power generation special issue

EBoP 05Symphony Plus hits the right note 08Introducing IEC 61850 10Service 14CEMS 18Focus on solar power 21Driving Energy Efficiency 22

Focus on Power Generation

Special Issue

Powerful solutions

™

Power and productivityfor a better world

ffwd1|11

2 FFWD Power Generation Special Issue 1|11 FFWD Power Generation Special Issue 1|11 3

Editorial Content

ffwd Power Generation Special Issue 1|11

Dear reader

I am pleased to welcome you to the

latest special issue of ffwd, the UK

customer newsletter for ABB Power

Products and Power Systems, which

focuses on our unrivalled portfolio of

products and services for the power

generation industry.

In this newsletter we aim to provide

you with a flavour of why ABB is

recognized as the largest independent

system integrator for instrumentation,

control and electrical systems in power

generation – all from a single source.

In fact, our solutions have been applied

to over 4,000 power plants around

the globe, ranging from small hydro-

electric facilities to large fossil-fuel

power stations.

I would like to highlight some articles

that cover some of the latest hot topics in

our industry. For example, on page 8 we

introduce our new Symphony Plus

distributed control system that ushers in a

new era of total plant automation. Also,

with the drive for energy efficiency

becoming ever more crucial, on page 23

we focus on our new EcoDry energy

efficient transformers. While on page 21

we look at solar energy, which is now

starting to gain momentum in the UK.

Finally, please take a look at the

augmented reality (AR) advertisement on

the back page. ABB is pioneering the use

of AR to demonstrate our leading-edge

technology, and in this case we have

used it to bring to life our approach to

waste to energy schemes – for full

instructions on how to use AR please visit

www.abb.co.uk/powergeneration and

follow the 3D link.

If you would like to comment on any of

the subjects covered in this issue, or have

suggestions for future articles, please let

us know – we are always interested to

hear from our readers.

Tony Rooney

Contacts

You can find more information on the

products and services in this issue at

www.abb.com/powergeneration

or call us on 01785�825050

For emergencies please call

ABB’s special hotline numbers:

Transformers: 0800 833211

Transmission�and�distribution: 0800 0850698

Power�generation�service: 01785 285925

Tony Rooney

ABB is a leading provider of integrated power and automation solutions for all

types of power generation and water plants. With an extensive offering that

includes electrical balance of plant, automation, instrumentation and control

systems, and service – along with more than 125 years of expertise and

innovation, and a presence in over 100 countries – ABB helps optimize

performance, improve reliability, enhance efficiency and minimize environmental

impact throughout the plant lifecycle.

05EBoP - ensuring the

balance of power

08Symphony Plus 14

Power Generation

Service

21Focus on solar power

ffwd 1/11 • The customer newsletter of ABB Power Products and Power Systems • Subscription Newsletter available as printed or electronic copy. Subscribe

online at www.abb.com/ffwd • Contact and feedback [email protected] • Publisher ABB Limited, Power Systems Division, Oulton Road, Stone,

Staffordshire St15 0RS. Phone 01785 825050

4 Comprehensive power plant systems

5 Electrical balance of plant

8 Symphony Plus

12 BoilerMax and MEGATROL

14 Protecting customer investment

16 Frequency converters save energy

18 Continuous Emissions Monitoring Solutions

20 ABB’s retrofit and upgrade service provides

a new lease of life for MV switchgear

21 Focus on solar power

22 Driving energy-efficiency globally

ABB is supplying equipment for a new

waste-to-energy facility currently being

constructed by Energie Wasser Bern. The

facility will be the first of its kind in Europe,

integrating a clean biomass-fired power

station and combined cycle gas turbine

plant. It will replace an existing waste

incinerator, which is around 35 years old

and has reached the end of its technical

service life.

In addition to the integrated electrical

and process control systems for the entire

plant, ABB is also responsible for the

high-voltage power grid connection to the

capital city of Bern. The new plant is

scheduled for commissioning in 2012.

With an annual incineration capacity of

110,000 metric tons of waste and

112,000 metric tons of wood, the facility

will generate about 250,000 megawatt

hours (MWh) of thermal energy and

338,000 MWh of electricity per year,

significantly reducing Bern’s dependence

on external power supplies.

The new installation is an integral

part of the city’s long-term district

heating and electricity plan, and at the

same time will deploy a futuristic

recycling concept that can dispose of

waste in an environmentally friendly and

sustainable manner.

Fuel supply

(Conveyor or compressor) Motors,

variable-frequency drives

Fuel supply

Motors, variable frequency drives,

instrumentation

Boiler and steam line motors,

instrumentation, boiler controls,

boiler management systems

Cooling water system motors,

instrumentation

Turbine/generator and condensate

excitation/AVR, transformers, static

starting devices, instrumentation,

turbine controls, turbine hydraulics,

protection systems, motors,

frequency converter

Extraction pump motors,

instrumentation

Cooling water system medium

voltage switchgear, motor,

instrumentation

Boiler feedwater motors, variable-

frequency drives, softstart,

instrumentation

De-aerator Instrumentation

Electrical medium voltage breaker

and switchgear

Electric power output generator

circuit breakers, generator leads,

generator step-up transformer,

auxiliary transformer, high voltage

breakers and switchgear

Control room data recording, DCS,

HIS, optimization

Stack and scrubbers

instrumentation, medium voltage

breakers and switchgear, motors,

variable-frequency drives.

ABB’s integration experts create added customer value by deliveringcomprehensive, fully integrated power plant systems for instrumentation, control and Electrical Balance of Plant (EBoP) – including medium voltage breakers andswitchgear, motor control centres, auxiliary transformers and low voltage equipment.This diagram provides an overview of ABB’s scope of power plant solutions.

