Abstracts - VGB PowerTech Journal 9/2006

Brief Report on the Activities of the VGB PowerTech in 2005/2006

Karl A. Theis

In order to meet the statutory tasks, the VGB Board of has set up honorary committees. The VGB Technical Advisory Board is responsible for the manning of and task setting for these committees. Over 1000 experts from all fields of power plant technology co-operate in the General Committees, Technical Committees and the many working panels and participate in the exchange of experience. The results of these activities are among others guidelines, information sheets and recommendations - last not least this journal.

The PowerPortal for EnBW Kraftwerke AG - Implementation and First Experience -

Jürgen Aydt and Hans-Richard Kraft

Expert systems are often replaced by comprehensive software in order to network knowledge that is stored in different IT systems. Functionalities of the abandoned programs are then - at least partly - programmed. The networking of knowledge is to improve activities and increase efficiency. EnBW Kraftwerke AG opted for a PowerPortal as alternative to this solution.

Mark-E and Statkraft to Build a New 400 MW Gas and Steam Turbine Plant in Herdecke (North Rhine-Westphalia), Germany

Uwe Johänntgen, Hilmar Lichte and Frank Albers

The efficient and environmentally-friendly power plant with a net efficiency of over 57.5 per cent should go into service in summer 2007 and generate around 2.4 billion kWh of electricity a year. The new plant will be financed through project financing with investments of 220 million Euro. The shareholders here are also the consumers of electricity. Siemens PowerGeneration has been commissioned as the main contractor for the turnkey construction.

Perspectives of the German Lignite Industry

Matthias Hartung

The world-wide situation of the energy industry and its further development are important aspects for the perspectives of the German lignite industry. An analysis of events in the energy economy and strategies since the first oil price crisis in the early 70ies is showing some of these aspects.
The total balance of 2005 showed a positive year for German lignite. The production was stable on a high level and the available power plant capacities were extensively used.

Consequences of the Coal Convenant for Essent: Co-firing and Gasification

Toon van Dijsseldonk and Martijn Spanjers

As a result of the Kyoto protocol which was signed in 1997, the Dutch utilities agreed with the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Environment to take measures to reduce CO₂ emissions in coal-fired power plants. As a result of the coal convenant Essent agreed to co-fire at least so much biomass in its coal-fired plants that the CO2 emissions are reduced by 0.931 million tonnes/year equivalent to 147 MWe of coal-fired capacity.

C&I Retrofits - Why?

Christian Vocke

The technical improvement potentials of an I&C retrofit are as undisputed as the quantifiability of such measures' economic potential has again and again given reason for debate. However, if you want to continue using the economic resources of the power plant components in an appropriately adjusted way and on a sustained basis, all I&C equipment will have to be replaced one day. The liberalised market with its requirements concerning flexibility of single units stimulated the recent debate.

Total Planning for the Modular Realisation of Large Power Plants - Project Development Necessary Competencies and Tools

Rainer Alzinger and Falko Weber

At present there are big challenges for power suppliers because the German power plant park has to be renewed. For coal-fired large power plants the realization of the project is provided in builders own direction in association with purchase of single components and systems in cooperation with an engineering company for the overall planning. The technical contribution describes the basic possibilities of development view as well as the assignments for overall planning as "owners´ engineer" in project phases.

Current Examples for the Extensive Modernisation of European Energy-from-Waste Plants During Operation

Gerhard Lohe

The necessary measures and expenditures for the avoidance and partly recycling of municipal waste in numerous European regions is to provide an insight into the development that resulted in decisions to keep certain sites and thus to comprehensively reconstruct these sites. The requirements and technical side conditions of such projects are outlined from the viewpoint of a general contractor.

Instrumentation and Control Systems and their Reliability - Are We Still Dealing with the Right Issues?

Frieder Greiner

Former highly reliably hard-wired I&C systems were, especially within the VGB´s sphere of influence, characterised by tried and proven design philosophies which have partly been forgotten. The move from strictly distributed hard-wired technology to more centralized digital technology, tue introduction of standard IT components and partly wrong configuration produced bottlenecks in the I&C systems which resulted in the system failures mentioned above. VGB responded to this by issuing guideline R 170 A1.

Steam Turbines for Cogeneration Application

Dirk Holtorf

The combination of power producing and the supply of process steam in power plants enable an excellent efficiency and make the owner of the plant independent from external power producers. Examples are steal factories in China with own power plants or power plants in combination with desalination plants. One of the main items for cogeneration turbines is the availability, because the extracted steam is supplying a process with energy, which is essential for the production.

Recognizing IT Risks - Acting with Foresight or "Practical Reasons for Comprehensive IT Security"

Philippe A. R. Schaeffer

Comprehensive IT security expects all threats and every possible consequence to be identified in order to deduce and develop appropriate counter measures.
This article describes two exemplary threats to an IT infrastructure: "Hacking Internal Networks" and "A Highly Promising Target: Web Applications".

Nanocomp PP: Nanoceramic Protective Layers for Power Plants: Results from Field Tests

Frank Meyer, Stefan Faber and Anja Novy

Tubes in boilers and heat exchangers have a tendency to deposit massive layers of slags and ashes originating from fuel residues. If these deposits build up too much, operation can be considerably disturbed. The ceramic coating (Nanocomp PP) is acting as an anti-slag coating and prevents from such phenomena. At the same time it avoids corrosion (scaling) in heat exchanger tubes.