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Gas Power Technology

Q U A R T E R L Y
1st QUARTER 2016

Coal gasification, an option to clean


up a dirty fuel
China’s National Energy Administration is
targeting to produce 50 Bcm of gas from
coal by 2020, enough to satisfy 10% of gas
demand from industries and power produc-
ers. Coal gasification – instead of burning
the fossil fuel – chemically transforms it
into synthetic natural gas which can then
be used for generating power with a lower
carbon footprint.
he technology behind this process is decades-old, but

T has gained new popularity across Asia to curb haz-


ardous air pollution. Policy maker in Beijing have re-
discovered this technology as a way to make cleaner use of a
domestically abundant fossil as they seek to exploit stranded coal deposits.
As for costs, transporting syngas is cheaper than transporting coal.
High carbon footprint of coal gasification process
Though coal gasification can be attractive from an economic and energy
security perspective, its overall carbon intensity is actually worse than
NDRC, China’s powerful National Development and Reform Com- coal mining. Hence the International Energy Agency (IEA) does not
mission, has been advancing plans for gas supply capacity to exceed 260 deem it attractive from a climate change point of view.
Bcm, underpinning a 16.2% growth gas-fired capacity to reach 56 Underground coal gasification has two wells drilled into the coal
GW/year by early next year. mine, one for injection of the oxidants, another to bring the product gas
Anticipated gas demand of 260 bcm per year is aimed to be met by to surface. High pressure break-up of the coal with water (hydrofrack-
about 140 bcm/a locally produced conventional gas, 30 bcm/a of coal- ing), electric-linkage and reverse combustion have all been used in the
bed gas, 6.5 bcm/a of shale gas – which still leaves a need for importing gasification process, according to the UCG association.
up to 50 bcm/a of pipeline gas and around 38 bcm/a of LNG. Still, the process of coal gasification actually produces more carbon
"China's push into large-scale unconventional gas and synthetic natu- emission than a traditional coal-fired plant, which partially undermines
ral gas development will well ensure fuel supply security for gas-fired the environmental agenda. Moreover, synthetic natural gas, when burnt,
power generation capacity expansion in China, which now takes approx- produces seven times more greenhouse gases than natural gas, and al-
imately 20% of total gas consumption," said Prof. Hua Ben, director of most twice as much carbon as a coal-fired power plant, according to a
the Natural Gas Utilisation Research Centre at South China University. study by Duke University. 

Vegetation-inspired process to generate electricity


Imagine a power plant that takes the excess CO2 in the atmosphere and converts it back into a liquid fuel
while using only little water and the energy in sunlight to operate. Chemical engineers at the University of
Pittsburgh found two catalysts for doing just that.
or millions of years, actual plants have been using water, sun- Johnson, the principal investigator of the study. "You don't have to waste

F light, and CO2 to create sugars that allow them to grow. Scien-
tists around the globe are now adopting their energy-producing
behaviour. The results of a
study, just published in ACS Catalysis,
elaborate the search for such an inex-
energy on all the extra baggage it takes to grow plants, and the result is a
man-made carbon cycle that produces liquid fuel."
There's one catch. CO2 is a
very stable molecule, and enor-
mous amounts of energy are re-
pensive yet highly effective new cata- quired to get it to react. One
lyst, undertaken at Pittsburgh Uni. common way to make use of ex-
cess carbon dioxide involves re-
Speeding up the natural moving an oxygen atom and
CO2 cycle combining the remaining CO with
"We're trying to speed up the natural H2 to create methanol. However,
carbon cycle and make it more during this process part of the con-
efficient," explained Professor Karl version reactor need to heat as
continued on page 2
2  GPT Journal 1st Quarter 2016

continued from page 1


high as 1000 degrees Celsius, which can be
difficult to sustain, especially when the only
Coal treatment helps McIntosh
energy source is the sun.
Catalysts can get the CO2 to react at much
plant save $12m in fuel costs
lower temperatures – even at room tempera- Competition between gas and coal power stations are heating up in the
ture. Johnson cautioned, however, that these US , so to clamp down on costs operators of coal-fired stations are
turning to technology that allows them to burn cheaper, lower-quality
and most reactive catalysts already identified
opportunity coals in a bid to compete on costs with record low fuel
are too expensive to mass-produce, and fossil
prices for natural gas.
fuels still offer a cheap source of energy.
Hence, the low price and abundance of fos- round 70% of the operating budget keeps falling.
sil fuels prevents a lot of companies from in-
vesting in the expensive trial and error process
of researching new catalysts.

