International Conference Power Plants 2012

Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia Oct. 30th - Nov. 2nd, 2012 - Zlatibor, Serbia
http://e2012.drustvo-termicara.com/english/


Abstract
In the Balkan and Central Europe, there is a large fleet of older oil & coal fired power plants
with a potential for repowering into modern combined cycle power plants. This paper will
review the specific HRSG design features required for such repowering projects. Compared
to green field projects, repowering a steam turbine with a new train of gas turbine and HRSG
includes some special challenges. The HRSGs have to be tailor made to suit the existing site
constraints. We will explain how a Vertical type HRSG can be adapted and modelled to
match a limited foot print. In addition we will present the specificities of the design of HRSGs
when the Gas Turbine fires heavy fuel oil, as mandatory in some projects. CMI has recently
completed such a large repowering projects, for instance Senoko Singapore; Dunamenti
Hungary, Shoiaba/SEC/ Saoudi Arabia, These experiences will be the support throughout
this paper to explain these specific repowering challenges.




Fig.1 CMI is a HRSG specialist and offers both Horizontal and Vertical designs



Background of Senoko Project
In December 2004, Senoko Power of Singapore has completed an innovative plant
repowering project. Three old large coal fired boilers had been demolished to be replaced by
3 gas turbines of 250 MW each, coupled with a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG)
based on state-of-the- art 3 pressures plus reheat. Produced steam is used in the former old
steam turbine and condenser. This is the repowering concept of an old steam turbine, which
has typically a longer life span than the boielrs. This paper reviews all of the specific
characteristics of the HRSG for repowering as used for Senoko project but also at Dunamenti
a 2010-2011 repowering project in Hungary.
Compared to a greenfield plant, where standard reference plant concepts can apply,
repowering projects must always be specific to suit existing plant layout and steam turbine
operating conditions. This was especially true at the Senoko plant. Firstly, the new HRSGs
had to match the very limited foot print of the old conventional boilers, where dimensions of
the new HRSG had to be adapted. Then, the HRSG design was selected as Vertical type.
Secondly, modular construction including highly prefabricated heat exchangers were
required to match the 18 months stoppage. Finally, the Senoko facility is a very congested
site with no room for large cranes. Consequently, hydraulic lifting jacks have been used
instead for boiler erection of heavy items. A good deal of existing civil structures and cooling
systems were re-used. After the first GT26 block, having the equivalent capacity of more
than two of the smaller steam sets, has come into operation, it was possible to shut down
the remaining two units for repowering. The second repowering step was then performed in
a narrow 18 month window. Thanks to this two-stepsrepowering, the interruption time was
minimal and the plant returned to service as scheduled at the end of 2004. Alstom was the
project leader, and they in turn awarded the HRSG to CMI. The choice of CMI, as a specialist
in the Vertical HRSG, was significant. The HRSGs are Vertical natural circulation with three
pressure levels plus reheat : HP, 322 t/h at 128.9 barA, 568C; IP, 27.9 t/h at 41.5 barA,
320C; LP 17.8 t/h saturated at 5.4 barA, 237C and RH, 332 t/h at 39.4 bar 568C.



Site limited available area
At Senoko, there were constraints imposed by the space occupied by the original fired boiler
which had to contain the gas turbine, the HRSG and the connections to the steam turbine. So,
available area per HRSG was limited to only 30.6 meters in length by 28.1 meters in width.
HRSG with all auxiliaries (feedwater tank, feedwater pumps, sampling, dosing skid,) had to
be included in such a reduced area. Inside the building, a cargo lift was also to be installed.
All piping had to remain within this perimeter boundary because of the surrounding
enclosure, and some limits of supply and even Alstoms equipment was located inside the
HRSG enclosure creating major risks of interfaces. Last but not least, the GT outlet extended
about 1 meter into the boiler enclosure, reducing even further the available area for HRSG.
Therefore, it was challenging to install such a large HRSG in such a reduced area. At the early
engineering stage, CMI exchanged with Alstom 3D model of HRSG including auxiliaries.
Alstom then consolidated its 3D plant model with PDMS software. Detailed three dimension
plant modelling prevented clashes at the engineering stage without adverse construction
problem (Fig.2).


Fig.2 HRSG modeling in 3 dimensions



Vertical HRSG flexibility
Standard Vertical HRSG for such GT class F combined cycle typically measures an overall
length of about 35 meters. This length is based on 20.4 meters tubes long which are the
longest tubes for Vertical HRSG used by CMI without any other limitations. Such standard
design applies for greenfield site or when there is no space limitation. Even though this
standard boiler is already quite short, this was not short enough to match the Senoko
repowering site. Unlike horizontal HRSG, boiler tube length impacts directly the boiler
length; this is a specific feature of Vertical HRSG. CMI took advantage of this lateral and
vertical space flexibility arrangement offered by the Vertical design (Fig.3).