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FFWD Power Generation Special Issue 1|11 5

EBoP

4 FFWD Power Generation Special Issue 1|11

Comprehensive power plant systems

Power plant capability

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ABB has the capability, experience and

in-house technologies to deliver turnkey

electrical balance of power (EBoP)

systems and plant packages tailored to a

wide variety of plant, such as oil- and

gas-fired combined-cycle power plants,

coal-fired boiler power plants and hydro-

electric plants, as well as industrial-sized

turbine and boiler power applications.

ABB’s EBoP service covers every

electrical control and instrumentation

system and component in the power

plant, apart from the generator and

turbine. This includes a broad portfolio of

products and solutions that provide a

single source of supply for both new build

and refurbishments projects, from high

voltage down to the low voltage level.

ABB takes responsibility for the

complete engineering, supply,

manufacture, delivery to site, installation,

commissioning, testing and quality of the

EBoP package. Direct control over all

engineering and project management

functions enables ABB to ensure the best

performance and quality of engineering

workmanship and deliveries.

Through innovative electrical power

applications, ABB helps utilities to build

and maintain reliable power systems

installations safely and efficiently,

providing cost-effective solutions that

guarantee results.

ABB has supplied turnkey EBoP

solutions to a wide variety of projects

worldwide, resulting in these benefits:

• Integrated solution

• Reduced project risk

• Optimization of the

complete system

• Improved plant efficiency

• Pre-tested plant configurations

• Reduced overall project cost

• Reduced number of interfaces

• Consistent technology approach

and spares strategy

• Improved project delivery

• Reduced commissioning time

and cost

• Complete system approach to

meet compliance and local

regulations

• Common platform that minimizes

the required investment in

hardware spares, reduced training

needs and eliminates the need for

serial interfaces.

EBoP – balance of power

Complete electrical and process control solutionfor waste-to-energy plant in Switzerland

building to provide the connection to

National Grid’s transmission system.

ABB’s ELK3 switchgear proved the ideal

choice here, since its compact, state-of-

the-art design enabled it to meet EDF

Energy’s requirements for performance,

reliability, safety, minimal maintenance

and low environmental impact within a

very small installation footprint.

West Burton protection

and control systems

For the West Burton project, ABB

implemented a comprehensive, custom-

engineered protection and control

system, based on its NICAP (National

scheme for Integrated Control and

Protection) philosophy and incorporating

the very latest Relion 670 IEDs. This

system facilitates fully independent

control of the West Burton AIS and GIS

substations from three points – at each

substation and the power station. Even if

two control points should fail, the system

can still be operated, ensuring a high level

of availability.

E.ON selected ABB to help boost the

performance of each of the four 500 MW

units at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in

Nottinghamshire by providing a high-

performance grid connection.

The 2,000 MW Ratcliffe-on-Soar

coal-fired power plant is one of the most

efficient coal-fired generating facilities in

the country, and has broken several UK

records for plant availability and the

volume of power produced.

The solution delivered by ABB to the

E.ON plant includes the latest HECS

generator circuit breakers (GCBs) and

IEC 61850 devices to ensure the

reliable transfer of power to National

Grid. ABB’s new HECS GCBs feature

innovative technology that has

improved performance by more than

25 percent, while simultaneously

reducing the footprint, weight, noise

levels and maintenance requirements of

these critical power plant components.

The solution also includes unit

protection systems based on ABB’s

ground-breaking REC670 Intelligent

Electronic Devices (IEDs), which provide

a comprehensive package of benefits

that improve grid reliability, safety,

productivity and system integration. The

solution is fully compliant with the IEC

61850 standard.

ABB’s market-leading UniGear

medium voltage switchgear was also

instrumental in winning the order,

thanks to its ability to provide protection

against fault currents of up to 53 kA.

E.ON also selected ABB’s fifth

generation of automatic synchronizing

equipment, SYNCHROTACT 5, to

synchronize the generators with the

power lines, further improving grid

reliability and availability. ABB is

performing the modernization at the rate

of one unit a year, with completion

scheduled for 2013.


EBoP


EBoP

Performance boost for Ratcliffe-on-Soar

Making the connection for West Burton CCGT power stationThe broad scope and flexibility of ABB’s

HV substation technology came to the

fore in a project to connect EDF Energy’s

new 1,300 MW Combined Cycle Gas

Turbine (CCGT) power station at West

Burton, Nottinghamshire to the National

Grid. Not only has ABB constructed a

completely new turnkey 400 kV Air

Insulated Switchgear (AIS) outdoor

substation and upgraded an existing

indoor 400 kV substation with the latest

Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS)

technology, it has also implemented a

comprehensive, tailor-made, centralized

protection and control system that

interfaces with both substations and the

power station.

The new CCGT power station features

six generator circuits in groups of two –

steam and gas combined-cycle –

providing three units. ABB’s task was to

design, build and commission a new AIS

substation, based on its well proven HPL

400 kV circuit breakers, to bank the six

incoming transformer bays together in a

busbar arrangement that connects into

two outgoing 400 kV underground cable

circuits. The project was completed on

time for handover in 2010.

The two underground cable circuits

feed into a substation located 1 km away,

where ABB constructed two new 400 kV

GIS bays within an existing indoor AIS

ABB has carried out a grid connection

project for RWE npower at Pembroke

400 kV grid substation, in southwest

Wales, for a new 2.1 GW CCGT power

station. The power station, due to come

on line in 2011, is a five-unit plant, with

each unit comprising a gas turbine and

steam turbine on a single shaft.

The original 400 kV indoor substation

was constructed in the 1960s to support

an oil-fired power plant, now demolished.

Four of the old bays plus one spare were

made available for the new works. The

primary connection element at Pembroke

uses a hybrid version of the well proven

ELK 400 kV Plug and Switch System

(PASS) switchgear but with the AIS

coupling built in. This enabled the

replacement bays to be constructed

within a much smaller footprint.

The protection systems uses National

Grid-approved standardized IEDs, namely

the REC670 bay control unit and

REB670 low-impedance connection

protection. The SCS control system

features a combined panel-mounted

computer/monitor that uses the latest

touch screen technology.

