Abstracts - VGB PowerTech Journal 9/2015

Guaranteed capacity of hydro power plants in Germany and Austria

Markus Pfleger, Hans-Peter Ernst, Klaus Engels and Rudolf Metzka

Balancing fluctuations caused by renewable energy play an important role in the current transition of energy supply systems. Hydro power plants provide both: guaranteed capacity as well as renewability. In Germany and Austria definitions of how to quantify the guaranteed capacity of hydro power plants are well established to calculate the guaranteed capacity for an individual power plant. The definitions are challenged against real examples.

Balance energy and short-time storage for run-of-river power stations

Christian Seidel

Today, due to the large amount of water cumulative flows which incur during the year, low pressure plants are realised as pure run-of-river power stations. Hereby, the discharge water is processed uniformly without buffer storage. Storage of the arriving volume of water over a longer period, as in the case of storage power stations, is not feasible due to the significantly larger amount of inflow. Therefore, larger retaining capacities have to be created. In the framework of the present investigations, the potential of short-time storage has been inspected for 430 large hydroelectric installations in Germany and has been evaluated regarding technical aspects.

Design and construction of the Strasbourg fishway

Anne Didiot

Electricity production is an activity which is profoundly affected by the implementation of European legislation and by environmental concerns. The river Rhine is an international river and therefore a good example in terms of cooperation at various levels. This issue has been taken on board by EDF with regard to ensuring the return of salmon to Bâle. The Strasbourg fishway is a remarkable development both in terms of its size and its innovative character associated with the development of a pseudo-natural river.

Support of power grid stability through wind power stations with virtual synchronous generators

Klaus Bollmann, Johannes Adler, Bernd Orlik and Holger Raffel

Within the scope of the 2020 climate and energy package, the European Union decided to extend the percentage of renewable energy by 2020. The energy extracted from wind power is to be increased from 200 billion kWh up to 495 billion kWh in 2020. Nowadays, the grid stability is ensured by conventional thermal power plants using nuclear or fossil fuels. If fossil power plants shall be replaced by environmental friendly and decentralised power plants (like wind power stations), these plants also need to contribute to the ancillary services in order to stabilise the power grid. The necessity of providing instantaneous and primary reserves is a crucial factor, which is essential for today’s power grid stability. The possibility of enhancing wind power plants is investigated to ensure power grid stability through wind power station.

Occupational and operational safety of service lifts in wind turbines

Stephan Reis

Many wind turbines have service lifts that transport staff and materials from the tower base to the nacelle. These lifts require regular maintenance and inspection by an approved body (ZÜS). Since June 1, 2015, the certification periods set forth in the newly amended German Industrial Safety Ordinance (BetrSichV) have been changed and harmonised. These inspections secure the availability of wind turbines. In addition to winches and on-board cranes, service lifts are the primary method of transporting personnel and their equipment, spare parts and components

Implementing concentrating solar power systems through optimisation of integrated solar combined cycle plants

Jürgen H. Peterseim and Udo Hellwig

Concentrating solar power plants (CSP) are equipped with mature molten salt thermal energy storage. Only few CSP plants have already been installed, therefore only little experience exists with manufacturing and installation which makes specific plant costs higher than the costs of photovoltaic plants. Hybridisation of CSP with existing and new power plants would enable more competitive power generation than standalone CSP systems as hybrid plants can share equipment. The paper outlines the current state-of-the-art of CSP hybrid plants and illustrates the potential to increase plant efficiency based on a 200 MW case study in Australia.

Characteristics and influencing factors on the energetical utilisation of mixed green waste for biogas production

Saskia Oldenburg, Naiana Suter, Benjamin Jaiser and Kerstin Kuchta

The project presented is aiming at the determination of the various compositions of mixed green over a year in terms of energy recovery. The focus is on the mixed green waste from households and public green areas. The substrate is divided into different fractions and a theoretical course of the year is created and practically verified. The first set of experiments simulates monthly sampling; the second series of experiments verifies the results of test series 1 by weekly sampling.