Examining Lewis acid


A for a typical coal power plant is
spent on fuel costs. Low-grade coal
is cheaper, but tends to complicate
the combustion process as it leaves more slag
deposits on the boiler walls, super heater and
“This cost difference has placed coal-fired
electric generation at a competitive disadvan-
tage with natural gas-fired combined-cycle
units,” GE stated but was quick to add that its
technology could come to rescue.
and base pairs reheater tubes. FuelSolv’s chemical additives This comes as operators of coal-fired plants
The study, "Screening Lewis Pair Moieties for reduce slagging, according to GE, which in turn to utilising more lower-quality opportunity
Catalytic Hydrogenation of CO2 in Functional- turn allows the plant to operate at maximum coals such as Northern Appalachian (NAPP)
ized UiO-66" provides researchers with a good loads while minimising the need to shut down and Illinois Basin (ILB) coal - as blends with,
idea of how they should start looking for an for cleaning. or replacements for CAPP coal.
optimal catalyst. Johnson, along with post-doc- Lakeland Electric, the operator of the 941- As the third largest public power utility in
toral researcher Jingyun Ye, examined a series MW McIntosh power station, for many years Florida, Lakeland Electric said it saved $12
of eight different functional groups of Lewis had burned Eastern bituminous Central Ap- million in fiscal 2015, or about 17% of its an-
acid and base pairs which are highly reactive palachian (CAPP) coal. With prices for CAPP nual fuel costs, at unit 3 of its McIntosh power
compounds often used as catalysts. coal up due to declining production and higher station by making use of FuelSolv coal treat-
They found that the two factors qualifying a utility demand – the price for US natural gas ment technology. 
material as a good catalyst are its hydrogen ad-
sorption energy and the Lewis pair's hardness--
a measurement of the difference between its
ionization potential and electron affinity.
Using this framework, Johnson plans to
work with experimentalists to screen for cata-
lysts more effectively, and hopefully, bring re-
searchers closer to creating power plants that
create liquid fuel while reducing atmospheric
carbon emissions. 

The 941-MW McIntosh Power Station


Gas Power Technology

AGENDA
Journal

Publisher
Stuart Fryer

Editor
Anja Karl DECENTRALISED POWER
Tel: +44 (0)207 017 3417 Decentralised gas power needed to stabilise the grid 4
anja@gastopowerjournal.com

Senior Reporter DIGITALISATION


Malcolm Ramsay Powering the electronics of large-scale generators 4-5
Tel: +44 (0) 207 017 3413 Marco sensors enhance predictive maintenance 5
malcolm@gastopowerjournal.com

Advertising TURBINE TECHNOLOGY


Narges Jodeyri Ansaldo Energia's next generation turbine designs 7
Tel: +44 (0)207 2533406
narges@gastopowerjournal.com
Air injection boosts F-Class turbine output, operating at 55ºC 7

Subscriptions HYBRID POWER


Nikolett Kecskemeti ‘Giant battery’ to backup AES Long Beach gas plant 8
Tel: +44 (0)207 253 3402
nikolett@gastopowerjournal.com
GENSETS
Production Yanmar gensets allow for 1,000-hour service intervals 9
Vivian Chee
Tel: +44 (0) 208 995 5540 FUEL CELLS
chee@btconnect.com Quantifying the benefits of fuel cell CCS from flue gas boilers 11
1st Quarter 2016 GPT Journal 
3
Decentralised gas power needed to stabilise the grid
Accelerated growth of volatile wind and photovoltaic power supply in Germany has been shifting the
dispatch of fossil power plants to load-following operation to maintain the stability of the power grid. More
decentralized gas-fired stations would help meet TSO’s flexibility requirements, says Dr. Thorsten Krol, mar-
keting manager at Siemens’ distributed generation business development told Gas Power Tech Quarterly.

acing a fickle task, TSOs have to com- ing the dispatch order for black-starts – a