Refurbished substation forPembroke power station


Plant automation


Plant automation

The launch of Symphony Plus, the latest

generation of ABB’s Symphony family of

distributed control systems, continues

ABB’s tradition of delivering power

generation software that helps drive plant

productivity and energy-efficiency, as well

as enhanced operational security, plant

safety and lower total cost of ownership.

Commenting on the launch, Franz-

Josef Mengede, head of ABB’s power

generation business, said, “With the

launch of Symphony Plus, we are taking

the Symphony success story to the next

level, ushering in a new era of total plant

automation that is simple, scalable,

seamless and secure.

“With Symphony Plus, we help

balance performance objectives like

asset availability, operational reliability

and production efficiency with business

goals like asset life extension, carbon

reduction and regulatory compliance –

providing plant owners with an essential

tool for achieving sustainable and

profitable growth.”

Total plant automation

Symphony Plus meets a broad

spectrum of plant configurations and

applications, especially in the power and

water industries. It is flexible and scalable;

designed to serve the needs of

everything from small, serverless

applications to large multi-system,

multi-server architectures.

Symphony Plus supports the seamless

integration of field devices, process and

turbine automation systems, electrical

and Supervisory Control and Data

Acquisition (SCADA) solutions, as well as

business and maintenance systems.

It provides users with a secure, reliable

control environment and built-in security

features that prevent unauthorized

system access.

Since its introduction over 30 years

ago, the Symphony family has gone

through several evolutionary changes.

Symphony Plus hits the right noteNew distributed control system to meet current and futureneeds of power generation utilities.

Through ABB’s ‘evolution without

obsolescence’ lifecycle policy, each

generation of the family builds on

and enhances its predecessors,

while protecting the customer’s

previous control system investments.

There are now more than 6,000

Symphony systems installed worldwide,

making it one of the widest deployed

process automation systems in the world.

Symphony Plus provides users with a

comprehensive view of the plant by

integrating data from all plant areas and

systems, including turbine control,

electrical balance of plant and remote

SCADA systems. Through its open

architecture, Symphony Plus seamlessly

consolidates and rationalizes plant data to

improve operator response to changing

conditions, so improving plant safety

and uptime.

Transforms data into actionable

business decisions

Information is the key to successful

business performance. In Symphony

Plus Operations, historical, process

and business data is collected

from across the plant and stored

securely. Transforming data into

meaningful information, Symphony

Plus Operations presents pertinent, easy-

to-understand information in intuitive

desktop displays to all levels of

the organization.

Unified engineering workbench

Short time to production is the measure

of engineering efficiency, Symphony

Plus Engineering provides a world-class

integrated engineering environment,

with the functionality required to

engineer, configure, administrate, secure,

commission and maintain any Symphony

Plus component.

Single control and I/O platform

Symphony Plus provides total plant

automation from a single control and

I/O platform that encompasses

dedicated interface modules and devices

for all turbine types, OEMs and sizes, as

well as an unparalleled selection of

combustion instruments.

Electrical and device integration

Symphony Plus provides process and

electrical control from a single platform.

Using open standard protocols like IEC

61850 and Modbus TCP, Symphony Plus

integrates electrical devices with process

control and plant operations. It provides

full integration of just about every type of

device, and enables the monitoring and

management of all plant assets at all

levels of the plant.

System security

ABB understands the need to maintain a

secure, reliable control environment while

expending minimal time and effort.

In addition to the many security features

of Symphony Plus, ABB actively

participates in several major control

system security standards committees.

The guidance provided by these

committees is designed to increase the

integrity and confidentiality of all system

functions and help prevent unauthorized

control system access.

System 800xA

ABB will continue to deliver and support

800xA, our mainstream offering for the

process industries (and its specific add-

ons for power generation) when and

where it is required.


Plant automation


Plant automation

ABB is providing a System 800xA power

generation distributed control system for

RWE npower’s new 2,000 MW power

plant at Pembroke in Wales, which will be

the largest and most efficient combined

cycle power plant in the UK. The order

comes on the strength of a similar ABB

solution for RWE npower’s new

1,650 MW combined cycle power plant

at Staythorpe.

The new combined cycle power plant

at Pembroke will consist of five Alstom

KA26 single-shaft units with a combined

capacity of 2,000 MW. The plant is being

built on a site that previously housed an

oil-fired power plant. Construction is

expected to take three years.

ABB is providing a fully integrated

distributed control system based on

System 800xA for Power Generation for

all five units at Pembroke. The solution

includes: workstations for operators,

maintenance and engineering personnel;

a monitoring station for management;

process stations for the five units and the

plant’s common system; and interfaces

to field devices like the Continuous

Emission Monitoring System (CEMS),

gas chromatography system, cleaning

system, water treatment plant and

other subsystems.

It also includes Power Generation

Information Manager (PGIM), with an

expansion option for integrated alarm

management in accordance with EEMUA

191. The package is completed by

ABB’s EGATROL and TURBOTROL gas

and steam turbine process control

systems, which together form a

completely integrated process control

system that provides extended

visualization of the plant.

Controlling the UK’s largestcombined cycle power plant

With its standardized model of the IED

and its data and communication services,

IEC 61850 ensures interoperability

between electrical devices from different

vendors and is able to replace all the

typical protocols found in the substation

automation domain. Based on Ethernet

technology and providing a flexible and

open system architecture, IEC 61850

makes the application future-proof over

the entire system lifecycle. Integration

with IEC 61850 also makes it possible to

connect the electrical world with the

process control world.

Relion family

The key enabler of the IEC 61850

standard is the new generation of IEDs,

such as ABB’s innovative new Relion®

family developed specifically to implement

its core values through full native

compliance. For example, a single and

uniquely powerful IED like the REG670

can protect the entire generator and grid

connection unit of a power plant. It

provides, for instance, differential

protection for the generator, step-up

transformer and auxiliary power

transformer, as well as all the usual

functionality normally required to protect

and control those components. Similar

degrees of protection and control are

provided by other products in the Relion

family for the various MV and HV

components in the power plant.

