INDUSTRY NEWS

Change and uncertainty transform PowerGen Europe

After 25 years, Pennwell is replacing PowerGen Europe with a new annual event designed to unite business and technology in the power industry. Called “Electrify Europe,” this conference and exhibition will seek to advance customer-oriented solutions across the electricity value network. The first event will be held June 19 – 21, 2018, in Vienna, Austria.

The new show is designed to take advantage of a fundamental change in how electricity is generated, delivered and consumed. Evolving relationships with heating, cooling, transportation and digital technologies are said to be empowering consumers, delivering sustainability, and ushering in a new breed of energy services.

This change will bring about some disruption and uncertainty, but also exciting opportunities for the smartest and best prepared, said Glenn Ensor, Managing Director of Pennwell’s International Division.

To be sure, the European power sector has undergone significant change over the past several years. Wholesale electricity prices peaked in 2008, and, apart from a slight recovery in 2011, have been falling ever since, according to the European Commission (EC). Prices have dropped by almost 70% since 2008, and by 55% since 2011. In 2016, they reached levels not experienced for 12 years.

According to the EC, prices are driven by various factors, including fuel mix, cross-border interconnections, market coupling, market supplier concentration and weather conditions. Similarly, consumer and industry demand, energy efficiency, demand management, and the weather influence the ‘demand side’ of the market.

During the keynote presentations, Andree Stracke, Chief Commercial Officer, RWE Supply and Trading said, “The European Power Sector has undergone a historically challenging situation. Traditional power generation earnings before interest and taxes has been hit heavily from the decline in wholesale prices.”

Earnings in the European Power Sector dropped from 134 billion euros in 2008 to 96 billion euros in 2015, he said. The biggest hit: A 70% drop in traditional generation, from 93 billion euros to 28 billion euros in the same period. This was only partially offset by new earnings in renewables, energy services and new products. “There will be consolidation in the market,” Stracke proclaimed, “there is no doubt.”

News from the exhibit floor

This stark prognosis did not dampen enthusiasm at this year’s event. The opening day in Cologne saw more than 8,400 visitors attend the conference program and visit more than 430 exhibitors. MAN Diesel & Turbo, Sulzer, GE, Siemens, Chromalloy, Atlas Copco, Opra Turbines, M+M, Sumitomo Heavy Industries and German firm IfTA were among the many companies publicizing their developments.

In collaboration with its Chinese EPC partner Liyu, MAN Diesel & Turbo won two orders for cogeneration plants in China. Based on MGT series gas turbines (GTs), the compact plants will be delivered to subsidiaries of the Chinese energy firm, ENN Group.

One of the cogeneration plants, optimized for natural gas operation, will be used in an industrial zone in Dongguan City (Guangdong Province). In addition to about 6 MW of electricity, it will also provide 13 MW of heat. With the same performance data, the second plant will supply a paper mill in Huajan (Jiangsu Province). Surplus heat from the GT alternator packs will provide process steam.

“We are observing the trend towards efficient and flexible energy production with cogeneration worldwide,” said Holger Kube, MAN’s Vice President Sales Power Generation in the Turbomachinery Business Unit. “In addition to the environmental aspect, the advance of renewable energies is a driving force that needs the flexible reserve capacities to stand in where wind and solar power are absent.”

To meet the power generation industry’s growing demand for fuel-boosting solutions with short lead times, Atlas Copco Gas and Process added the standardized TurboBlock compressor to its line-up. TurboBlock features all the essential components of specialized compressors, plus custom aerodynamics for optimal efficiency. The design promotes fast turnaround on drawing packages, and its pre-engineered system has configurable options and standard modules, such as two out of three voting.

Sulzer, meanwhile, has completed its acquisition of Ensival Moret (EM), a part of Moret Industries. Sulzer will begin to integrate EM in its pumps division, enabling Sulzer to become a full-line supplier of most industrial process applications. The acquisition allows Sulzer to close product gaps in its pumps portfolio, such as axial flow pumps and slurry pumps. EM’s main manufacturing facilities are in Saint Quentin, France and Thimister, Belgium.

