POWER December 2021 - S4

POWER AWARDS
December 2021
Junliangcheng Power Plant, China
D
ue to air pollution problems, particularly
with PM2.5 (fine inhalable particulate
matter with diameters that are
generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller), the
Tianjin government developed a Clean Air
Action Plan and released it in 2013. Among
the recommended actions was a request
for the Tianjin Huadian Junliangcheng Thermal
Power Plant to make at least a partial coal-to-gas transition.
The Junliangcheng facility is owned by China Huadian Tianjin
Junliangcheng Power Generation Co. Ltd., part of China Huadian
Corp. To facilitate the coal-to-gas transition, it contracted
with GE to supply the gas turbine technology, and Harbin Electric
was selected to provide the steam turbine, generator, and
balance-of-plant equipment. Contracts were signed in March
2017. The owner also subcontracted to carry out design work,
construction, and commissioning activities.
The gas-fired unit features the first commercially operating
GE 9HA.01 technology in China. In addition to the 9HA.01 gas
turbine, GE supplied its Mark* VIe distributed control solution,
which provides full combined cycle plant control and operation.
Junliangcheng's gas turbine was shipped from GE's manufacturing
facility in Belfort, France, to the port of Antwerp, Belgium,
in September 2018. It arrived at the site in Tianjin in April
2019. The unit's first fire and its first synchronization with the
power grid both occurred in September 2020. It commenced
commercial operation on Jan. 28, 2021. Achieving such a rapid
construction timeline is notable because it was done in spite of
Courtesy: GE Gas Power
obstacles caused by the worldwide pandemic.
" The most challenging aspect was COVID-19 related, " Yibin
Jia, senior project manager with GE Gas Power, told POWER.
" We could not get enough commissioning resources so we
had to do a lot of support work remotely. I think that was the
most challenging piece of the project. "
Having to rely on remote help was not always a hinderance,
however. " Through tele-support we completed commissioning
within 10 days. That's much faster than we expected, " Jia said.
" Normally, it's about one month, so we only required one-third
of the time. Also, the first fire-fully conducted by the local
team-achieved the completion within three days. The customer
thought it would take one week. "
Safety was a top priority for the construction team. In the end,
site policies and procedures proved to be effective. " We completed
the project without any onsite injuries, " Jia reported. ■
Rollin M. Schahfer Generating Station, Indiana
I
t can be difficult for power plants to
comply with National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES)
permit limits. For example, Northern Indiana
Public Service Co.'s (NIPSCO's) Rollin
M. Schahfer Generating Station, located in
Jasper County near Wheatfield, Indiana,
operates four coal-fired units with a combined
capacity of about 1,943 MW. The facility takes its cooling
water from the Kankakee River. Before being returned to the
river, the water is discharged to a final settling basin, which
has a surface area of about 194 acres and an average depth of
about 10.7 ft. The water must meet NPDES permit limits when
being discharged back to the river.
Among the requirements are that the concentration of total
suspended solids (TSS) must be less than 30 parts per
million (ppm) on a daily basis and less than 15 ppm on a
monthly average, and the water pH must be less than 9. Settling
ponds are commonly rich in nutrients, and the temperature
of water in Schahfer's basin is warmer than river water,
having absorbed heat in condensers while passing through
the plant. This causes algae to grow at a relatively fast rate,
and algal blooms have an adverse effect on TSS and pH.
To manage the situation, NIPSCO contacted LG Sonic, a
company that calls itself a " leader in sustainable algae management. "
NIPSCO worked directly with the company to develop
an ultrasonic solution, utilizing LG Sonic's MPC-Buoy technology.
MPC-Buoy is a floating solar-powered system that com4
Courtesy:
LG Sonic
bines real-time water quality monitoring and ultrasonic sound
waves to effectively control algae.
" Controlling algae with low-power ultrasound is a well-established
technology that has been in existence for many years.
It is an environmentally friendly technology that is harmless to
fish and plants, " Lisa Brand, CTO for LG Sonic, told POWER.
For Schahfer's settling pond, LG Sonic designed a setup with
two MPC-Buoy Pro units and three MPC-Buoy Lite units. Pro
units include ultrasound transmitters and water quality monitoring
sensors customizable to users' needs. Lite units only
include ultrasound transmitters-no monitoring sensors. The
Lite units receive ultrasonic treatment instructions from the
Pro units.
Ultrasound can be used in both fresh water surfaces, such as
lakes, drinking water reservoirs, and irrigation basins, as well as
in maritime environments. By controlling the algae, it is possible
to improve the clarity of the water, and reduce TSS and pH. ■
www.powermag.com
Supplement to POWER
REINVENTION
WATER
AWARD
AWARD
http://www.powermag.com
POWER December 2021

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