It is now possible for all the plant

automation and electrical systems to be

integrated by an ABB solution via the IEC

61850 interface. Field instrumentation

and LV and MV process electrification

(drives, motors, LV switchgear, etc) would

typically be integrated with fieldbus

technologies. Integration of the power

generation and power distribution MV and

HV equipment is via the IEC 61850

interface, which communicates both

horizontally with the other fieldbuses and

vertically with the IEDs and ABB’s power

management system. The result is the

integration of the process control,

process electrification and power

management systems.

IEC 61850 was originally defined

exclusively for substation automation

systems (including protection

applications). It has since been

extended to other application areas.

These are automation of wind power

systems, hydro-power systems, and

distributed energy resources such as

combined heat and power systems or

photovoltaic plants. The fact that

the standard is being applied in the

domain of distributed energy resources

indicates the significance of IEC 61850 for

smart grids.

Introducing IEC 61850IEC 61850 is acknowledged as the global communications standard forsubstation automation and power distribution systems. Issued by theInternational Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 2004, it represents ahuge step forward in simplifying the integration of protection and controlIEDs (intelligent electronic devices)

MEGATROL is a smart and compact

solution that combines the UNITROL

6800 SES and MEGADRIVE-LCI Static

Frequency Converter (SFC) in one

container. The use of ABB’s powerful AC

800PEC controller for both systems

results in lower costs for the customer,

both in terms of spare parts and training

of maintenance staff. MEGATROL is an

attractive solution for gas turbine,

combined-cycle and pumped storage

power plant applications.

UNITROL 6000 is ABB’s latest and most

powerful generation of Static Excitation

Systems (SES) and Automatic Voltage

Regulators (AVR), designed to deliver

high-performance control for all kinds of

synchronous generators and motors.

Available for output currents up to

10,000 A (DC) and ceiling voltages up to

2,000 V (DC), the range makes a highly

efficient contribution to network stability.

The UNITROL 6000 product range

uses the AC 800PEC controller, which

has been developed as an extension

of the System 800xA control platform

to meet the particular high-speed

control requirements of power electronics

applications such as medium voltage

drives, frequency converters and high-

current rectifiers. The compatibility of the

System 800xA application software tool

with the AC 800PEC platform is an

additional important advantage.

For maximum flexibility, UNITROL

6000 is based on reusable thyristor

bridge modules. Depending on output

current and requested availability,

the modules can be connected in

parallel. In the case of three or more

parallel modules, the current

sharing among the modules is

actively optimized.

The architecture of the main controller

depends on availability requirements.

While two identical control channels

are state-of-the-art for larger generators,

high-end applications may require an

additional independent back-up

controller, which can be implemented in

the UNITROL 6000 system. The

connection between the various

controllers is by fibre-optic serial

communication. This ensures electrical

isolation and highest possible

EMC immunity.

BoilerMax installations

BoilerMax has been successfully

operating for over four years at four E.ON

power plants in Germany – Staudinger,

Ingolstadt, Zolling and Heyden – where

it has achieved some remarkable

reductions in fuel consumption.

Savings of between 10 and 20

percent in the cost of each start-up

have been consistently recorded since

installation. This equates to annual

savings of between US$125,000

and US$250,000 for the approx imately

100 start-ups a year that a

typical, average capacity power

plant performs.

The installations cover coal-,

gas-, and oil-fired plants of varying

generating capacities:

• Staudinger 4 – 622 MW |

as-fired unit

• Ingolstadt 4 – 420 MW oil-fired unit

• Zolling – 450 MW coal-fired unit

• Heyden – 950 MW coal-fired unit.

BoilerMax is integrated with ABB’s

System 800xA control system at

Ingolstadt and Zolling, and with ABB’s

earlier Procontrol P unit control system at

Staudinger and Heyden.


Boiler control and optimization


In their search for improved power plant

efficiency, engineers are focusing on the

effects of start-up procedures and load

cycles. ABB has responded by

developing the BoilerMax control software

packages that automatically calculate the

optimal start-up strategy for steam

generators. This approach can achieve

savings of 10 to 20 per cent of the costs

for fuel and auxiliary power per start-up.

This control concept employs the

principle of feed-forward control as a way

of ‘acting rather than reacting’ to the

process. BoilerMax uses a non-linear

model of the process, where the most

important dynamic behaviour of the boiler

components relevant to cold, warm

and hot start-ups are simulated,

while also taking into account basic

conditions such as the maximum

permissible loads of critical thick

-walled components or the respective

minimum flow rates.

In their search forimproved power plantefficiency, engineers arefocusing on the effects of start-up proceduresand load cycles.

Boileroptimizationsystems

Boiler control and optimization

UNITROL 6000 – SES and AVR

MEGATROL combined solution

Challenging upgrade for Tilbury power stationRWE npower’s coal-fired power station at

Tilbury, on the Thames Estuary to the east

of London, has been in operation since

1968, and is currently capable of

generating a total of 1,059 MW. Although

the plant was scheduled to be taken out

of service by 2015, RWE npower decided

to retrofit its three power-generating units.

This decision was driven by the condition

of the existing equipment, as well as RWE

npower’s commitment to ensure safe and

reliable operation of the station.

ABB’s technical expertise and

extensive experience in retrofitting

solutions helped it secure the upgrade

order. Three new UNITROL 5000 SESs

with dual auto channels, excitation

transformers and high-voltage cable

connections, replaced the existing

rotating AC exciters, static diode

rectifiers, permanent magnet generators

and field breakers.

The ABB team designed an optimized

system layout that had the added benefit

of reducing the installation effort required.

In view of the limited lifetime of the

station, ABB suggested that the most

cost-effective approach was to have a

non-redundant configuration of the

UNL14300 power converter with the

withdrawable option, and a spare

converter bridge to enable a quick

repair solution. The Excitation Control

Terminal and the Ethernet connection

with OPC protocol were further options

that enabled simplified operation,

monitoring and maintenance of the new

excitation systems.