F pensate the peaks and troughs of wind


and solar power supply through active
management. Operators of fossil power
plants, meanwhile, are required to face up to
the talks for ramping up and down at short no-
method pioneered by the California Independ-
ent System Operator (CAISO), the PJM Inter-
connection and the New York Independent
System Operator (NYISO). Plant operators get
compensated via a flat rate payment (in
E-storage: Holy Grail
of transition to
clean energy systems
tice, or even black-start parts of the grid. $/KWyr) multiplied with by the unit's Monthly Storage for long has been
Claimed Capability for that month. perceived as ‘too expensive’,
Shorter load-change intervals but new research claims that
Most of the currently operational gas turbine- Options for plant operators way these calculations are
driven power plants were initially designed Europe’s traditional utilities, with large junks of done do not fully take into
account the value it brings to
(and financed) for baseload generation and op- fossil generating capacity in their portfolios, have,
certain situations
erated accordingly. Germany’s Energywende according to Siemens’ findings, several options on
policy, however, has led to a constantly grow- how to respond to the intermittency challenge: “Looking to 2030, it is particularly striking
ing share of prioritized renewables that feed • Modernize existing plants to be able to that battery technology becomes especially
electricity into the grid. This changes the oper- support the changed operating regimes more competitive, with sodium (NaS), lead
ating regime of existing fossil capacity – at • Build new large-scale CCGTs or decentral- acid and lithium-ion technologies leading
times dramatically. ized generating capacity that meets the new the way,” according to a new report by the
Load changes typically occur at a signifi- flexibility requirements World Energy Council (WEC).
cant scale less than every 60 minutes. In a re- • Earn additional revenue by supplying Assuming daily cycles and six hours dis-
newables-dominated grid, load changes for gas energy, for example, through district heating charge time at rated power, WEC analysts
turbine driven power plants range from over and/or grid support. find that most competitive technologies
around 8 MW/min to the maximum permissi- On the demand-side, power savings accords can have LCOS of 50-200 €/MWh, though these
ble rate during the observation period. Accord- also help avert the risk of blackouts. In the UK, are technologies which are not necessarily
ing to Siemens research, the average time National Grid signed up industries willing to suited to all PV projects. Battery technolo-
between significant load changes is around 60 consume less in the event of supply shortages. It gies are next, around 200-400 €/MWh.
mins for power plants operated in medium load also shored up its balancing schemes prior the By 2030, a much wider range of tech-
and less than 30 mins for peak-load operation. winter 2015/16 and procured additional capacity nologies will offer LCOS below 100 €/MWh.
to supply electricity at short notice. In contrast, levelised costs are much
Compensating for loss of inertia Commenting on Europe’s shift to renewable higher for the wind storage case than the
With well over 20 GW of fossil power genera- energy, Maria van der Hoeven, head of the In- solar storage case because of the high sensi-
tion capacity being mothballed throughout Eu- ternational Energy Agency (IEA) repeatedly tivity of the LCOS to the number of dis-
rope, grid operators have fine-tuned and stressed that "the future lies in flexible backup charge cycles and the sub-optimal
adapted balancing schemes. But it’s not all capacity, decentralised generation and storage energy-to-power ratios required for the wind
about outright capacity. technologies." The EU energy efficiency direc- storage case as defined.
“Loss of rotation mass, or inertia, in the grid tive is hoped to enhance the trend of lower The application assumes a two-day cycle
increase the sensitivity of frequency changes. electricity demand, while the ‘Energy Union’ is structure and 24 hours discharge time at
This is yet another major burden TSOs as they meant to fast-track the integration of the power rated power. “Few technologies appear at-
have to maintain grid stability,” Dr Krol grid and streamline national capacity remuner- tractive,” the report states.
stressed. To remedy this, many grid operators ation mechanisms. 
have commercial agree- Assessing revenue streams
ments in place with some Policy makers should familiarise themselves
generators to provide or not only with levelised cost for generation
remove additional capac- technologies, but also with the issues of
ity which is contracted flexibility for generating and storage tech-
one day ahead. Often- nologies. “Assessing revenue is fundamen-
times, a battery starts a tally more complex than showing a neat
small gas engine or an downward investment cost curve and in-
open-cycle gas turbine to volves stacking multiple uncertain revenue
re-energize the grid be- streams,” authors of the report stressed.
fore larger-scale plants Such revenue streams are context-spe-
can come back onto the cific, depending on the market, policy
market. regime and availability of competing re-
Cost-of-service is sources – hence generalisations and interna-
considered when select- *Projection from available data Apr 1 – Dec. 2013 tional comparisons are often misleading. 
** Data from Jan - Jul 31, 2015
4  DIGITALISATION GTP Journal 1st Quarter 2016

Powering the electronics of large-scale generators


Gas power plants not only generate electricity – they also need to consume it to function safely. At SPE’s Bo-
ufarik site in Algeria, Benning installed uninterruptible power supply units on a DC system to ensure continu-
ous functionality of the plant’s control & monitoring systems. So how is it possible for power plant operators
to achieve the reliable, clean, tightly-conditioned power they want, while accommodating a suitable range of
AC and DC inputs, outputs and power capacities? David Bond, Managing Director at Benning explains...