Sulzer has secured two pump orders from Técnicas Reunidas for the Kilpilahti combined heat and power plant in Porvoo, Finland, owned by Neste, Veolia, and Borealis. The orders comprise 12 feedwater pumps for steam and power production and 11 Ahlstar pumps, to be manufactured by Sulzer in Germany and Finland, respectively. The boiler feed pumps will be manufactured in Sulzer’s factory in Bruchsal, Germany.

In addition, Sulzer won an order from Valmet for 11 Ahlstar centrifugal pumps, for the same power plant. The pumps will be installed in the flue gas cleaning systems in two of the three boiler plants that Valmet will deliver to Técnicas Reunidas.

GE’s Power Services business will provide its Fleet360 total plant solutions to modernize two Turkish lignite-fired coal power plants for Yeniköy Kemerköy Elektrik Üretim ve Ticaret A.Ş. This project marks GE’s first total coal-fired power plant modernization project in Turkey.

The upgrade of the two facilities will help increase plant capacity by 197.5 MW. The upgrades will improve plant efficiency from 34% to 40%. GE will be replacing five Zamech high-pressure, intermediate-pressure and low-pressure steam turbines (STs) and five Dolmel generators with air-cooled generators. The company will also upgrade five Rafako boilers, modernize five flue-gas desulfurization and electrostatic precipitator systems, as well as the electrical and mechanical balance of plant (BOP) and a new distributed control system.

RWE Generation (RWE) has selected GE’s Power Services business to provide plant equipment upgrades and advanced digital solutions for the Great Yarmouth power station in Norfolk, UK. Commissioned in 2002, GE will provide a 400 MW combined cycle power plant (CCPP) consisting of a GE 9F.03 GT and a GE D10 ST and generator, including a GT upgrade as well as replacements of components in the ST. It will also include GE’s Dry Low NOx 2.6+ combustion system, Advanced Gas Path solution, Asset Performance Management advanced digital solution, Mark VIe integrated control system and associated maintenance. Efficiency will be increased by up to 2% and output by 21 MW.

Siemens and Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corp. have entered a partnership to form a new joint venture called Advanced Airfoil Components. The primary scope will be turbine blade and vane cast components for power generation. Both partners are investing about $130 million in a new production facility, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2018. The stand-alone manufacturing plant will supply only to Siemens.

The latest release of Siemens’ Star-CCM+ software for multiphysics CFD simulation and analysis includes two new integrated features that enable product design exploration and optimization. Version 12.04 introduces Design Manager, allowing users to explore multiple design options in CFD simulations. Design Manager enables users to evaluate design families within Star-CCM+.

M+M Turbinen-Technik GmbH together with UK-based Green Energy Group (GEG) will deliver a 5 MW ST for the Bjarnarflag Geothermal Power Plant in northeast Iceland. It is near the Krafla geothermal field, generating power since 1969. The ST will be delivered in November 2017. M+M has also developed a Mini-Turbine that can be optimized to the process requirements of a plant. Efficiency is achieved through a multi-stage turbine rotor operating at 21,500 rpm. Modules are available with electrical output up to 500 kWel. The Mini-Turbine uses 4-pole synchronous generators.

Opra Turbines has opened a new facility in Hengelo, The Netherlands. The 4,000 m2 space has nearby natural gas pipeline access, a GT package and engine testing. Opra customers include oil & gas companies as well as industrial plants in need of both heat and power for their production processes.

Sumitomo Heavy Industries has acquired Amec Foster Wheeler’s Circulating and Bubbling Fluidized Bed businesses. The new company, Sumitomo SHI-FW, will focus on converting economical solid fuels and waste into clean energy. CFB products and services include steam generators, gasifiers and scrubbers; BFB products and services include steam generators and gasifiers.

IfTA GmbH introduced its new Charge Generator, a compact and versatile simulator for testing piezoelectric measurement chains. It can simulate piezoelectric pressure and acceleration sensors or provide voltage signals. It features signal frequencies from 1 Hz to 20 kHz and amplitudes of 0 to 1,000 pC (charge) and 0 to 1,000 mV (charge) in 0.1 pC or 0.1 mV increments, respectively. In addition to sinusoidal waveforms, the simulator also offers asymmetrical waveforms for polarity checks. The Charge Generator has a 2.7” display, intuitive user interface and is powered by 4 AA batteries.

