.In addition to Siemens, which supplied a

1xSCC5-4000F-1S power train (comprisinggas turbine, steam turbine, generator andcondenser), other major equipmentsuppliers included: CMI, heat recovery

Based on a presentation given at Arena International's New Build South-East Europe conference, Istanbul, 18-19 October, 2011.

The challenges of delivering aCCGTproject in Russia...

...andhow todealwith them


RUSSIAN FOCUS

steam generator, vertical naturalcirculation, unfired; ZTR (Ukraine),20kV/220kV500MVAstep-up transformer;Atlas Copco, booster gas compressor, 2 x100%, 5-35 bar with 7 MW motor;CIMTAS/CIMTAS Pipe, steel structuresand piping systems; EKE (Turkey), watertreatment plant; and Kone (Finland), 370 tcapacity overhead crane.The EPC contract was placed on 15 July

2008 and low level construction ("subzero"works, piling) started on 16 March 2009 (iesomewhat before final design approval, butthis was considered a risk worth taking).The all-important and resource intensive

step of getting approval of the designdocumentation by the Russian authorities(TEO and Glasgovekspertiza) was achievedon 15 May 2009. This was vital as it enabledwork to proceed during the June, July,Augustconstruction season. It is also essential to getthe design right for TEO approval because ifyou want to change anything later thecomplete approval process has to be gonethrough again, and until re-approval isachievedmajor constructionworks have to besuspended.Othermilestone dates can be summarised as

follows:• first power plant concrete, 30 May 2009;• HRSG steel structure, diffuser andcondenser erection started, April 2010;

• gas turbine, steam turbine and generatortransported to site, July 2010;

• hydrotest of HRSG, December 2010;• gas turbine first firing, February 2011;• 72 hour full plant test run, June 2011;• performance test run completed, 4 July2011;

• commercial operation, 8 August 2011;• handover toE.ONRussia (includingpermitto use and all approvals), 10 August 2011 –on schedule (original contract), withoutclaims, and with a 100% safety record.

To deliver the project successfully was a majorachievement, particularly when the majorchallenges are taken into account, notably: a verytight schedule; the need to comply with Russianstandards, approvals processes (RTN PTU) andquality documentation; location of the plant andclimate constraints on transportation; andmanaging the interface with other contractorscontracted directly to E.ON Russia.How did we go about dealing with these

issues in case of Yajva?

Schedule challengesAmong the particular challenges of the Yajvaproject in termsof schedulewas the largeeffortrequired to obtain TEO approval, which iscritical. Also, there was no "float", or leeway,at the end of the schedule, which stipulatedeightmonths betweenmain equipment arrivaland first fire, with no time for rework and nochance of recovering from any major failureto achieve a key date.In theRussian context, the permit engineering

phase of a project, entailing TEO preparationand approval, is particularly demanding andrequires a very detailed design informationpackage. But there are also uncertainties aboutrequirements, which are evolving.A full project team (apart from

construction) was formed to support thisapprovals phase.The project management clearly

communicated the schedule with all teammembers and early start dates were used. Allproject participants were fully committed toachieving the required quality and the basicapproach was: "Do it on time, Do it right, Doit once". There was to be no rework.An engineering co-ordination team was

established in Moscow to deal with the verydetailed level of design information requiredfor preparation of the TEO package. Thisproved successful and TEO approval wasreceived on time.

As part of the procurement process asupplier quality team was set up to carry outcontinuous inspections at vendormanufacturing yards and shops. All vendorswere visited during manufacturing and shoptests carried out and assessments made ofeach vendor in terms of both quality andschedule.During the construction phase, civil and

undergroundworks had to be executedwithinthe first construction season (May toNovember 2009) followed by the erection ofthe turbine hall and HRSG building duringthe winter of 2009/10. This allowed start ofcondenser erection inMarch 2010 andHRSGerection in April 2010.Working conditions were generally harsh

afterOctober, and coldweatherwas one of theparticular obstacles that had to be overcome,with temperatures falling to -42°C (-45°Cwithwind chill) on 16 December 2009, which thecoldest working day. The project designminimum temperature was -48°C.A basic principle for keeping the project on

track was that as soon as materials andequipment arrived at site they wereimmediately assembled, unless it could beproved it was not possible. This led to someunconventional erection sequences.For example, the majority of the HRSG

building structural steel installation wascompleted before the erection of the HRSGitself inside the building because the structuralsteel was delivered to site early. This entailedmore man-hours and the hiring of a largercrane (to subsequently liftHRSGcomponents(all 3000 t of them) into the building throughthe roof) – ie increased expenditure – but wasjudged worthwhile because it gained aboutone month, providing some back-endcontingency in the schedule.In fact, the decision to go ahead with the

HRSGbuildingbefore theHRSGitself provedcrucial in delivering the project on schedule.