or Société de Production de l’Electricité achieving a required UPS capacity

F Algeriénne (SPE), Benning installed a


series of uninterruptible power sup-
plies (UPSs) modules at its Boufarik
site, an earthquake prone area about 30 km
south of Algiers.
by assembling a number of small,
self-contained install UPSs mod-
ules into a rack. Hereby, the UPS
does not have to be an indivisible
function, but can be assembled at
The order was awarded mid-2014 and com- component level.
pleted at the end of 2014, “so in industrial “By working at this component
terms, it is a new project,” Bond told Gas level, flexibility can be achieved,
power Tech Quarterly, calling the speed of de- offering any combination of AC or
livery of the systems to SPE “another feather in DC input and AC or DC output.
Benning’s cap.” For example, the Tebechop recti-
With an order volume of approximately €1 fier could be used to operate from
million for three systems, the project was a a single- or three- phase AC input
“reasonably large one” for Benning. The to provide a DC output.
largest of the systems comprised 17 off cabi- “These rectifiers’ low-ripple,
nets, while the other two off systems had temperature-compensated outputs
slightly fewer cabinets. can safely charge Lead-Acid or Ni-
Cad batteries as well as supplying
Desert conditions, risk the load, allowing DC UPS func-
of earthquakes tionality,” Bond explained.
Invertronic 20-120kVA inverter and
Located in Boufarik – an earthquake-prone
Tebechop 3000 DC 60kW DC-DC converter
area – the power plant needed to be equipped Mounting rectifiers into the
with a power protection system, contained same reck In the commercial UPS industry, ‘modular-
within specially designed housings. The system Many applications for power plants will re- ity’ usually refers to the concept of achieving a
has also been built to operate at high ambient quire a protected AC as well as DC supply; if required UPS capacity by assembling a number
temperatures and is protected from dust and so, inverter modules such as the Invertronic of small, self-contained UPS modules into a
dripping water to an international standard EN Modular can be added to provide this capabil- rack. Load sizes can be accurately matched
60529 ingress protection rating of IP41. ity, drawing their power either from the recti- without wasted capacity, and the system is
“Apart from the site’s extremely challeng- fier or, if the mains fails, the battery. scalable by increments as the load grows. N+1
ing environmental protection requirement, the “Critically, these modules can be mounted redundancy can also be achieved economically.
system had to deliver electrically protected in the same rack as the rectifiers in an applica- While Benning UPSs extend this approach to
high power AC and DC supplies of various tion-specific ‘mix and match’ configuration,” heavy industrial applications, the company’s
voltages and power ratings using a 1,750A rec- he said, stressing that “eliminating the need for power protection strategy is modular in another
tifier, 60kVA inverter blocks and multiple DC- separate inverter and rectifier racks allows sense, too.
DC converters. great space- and cost-savings.”
Benning is one company that has devel- AC as well as DC supply
Modularity, assembly at oped viable answers to how to best ensure An innovative approach is that the UPS does
component level constant power supply for vital plant equi- not have to be an indivisible function. It can
“Such a complex requirement eliminates nearly ment, based on over 50 years’ experience with be, but it can also be considered as an assembly
all commercial UPS suppliers, even the sys- both conventional and nuclear power plant of key components – the rectifier for convert-
tems of those offering customisation,” Bond operators around the globe. Mr Bond reiter- ing incoming AC into DC for battery charging,
said, highlighting Benning’s unique approach ated, the firm’s approach is broadly defined the inverter for converting DC back into AC
of ‘modularity, ruggedisation and support’. by three key areas – modularity, ruggedisation for the client load, DC-DC converters to pro-
Modularity’ usually refers to the concept of and support. vide multiple DC outputs and the battery sys-

Bespoke product picture


1st Quarter 2016 GPT Journal TURBINE TECHNOLOGY 
5

Tebechop 3000 DC 12kW DC-DC Converter with MCU 2500 Monitoring Unit

tems. By working at this component level, an application-specific ‘mix and match’ config-
flexibility can be achieved, offering any combi- uration. Eliminating the need for separate in-
nation of AC or DC input and AC or DC out- verter and rectifier racks allows great space-
put. For example, the Tebechop rectifier could and cost-savings.
be used to operate from a single- or three- These savings are enhanced because the in-
phase AC input to provide a DC output. These verters and rectifiers are also modular in the
rectifiers’ low-ripple, temperature-compensated more traditional sense, offering flexibility and
outputs can safely charge Lead-Acid or Ni-Cad scalability while eliminating the need for un-
batteries as well as supplying the load, allow- necessary capacity. Overall availability can
ing DC UPS functionality. easily be improved by adding an extra module
Many applications will require a protected for N+1 redundancy; further availability im-
AC as well as DC supply; if so, inverter mod- provements arise because the modules are
ules such as the Invertronic Modular can be ‘hot swappable’. This means that a failed
added to provide this capability, drawing their module can be removed and replaced with a
power either from the rectifier or, if the mains good unit without interrupting power to the
fails, the battery. Critically, these modules can system, which minimises mean time to repair
Invertronic Modular 20-120kVA
be mounted in the same rack as the rectifiers in (MTTR). 
Inverter System

Marco sensors enhance predictive maintenance


Predictive maintenance of gas turbines gets undertaken by TE Connectivity's new 750-Series LVDT position
sensors. These macro sensors are part of a process control system used to monitor shell expansion and
bearing vibration.

ositioned on gas turbine shells, these to TE Connectivity.