Ansaldo expansion

Backed by Chinese investment and orders, Ansaldo Energia has opened a GT manufacturing facility in Genoa that includes the assembling of the H-class GT36 gas turbine with a sequential combustion system.

Earlier this year, Ansaldo announced the validation of the GT36. Test results showed a power output above 340 MW at 41% efficiency. In combined cycle, this corresponds to performance exceeding 500 MW at 61.3% net efficiency in ISO conditions; 720 MW at 61.5% efficiency for the GT36-S5 (the 50Hz scaled version).

As mandated by the European Commission, the GT division of Alstom, including the then under-development GT36 project, was sold to Ansaldo Energia that previously had the Siemens-derived V machine. In 2014, Shanghai Electric acquired a 40% stake by paying 400 million euros to Fondo Strategico Italiano, Italy’s state-backed investment fund, which held 85% in the turbine manufacturer.

More recently, Ansaldo Energia’s new Genova Cornigliano production facility has opened for the assembly of GTs, such as the GT 36. This provides the company with direct access to sea transport. And this summer, three cooperation agreements were signed by Ansaldo Energia and Shanghai Electric Group, with Chinese electric companies Shenergy Electric Group and Shanghai Electric Power.

The first two agreements cover the construction of two power generation plants using GT36 in the Shanghai area. The third agreement aims to develop a plant in Pakistan, in which Shanghai Electric Power is an investor, and Shanghai Electric together with Ansaldo Energia supply the machinery and main components.

Meanwhile, IREN Energia of Italy awarded Ansaldo Energia a service agreement for its Turin Nord, Moncalieri 2, Moncalieri 3 and Turbigo CCPPs. Ansaldo Energia has been servicing several of these plants over the past 10 years. Commissioned in 2008, the Turbigo power plant generates 800 MW using two Siemens SGT5-4000F GTs, two Siemens SGEN5-2000H generators and one Siemens SST5-3000 ST in a multi-shaft combined cycle configuration.

EthosEnergy retrofit

EthosEnergy has been awarded a contract by Kepco KPS for the retrofit of an ST at GS Power’s Bucheon Power Plant in South Korea. It includes the replacement and re-design of the STs HP rotor, HP rotating and stationary blades, as well as the replacement of the LP last stage blades.

New biogas plant

A new biogas plant in Vettin, located in the municipality of Gross Pankow in Germany, is now in operation. Greenline is the general planner of the plant using fuels, such as slurry, solid manure, and maize silage. The 8.5 MW biogas plant is operated by the biogas division of the technical contractors Osters & Voss from Wittenberge.

Building on the existing 800 kW biogas site, the plant focuses on a mix of cattle slurry and energy crops. The raw biogas is converted into bio-natural gas using physio-organic washing processes and fed into the regional natural gas network of utility company, E.ON-E.DIS. Some 75 million kilowatt-hours of gas and heat are generated.

Wärtsilä acquires Greensmith

Wärtsilä has closed the acquisition of Greensmith Energy Management Systems, an energy storage software provider. Greensmith will operate as a business unit within Wärtsilä Energy Solutions providing both standalone energy storage as well as hybridized energy systems, control software, and integration expertise.

The acquisition will enable Wärtsilä to rapidly expand its footprint in the energy storage market. Greensmith has installed over 60 grid-scale systems including an 80 MWh turnkey system recently deployed in California.

Tesla battery project

Tesla, known for its work in automobiles, is investing in energy storage. Tesla’s 100 MW lithium-iron battery is to installed in South Australia by the end of 2017 under an agreement with the South Australian Government, Tesla, and the French renewable energy group Neoen. The battery is said to be three times more powerful than any other system in the world. Aurecon is acting as an engineering advisor to the government for this project.

Kingsbury CEO

Mike Brawley has been appointed President and CEO of Kingsbury, succeeding Bill Strecker who held the position for ten years. Brawley has served in various positions in the company since 1985. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Widener University, Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University, and Master of Business Administration from Colorado State University. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, Kingsbury designs and manufactures a wide variety of standard and custom fluid-film thrust and journal bearings for rotating equipment applications.