Siemens SCC5-4000F-1Spower train at Yajva


RUSSIAN FOCUS

Wheneverpossible, activities startedas soonas it was possible to start them (eg building ofthe control room), and in some casespredecessor items or perceived constraintswere ignored.Similarly, the procurement approach was

designed to minimise disruptions to theschedule. If it was considered any materialmight be subject to potential delays in delivery,alternatives were investigated and secondordersplaced.For critical items, extraordinarysteps were taken to avoid delays.Mechanical and electrical erection and

commissioning works continued when theweather was cold within heated buildings,while hydro tests and chemical cleaning of theHRSG were carried out in winter using one-off project-specific procedures.Another key measure aimed at avoiding

delay was setting up the commissioning teamearly in the project. The team was mobilisedto site ahead of time to lead quality controlactivities as well as start testing andcommissioning of available equipment andsystems. The team was flexible in terms ofwork orders and commissioning teamsupervisors not only inspected constructionwork but also completed or corrected minoritems themselves immediately without gettingbogged down in paperwork.Aswell asbuildingpowerplantsENKAalso

operates them (with three build, own andoperate natural gas fired combined cyclepower plants in Turkey, Gebze, Adapazarıand !zmir, totalling 3830 MW). Thus ENKAPower O&M teams (some 24 engineers and 39technicians) supported critical activities atYajva, on site and off site, including factoryacceptance tests and supplier qualityinspections.

Meeting Russian standardsThe main equipment for Yajva wasmanufactured according to Europeanstandards but the plant had to comply withRussian standards, requiring re-analysis andrecalculation. This is requirement is a processwe call "Russification".During the contract bidding stage of the

project, Russification was discussed with theplant owner and amechanism for risk sharingagreed.Basically, ENKAwouldbear the costsof Russification up to a certain proportion ofthe lump sum price, while the owner

committed toworkwithENKAto avoidwhatwe would regard as unwarranted insistence ofthe authorities on increased local scopeclaimed to be necessary due to therequirements of Russification.In the early stages of the project, within the

civil construction phase, a Russian qualitydocumentation team, consisting of 30engineers and technicians, most of them ofRussian nationality, was established.In the mechanical area the piping systems

contractor, CIMTAS Pipe, assumedresponsibility for Russification of their scope.This required repeating all pipe design workand calculations in accordance with theRussian norms.For the commissioning phase, to achieve

approvals and PTU acceptance, a team inMoscowwas setup toworkwith theplantowner.The approach has proved successful and the

planthasbeenrecognisedas the first combinedcycle facilty in Russia that fully meets therequirements of the grid operator in termsfrequency control.

Location, climate and transportlimitationsThe river channels employed for heavytransport are only open between May andOctober, while heavy equipment had to beland transported for the last 50 km.During the permit engineering/TEO

preparation and approval phase atransportation plan was prepared in parallelwith contract negotiations, with ENKAassuming the schedule risk and and price riskassociated with transportation, includinginfrastructure upgrades thatmight be required.In parallel with project TEO activities, designand approval of the necessary infrastructureupgrades were also accomplished.All local authorities were involved at the

very earliest stages in order to avoidunpleasant surprises later on.Among the heavy items delivered to site

were: 12 HRSG modules, each weighingbetween 109 tons and 212 tons, amounting toa total of 1771 tons, transported from SouthKorea, via Turkey; the generator, weighing343 tons, transported from the USA, viaAntwerp, Belgium; the gas turbine, weighing308 tons, transported from Germany; thesteam turbine, also transported fromGermany, in three shipments, 200t, 58t and 23t (stop/control valve assembly); and the maintransformer, weighing 282.5 t, transportedfrom Ukraine by railway.Various multi-modal transportation

methods were used, including beach landingoperations.The infrastructure upgradesincluded: construction of an unloading jetty;

building a new bridge; and strengthening anexisting bridge.

Interface with other contractorsIn terms of the interface with companiescontracted directly to the plant owner, E.ONRussia, particular issues arosewhenmilestonedates for the switchyard, cooling tower andauxiliary boiler were missed and there was amajordelay in the completionof coolingwaterpumpstationmechanical andelectricalworks.Creative engineering alternatives were

developed where delay in achieving a milestonemight have impacted on commissioningactivities. Commissioning key dates wereachievedby employing anumber ofworkaroundsolutions, such as the following: use of atemporary HV cable (to get round delay incompletionof switchyardworks); deploymentoftemporary heating & piping (to get round delayin installation of auxiliary boiler); and use oftemporary cooling water line (to get round delayin completion of cooling tower).Particularly radical action was required to

deal with delays in the cooling water pumpstation building mechanical and electricalworks. Together with the plant owner and theother contractor, a recovery planwasdrawnupand implemented to get the pump stationcompleted on time. As part of this plan ENKAagreed to work as a subcontractor under theother contractor. The imminent threat of amajor delay occurring due to the pump stationnotbeingreadyontimewas therebyeliminated.

ResultThe end result of these efforts was that theYajva project was commissioned and thecommercial operation date achieved withouta single lost time accident and ahead of theoriginal contract schedule – even thoughsufficient grounds existed for time extension.The project was executed without any

compensation claims and within the originalcontract price in full compliance withinternational and applicable Russian norms,standards and permits, to the full satisfactionof the owner/operator, E.ON Russia.The achievement of this successful outcome

wasgreatlyhelpedby the respect and trust thatbuilt upbetween theENKAandE.ONprojectteams and their determination to jointlyachieve the project objectives. Another keyfactor was the team spirit of the majorvendors, who genuinely co-operated to get thejob done rather than limiting themselves tojust a pure supply contract.The plant has operated with 99.59%

availability (excluding scheduled shutdowns)since the beginning of commercial operation,on 11 August 2011. MPS

Left: assembly ofHRSG buildingstructural steel.Right: lifting ofHRSG componentinto HRSG buildingthrough the roof

mps 0612 sample

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