P Linear Displacement Sensors


(LVDTs) measure shell expansion and
allow operators to determine proper
thermal growth of a turbine shell during start-
up, operation and shutdown. The sensors are
Available in full-scale measurement
ranges from ±1 to ±10 inches, these
stainless steel position sen-
sors are said to offer
high resolution,
AC-operated and hermetically sealed to ensure repeata-
continuity of data supply. bility

Monitoring shell expansion,


bearing wear better than 0.01%
Bearing vibration can also be monitored by of full scale and
these sensors in order to establish bearing non-linearity
clearance limits that are indicative of bearing of less than
wear. If the bearing starts to wear, turbines 0.25% of full range output.
should be serviced during a planned power TE Connectivity supplies elec- HLR 750 Series - HLR
plant outage – rather than risking to have the tronics for the HLR 750 series, 750-6000
turbine trip off and have excessive vibration which work either with conventional differen- To enhance safety, electronics can be installed
that hampers smooth operation. tial input LVDT signal conditioners or ratio- in explosion-proof enclosures and connected to
The Macro Sensors HLR 750 Series metric signal conditioning circuits. LVDTs using a suitable conduit. Units are
LVDTs offers contactless position measure- Macro Sensors signal conditioners are on listed for Class I Division 1 intrinsically safe or
ment and operate in temperature ranges of - offer with analog voltage or digital outputs as Class I Division 2 non-incendive environments
65°F (-55°C) up to 300°F (150°C), according well as push button controls. by Underwriters Laboratories. 
W W W . PWPS.COM

DESIGN THAT STAKES ITS


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THE FT4000 ® GAS TURBINE


P O W E R E D B Y P R AT T & W H I T N E Y ® P W 4 0 0 0 ™ A E R O E N G I N E T E C H N O L O G Y

PRATT & WHITNEY ® AND PW4000 ™ ARE TRADEMARKS OF UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, USED WITH PERMISSION.
1st Quarter 2016 GPT Journal TURBINE TECHNOLOGY
7
Ansaldo Energia powers ahead with next
generation turbine designs
Research and development underway by Italian manufacturer Ansaldo Energia is set to deliver next genera-
tion turbine products with higher power output and greater flexibility, Daniela Gentile chief technology offi-
cer at Ansaldo told Gas Power Tech Quarterly.

urrent Power output [for Two key areas of research that are aiming to able the release of the next generation high per-

“C the AE94.3A4 model] has


been continuously im-
proved to 325 MW by
means of new 3D design of blades and vanes
and upgraded combustor design. In terms of
deliver improvement at present, beside im-
proved geometric design, are the development
of new cooling methods and new coatings.
As the power and temperature of modern gas
turbines the need for materials to withstand
formance products within the requested dead-
line,” Gentile said.
The firm recently acquired a significant new
gas turbine portfolio and expects to start inte-
grating the newly acquired assets in the New
flexibility, a ramp up rate of 50 MW per greater stress Year. As such Ansaldo has now become one of
minute has been already positively tested,” the major global players in the gas power gener-
Gentile explained. ation space and is targeting aggressive growth.
“We believe that the Power Generation
Flexibility key to next Market in the next five years will increase
generation design the renewable share and F Class GT will
The firm is currently focussing research be expected to be more and more flexible
efforts to improve its gas turbine technol- therefore our R&D will continue to exploit
ogy in both the F and E Class range to any further operational and hardware im
boost not only power output but also in- The AE94.3A provements to gain further market share,”
crease flexibility via better gradients, Gentile said.
electrical load and startup performance. increases and by combining the firm’s various “Fuel flexibility will be of great interest
“Nowadays in Western markets flexibility research breakthroughs on this front Ansaldo within the global trend of fossil fuel saving.
and Maintenance Expenditure Limit improve- aims to deliver efficiency of greater than 40% Combined cycle are a solid option to replace
ments have great value for customers enabling from its AE94.3A4 product in commercial oper- coal power or nuclear power plant where they
them to gain competitive advantage throughout ating conditions. are due to be closed due to end-of-life or politi-
the year while in the “To achieve the proposed target within a time cal considerations. In such cases the higher ef-
Far East there is great interest around alterna- schedule coherent with market demand, several ficiency and greater power output of H Class
tive Fuel and Power output issues,” Gentile of Ansaldo’s Technology Programs have been gas turbines can represent a worthwhile invest-
commented. working hard to produce results in order to en- ment for customers.” 

Air injection boosts F-Class turbine output, operating at 55ºC


In just 4 month, PowerPhase has installed an advanced upgrade on a 7FA Gas Turbine in the Middle East.
The system demonstrated as high as 99.3% availability in ambient conditions up to 55ºC, while boosting out-
put by almost 32 MW, Peter Perri, PowerPhase VP told Gas Power Tech Quarterly.

he upgrade, called 'Turbophase', was 7EA & GE 7FA gas turbines, Siemens & Mit- 430,000 barrels per day. The Saudi kingdom is

T completed well ahead of time to meet


2016 summer peak load requirements.
During commissioning, it demonstrated
capability for 5.0% fuel efficiency improve-
ment and over 31.5 MW power increase on the
subishi 501F gas turbines, aeroderivative gas
turbines and advanced G, H and J gas tur-
bines,” Perri stressed.

