Abstracts - VGB PowerTech Journal 1-2/2013

Energy challenges: A European answer

Hans ten Berge

The European electricity sector is facing four main challenges: a very challenging investment climate, relatively low electricity demand, the continued expansion of electricity from subsidised renewable energy sources, and the unexpected weakness of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). EURELECTRIC’s answers to these challenges revolve around a more consistent framework with the ETS as the key driver of decarbonisation, the integration of renewables into the market and a less distortive approach to their development, a renewed focus on energy infrastructure as a means of completing the internal energy market, and an improved strategy for RD&D.

Is the “Energiewende” still financially viable?

Roman Waleczek

Recent investment problems and delays of grid extension and delays in off-shore wind park erection have evidenced that the realisation of the German “Energiewende“ is currently reaching its limits from an economic and financing perspective. Therefore, in order to ensure the financial viability of the “Energiewende“, (i) a reliable, long-term regulatory-political framework, (ii) a sustainable improvement of the risk-return profile of the “Energiewende“ infrastructure as well as (iii) further support mechanisms for long-term infrastructure loans are required. These measures can only be implemented to a limited extent in the existing regulatory-political framework for the “Energiewende“, a structural change is needed in order to ensure the long-term realisation of the “Energiewende 2.0“.

What are the demands on future energy supply?

Werner Götz

The expansion of renewable energies is a clearly defined goal. Already today their growth significantly exceeds all forecasts. The rapid expansion is presenting enormous challenges for today’s energy market, because the energy turnaround will have consequences for the security of supply and for overall conditions in the energy sector. Increasing electricity costs do not only have an impact on the competitive market, they also have an influence on the public acceptance of the project “energy turnaround”. A very serious matter, however, is above all their influence on today’s market design. Now it is up to the politicians to put forward appropriate and long-lasting solutions and prevent the shutdown of power plants - and it is up to the plant operators to adjust themselves to the changed conditions.

Health & safety-philosophy at the Maasvlakte power station construction site

Jürgen Pust and Volkmar-Stephan Müller

Planners as well as operators have developed various safety concepts to avoid fatal accidents at power plant construction sites. The safety concept of the company FLSmidth Hamburg GmbH for the construction site of the Maasvlakte power plant (MPP 3) in the Netherlands is introduced. The goal is to become “The safest construction site!” One milestone implemented for the defined goal was reached mid-2012 on the Maasvlakte construction site, after completion of one million work hours without any accident-related loss of work. FLSmidth Hamburg GmbH was awarded the VGB Health & Safety Award which was granted for the first time.

Successful occupational health and safety in an international matrix organisation

Matthias Eiden

Focus on the activities in E.ON Generation is one measure that will improve safety across countries on top of the legal requirements. By implementing the core elements of occupational safety, E.ON Generation continuously reduced the number of injuries by more than 60 % in the first 2.5 years of its existence. Top management visibly defines safety as its first priority and safety leadership which is lived by all levels of management and recognized by the employees.

Service concepts EnBW Baltic 1 and EnBW Baltic 2 and first operational experience with the offshore wind farm EnBW Baltic 1

Michael Boll

EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EnBW AG, intends to operate two offshore wind farms in each of the Baltic and North Sea, respectively. The main distinguishing criterion for service concepts for operating offshore wind farms is the question of the service base location and of the maritime logistics. The paper provides an exemplary comparison between land- and sea-based service concepts, and assumes accessibility of the plant at specific offshore locations under various weather conditions. The paper not only presents the so far satisfactory production results of EnBW Baltic 1 but also informs about experience with weather conditions in the Baltic and about type and frequency of services provided there.

The role of utilities in the solar power business

Heikki Andersson, Petra Lundström and Eero Vartiainen

Solar power, especially photovoltaics (PV), has developed rapidly during the last few years. The cost of solar PV systems has decreased significantly, solar energy has become increasingly competitive, and growth has been fast. Infinite free-of-charge fuel and thus a huge potential makes solar the fastest growing renewable energy source (RES) in the future. Therefore, this paper discusses the role of utilities in RES mainly from the solar point of view with a focus on solar power utilisation in the countries of Northern Europe.