The new equipment successfully met

the current Grid Code requirements,

which had been revised on several

occasions since the beginning of the

plant’s operation. The dual-channel

configuration of UNITROL 5000 signifi-

cantly improves the availability of the

plant, while the integrated power system

stabilizer (PSS) function contributes to the

stability of the network, as demonstrated

during the grid acceptance test. The first

unit was commissioned in 2006 and the

last in October 2007. All three units have

been in successful operation ever since.


Power Generation Service


ABB Power Generation Service is a single

seamless organization that offers total

service support for power generation

assets, covering instrumentation, control

and electrical systems, as well as project

delivery and consultancy. The key to its

success is a team of highly skilled and

experienced professionals that provide a

whole-life approach to the service

support of power generation assets, with

the focus on keeping critical plants in

optimum condition.

The main elements in ABB’s Power

Generation Service portfolio are:

• continuous access to innovations

• operational improvements

• life-time extension

• evolution and integration of existing

installations

• remote support and diagnostics

• structured maintenance planning.

Electrical infrastructure service

An integral feature of ABB’s Power

Generation Service is its support for power

plant electrical infrastructure. This service

covers everything from routine inspection

and maintenance of an 11 kV network,

through major transformer repair and

upgrade projects, to the construction

management, installation and commissioning

of a new 400 kV GIS substation.

Scottish Power’s GSU transformer

now ‘better than new’

ABB’s fast-track transformer

remanufacturing service recently

completed its greatest ever challenge, to

repair a failed generator step-up

(GSU) transformer at Scottish Power’s

Longannet power station in Fife,

Scotland. At a dry shipping weight of

270 tonnes, the transformer was the

largest single unit ever repaired by ABB.

A major element of this project was to

devise a method of safely transporting the

failed transformer to ABB’s specialized

facility in Drammen, Norway. After

considering a number of options and

carrying out risk assessments, the GSU

unit was lifted out of the power station

and on to a barge using a special land-

based crane. The barge was then towed

to the nearest port and trans-shipped for

the sea voyage to Drammen.

At the end of 2010, the GSU

transformer, restored to ‘better than new’

condition, was placed back on its

operating plinth at the power station.

Protecting customer investment by stepwise evolution andupdating of instrumentation, control and electrical systems.



Repair takes transformer factory

to the site

When the GSU transformer at the

Edenderry Power Station in Ireland began

to fail, ABB recommended a different

approach from the traditional one of

returning the unit to the factory for repair.

In this case, the service team took the

factory to the customer, so avoiding the

major disruption and costly loss of

production that would have resulted from

sending the unit away.

The project was completed in just

three weeks. Furthermore, the total cost

of the exercise was around one-tenth of

the cost of a brand new transformer

which, based on current lead times,

would have probably taken two years to

manufacture and deliver.

ABB’s service team was called in when

Edenderry Power noticed a problem with

gassing of the transformer, indicating that

it could be about to fail. After analysing

daily gas samples and carrying out

diagnostics, an internal fault was located

on the low-voltage connections.

With each day of lost generation likely

to cost the customer over £100,000,

sending it away for factory repair was out

of the question. ABB’s on-site repair team

swung into action. First the transformer

was decommissioned and moved to a

spare building at the power station, which

had been converted into a fully-equipped

temporary workshop, complete with

clean room. Working around the clock,

the ABB team de-tanked the transformer,

repaired it, reassembled it and tested it on

the spot. The work was carried out to

exactly the same high standards that

would be expected of a factory repair,

with every phase conducted strictly to

ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 procedures.

DCS console upgrade for Connah’s

Quay power station

In 2009 ABB completed a major contract

for E.ON UK to replace the existing VAX-

based operator stations at its 1,420 MW

Connah’s Quay Combined Cycle Gas

Turbine Power Station at Deeside, North

Wales with new Microsoft Windows-

based power generation portal consoles.

The existing SODG graphics used on

the current OIS-40 series consoles were

converted to power generation portal

(PGP) graphics. The upgrade project

replaced existing OIS-40 series consoles

with state-of-the- art technology suitable

for meeting the power station’s needs for

the foreseeable future.

Key considerations in the new

system were to achieve backward

compatibility for existing graphics and

retaining the existing ‘look and feel’ of this

part of the system.

The contract included the supply

and installation of a wide range of

necessary network interfaces, switches

and peripherals as well as cabling,

desks and alarms. In addition,

ABB provided installation and

commissioning, inspection and testing,

training and spares.

Efficiency boost for organic

power plant

An ABB System 800xA installation in

Europe’s largest organically-fuelled

electricity generator has helped improve

energy-efficiency at the 38.5 MW plant.

The contract, for Energy Power

Resources Limited in Thetford, UK called

for ABB to provide an overview of the

entire plant operation by transferring

hard-wired data from existing panels into

the new System 800xA control system,

and installing a central control desk along

with new operator work places.

ABB integrated separate displays into

a single large display, while its power

generation information management

system now enables a company-wide

reporting system for processes and

production that can be easily expanded

to serve all EPR’s power plants in future.

The upgrade was part of ABB’s

‘Evolution’ lifecycle support strategy,

which allows owners and operators to

upgrade existing equipment over time. It

is designed to enable continuous

operation while upgrades are achieved

through a series of small, cost-effective

steps, to meet the needs of changing

business environments.

Two compressed-air operated generator

circuit breakers (GCBs), located between

the generator units and the step-up

transformers, provide vital protection for

the electrical systems at British Energy’s

Torness AGR nuclear power station. ABB

provides regular service and maintenance

support to keep the GCBs in optimum

condition. When the Unit 2 GCB became

due for its major overhaul, scheduled at

six-year intervals, the work had to be

completed within the short space of time

available during the power station’s

statutory outage.

ABB’s service team rose to the

challenge of stripping down the GCB

completely and inspecting and testing

every movable component, and replacing

them as necessary. Thanks to detailed

logistical planning and the coordinated

support of the ABB switchgear factory in

Switzerland for spare parts, the project

was completed in just three weeks.