CCGT upgrades help shift away


the world’s largest user of crude oil for gener-
ating power, followed by Iraq, Kuwait and
the UAE.
Upgrading the region’s gas turbine fleet
would step up clean power output at substan-
7FA gas turbine. from burning fuel oil tially lower fuel costs, according to Bob Kraft,
Fuel efficiency is being increased base-load During summer in Saudi Arabia, demand for President & CEO of Powerphase. Turbophase
and part-load operating conditions, Perri fuel oil in power generation can reach up to upgrades can boost fuel efficiency by over 5%
stressed. -- at a substantially cheaper cost
The Turbophase Dry Air Injection system is than building a new plant.
modular and additive; allowing gas turbine “If implemented across the gas
manufacturers, like GE, Siemens or Mitsubishi, turbine fleet in the region, the Tur-
to meet a specific megawatt target, either bophase system would add more
alone, or as an addition to any combination of than more than 5 GW of power and
OEM upgrade or inlet conditioning. would save more than 18 million
“The same Turbophase system installed in barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per
the Middle East would operate on every gas year,” Kraft said, which would free
turbine in the world, providing similar output up billions in potential savings for
and fuel efficiency benefits, including all GE the region. 
8  HYBRID POWER PLANTS GTP Journal 1st Quarter 2016

AES-revamped Long Beach plant to be backed up


by ‘giant battery’
The water-cooled 2,000 MW AES Alamitos combined-cycle
gas power plant on Long Beach will no longer be simply
replaced by an air-cooled CCGT of equal size – the operator
AES California is now opting for just 1,100 MW of gas-fired
capacity, backed up with 100 MW of battery storage, initially.
Energy storage is seen as an alternative to fast-ramping peak
power units.

egulatory constraints on the use of tery energy. We’ll start with 100

R ocean water for cooling had been the


initial motivator that prompted AES
California to upgrade the plant that has
been a landmark on Long Beach for decades.
megawatts of battery, and that will
be the largest currently in the world.”
At the AES Alamitos site, nearly a million
of individual battery cells will be installed in a
two-story building adjacent to the gas-fired
Two of the Alamitas units that AES plans to replace

Once operational, the flexible CCGT com-


bined with battery storage, will do some of the
job of balancing the regional power grid that
Upside for battery storage capacity power plant. According to O’Kane, these indi- would be normally up to transmission system
Switching from water- to air-cooling would vidually installed cells will be able to swiftly operators to do.
have a fairly quick and easy fix, but Stephen stop any adverse chain reaction in the event Deployed at a larger scale, the batteries at
O’Kane, AES Director of Sustainability and that one of the cells goes bad. AES Alamitos will be able to provide 100 MW
Compliance said “the demand is just not there or more of electricity for four straight hours –
[for such a large-scale solution].” Power storage to replace enough to replace the dispatch of a peaker
Carefully gauging future demand, AES Cal- peaking plants plant of a competing operator.
ifornia has decided to build the new AES A scalable solution is also easier to expand, he California goes green and harnesses the po-
Alamitos plant in stages – a first unit will have said, suggesting that AES is ultimately looking tential of hybrid power solutions – but opera-
a capacity of 640 MW, but all is still open as at ways for energy storage to complement, if tors remain just as competitive as before. Just
for additional units. not replace, the dispatch of gas peaking plants. that it’s now clean energy sources going head-
“We’re looking at up to 1,100 megawatts of Complementary technology may well become to-head, rather than the old game of gas vs coal
gas-fired … and up to 300 megawatts of bat- competitors over time. generation. 

California: CCGT project reconfigured to hybrid gas and solar plant


Palmdale Power Station, proposed as a 500-MW CCGT, has evolved into a hybrid plant project that combines
gas generation and solar power components to step up plant's proposed output to 570 MW. Now known
as the Palmdale Hybrid Power Project (PHPP), the project is handled by Palmdale Energy, a subsidiary of
Summit Power Group.
ybrid solar-and-gas generation is an tegrated solar combined cycle technology base units. The hybrid system uses a series of

