New emission limits in India – VGB team reports about its experiences at workshops in Kolkata, Raipur and Hyderabad

Under the motto "Implementation of New Environment Norms for Thermal Power Generation – Learning from German Experiences", the Excellence Enhancement Centre (EEC) organised workshops at three locations in India – Kolkata, Raipur and Hyderabad – over the period November 15 – 19, 2016. Representatives of Doosan Lentjes, Hamon, Steinmüller Babcock Environment, Steag Energy Services, Uniper and VGB reported about their experiences in retrofitting and operating flue gas cleaning equipment in coal-fired power plants.

New emission limits for nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and mercury have been in force in India since December 2015. These limit values are comparable with European and German requirements.

VGB team reports about its experiences at workshops in India

Some 653 existing plants with an installed capacity of 185 GW are affected. As currently planned, these plants need to comply with the new emission regulation by the end of 2017. This is the reason why the 250 participants showed great interest in learning more about the advantages and disadvantages of technologies and how to retrofit projects work.

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Call for Papers - VGB-Workshop Flue Gas Cleaning

For the VGB Workshop "Flue Gas Cleaning", which will take place on May 3/4, 2017, in Lisbon, Portugal, we would be pleased to receive your concise summary not later than January 29, 2017.

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Kristian Ruby appointed as next Secretary General of EURELECTRIC

Kristian Ruby

Following a meeting of its Board of Directors, EURELECTRIC announced that it has appointed Kristian Ruby as the association’s next Secretary General, effective January 2017. Kristian Ruby will succeed Hans ten Berge, who served a total of 10 years as EURELECTRIC Secretary General. Kristian Ruby is currently part of the Executive Management team at WindEurope, where he serves as Chief Policy Officer.

VGB PowerTech is working in close co-operation with EURELECTRIC on European level. Within the framework of a memorandum of understanding, VGB's professional competence is integrated into the political/strategical work of EURELECTRIC.

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VGB Quality Award 2017: Proposals welcome

Quality Award

VGB PowerTech invites all ordinary members to propose a supplier, who has delivered a project of outstanding quality, for the VGB Quality Award 2017.

The VGB Quality Award has been established to increase the awareness for the commercial value of quality and to highlight examples of suppliers who have delivered extraordinary quality in services and products. The VGB Quality Award has been extended and is now covering all electricity and heat generation technologies - renewables, distributed generation, hydro, oil-, gas- and coal fired power stations - and all kind of projects - new build, refurbishment, maintenance, or decommissioning.

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Abstracts of Minutes

• Gas Turbines - 8/9 November 2016
• Mechanical and Civil Engineering - 26/27 April 2016
• Pipes and Valves - 20/21 April 2016
• Steam Turbines - 12/13 April 2016

Investment Requirements in the EU Electricity Sector up to 2050 – Presentation of study results at DG JRC

© Department of Energy and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology

Based on the study "Investment Requirements in the EU Electricity Sector up to 2050" (VGB Project no. 388), Prof Filip Johnsson, Chalmers University of Technology and member of the VGB Scientific Advisory Board, presented to the European Commission's science and knowledge service in Petten (DG JRC) his view on what the transformation of the electricity generation system will require in terms of investments in energy infrastructure.

He concluded that:

• All investigated scenarios which fulfil Year 2050 CO₂-emission reduction targets yield large amount of renewable electricity (wind and solar).
• Siting of new production capacity is not a major problem when it comes to thermal plants whereas there may be challenges to find sites for wind power.
• There will be an increased demand for regulating power.

• The Nordic countries will be exporter of electricity in all scenarios.
• There are different possibilities to meet variations in electricity generation and this imposes both a technical and a business challenge.
• Efficiency improvements are important - yet, these have limited effect as climate mitigation measure.
• Society must find ways for supporting risk-taking to promote innovations and industrial development.
• New business models are required to price emissions - exemplified by cement and steel.

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Pozzolanic reactivity of fly ash - New test procedure on trial

In cooperation with the Institute of Building Materials Research, RWTH Aachen University and the International union of laboratories and experts in construction materials, systems and structures (RILEM), the VGB Technical Group Power Plant By-products is working on the development of improved test procedures for fly ash in concrete. In a new research project a comparison between the well-known activity index and a new procedure using the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is planned to prove the general suitability of the new test method.

Compared to the activity index test the advantage of this test method is to have an easy reliable test procedure with good correlation to the concrete strength development, independent of the cement used and its characteristics and properties. Furthermore the test is much faster than the activity index test. The new test procedure would make a better characterization of fly ash possible, thus supporting an enlarged application of fly ash in concrete.

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VGB PowerTech Journal 11 (2016): Steam turbines and steam turbine operation; Environmental engineering

Editorial

Markus John

How services are affected by digitalisation

Some topics:

• Steam turbines subject to flexible operation (Frank Biesinger, Huáscar Lorini and Hans-Holger Knauf)
• Energy transition and ageing power plants as change process – challenges and solutions for insurer (Martina Pösl, Stefan Thumm and Martin Eckel) Download ...
• Standardised instrumentation and control system for centralised operation of power plant fleets (Wolfgang Gerndt)
• Is a retrofit a very substantial modification? (Bernhard Hoffmann and Bernhard Wüst) Download ...

Current Issue

Latest Media Data 2017: Your advertisement in VGB PowerTech

Also in 2017 VGB PowerTech will continue to provide current information and latest news and findings about the trends in the power business. Make advantage of our renowned journal and print advertising and address your customers and stakeholders to draw the attention to your products and services.

The focal issues and deadlines are listed in our editorial schedule so that you can decide when to place your advertisement for the maximum yield. Get in touch with us, we would be please to make a bespoke offer to increase and improve your market position.

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN - Preservation of Power Plants: Coming soon!

The operation of coal-fired power plants massively changed in the last years. The number of plants with frequent standstills for unknown periods, but simultaneously required start-up readiness has increased. Furthermore, a lot of power plants has been put in the so-called cold reserve or is increasingly at standstill during summer periods.

Due to varying standstill scenarios different approaches and considerations are to be made to avoid damage on the one hand, but on the other hand the economic efficiency is to be taken into account.

Preservation is not limited to the usual avoidance of corrosion in the water/steam cycle, but has to be extended, to all plant components and areas, such as the fuel supply chain, water treatment systems, movable parts and lubricating systems as well as the flue-gas side including all flue-gas treatment systems.

The 3^rd edition of the VGB-Standard VGB-S-116 (formerly VGB Guideline VGB-R 116) coming soon will reflect these complex preservation tasks.

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