GCB overhaul for Torness power station


Frequency control


For example, the consumption of auxiliary

power significantly affects the efficiency

of the power generation. So reducing the

demand for auxiliary power by utilizing

intelligent frequency converters for the

speed control of pumps and fans is

therefore economically attractive as well

as being technically feasible.

Variable-speed drives, based on

hydraulic turbine-control couplings, fans

with line-side swirl controls or throttling

systems in media cycles are

characterized by high power losses.

Speed controls using frequency

converters offer low loss rates, high

dynamics, output frequency bands

greater than 50 Hz, and good overload

behaviour. Consequently, they are suited

to controlling electric motors within their

speed range – not just for load ranges of

a few kW but also for motors in the

MW range. Energy savings through

implementing frequency converters can

be up to 30 percent.

ACS 1000 saves energy at GKM

The Grosskraftwerk Mannheim

Aktiengesellschaft’s (GKM) coal-fired

power plant in Mannheim, Germany

is one of the largest and most

modern of its kind in Europe.

When the boiler plant in Block 6 was

recently restructured, GKM took the

opportunity to fit two of the three boiler

feed pumps with ABB’s high-efficiency

ACS 1000 drives. The result is a

25% energy saving and a short return

on investment.

Previously, the three boiler feed pumps

were directly connected to the 6 kV grid

and regulated by hydraulic clutches.

This inefficient set-up was wasting

over 1 MW of heat energy per pump.

By contrast, the ACS 1000 drives provide

the electrical output actually required,

directly to the pump drive motor. This not

only saves energy, it reduces carbon

dioxide emissions by some 850 kg

per hour.

ABB modernized two of the three

boiler feed pumps – the third pump

serves as a stand-by. ABB provided a

complete package for each pump,

including a robust RESIBLOC feed

transformer, an ACS 1000 medium-

voltage AC drive, a star-delta

reconnection of the existing 6 kV machine

and its complete overhaul.

Frequency control

Water steam cycle sampling systems

Water steam cycle sampling systems –

sometimes known as Steam Water

Analytical System (SWAS) – are self-

contained systems that monitor the

quality of the water and steam produced

via the power plant Heat Recovery Steam

Generator (HRSG) and turbine.

Process parameters such as pH,

conductivity, dissolved oxygen, sodium

and silica are monitored to ensure that the

values in the steam and water do not

exceed the limits indicated by the turbine

manufacturers. This avoids potentially

damaging build-up of solids/corrosion on

the turbine blades that would result in

very expensive re-blading of the turbine.

The samples from the plant are

continuously monitored via the ABB

analysers and any changes in the process

can be checked and the associated

dosing of the water/steam can be made

to ensure its specification is kept within

the plant operating limits.

ABB has vast experience of

supplying SWAS packages to steam-

raising plants globally, including

combined-cycle power plants. In a recent

contract, five water steam circuit

cabins, complete with five separate

hotwell condenser monitoring racks, were

supplied for a 2,165 MW gas-fired

combined cycle gas turbine plant

in the UK.

Intelligent motor control centres

for Drax

Drax Power Limited owns and operates

the largest, cleanest and

most efficient coal-fired power plant in

the UK, currently meeting seven

percent of the UK’s electricity needs.

The output capacity of Drax’s six

generators is4,000 MW, making

Drax nearly twice the size of the

next-largest coal-fired power station

in the UK.

Drax Power Station undertook

the largest biomass co-firing project

in the world, in which renewable

biomass is burnt alongside coal to

produce electricity. The multi-million

pound 400 MW facility, alongside its

existing 100 MW co-firing facility, provides

Drax with the capability to produce

12.5 per cent of its power generation

from renewable sources, and is a key

element in its goal to reduce carbon

dioxide emissions.

The new co-firing facility enables the

power station to receive, handle, store

and process a variety of biomass

materials before they are directly

injected into Drax’s coal-fired boilers

where they are burnt alongside coal.

ABB has played a vital role in the project

by supplying its MNS iS intelligent motor

control centres – the first time they

have been used in a UK power

generation installation.

The MNS iS platform sets a new

benchmark in low voltage switchgear and

motor control. It incorporates a number of

distinct elements:

• Increased personnel safety

• Standard power modules

• Integrated control schematics

• Asset monitoring

• User interfaces.

ABB supplied a total of nine 415V

MNS iS units, together with close-

coupled 11 kV/433 V cast resin

transformers and ACS 800 variable speed

drives. ABB also contributed to the Drax

EBoP by supplying the 11 kV

infrastructure including a 22-panel

UniGear ZS1 switchboard and REF542

plus protection relays.

The efficiency levels of existing coal-fired power plants can be enhanced in many ways.

Frequency converters save energy

Stringent European and UK legislation imposes statutory limits ongaseous and dust emissions to the atmosphere from industrial plant.


Analytics


Analytics

In either case, ABB Process Analytics

custom-engineers the CEMS for each

application at its UK engineering and

build centre. ABB Process Analytics

typically integrates into the emissions

monitoring system dust measurements

using MCERTS-approved particulate

analysers, and flow measurements, so

that mass flow emissions calculations can

be offered to the EA. Furthermore,

sophisticated data capture and reporting

software is provided to make all the

calculations required.

In order to meet the requirements for

97 per cent availability, many plant

owners duplicate their gas and dust

analysers to provide duty and standby

pairs. ABB Process Analytics often

engineers duplicated systems, and takes

care to duplicate power supplies,

communication highways to plant control

systems, and data capture systems. Such

systems, and even simple single

analysers, are supplied by ABB Process

Analytics in a self-contained analyser

house, designed specifically to meet each

site’s requirements. On-site installation

and hook-up time is minimized.