Possibilities and limits to optimise operational flexibility of the existing fleet

Joachim Kahlert, Hubertus Altmann and Volker Schüle

The conversion of energy supply towards steeply increasing renewable power generation requires a number of technical innovations which also affect conventional power plants. A further trend is to increase the flexibility of conventional generation plants in order to optimise the system integration of volatile renewable feed in. The paper demonstrates the possibilities and limits of flexibility for lignite-fired power plants. The increasing flexibility of lignite power plants is understood as raising the range of ancillary services to the power, reducing the power output and expanding the mobile load gradient.

Economic operation of fossil-fired power plants to ensure security of supply

Georg-Nikolaus Stamatelopoulos, Andreas Pickard and Thomas Schneider

The framework of conditions within which fossil fuelled power plants are operated has changed drastically in recent years. The modification of the energy mix already shows clearly that existing and new fossil-fired plants must fulfil new requirements. The investments in existing plants and the construction of new plants, are currently not economic for the power plant operators. With traditional business models based on sales of electricity as the primary source of income, such investments cannot produce an economic rate of return because of falling operating hours.

Heat storage systems in heat and power generation

Matthias Meierer

In view of the current structural changes in the power supply facilities in Germany and in Europe, the question arises of how energy can be stored. The paper will sum up the various possibilities of heat storage in heat and power generation plants. It will describe the physical or chemical principles applied and the associated plant concepts, and will go into the current state of the related technological developments and applications, with special focus on the storage systems already implemented in power plants and in CHP plants. Furthermore, the intention is to take a look at recent developments and possible solutions for future storage systems.

Developments and operational experience with ceramic boiler wall protection systems in circulating fluidised bed units

Markus Horn, Dirk Roschek and Christoph Ipsen

More alternative fuels, such as biomass, refuse derived fuels, sewage sludge, meat and bone meal etc. are being used in conventional CFB power plants originally designed for coal combustion. However, co-combustion of these materials causes problems which are not always advantageous for continuous plant operation, i.e. mostly substantially higher fouling susceptibility of the plants was noticed. In some cases even a far greater tendency to boiler damage was observed as result of corrosion, erosion, and mechanical effects. Based on these constraints, the cooperation between Stadtwerke Flensburg and Jünger+Gräter (J+G) resulted in the development of a ceramic boiler wall protection system which would significantly reduce the susceptibility to boiler damage in the combustion chamber.

Limitation in reduced load SCR operation

Joakim Reimer Thogersen and Hans Jensen-Holm

Due to changes in the power supply structure, reduced load operation at the central coal-fired plants is increasing. On the regulatory side, NOx regulation is tightened which means there is a desire to optimise SCR performance at reduced load. Part load operation of DENOX-SCR is determined by the dew point of ammonia compounds (ABS) which can be optimally controlled either during operation or regeneration. The mechanism behind ABS inhibition is described, compared to, and illustrated by laboratory-scale experiments.

Mercury removal technology demonstration results

Takuya Okamoto, Shoko Nagae, Nobuyuki Ukai, Masashi Kiyosawa, Tatsuto Nagayasu, Susumo Okino, Shintaro Honjo, Keisuke Iwakura and Morio Kagami

As one of the major energy sources, coal-fired power plants and their air quality control systems are required to be further developed in terms of their efficiency and further emission regulations. Recently, it is desired to remove mercury in flue gas from coal-fired power plants, mainly in the eastern parts of the USA. Based on the great deal of experience of DENOX (SCR) and wet limestone-gypsum FGD process, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has developed mercury removal technology which is integrated with the SCR and FGD. This technology uses the injection of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) into the ductwork upstream of the SCR catalyst, provides NOx control and improves oxidation of elemental mercury.

Plant management

Franz Adolf Sturm

Operations management and maintenance are an integral part of the production process. Reliable generation, quality control, cost efficiency, and achieving of the design lifetime are the prime targets of these processes. Plant changes caused by wear are recorded by plant status data and filed as condition knowledge enabling the introduction of necessary measures (presentation of a new publication).