Advanced controls to extend time between overhauls of geothermal plant

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. has concluded a contract to introduce MHPS-TOMONI, its digital solutions service for the Domo de San Pedro Geothermal Power Station in southern Nayarit, Mexico through the group company in Mexico, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (MHPS de Mexico). This is the inaugural use of the MHPS-TOMONI for a geothermal power plant, and will allow for real-time monitoring of the plant's status and performance. The goal is to improve the operation and performance of equipment, reduce maintenance and its cost (O&M), while extending the intervals between regular inspections, resulting in an overall improvement of the power plant.

The Domo de San Pedro Geothermal Power Station is located on the outskirts of Tepic, the capital of Nayarit in Western Mexico. It is the first privately-run geothermal power plant in Mexico, operated by Geotérmica para el Desarrollo S.A.P.I. de C.V. (GEODESA). The 27 MW (megawatt) power plant was built by MHPS under a full turnkey EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contract, and completed in 2016.

Geothermal power plants are prone to performance degradation from the geothermal gas and impurities in the geothermal fluid. The degradation differs at each geothermal plant, and making standardized remedial measures difficult. MHPS-TOMONI applications originally developed for thermal power plants will provide diagnostic information on the plant status and performance, operational data accumulated on a daily basis, and will provide a detailed support based on the plant's operating status. Oversight and support will be provided by the Remote Monitoring Center (RMC), located at MHPS' Nagasaki Works in Japan.

Eng. Jose Manuel Lage Castro, the General Manager of the Domo de San Pedro Geothermal Power Station, commented on his expectations; “Based on MHPS' years of experience and utilization of best practices, MHPS-TOMONI will be able to maximize the efficiency of our geothermal power plant. In addition, MHPS-TOMONI will provide us with the capability to perform a predictive maintenance by monitoring the trend data of plant, and provide recommendations if abnormal conditions are detected thus preventing issues from occurring.”

Looking to the future of MHPS-TOMONI services, MHPS plans to work in close cooperation with its customers to pursue and introduce new applications in order to enhance the economic efficiency of power plants and boost the profitability of its customers, as well as contribute to stable power supplies while improving the global environment.