All CEMS require maintenance, at least

semi-annually, as is the case for ABB

analysers. Therefore, buyers also pay

attention to the service capabilities of

their selected CEMS vendor. ABB

Process Analytics assures post-sales

support for its customers by retaining a

team of 13 service engineers and back-

up staff, dedicated to the commissioning,

maintenance and service of CEMS.

More than 40 ABB CEMS are installed

at most of the major power generation

companies in the UK. Recent CEMS

contracts include new power stations on

the Isle of Grain and in Devon.

More than 70 ACF-NT CEMS are

installed at waste incineration plants in

the UK, and more than 1,000 have been

installed worldwide. Recent CEMS

installations have been carried out at new

municipal waste incinerators under

construction in East Sussex and on the

south bank of the Thames Estuary.

Uvisor SF810i flame scanner with

SIL-2 certification

ABB has combined its two highly

successful flame scanner product lines,

Uvisor and Safe Flame DFS, into a new

advanced Flame Scanner, the Uvisor

SF810i. This is a multi-fuel, SIL-2 certified

scanner designed to provide stable and

reliable information on both the flame

consistency and the flame quality in utility

and industrial boiler burners.

In a single robust housing, the

Uvisor SF810i embeds state-of-the-art

technology including:

• Solid-state sensor module –

covering the whole flame-radiant

spectrum (UV-Vis-IR and dual

sensor UVIR).

• Signal Processor Unit – an

extremely powerful module to run

the ABB proprietary flame analysis

process. Live measurement of the

dynamic flame parameters are

constantly subjected to an

extensive fail-to-safe validation

routine, prior to indicating the

flame status.

• Communication drivers – two

redundant Profibus DP-V1 links (or

alternatively Modbus standard), are

available to provide high-speed data

transfer to an external monitoring

and supervisory system.

• Termination and configuration board

– with local display and push-

buttons to allow the preliminary set-

up and online aiming assistance. All

I/O terminations are available on

screw-type removable connectors.

The Uvisor SF810i flame scanner is

available with accessories for the

following installations:

• Line of sight (LOS) for wall-fired

burner boilers

• Fibre optic cable (FOC) with outer

guide pipe, cooling hose and fitting

flanges for corner-fired tilting

burner boilers.

The PC-based Flame Explorer

package provides extended set-up,

parameter file archiving, groups view and

advanced diagnostics, including flame

raw data, real-time and historical trends

of up to 254 networked scanner heads.

Continuous EmissionsMonitoring

Solutions(CEMS)

Power generators must comply with

the Large Combustion Plant Directive –

LCPD (Directive 2001/80/EC), and

incinerators of waste materials must

comply with the Waste Incineration

Directive – WID (Directive 2000/76/EC).

ABB Process Analytics manufactures

emissions monitoring solutions to help

plant owners meet these

compliance needs.

Operators of power plant of greater

than 50 MW capacity are required to

measure SOx and NOx emissions

continuously. Operators of waste

incinerators – which can range from small

biomass plants of less than 5MW to

large-scale municipal waste incinerators

greater than 200MW – are required to

measure the same gases and also

typically CO, HCl, NH3, TOC and

sometimes HF.

The LCPD and WID directives place

obligations on plant owners to ensure that

CEMS are available for not less than 97

per cent of the time. Furthermore, owners

of plant operating under WID are obliged

to stop their processes – and therefore

suffer a loss of revenue – if their CEMS fail

for more than 4 hours.

ISO and EN standards define the

performance, reliability and maintenance

requirements of the gas analysers

in CEMS. These requirements are

regulated in the UK by the Environment

Agency (EA).

Plant owners are obliged to report to

the EA their annual emissions statistics,

and to report occasions when emissions

limits are exceeded. Buyers of CEMS,

therefore, attribute the greatest

importance to meeting these legislative

demands, and selecting gas analysers

that provide the reliability and

performance demanded. ABB Process

Analytics gas analysers are approved

under the EA’s type testing scheme called

MCERTS, and they comply with the

demands for ongoing Quality Assurance

of CEMS defined by EN14181, so that

buyers are assured that ABB provides

instruments fit for purpose.

ABB Process Analytics gas analysers

used for CEMS have been designed and

manufactured for almost 100 years. Only

proven analytical methods are used. For

LCPD power generators, the AO2000

series of infra-red and ultra-violet

photometric analysers are used,

packaged into the ACX system.

For WID incineration processes, ACF-

NT Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR)

spectrometers are used. Both methods

extract a sample of representative gas

from the process – usually the final

chimney – to a floor-mounted, accessible

and weather-proofed analyser cabinet.

ABB’s retrofitand upgradeservice providesa new lease of life for MVswitchgear


Solar energy


This new service offers a very cost-

effective alternative to the complete

replacement of outdated switchboards by

offering a new lease of life for existing

installations, with the emphasis on

increased safety and reliability as well as

enhanced functionality. In many cases,

the original fixed switchgear housing is in

good condition and can be retained. This

makes it possible to extend its life by a

further 25 years simply by replacing the

circuit breaker and/or the protection

relays, making it the ideal option for mid-

life upgrade projects.

A key advantage of the retrofit and

upgrade service is that it provides a

bespoke approach, drawing on ABB’s

wide range of MV products and

technologies to offer the ideal, cost-

effective solution for every installation.

The solution also comes with the full

technical support and backup of ABB’s

UK-wide service team.

The service is tailored to meet the

needs of all operators of medium voltage

(MV) distribution networks from 3.3 kV up

to 11 kV, including utilities, DNOs and

industrial or commercial customers. It

covers the supply of an ‘all-new’ design

incorporating new primary and secondary

contacts and bushings etc.

The new equipment is manufactured

and tested at the factory and delivered to

site by ABB ready for installation.

This means that the existing switchgear

can be kept in operation right up until the

change-over, minimizing potential delays

and production downtime.

ABB has launched a bespoke retrofit and upgrade service thatnow enables outdated and ageing oil or airblast medium voltage(MV) switchgear from the majority of UK suppliers to be upgradedto the latest vacuum circuit breaker technology.

