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WORLD ALLIANCE FOR DECENTRALIZED ENERGY In Association With March - April 2015 CONDITION MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES GET SMARTER n CONVERTING A CHP PLANT FROM COAL TO BIOMASS n HOW ENCLOSURES IMPACT COGENERATION’S EFFICIENCY n WILL EUROPE’S ENERGY UNION HELP DECENTRALISED ENERGY? Solar takes off at India’s airports

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Page 1: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

WORLD ALLIANCE FOR DECENTRALIZED ENERGY

In Association With

March - April 2015

CONDITION MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES GET SMARTER n CONVERTING A CHP PLANT FROM COAL TO BIOMASS n HOW

ENCLOSURES IMPACT COGENERATION’S EFFICIENCY n WILL EUROPE’S ENERGY UNION HELP DECENTRALISED ENERGY?

Solar takes off at India’s airports

1503cospp_C1 1 3/12/15 5:07 PM

Page 3: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

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1503cospp_1 1 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 4: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Contents

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com2

Volume 16 • Number 2

March - April 2015

8

18 On-site solar takes off at India’s airports Projects are underway in India to install captive solar photovoltaic power systems at the

country’s airports, exploiting innovative funding models and long-term power purchase

agreements.

By Raghavendra Verma

18 Condition monitoring systems get smarter Effective condition monitoring has always been key to plant reliability, but the advances of

the digital age are opening up new horizons and the possibility for feet-wide management

of gas turbines and balance of plant equipment.

By David Appleyard

24 Making the switch from coal to biomass With specifc modifcations, a bituminous coal-fring combined heat and power system can

be converted to operate with wood or other biomass pellets. We fnd out what’s involved in

one such switch at Dong Energy Thermal Power’s Studstrupvaerket plant in Denmark.

By Thomas Krause and Yaqoub Al-Khasawneh

28 Enclosures and effciency Most cogeneration installations are housed in an enclosure, which can be a container or a

special boiler house. Here we show how the setup of an installation’s enclosure can affect

its effciency.

By Dr Jacob Klimstra

Features

WORLD ALLIANCE FOR DECENTRALIZED ENERGY

In Association With

March - April 2015

CONDITION MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES GET SMARTER n CHP FUEL CONVERSION: FROM COAL TO BIOMASS n HOW

ENCLOSURES IMPACT COGENERATION’S EFFICIENCY n WILL EUROPE’S ENERGY UNION HELP DECENTRALISED ENERGY?

Solar takes off at India’s airports

On the cover: On-site solar photovoltaics are increasingly powering India’s airports. See

feature article starting on page 8. COVER ART: Keith Hackett

1503cospp_2 2 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 5: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

www.cospp.com Member, BPA Worldwide

www.cospp.com

ISSN 1469–0349

Chairman: Frank T. Lauinger

President/ Chief Executive Offcer: Robert F. Biolchini

Chief Financial Offcer/

Senior Vice President: Mark C. Wilmoth

Group Publisher: Rich Baker

Publisher: Dr. Heather Johnstone

Managing Editor: Dr. Jacob Klimstra

Associate Editor: Tildy Bayar

Consulting Editor: David Sweet

Contributing Editor: Steve Hodgson

Design: Keith Hackett

Production Coordinator: Kimberlee Smith

Sales Managers: Tom Marler, Natasha Cole

Advertising:

Tom Marler on +44 (0)1992 656 608

or [email protected]

Natasha Cole on +1 713 621 9720

or [email protected]

Editorial/News:

e-mail: [email protected]

Published by PennWell International Ltd,

The Water Tower,

Gunpowder Mill, Powdermill Lane,

Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1BN, UK

Tel: +44 1992 656 600

Fax: +44 1992 656 700

e-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.cospp.com

Published in association with the World Alliance for Decentralized Energy (WADE)

© 2015 PennWell International Publications Ltd. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form orby any means, whether electronic, mechanical or otherwiseincluding photocopying, recording or any information storage orretrieval system without the prior written consent of the Publishers.While every attempt is made to ensure the accuracy of theinformation contained in this magazine, neither the Publishers,Editors nor the authors accept any liability for errors or omissions.Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those ofthe Publishers or Editor.

Subscriptions: Qualifed professionals may obtain freesubscriptions by visiting our website at www.cospp.com andcompleting an online subscription form. Extra copies of theseforms may be obtained from the publisher. The magazine mayalso be obtained on subscription; the price for one year (sixissues) is US$133 in Europe, US$153 elsewhere, including airmail postage. Digital copies are available at US$60. To start asubscription call COSPP at +1 847 763 9540. Cogeneration andOn-Site Power Production is published six times a year by PennwellCorp., The Water Tower, Gunpowder Mill, Powdermill Lane, WalthamAbbey, Essex EN9 1BN, UK, and distributed in the USA by SPP at 75Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postagepaid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes toCogeneration and On-Site Power Production, c/o P.O. Box 437,Emigsville, PA 17318.

Reprints: If you would like to have a recent article reprinted for aconference or for use as marketing tool, please contact Rae LynnCooper. Email: [email protected].

18

4 Editor’s Letter

6 Insight

7 WADE Comment

34 Genset Focus

36 Diary

36 Advertisers’ Index

Regulars

28

Executive Profle

Opinion

14 Cogenco’s Trevor Atkins Trevor Atkins is Head of Operations at UK utility Veolia’s specialist packaged combined

heat and power subsidiary, Cogenco. We speak with him as he prepares for retirement

after 20 years in the CHP sector.