Distributed energy – Conversion, storage and their development perspectives

Robert Daschner, Andreas Apfelbacher and Andreas Hornung

The energy transition (“Energiewende”) has already impact on the energy generation structure in Germany. In future, these trends are likely to intensify and distributed systems, such as wind, solar and also biomass and waste are increasingly going to generate energy. According to own simulations, it is foreseeable that the balance of energy demand increases sharply due to the high installed capacity, especially in wind power and PV systems in combination with their fluctuating generation. Due to the increasing surplus in electricity generation, energy has to be stored in the form of electricity, heat, but also chemically, because in this way, long-term storage and system transition of power to other forms of use, such as the chemical industry and mobility, can be achieved.

Li-ion energy storage demonstrates its capabilities in real-world electricity supply projects

Susan Palenta

Energy storage systems are now playing a vital role in electricity supply networks worldwide, helping to balance supply and demand, enabling more flexible grid management and ensuring optimised energy efficiency. In this article, Saft will explain why Li-ion battery technology offers the ideal combination of performance, reliability and long-life that provides the basis for the creation of fully integrated energy storage systems from kilowatts to megawatts. The paper will then focus on several real-world projects that provide an overview of different aspects of the application of Li-ion solutions at every step of the energy supply chain from grid stabilisation in electricity production, transmission and distribution networks to local energy management in individual homes.

Experience with the Moorburg power plant investment project

Udo Gade

The extraordinary long project implementing period of more than ten years is symbolical for differences to similar projects of the 1990s. Effects like changes at the energy market, structural adjustment processes in manufacturing enterprises, reduction in staff and intern restructuring were partially known at the start of the project. An attempt is made to answer question related to improved project handling, budget, quality assurance and deadline guarantees.

Applied science for the energy industry

Wolfgang Woyke

A University of Applied Science focuses on research projects within a consortium of partners and especially in duty to industrial clients. This is done for the justice of research and teaching and with the intention of offering studies near to best practice experience. Against the background of economic science, University of Applied Sciences FH Kufstein Tirol groups seven research clusters around the economic application of technical, societal and managerial trends. One of these is the energy economics group in the technical sector. Its research items deal with the application of distributed generation, smart metering and new energy application.

The (plant) responsibility of shift supervisors in power plants from an organisational and training point of view

Markus Bieder and Hans-Werner Otte

The paper deals with the obligations arising from the transfer of business duties to “responsible staff” in power plants in the sense of legal certainty. The paper shows which tasks and duties in particular power plant shift supervisors will get transferred when being appointed as managers and “responsible staff”. In operational practice, however, the difference between desire and reality quickly becomes apparent upon closer look.

Modern superheater concepts for waste-to-energy plants

Simon Nachreiner, Mirjam Troßmann-Göll and Ralf Dräger

Waste-to-energy plants must meet ever more stringent demands in terms of energy efficiency. Today’s standard steam parameters of 40 bar and 400 °C are the result of a long-standing effort against corrosion, in particular in the superheater area. Efficiency can also be further raised by increasing steam temperature. The paper presents two new superheater concepts tailored specifically for waste-to-energy plants that make it possible to raise the superheated steam temperature above 400 °C while providing effective protection against corrosion. In both concepts, the superheater is located in the 1st boiler pass and has proven that it operates reliably in comprehensive tests.

Determination of dust- and aerosol fraction removal efficiencies within a combined FGD/WESP system

Martin Mikl, Harald Reissner and Christian Weiß

In order to meet future requirements for raw gas treatment, concerning dust- and aerosol removal efficiencies, an integrated combination consisting of a flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) spray tower and a wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP) was installed to test its suitability in meeting these requirements.
Implementation of the wet ESP in the FGD spray tower concept promises high removal efficiencies for dust and for acid mists, which turn out to be much higher than the removal efficiencies of the stand-alone FGD spray tower. As the pilot plant is directly fed by raw gas from the boiler, realistic testing conditions could be provided.

Brief report on the activities of VGB PowerTech in 2014/2015

VGB PowerTech

VGB PowerTech e.V. is the European technical association for heat and power generation. The work of VGB largely depends on the many supporters and employees in the companies and the VGB office which manages the activities of the committees of VGB´s Competence Centres “Nuclear Power Plants”, “Power Plant Technologies”, “Renewables and Distributed Generation”, “Environmental Technology, Chemistry, Safety and Health” and “Technical Services”. VGB is also involved in power plant research through its research foundation and promotes important topics with funds from its member companies. In addition to this work, VGB organises seminars, symposia, conferences, and the annual Congress “Power Plants”. These conferences are further platforms for the international exchange of experience – just like the journal at hand.