Kobe expands

Kobe Steel has established Kobelco Machinery Philippines (KMP) in the Philippines to dispatch supervisors and provide engineering services for its nonstandard compressor business. Headquartered in Makati City, Metro Manila and employing 21 people, the company is in full operation. Kobe Steel has previously increased the number of supervisors in Japan (Takasago Works), the U.S. (California) and China (Wuxi). The aim is to fulfill compressor orders and after-sales service.

Siemens digest

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Siemens unveiled a collaboration around Internet of Things (IoT) innovation. Focused on the manufacturing, energy, building technology, healthcare and railway industries, the partnership centers upon MindSphere, the cloud-based, IoT operating system from Siemens. New applications for MindSphere by TCS offer predictive maintenance and energy monitoring services.

Duke Energy submitted plans to the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to add 400 MW of peaking energy at its Lincoln County Combustion Turbine (LCCT) generation site. The proposal includes Siemens as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor for the project, including supply of the GT. The site currently houses 16 gas-fueled, simple-cycle GTs capable of generating 1,200 MW during short periods, when needs are highest.

Siemens will supply the components for the Attarat steam power plant in Jordan. China Energy Engineering Group Guangdong Power Engineering will be the contractor and operator. Siemens scope of supply comprises two SST5-5000 STs, two air-cooled SGen5-1200A generators, and the turbine control system.

The condenser is air cooled to address the lack of water at the site. This can be seen as a global trend for dry areas where water is mainly used for households. The plant will start operation in mid-2020 and will feed up to 470 MW to Jordan’s power grid.

Siemens has won an order to supply the key power generation equipment for the Sabiya Extension 3 CCPP in Kuwait. The contract was awarded by the plant owner, the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW), to Alghanim International for EPC.

The power train will provide 900 MW. A service agreement is also included. The plant will start simple cycle operation in winter of 2019. Commissioning of the combined cycle operation is scheduled for the end of 2020.

The natural gas-fired Sabiya Extension 3 is being built on the existing site of the Sabiya power plant on the Bay of Kuwait. It can also be operated with fuel oil as a back-up fuel.

The multi-shaft combined cycle power plant will provide electrical capacity of over 900 MW. The power train from Siemens consists of two SGT5-4000F GTs, two hydrogen-cooled SGen5-2000H generators, one SST5-5000 ST, and a SGen5-2000H ST generator. Siemens will also deliver the SPPA-T3000 control system and switchgear.

Siemens and AES Corporation have agreed to form a global energy storage technology and services company under the name Fluence. Siemens and AES will have joint control of the company. Fluence’s global headquarters will be in Washington, DC. Fluence will operate independently of its parent companies, combining Siemens’ battery-based energy storage solutions group with AES Energy Storage. The grid-connected energy storage sector is expected to expand from a total installed capacity of three GW at the end of 2016 to 28 GW by 2022, according to IHS Markit.

MAN contract

MAN Diesel & Turbo has agreed to acquire a 40% participation in Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA). AKA, a Canadian company, based in Montague, Prince Edward Island (PEI), specializes in power supply, energy management and drive systems for marine applications.

The company employs around 120 people at five locations around the world. AKA supplies diesel-hybrid powered vessel propulsion systems with integrated battery storage and on-board power systems in dynamic-positioning (DP) applications for the marine and offshore oil & gas sectors. AKA co-founder Jason Aspin will remain with the company as Managing Director and shareholder. Neale Kemp as the other founding partner is retiring from active business operations.

Liquid to gas

Lean, Premixed, Pre-vaporized (LPP) combustion technology converts liquid fuels into a substitute for natural gas, which can power most combustion devices while yielding emissions comparable to that of natural gas.

By allowing liquid fuels to be vaporized into a natural gas substitute to power gas-fired turbines, LPP Combustion’s fuel-processing technology allows light liquid hydrocarbons to be used in place of liquid natural gas (LNG) in low-emissions GTs for shipboard power generation.