Retrofit

Focus on solar power

Since then, ABB has pioneered many of

photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar

power (CSP) technologies, which have

been developed and deployed worldwide.

As a result, ABB has built up a unique

expertise in how best to harness, control

and store solar energy and efficiently

convert it into reliable electricity, ready for

transfer into the local power grid.

Complete solar portfolio

ABB’s portfolio of products, systems and

solutions ranges from turnkey

PV plants to complete power and

automation solutions for CSP plants and

for commercial, industrial and residential

rooftop PV installations. In addition,

ABB offers a complete portfolio of

lifecycle services – including remote

monitoring and diagnostics – to ensure

the efficient and cost-effective operation

of solar power.

Fast-track PV plants

ABB offers a fast-track modular concept

for turnkey PV plants – a ‘one partner,

one solution’ answer to the needs of

customers operating in the global

PV market. This approach combines a

high level of customization, rapid delivery,

and system optimization technologies

that enable the plants to generate

around 15 percent more energy than

alternative designs.

Rapid delivery is facilitated by ABB’s

well-proven concept of pre-assembled,

factory-tested EBoP modules, and by

expertise in project execution. This

enables ABB to cut weeks off

conventional delivery times, and complete

installation and commissioning within a

few months of signing the contract.

Powerful tools

The ABB concept includes powerful tools

that calculate the best type of solar panel

and solution for a given site and the

nuances of its altitude and climate. All the

power and automation equipment is

optimized to increase productivity and

reduce power losses; it includes high-

efficiency inverters, reliable dry-type

transformers and specially designed

technologies for the accurate control and

remote monitoring of the plant.

The ABB turnkey solution comprises

design, engineering, supply (including

solar modules), erection, civil works,

commissioning and, once the plant

is up and running, service and

maintenance, including remote monitoring

and diagnostics.

ABB has been active in the solar power industry since the 1980s, whenwe developed an automation platform for the world’s first test facility forconcentrating solar power technologies at the Plataforma Solar deAlmería (PSA) in Spain.


Energy efficiency


Driving energy-efficiency globally

Energy efficiency

ABB has a well-established reputation in improving theenergy-efficiency of power generation, transmissionand distribution plant for electricity utilities.

But thousands of companies across all

industry sectors, owners and occupiers of

commercial and residential buildings, and

transport operators are also benefiting

from our in-depth understanding of the

energy-efficiency challenges they face.

ABB has been developing energy-efficient

products, systems, solutions and services

for our customers for decades.

You could say energy-efficiency is in our

DNA. So too is raising productivity for

industry and increasing power plant

output, as well as ensuring that

facilities and processes operate reliably

and the power grids they are connected

to are stable.

These four themes – energy-efficiency,

productivity, reliability and stability – are

intimately connected. When ABB

improves the energy-efficiency of a power

plant or industrial facility, it improves

productivity and equipment reliability as

well, while reducing the plant’s carbon

footprint and securing the stability of the

surrounding power network.

ABB’s range of products for industry

improve energy savings by helping plant

run more productively – through state-of-

the-art control systems, automation

products and electrical equipment. Our

key technologies include controls,

enterprise software, instrumentation, low-

voltage products, drives, motors, robots

and turbochargers.

Simply upgrading and improving the

control of the hundreds of millions of

electric motors employed by virtually all

sectors of industry – which account for

about 67 per cent of industry’s electricity

usage – would have an enormous impact.

ABB has already delivered more than

2.5 million energy-efficient motor control

devices to industry.

It is our combination of in-depth

industry knowledge and ability to provide

market-leading products, systems and

solutions that ensures our customers get

the maximum end-to-end benefit from

their energy-efficiency programmes,

whatever their scope.

ABB has the capability to deliver

energy-efficiency solutions within all

forms of power generation facilities

through our broad and unparalleled

portfolio of technology, expertise,

experience and solutions.

For more information, visit the

dedicated portal at

www.abb.com/energyefficiency.

ABB’s new EcoDry range of

ultra-efficient, dry-type distribution

transformers can reduce no-load losses

by up to 70 per cent, and by more than

30 per cent at full load. For each gigawatt

saved, there is the potential for an annual

reduction of 5 million tonnes of CO2emissions – a single 1,000 kVA unit can

save seven tonnes of CO2 a year. Lower

losses also generate less heat, so there is

a reduced ageing effect on the

transformer insulation.

EcoDry transformers achieve higher

efficiency levels through the use of state-

of-the-art materials and components,

including amorphous metal as the core

material, as well as the latest simulation

methods for loss-optimized design. They

are available in ratings from 100 to 3,150

kVA, with operating voltage up to 36 kV.

The EcoDry range includes three

models, each designed to meet the

different needs of applications where

losses are either predominantly ‘no-load’

losses or ‘load’ losses, or a combination

of the two.

EcoDryBasic – low-load efficiency

for power utilities

Distribution transformers at power

utilities often see only a low mean load in

actual operation, so it is the no-load

losses that account for the major

proportion of total losses. The EcoDryBasic

transformer is specifically designed for

this application by providing low-load

efficiency that enables losses and CO2emissions to be reduced by more than

50 per cent.

EcoDry99plus – full-load efficiency

for industrial applications

In an ideal world, industrial plant is

operating at or near full capacity:

mean loading of the distribution

transformer of 60 per cent or more is not

uncommon. The costs of load losses,

and their reduction, can be

significant. At full load, an EcoDry99Plus

transformer operates at over 99

per cent efficiency.

EcoDryUltra – efficiency across

the load range

EcoDryUltra transformers combine the

advantages of the EcoDryBasic and

EcoDry99Plus to minimize no-load and load

losses simultaneously. This transformer

type is ideal for variable loads – such as

renewable energy applications – and in

applications where the supply is

fed through two transformers at

the same time (for redundancy) and so

each is continuously operated at

medium load – such as in pumping or

ventilation systems.

EcoDry raises the bar for ultra highefficiency transformers

power generation special issue

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