GT
Overall boiler length 35 meters
Typical tubes length 20.4 m
Typical
heigth
9 m

Fig. 3 Vertical HRSG overall length based on longest used boiler tubes

This feature is very useful in case of repowering. As often, the boiler width was not such an
issue in comparison with boiler length. For Senoko, the longest possible tube was 18.4
meters and the boiler casing was enlarged in proportion. While making such casing
adjustment to available space, the driving criterion is to keep the gas pressure drop
unchanged. In other words, gas velocity and gas path cross section shall also remain
unchanged (Fig.4). It is important to remember here that HRSG gas pressure drop is


proportional to the square of gas velocity, meaning that gas pressure drop (guaranteed value
by HRSG supplier) is very sensitive to available gas flow cross section.
Gas cross section
Gas cross
section
unchanged
Longest
tube
20.4 m
Reduced
tube/boiler
length
Flexible
Slightly
enlarged
boiler
width

Fig. 4 Arrangement flexibility offered with shorter tubes.

As a consequence of this wider casing, path had been divided in 3 wide sections instead of 2
as usual for the standard solution. There were 3 heat exchanger modules side by side over 4
levels for a total of 12 modules (Fig.5). The modules were completely shop prefabricated and
hydrostatically tested in workshop. The largest module weighted 145 tonnes with overall
dimensions 23.6 m * 3.9 m * 2.9m high. They were transported from harbour to site on
hydraulic trailers.


Heating
surface
modules
flexible
arrangement
Standard
'greenfield'
arrangement
Senoko
enlarged
casing width

Fig. 5 Heat exchanger modules arranged in 2 or 3 modules in width

This way, it became possible to fit the HRSG on this site. In case of available length is even
shorter, a last option would be by means of entering flue gas on the large casing face instead
of the standard small face (Fig. 4). This is a specific feature of the Vertical HRSG as the first
Gas
flow


heating surface is about 9 meters high (Fig.3), and this allows sufficient space for the inlet
duct arrangement underneath. This option is applicable up to middle size HRSG and is useful
in case of repowering plant where, for instance, the existing steel structure shall be
recovered. But, this option was not requested at Senoko.

Boiler modular construction
Heat exchangers modules were factory assembled under strict CMI quality control. As per
CMI standard design, each module was made of parallel serpentine tubes mounted on tube
support plates and connected to headers at each ends. As a result of this module prefabrication
design, only header to header welds had to be carried out at site. An important constraint at
Senoko site was to ensure that there would be enough access around the operating unit for the
repowering of the second and third units. The hydraulic trailers carrying the modules had to
manoeuvre around the operating unit of phase 1 (Fig. 6). To perform so precision movement,
trailers selected were self-propelled rather than tractor pulling. This allowed more flexibility
in those manoeuvres because of the reduced convoy length, and its large angle orientation
wheels. Also, those advantages offered by the self-propelled trailer were required for the final
positioning of modules inside boiler frame due to limited space left as explained hereafter.
Those hydraulic trailers proved to be very accurate in this exercise with a positioning
tolerance of only 1 or 2 mm. Taking into account maximum trailer turning radius, a cinematic
study of movement sequence had been performed by CMI during engineering.






Module lifting with jacks
Senoko site precluded the use of a large crane. In case of prefabricated modules for
Horizontal HRSG, large cranes are typically needed to tilt and lift them. Instead for Senoko,
module lifting was performed with 28 hydraulic jacks installed on top of steel structure. This
module erection procedure is standard for CMI Vertical HRSG. The first module was brought
to position in the frame and its 7 tube support plates were attached to those jacks through
suspension cables and plates. The hydraulic trailer was then lowered, transferring module
weight carried to those cables. The process was repeated for the other two modules to
complete this first level. This completed level was then jacked up sufficiently for the next
level of modules to be placed underneath it similarly, and the process was repeated until all 4
levels of modules had been suspended (Fig. 8). It is important to note that modules remained
always in horizontal position; module tilting operation is not required for Vertical HRSG
erection. The complete assembly was then jacked up to its final position in the steel structure.
At that stage, the complete pressure parts weight amounting to 1450 tonnes was still hang on
those 28 jacks. By introducing pins in suspensions plates and lowering jacks, weight was
Fig. 6 Boiler modules on hydraulic trailor had to manoeuvre on congested site



transferred to the 28 final suspensions points. Hydraulic jacks were released, dismantled and
reinstalled on the next unit. Then, adjacent header ends were welded together; no other
internal pressure part welding was needed except for a few tube/tube welds between level 1
and level 2. From modules arrival harbour up to final suspension of the 12 modules on to the
boiler frame, it took only 6 days without using crane, nor even scaffolding. This is a
remarkable short time also due to this work repeat.



