vgbe energy – on the way to the energy system of the future
Dr Georg Stamatelopoulos
Our industry is facing a multitude of challenges, which are summarised under the term “energy transition”. The objective is a sustainable energy system with a net-zero balance in climate-relevant emissions. The path to this objective is already characterised by a massive expansion of renewable energies – especially in the areas of solar, wind, biomass and water – which is essential for achieving the targets. Another no less important challenge concerns security of supply and system stability. This requires dispatchable generation, i.e. power in the system that is available at all times. For this generation, from today’s perspective, it will be necessary above all to install the necessary capacities on the basis of gas; in the final stage, through the use of green gases, above all hydrogen, another field of action.
Our common ambition to improve quality and safety performance for works involving contractors
Marc Massaar Van Schaik, Till Böhmer and Hilde Geudens
ENGIE THERMAL Europe manages a Europe wide generation fleet with an capacity of approx. 19.8 GW of Gas- and large-scale Combined Heat Power assets and some pumped storage plants. Due to the increasing number of safety related events with Contractors, an improvement program was launched focusing on the quality and safety performance for works involving Contractors. A multidisciplinary working group consisting of Maintenance, Procurement and HSE experts reviewed in a holistic way the ‘full life cycle’ from qualification and selection during the tender phase up to the closure of the works. One of the main achievements of this project is the close collaboration between the different departments – Procurement, HSE and Business – thanks to a shared objective to improve quality and safety performance.
More efficient energy supply through the construction of a two-zone storage facility for Stadtwerke Duisburg
Markus Eferdinger
Storing large quantities of electricity and heat still poses major challenges for the energy industry. Stadtwerke Duisburg was also confronted with this. To overcome them, the industrial services provider Bilfinger Industrial Services from Austria was commissioned. A district heating storage system with two-zone technology, including an associated pump house, was to provide a remedy. The municipal utility relied on the innovative technology of the two-zone storage tank. The two-zone technology is an invention of the Swedish engineer Dr. Anders Hedbäck. With this technology, heat storage tanks that can withstand temperatures of over 100 degrees Celsius can be built without pressure.
Combined heat and power plant electrical equipment incident rate and unavailability empirical expression
Romāns Oļekšijs and Bogdan Olekshii
This paper presents approach to estimate combined heat and power plant main electrical equipment incident rate and unavailability time basing on statistical data. Empirical equations for generator incident rate and unavailability time estimation based on operating hours and number of start-ups per year are provided. The equations allow to predict CHP main electrical equipment incident rate and caused outage time basing on expected CHP operation time and start-up number per year. Such information is valuable for risk assessment and planning of power plant operation regimes. Provided equations could be used for any CHP. Calculation examples are presented. Also, brief description of possible economical effect is presented, which is very important in terms to choose right operation regimes.
First operating experience with the BigBattery Lausitz
Gunnar Löhning, Florian Wenzel, Andreas Kleitz, Oliver Stenzel and Thomas Hörtinger
Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke AG (LEAG) is tapping into new business areas and has built a battery storage facility with a storage capacity of around 54 megawatt hours at its Schwarze Pumpe site. The “BigBattery Lausitz” project combines modern power plant infrastructures with storage technology on a new scale and is so far unique in Europe in this constellation. The storage unit, which is based on lithium-ion technology, enables further flexibilisation of power generation at the Schwarze Pumpe site. By providing control power, it contributes to increasing the robustness of the transmission grid against frequency fluctuations and thus supports the system integration of renewable energies. The following article first explains the technical concept of the battery storage system. It then presents initial operating experience with the BigBattery Lausitz and approaches for further optimisation.
Black Start – Support for an existing CCGT power plant
Thomas Lehmann
During a blackout scenario of 50Hertz transmission GmbH (50Hertz) transmission system the district system berlin is also going to be affected. Today 50Hertz transmission GmbH commands the re-establishment of the grid. The Stromnetz Berlin GmbH as district system operator wants to react faster and repower the district system quicker. For this case black start diesel generators will be built at the CHP plant Berlin Mitte to recover from a total shut-down. These partnerships, regulations and the technical implementation will be shown.
Mobile maintenance against the background of sector coupling
Florian Schumann and Helmut Guggenbichler
Both, for plants in operation in the energy industry and on the way to establishing decentralised structures in energy supply, there is currently still often the problem in the operating phase that there is a discrepancy between the need and the supply of information. This often means that the service staff on site do not have the documentation they need to process their tasks or that it is no longer up to date. To solve these problems, mobile maintenance systems have already been implemented in several companies, including power plants. With this software interface, the employees on site can directly access the current data statuses both online and offline with the help of mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets or AR glasses and interact with the existing systems. With the help of this mobile solution, information losses due to media discontinuities as well as unnecessary walking or driving distances for additional on-site inspections resulting from missing data are avoided.
Optimal PID controller structures for practical application
Simon Fleischer and Kai Michels
For systems with several inputs and outputs we often have the problem that under certain operation conditions the controller for the different system variables act against each other. To avoid this problem, one could use a multi-dimensional state-space controller, but this type of controller is so complex, that in case of changes in the system it cannot be tuned any more. Therefore, at the IAT of Bremen University an algorithm is currently developed, that provides an optimal PI(D) controller structure including parameterization for such systems. The optimization means a maximization of control quality by minimization of the H_∞-Norm. From that point of view, the algorithm can be seen as a link between modern control theory and practical application.