H innovative solution to backstop the


inherent intermittency of solar PV
with a flexible gas-fired power unit.
An array of such projects has sprung up world-
wide; the technology proves particularly effec-
(ISCC). Spain’s Abener Energia built the
power station in 2010, while Abengoa Solar
designed the integrated 20-MW solar park,
which uses parabolic trough collectors.
Inspired by the results of this ISCC, the
mirrors to heat compressed air to over 982 °C
in order to drive a turbine. At night time the
system relies on natural gas or biogas to
maintain power output to ensure a constant
load to the grid or consumer. This scalable
tive in Africa where solar radiation levels can Moroccan Solar Energy Program seeks to build technology provides for both on-grid and
easily create substantial output during the day. 2 GW of solar capacity by 2020, when renew- standalone applications.
ables are meant to provide 42% of the coun-
Moroccan ISCC inspires project try's electricity. The $2.35 billion Ouarzazate Combining power storage with
across Africa complex, currently under construction by hybrid gas-and-solar
The 472 MW Ain Beni Mathar solar-gas power Saudi's ACWA, will be the largest concentrated In the German capital Berlin, project partners
plant in Morocco was one of the first to use in- solar power (CSP) facility in the world. With a GE, Kofler Energies and BELECTRIC in May
capacity of up to 560 2015 commissioned a hybrid plant with 600
MW, it will generate elec- kW of PV power, a 400-kW gas-fired CHP
tricity for around 1.3 mil- plant and a battery array with 200 kWh charge
lion people. capacity.
In Ethiopia, AORA of During the heating season, most of the power
Israel is planning to de- is produced via CHP, while the amount gener-
velop a $40 million hy- ated by the solar power system increases in the
brid gas-solar power warmer months of the year. To complement the
project based on its Tulip CHP, a 600 kW solar power system with an op-
technology, which erating voltage of 1,500 volts has been installed
utilises 100kWe modular on the roof of the production hall. 
1st Quarter 2016 GPT Journal GENSETS 
9
Yanmar gensets allow for 1,000-hour service intervals
Himoinsa has developed a new generator set with Yanmar engines whose special kit includes a 1,000 litres
fuel tank, ten times bigger than industry standard. The HYW 35 T5 model has a longer maintenance interval
of up to 1,000 hours.

he special kit allowing for the ex- ing the engine, the cost of filters is signifi-

T tended service interval is available in


both the Industrial range- HYW from
8 to 45 kVA- and the Rental range –
HRYW from 16 to 40 kVA.
Genset from the Himoinsa’s Industrial
cantly reduced, and so is the downtime, Hi-
moinsa pointed out.
Utilities can monitor the status of their
generator fleet via mobile phone or internet.
Operation, fuel levels, the need for refueling
Range with Yanmar engines (8-45kVA) can and the general condition of the equipment
now include a 10-times larger fuel tank, can be checked and adjusted without having
which translates into fewer trips to the site to travel to remote sites.
for refueling operations. Himoinsa, headquartered in Murcia,
Fuel use of the engine remains the same, Spain, will present its HYW 35 T5
so considering that the genset works 8 hours model at the Middle East Electricity,
a day, the larger fuel tank guarantees up to a trade show set to be staged in Dubai
70 days of running time. Extra oil is smooth- on March 1-3.  Himoinsa Yanmar genet

More power, smaller size and improved cost-effective operation…


All of the above is claimed to be on offer in Himoinsa’s new HMW-1270, a soundproofed generator set fitted
in a 20-foot container that will be launched at the Middle East Electricity 2016 trade show in Dubai in early
March.
he new Himoinsa unit provides

“T more power in less space, as


until now generators of this
power with an MTU engine
could only be assembled in 40-foot containers,
due to the size of the engines,” the Spanish
“ This process makes the design phase more complicated
for the generator set manufacturer, because it involves one
extra aspect ... the needs of the rental company and those
manufacturer said with reference to its latest of the end user need to be taken into account together
20-foot version of the genset.
Innovative chassis design allows for the
HMW-1270 generator to be accompanied by an
integrated 1250-litre fuel tank – all within the
smaller container.
Massimo Brotto, business development manager , Himoinsa

The product range of Himoinsa keeps grow- manufacturer and the end user. "This process
ing: In July 2015, it incorporated three new makes the design phase more complicated for

Air inlet ducts and soundproofing panels on models of 50Hz generator sets with Scania en- the generator set manufacturer, because it in-
the air outlet have been redesigned and im- gines into its product range, namely the HSW- volves one extra aspect ... the needs of the
proved, guaranteeing “excellent performance,” 610 T5, HSW-660 T5 and HSW-705 T5 rental company and those of the end user need
according to Himoinsa. The Murcia-headquar- generators. These engines offer a better cylin- to be taken into account together," Massimo
tered OEM stressed it designed the HMW-1270 der capacity/power ratio and extend the range Brotto, business development manager told
model “to provide an outstanding performance of Himoinsa's gensets with Scania engines to Gas to Power Journal earlier.
also in extreme temperature conditions”. 700 kVA. Unique lifting points and forklift rails make
Himoinsa generator sets and lighting towers
Focus on profitable, are simple to transport. Various modes of trans-
durable equipment port can be chosen, as the Spanish manufac-
Spain's Himoinsa believes turer designs canopies to optimise load
what sets its generators capacity, both for wheeled land platforms, and
apart from the competition in 20' or 10' ISO containers.
is its design and manufac- Himoinsa manufactures rental generator
turing of transportable, sets with stage IIIA engines, with power rang-
durable and simple equip- ing from 30 to 665 kVA. Generators with
ment, and above all higher higher power and special configurations for
profitability, particularly faster ramp rates can also be manufactured on
in the 'HR rental range'. client request. Rental equipment can be used in
The rental company is a range of applications: from oil & gas, con-
not the user of the equip- struction, mining, IPP, water treatment, to tem-
ment; it rather acts as an porary stand-by for shops and events, hospitals
Himoinsa gensets in a 20-foot container intermediary between the or hotels. 
21-23
JUNE 2016
MICO MILANO
MILAN, ITALY
EUROPE