This eliminates the need to install shipboard LNG storage systems. The system allows rapid switching between liquid fuels and natural gas by providing operation on liquid fuels, even for GTs that have no current capability to burn liquid fuels.

RWG digest

Dubai Petroleum (DP) has awarded RWG, a joint venture between Wood Group and Siemens, a three-year master service agreement for maintenance of Siemens SGT-A20 AV (Industrial Avon) gas generators in operation offshore in the Fateh oil field, about 90 kilometres from Dubai.

This includes major overhaul of DP’s fleet of Industrial Avon Mk 1535 and Avon 200 gas generators; disassembly, inspection and repair or replacement of unserviceable components, as well as performance testing. Engine overhauls will be done in Aberdeen, Scotland. In addition, RWG will provide in-country field service support.

Botas Petroleum Pipeline Company has awarded RWG a contract for the overhaul of three Siemens Industrial Avon GTs. This equipment, located at Kirklareli Compressor Station in Turkey, provides mechanical drive capacity for natural gas compression, helping to maintain the reliability of Turkey’s gas transmission network. RWG will provide disassembly, cleaning, inspection, overhaul and performance test in accordance with OEM criteria.

GT sales to improve

The global GT market, valued at $16 billion in 2015, is expected to reach $20.5 billion in 2021, according to a report from Zion Market Research. “Gas Turbines Market By Rated Capacity, By Application, and Forecast, 2015 – 2021.” According to the report, the global GT market was valued at $16 billion in 2015, and is expected to reach $20.5 billion in 2021. Asia Pacific held the dominant share in the GT market across the globe in 2015.

MTU contract

MTU Maintenance has extended until the end of 2023 its contract with Sahacogen (Chonburi) Public Company Limited in Thailand for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of its three LM6000PC GTs. The contract will cover scheduled and unscheduled maintenance events and on-site services. Sahacogen runs a combined-cycle power plant that generates 174 MW of electricity and 81 tons of steam per hour for a local industrial park. Natural gas is the main fuel used.

GE digest

Russell Stokes, former president and CEO of GE Energy Connections, is now president and CEO of GE Power. Stokes, a 20-year GE veteran, succeeds Steve Bolze, the former president and CEO of GE Power, who has retired. Stokes will work to integrate the legacy GE Power and Energy Connections businesses into one power-focused unit called GE Power. Stokes has a finance degree from Cleveland State University.

In Turkey, GE is set to modernize two coal-fired plants for coal power specialist Yeniköy Kemerköy Elektrik Üretim ve Ticaret AŞ. The upgrade is expected to increase the plants’ capacity by 197.5 MW, boost efficiency from 34% to 40%, and decrease emissions.

The work will include replacing five Zamech high-pressure, intermediate-pressure and low-pressure STs and five Dolmel generators with air-cooled generators. The company will also upgrade five Rafako boilers, modernize five flue-gas desulfurization and electrostatic precipitator systems, the electrical and mechanical BOP, and a distributed control system.

The $23 billion transaction combining GE’s oil and gas business with Baker Hughes is complete. The new company brings together equipment, services and digital solutions across the spectrum of oil and gas development. BHGE’s global organization breaks down to:

• 65,000+ people in more than 120 countries

• Four product companies (Oilfield Services, Oilfield Equipment, Turbomachinery and Process Solutions, and Digital Solutions), and 24 product lines and segments

• Dual headquarters in Houston, TX and London, UK

Last month, BHGE held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Inspection Technology Customer Solution Center in Sharonville, OH, said to be the largest facility for inspection technologies in the world. The new facility will serve as a testbed and proving ground for many inspection techniques, and validation of new equipment.

BHGE invested $4 million in its 26,000 square-foot center, which will open during the fourth quarter of 2017 and become the hub for all North America manufacturing inspection technologies.

Included at this facility, a Speed CT Scan Machine (for precision 3-D CT measurement of aerospace, automotive or additive manufactured parts), portable inspection solutions (remote visual inspection, ultrasonic, and eddy current inspection equipment) and Predictive Corrosion Management (PCM).

PCM offers asset performance management via installed ultrasonic sensors and using the GE Predix operating system to collect and analyze real-time performance data and monitor corrosion-related risk of pipes and other facilities.