Emerson to automate EDF's CCGT units with Plantweb

An Emerson Process Management - Power + Water product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 30, 2009

Emerson Process Management has been awarded a contract by energy company EDF to automate six combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) units with its Plantweb digital plant architecture.

The installations - located in West Burton, UK, and the towns of Blenod-les-Pont-a-Mousson and Martigues in France - will enable EDF to satisfy future energy supply requirements and meet its climate commitment.

The Emerson comprehensive Plantweb solution includes deployment of the Ovation expert control system with Hart communications to monitor and control the heat-recovery steam generator, as well as the burner management system (for Martigues) and balance-of-plant processes.

The Ovation system will also integrate the turbine control system and perform data acquisition, including sequences of events.

CCGT power generation is claimed to be the most energy-efficient and clean method of fossil-fuel generation.

CCGT plants can be started in a matter of minutes, making them suitable for matching changes in consumption.

Emerson's Ovation system was chosen for its ability to provide tight regulation and to efficiently hit and maintain set points.

Bernard Bergerot, CCGT projects strategic director within EDF's thermal engineering department, said: 'At EDF, we are looking to provide modern and efficient power generation that is responsive and flexible to the demand for electricity.' Jerome Durand, IandC team manager within the same department, added: 'To help achieve this, we have sourced an automation solution that offered maximum reliability, was easy to maintain and provided flexibility.' As part of its automation and control solution, Emerson will also supply a high-fidelity Scenario simulator to assist with start-up and for training operators.

In addition to training EDF operators on the Ovation system, Emerson's simulation solution will be used to test and verify control logic and for unit checkout prior to the plant's synchronisation to the grid.

Emerson will also apply AMS Suite predictive maintenance software to all sites, which will be used to streamline device configuration and commissioning.

AMS Suite will also provide online access to instrument and valve diagnostics and automatic documentation of all field-device maintenance information.

IEC 61850 modules will interface with intelligent electronic devices (IED) used within the switch yard.

Emerson will integrate the GE Mark VI turbine control systems into Ovation via the GE-specific GSM protocol.

The Emerson Ovation Safety Instrumented System (SIS) will be used to provide SIL-3 protection for the burner management systems and boilers.

Complying with the IEC 61511 international standard, the Ovation SIS employs digital intelligence and diagnostics to take an integrated complete safety loop approach, which is said to increase process availability, reduce lifecycle costs and ease regulatory compliance.

EDF is constructing a 1,300MW power station at its existing West Burton site, located in Nottinghamshire, UK.

Comprising three 430MW CCGT units, the plant will stand next to EDF's 2,000MW coal-fired power station.

Once completed, the CCGT unit will supply enough power for around 1.5 million homes, according to the company.

The power station will be ready for commercial operation in 2011.

The 430MW power plant in Blenod-les-Pont-a-Mousson is to be the first CCGT unit built by EDF in France and will provide the Lorraine area in the northeast of France with a modern means of power generation that is claimed to be powerful, reactive and flexible to the changing demand.

The plant is expected to perform at 57 per cent efficiency and is due to be complete by 2011.

At the existing EDF plant in Martigues in the south of France, the oil-fuelled power station is being transformed into two 480MW CCGT units, completion of which is expected by 2012.

EDF is currently looking at adding Emerson Smartprocess optimisation software, including the Global Performance Advisor module that reduces operating costs by tracking unit heat rate penalty costs and indicating any losses as a result of equipment performance deviations from design.