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1st Quarter 2016 GPT Journal TRIGENERATION / FUEL CELLS 
11
Quantifying the benefits of fuel cell CCS from flue gas boilers
FuelCell Energy has been singled out by Cenovus Energy to complete a pre-FEED study for a fuel cell system
designed to capture CO2 from flue gas. The system will be implemented at an existing 14 MW gas cogenera-
tion plant at the University of Calgary – quantifying the benefits of this CCS solution for CO2-separation at
flue gas boilers.

uel cell CCS is hoped to provide an FuelCell Energy Keeping costs in

F
Ultra-Clean, Efficient, Reliable Power
economical solution for separating CO2 check
from the flue gas of boilers that make Tri-generation Cost is a critical aspect for
steam for tapping oil-sands in the Cana- Direct FuelCell® Canadian oil-sands opera-
power plant
dian province of Alberta. Ultra Clean tors, FuelCell Energy CEO
Power
Seeking to verify DFCs’ capabilities Usable Chip Bottone stressed, sug-
Heat
Completion of the pre-FEED project for Cen- Hydrogen
gesting the firm’s carbon
ovus, if successful, would verify the capability of capture solution “can effi-
the Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plant to capture ciently and affordably con-
carbon from gas-fired generation and combus- • Metal Processing
centrate CO2, while also
Clean
tion facilities while producing clean power. Natural Gas
• Glass Manufacturing producing ultra-clean power
• Petrochemical
The application is meant to separate 75% of • Material Handling that supports economics
the CO2 from the flue gas of the cogeneration from the sale of electricity.”
plant at Calgary University. Moreover, about berta Innovates-Energy Environment Solu- At a DFC plant, electricity is produced by
70% of smog producing nitrogen oxide (NOx) tions. Craig Stenhouse, manager COSIA at an electrochemical reaction which results in the
in the flue gas should be destroyed in the fuel Cenovus said the project partners are “encour- “virtual absence of pollutants such as NOx”,
cell power generation process. aged by the growing commercial adoption of the manufacturer said. The scalable nature of
Cenovus, Devon Canada and Shell support FuelCell Energy power plants,” so they seek to the solution allows for additional capture capa-
the joint industry project that also includes Al- configure them for carbon capture. bility to be added over time. 

Hydrogen from tri-generation fuel cells included in California’s LCFS


FuelCell Energy has been certified for its renewable hydrogen generation solution using fuel cells at waste-
water treatment facilities under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), administered by the California Air
Resources Board. Tri-generation plants are now eligible to tradable LCFS credits.

his LCFS prospective pathway certifica- a solution that is priced competitively to the fuel cell during power generation to make hy-

T tion has been issued following a three-


year project at a waste-water treatment
facility in Orange County, California.
The hydrogen-co-production system, utilis-
ing a DFC3000 plant, generates approximately
cost of gasoline, which is what we can de-
liver,” he said.

California enforces low


Carbon Fuel Standards
drogen efficiently and without the need for ex-
ternal water consumption.
DFC stationary fuel cell power plants utilise
carbonate fuel cell technology and provide
continuous power located where the power is
1,200 kilogramme per day of hydrogen as well California’s LCFS scheme, established in used, including both on-site applications and
as 2 MW of electric power and 2 million Btu’s 2017, requires producers of petroleum-based electric grid support. The plant’s combined
of thermal energy. fuels to reduce the carbon intensity of their heat and power (CHP) capabilities enhance
products, beginning with 0.25% in 2011 culmi- sustainability and project economics.
Negative carbon intensity nating in a 10% reduction by 2020. Stakehold- Electricity is produced by an electrochemical
Electricity from megawatt-class FuelCell Energy ers can either develop their own low carbon reaction, resulting in the virtual absence of pol-
power plants is used to produce hydrogen as a fuel products, or buy LCFS Credits, e.g. from lutants such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) that causes
transportation fuel for fuel cell electric vehicles. operators of tri-generation fuel cell plants. smog, sulphur dioxide or particulate matter. 
The inclusion of tri-generation FuelCell En- Tri-generation
ergy power plants in the LCFS Credit Market produces hydro-
means that each kilogramme of renewable hy- gen without using
drogen supplied for vehicle fueling is eligible water, which is
for an LCFS credit that can be sold or traded to consumed in both
offset carbon-intensive petroleum fuel usage. electrolysis and
Final certification is subject to a performance conventional
review of a megawatt-class tri-generation sys- steam methane re-
tem running on biogas. forming. In con-
Chip Bottone, FuelCell Energy CEO, claims trast, the
the firm’s commercial solution for generating tri-generation
hydrogen would be technologically, opera- process uses
tionally and financially superior to conven- waste heat and
tional hydrogen generation. “The key for water by-products
widespread fuel cell electric vehicle adoption is produced by the
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