European Network of Component Integration and Optimisation (ENCIO)

Project Number 355

In order to continue with the development in the field of 700°C technology ENCIO is the next important step to deploy this technology and to remain competitive. The 700°C technology is a key factor for:

  • Increasing efficiency of coal-fired power plants,
  • Improving environmental and economic sustainability of coal-fired power plants,
  • Achieving successful deployment of carbon capture technologies.

The experimental, demonstrational and investigational activities of ENCIO pursue the following targets:

  • Provide proof of design and material behavior of thick-walled components under real operating conditions,
  • Close main technical open items derived out of the comprehensive analysis of COMTES700,
  • Test new developed materials and manufacturing options (e.g. post weld heat treatments) to improve the reliability of weldments made out of Ni-based alloys,
  • Develop a life-time monitoring concept for pipes made out of Ni-based alloys,
  • Explore materials and manufacturing options having the potential to reduce the investment cost of 700°C technology and improve the load change behaviour,
  • Verify the technical conditions for achieving high efficiency and better environmental figures (lower emissions).

The ENCIO Test Facility will be installed in the “Andrea Palladio” Power Station which is owned and operated by ENEL, located in Fusina, very close to Venice (Italy). The overall process design ensures that individual test loops do not affect the overall reliability of the system. Test loops are installed in parallel to the main steam process and they can be running independently each other. This makes it possible to exclude one test loop, independently to the others, in case of problems or failures of tested components. This reliable process design seeks for getting a reduced impact on main boiler operations, while it also allows to keep running other test loops if one of them has to be stopped due to failures.

The technical targets of the Test Loops (TL) are:

  • TL 1: Development of pipe repair concept
  • TL 2: Test of Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) parts and weldments as well as life-time monitoring
  • TL 3: Development of pipe repair concept
  • TL 4: Test of turbine cast material and weldments

The ENCIO-project is financed by industrial and public funds. The project receives funding from the European Community's Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) under grant agreement n° RFCPCT-2011-00003.

The industrial fund consists of contributions of generating companies and of equipment and materials suppliers. The generating companies are CEZ a.s., EDF, EnBW Kraftwerke AG, ENEL, E.ON New Building & Technology GmbH, Eskom Generation Business Engineering, Evonik Energy Services GmbH, EVN AG, GDF Suez, GKM, RWE Power AG, Vattenfall Europe Generation AG (Germany) and Vattenfall A/S (Sweden). The equipment and material suppliers are Böhler Schweißtechnik, Holter Regelarmaturen GmbH & Co. KG, Sandvik AB, Sempell AG, Siemens, Sumitomo, ThyssenKrupp VDM GmbH, V&M Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes, Voestalpine Giessen Traisen GmbH.

The leading partners, who are executing the activities in the ENCIO project are:

  • VGB (VGB PowerTech e.V.) as co-ordinator
  • CSM (Centro Sviluppo Materiali S.p.A.)
  • ENEL IIN (ENEL Ingegneria e Innovazione S.p.A)
  • ENEL GEM (ENEL Produzione S.p.A)
  • HPE (Hitachi Power Europe GmbH)

The ENCIO started in July 2011. The overall project duration is 6 years (72 months), to allow enough operating hours, as well as related data collection, investigations and evaluation of results.