The role of low emission coal technologies in a net zero Asian future
Greg Kelsall and Paul Baruya
There is a widely held assumption that there must be an end to the use of coal to achieve net zero emissions (NZE). For much of Asia, it is not feasible to phase out unabated coal in the coming decades as it remains the dominant source of energy, because of its low cost and ease of availability. Many Asian countries have relatively fast-growing economies and populations, which are also becoming more urban. Thus, demand for energy, electricity and infrastructure is growing – all of which are carbon-intensive. There is much that Asian countries can do to approach NZE, starting with the deployment of low emission coal technologies (LECT). Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is a necessary part of Asia’s transition to NZE because coal will remain important for many years for existing industry, such as electricity generation and industrial processes that are hard to abate; and new industries, such as bioenergy, hydrogen, ammonia and dimethyl ether (DME). Asia, and in particular China, should become a key focus for the roll out of commercial CCUS, where large scale projects are underway.
Conference Report: 53rd Colloquium on Power Plant Technology
Michael Beckmann and Juliane Jentschke
For the second year in a row, the Power Plant Technology Colloquium (KWTK) took place as a hybrid conference. Thanks to a hygiene and event concept, 600 participants were able to attend the conference in attendance at the Dresden Congress Centre. About 50 people followed the KWTK online. In addition to the plenary session and panel discussion, all technical presentations of the individual sessions were also broadcast live for the first time. In addition, the 70 exhibitors in Dresden had the opportunity to present their companies online. Thus, even under the given framework conditions, the KWTK organisation team was once again able to conduct a communication and discussion platform that met with a lively response.
Editorial
Dr Georg Stamatelopoulos
Chairman of the Board of Directors
of the VGB PowerTech e.V.
Member of the Board/
Chief Operating Officer Generation of the
EnBW Energie
Baden-Württemberg AG
vgbe energy – on the way to the energy system of the future
Dear Readers,
Our industry is facing a multitude of challenges, which are summarised under the term “energy transition”. The objective is a sustainable energy system with a net-zero balance in climate-relevant emissions. The path to this objective is already characterised by a massive expansion of renewable energies – especially in the areas of solar, wind, biomass and water – which is essential for achieving the targets. Another no less important challenge concerns security of supply and system stability. This requires dispatchable generation, i.e. power in the system that is available at all times. For this generation, from today’s perspective, it will be necessary above all to install the necessary capacities on the basis of gas; in the final stage, through the use of green gases, above all hydrogen, another field of action.
These challenges, for which actual solutions must be implemented, are all reflected in the topic of technology. It is necessary to develop new technologies or to further develop established ones, to accompany these up to technical implementation and finally to build and operate the necessary plants for our energy supply. The energy sector is ready for this and actively involved in a large number of future-oriented projects.
Accordingly, the “VGB PowerTech” is also to be found here, as the technical association of energy plant operators. In this challenging times of change, the association supports its member companies and the industry as an independent platform, network and competence centre.
With a new image, we would like to present the association to the outside world for the new energy age. In doing so, continuity, in the sense of reliability and competences, is preserved and provided with added value through a new addition. What could be more appropriate in the world of “energy” than an addition with an “e”? With a small change – which does not even have an audible impact in common parlance – we notice our area of activities, the energy sector and the energy with which we support our members every day and pursue our common goals.
In this way, we are taking a decisive step towards a strong and formative brand: vgbe energy with the main ideas “vision – generation – benefit”. The association’s willingness to change, improve, create connections and take responsibility is also expressed in our claim “ENERGY IS US”. Energy is not just a topic, it is our innermost motivation.
The new brand vgbe energy – ENERGY IS US! also conceals another level to which we are committed. It is the call: “be” – be! We, vgbe energy, are the active partner that informs, inspires and connects: be energised, be inspired, be connected, be informed – are our promises to our members for joint success.
However, the changes do not only affect the external appearance of the vgbe energy association. The drastic changes in the energy sector were the reason to tackle a fundamental structural and operational reorientation and to develop it under the title “VGB2025”. Based on the proposals of a broad-based working group consisting of representatives of the member companies and the head office, a forward-looking, efficient concept for the association was developed and approved by the members. A sustainable financing model for the association as well as increasing the attractiveness for existing and potential member companies through a transparent, modular and flexible participation model are central parts.
In future, all activities of the association will be grouped, on the one hand, in the initially five Technical Competence Centres – Wind Power, Hydropower, Nuclear Power, Thermal Power Plants and the Future Energy System; Energy System of the Future – in which the known working bodies and the activities and services assigned to them are organised. The Technical Competence Centres will concentrate on the important focal points relevant to all member companies in the areas of plant and operational safety, technical exchange of experience, expertise for external communication, development of standards and organisation and coordination of joint research projects.
On the other hand, activities are organised in the Technical Programmes to cover or develop comprehensive or completely new topics. Thematically, cross-cutting and/or new topics, technologies as well as activities can be covered. The Technical Programmes offer flexible implementation conditions in terms of participation, funding and structuring and are designed with a clear focus on the objectives to be achieved, the deliverables and the time frame.
As an integral part of the association, vgbe energy’s service company offers further highly qualified services and further know-how for the members with its Technical Services and Engineering Services as well as the Event Service and Publishing House.
This is vgbe energy of the future – our portfolio, our claim and our energy with a concept for the future. We look forward to you continuing to walk this challenging and exciting path together with us in the future.