Fig. 7 Second level of module ready to be lifted Fig. 8 Completion of 12 modules suspended

Typically, hydraulic jacks are better synchronized in jacking up than lowering loads.
Lowering load is a feature that is not normally needed by CMI module erection procedure
described hereabove. However, at Senoko, space was so limited (Fig. 10) that this special
feature was required. Indeed, when the erection of each module is in a gradually reducing
area, the problem is to get the third module exactly aligned relative to the 2 aside modules
already suspended. Hydraulic jacking system had been selected to get the capability to lift
and to lower the complete load in a synchronized way. Synchronization between jacks is very
critical during the lowering down because of the risk of unbalanced pressure between jacks
and consequently uneven load distribution on the steel structure. Considering the 1450 tonnes
hanging on this jacking system, uncontrolled load distribution between the 28 jacks would
have been unacceptable. To give clearance to the trailer to manoeuvre for the third module to
be positioned exactly underneath, the whole assembly was jacked up of several meters and
then relowered at the initial elevation to install suspensions plates. Hydraulic jacking system


proved to be very accurate in positioning with a maximum tolerance of only one of two
millimetres (Fig.9).



Fig. 9 Module erection Fig. 10 Self propelled trailer manoeuvres in limited space

Indoor HRSG
Indoor HRSG was specified indoor by Senoko Power. Not only is the Singapore climate
characterized by temperatures in the low to mid 30s and high relative humidity for much of
the year, but the power plant is located on the coast and buildings provide protection against
airborne salt. The main purpose was weather protection, but enclosure was also used for noise
abatement in terms of far field acoustical emissions. It is to be noted here that boiler stack
was also equipped with a flap damper for inside weather protection, and boiler bottling up to
keep it warm during outage. Compared to Horizontal HRSG, stack damper is a standard
feature of CMI Vertical HRSG as the stack is centred on HRSG. For enclosure support, the
main HRSG steel structure was easily extended to a secondary frame wrapped and attached
all around. Senoko Power had specified to CMI architects some colours and aesthetic criteria
(Fig. 11). For instance, all building side walls were extended 2 meters above roof platforms in
order to hide top equipment such as silencers and louvers. Those louvers were installed for the
natural ventilation of building.





Dunamenti, Hungary

Fig. 11 Senoko repowering HRSG buildings phase 1 (CCP3) on left, and phase 2
(CCP4&5) on rigth

Fig. 12 Dunamentia G3 (GDF-SUEZ ELECTRABEL) BUDAPEST, Hungary



After the G2 repowering project in 1995, CMI supplied a HRSG for the G3 project that was
commissioned in 2011.




SHOIABA HRSG project summarized:
10 vertical HRSGs, outdoor
Flue gas by-pass stack (as option)
Crude oil firing with sootblowers
Hot casing (external rockwoll insulation)
2P (LP steam for the external deaerating FWT)
Natural circulation
Site conditions: 9 to 50C
ASME design
HRSG prefabricated in 4 pressure part modules
Number of tubes: 3456 tubes of 17 meters
Stack

Fig. 13 Shoiaba/SEC/ Saoudi Arabia, General Arrangement Drawing


Specificities of a HRSG designed for continuous fuel oil firing in the Gas Turbine:
Heavy duty gas turbines operate typically on natural gas, without risk of fouling and
typical dew point at 60C
Both Horizontal or Vertical HRSG are suitable such purpose
Crude oil has high sulfur content with Acid Dew Point around 145C
High sulfur content dictates the proper HRSG selection because all metallic surfaces
must remain above ADP to prevent internal corrosion
Temperature of condensate water entering finned tubes must be controlled to remain
above ADP to avoid acid formation on tubes
It limits the heat recovery in the back end of the HRSG
Ducting metal must remain above ADP which is not feasible with internal insulation.
HRSG must be externally insulated with hot ducting walls at gas temperature (no
condensation occurrence)
For HRSGs operated on continuous crude oil, heat exchangers are designed as follow:
Finned tubes with maximum
~
160 fins per meter
Solid fins prefered
Staggered or inline tubes arrangement
On line cleaning Sootblowers inside tube banks
Off line Water washing system capability and drains
Limitation of tube rows per bank for efficient cleaning
Good accessibility of pressure parts for inspection


Fig. 14 CMI has designed many HRSGs behind gas turbines firing light and heavy fuel oil.


Conclusions
There is real potential for repowering of old steam turbines in the Balkans. In a lot of old
conventional plants, fired boilers have exhausted their useful life before its steam turbine.
Over the years, much has been said about repowering, but very little has been done so far.
Repowering of those old steam sets into efficient combined cycle with new GTs and HRSG is
a cost effective solution. Today, available gas turbines can provide the exhaust energy for
steam turbines of 120 -150 MW of which there are many examples in Europe dating back
from the 1970s. These units could be repowered so as to increase power supply with a
significant improvement in operating efficiency, flexibility and emissions. CMI has
completed the Senoko and Dunamenti plants, which are a very successful example of such
repowering. At Senoko, the Vertical HRSG has been proofed to be very accommodating for
those the specific repowering constraints, which always require a tailor made design to suit
limited space. In addition CMI Vertical HRSGs are uniquely fit behind Gas Turbine firing
fuel oils.


To be presented by:
Pascal Fontaine, Product Manager, CMI Liege Belgium.
Xavier dHubert, Business Development Mgr East & Central Europe.



CMI Groupe
Avenue Greiner, 1
4100 SERAING (Lige) BELGIUM