By Tildy Bayar

13 The case for LPG in the industrial sector When it comes to industrial environments, which could be in rural or off-grid

locations, switching to liquefed petroleum gas (LPG) can deliver both fnancial and

environmental benefts.

By Rob Shuttleworth

1503cospp_3 3 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 6: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com4

Editor’s Letter

Proven cogeneration technology serving the industry well

In early February this year, I had the privilege

of attending a celebration of one million

successful running hours accumulated

by four cogeneration units at a factory in

Roermond, The Netherlands. It was a very

pleasant event with a happy customer and

a happy supplier.

The cogeneration units have been in

operation since 1983, and I well remember

all the efforts we took in those days to

promote cogeneration. The monopolistic

electricity companies initially tried to block

the connection of local generators to the grid.

They feared voltage and frequency instability,

and were afraid that any generator not

controlled by them would create safety issues.

Fortunately, we could convince the authorities

that increasing the number of generators on

the grid would improve the security of supply

as well as the frequency stability.

The big advantage of cogeneration,

of course, was and is the substantial fuel

savings compared with separate generation.

Nowadays, grid connection for local

generation is generally accepted. The factory

in Roermond expects many years of successful

operation to follow.

The four cogeneration units supply

electricity and heat for a factory that

processes an amazing 600,000 tonnes of

recycled paper per year, turning it into useful

products. The prime movers are modifed

aero-derivative gas turbines running at

14,250 rpm. According to the manufacturer,

many people initially doubted that such light

machines would really show high reliability

and durability. Some engineers might have

thought that a single large industrial unit

would prove a better solution.

However, all doubts have been removed.

The overhaul interval is only once every

45,000 hours. If needed in case of a calamity,

a turbine can be exchanged in one day.

The concept of having four units in parallel

offers high supply reliability. At this factory,

the match between electricity and steam

production on the one hand and demand

on the other is close to perfect. One unit is

equipped with supplementary fring to create

some extra fexibility in steam production. The

factory has received a number of awards for

its environmental friendliness.

A rough calculation reveals that,

compared with separate generation, this

cogeneration plant emits about 15 kilotonnes

less CO2 per year. One might argue that

30 MW in wind turbine capacity can achieve

the same reduction in CO2 emissions.

However, the output from wind turbines is

highly volatile, so the Roermond factory, with

its steady energy demand, could never run

on wind power alone. Yet the owners of wind

turbines receive substantial subsidies, while

the economy of the cogeneration plant

currently suffers from artifcially low electricity

prices and artifcially high gas prices. Soon

we will have a discussion with the responsible

ministry in The Netherlands about this unfair

situation. Hopefully the talks will result in more

favourable conditions for the country’s many

cogeneration plants.

Notwithstanding the low fnancial benefts

of cogeneration in the current climate, the

management of the Roermond factory

is investing in upgrading the installation’s

control systems and counting on many more

happy running hours. Being the energetic

and environmental benchmark for the

European paper industry is highly rewarding

in itself, and is seen as a positive asset by

customers. The cogeneration installation is a

prime example of a reliable technology that

can provide its services for many years.

Cogeneration is still one of the better

options to save primary energy and to

reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

PS: Visit www.cospp.com to see regular news updates, the current issue of

the magazine in full, and an archive of articles from previous issues. It’s the same website address to

sign-up for our fortnightly e-newsletter too.

Dr Jacob Klimstra Managing Editor

1503cospp_4 4 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 8: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com6

Insight

Stop wasting Europe’s heat

There is much to encourage

Europe’s cogeneration and district

energy industries in the European

Commission’s launch of a strategy to

achieve what it calls a ‘resilient Energy Union

alongside a forward-looking climate change

policy.’

The EC’s vision of an Energy Union is

all about maximising fexibility of energy

systems across the continent in order to cut

primary energy use and thus reduce imports.

This is to be achieved by new rules that

ensure energy users having more choice of

suppliers; the phasing out of poorly designed

subsidies; and energy fowing freely across

national borders. But the EC also points to

a fundamental rethink of energy effciency

– seeing it as a resource in its own right;

and ensuring that locally-produced energy

– including renewables – can be absorbed

into energy grids.

Europe is the largest energy importer in the

world, importing around 53% of its energy at

an annual cost of €400 billion ($443 billion),

so any way to reduce these imports is to be

welcomed.

Trade association COGEN Europe has

emphasised the obvious connection

between high-effciency cogeneration

technology, heat, and the need to cut

energy imports. Just a day after the EC

announcement, the association issued its

own manifesto calling for heat to be taken into

account thoroughly in the EC’s work towards

the union. Fundamentally, cogeneration

works by recovering and putting to use what

would otherwise be enormous quantities of

‘waste’ heat discarded at thermal power

plants.

COGEN Europe also refers the EC back to

the results of the recently-completed CODE 2

project, which estimated that cogeneration

could double in size to generate one-ffth

of the EU’s electricity by 2030, employing a

growing proportion of renewable fuels and

delivering substantial primary energy savings.

The amount of Europe’s heat supplied by

cogeneration would grow by half, and CO2

emissions would be cut substantially.

But market barriers to the wider uptake

of cogeneration and district energy remain.

Apart from recent poor spark spreads, the

main challenge for cogeneration remains

overcoming energy market failures which

expose CHP operators to variability of both

electricity and fuel markets. Achieving a

reasonable business proposition for CHP

developers and operators straddling these

two energy markets is still the single biggest

challenge for the sector, concludes the

CODE 2 report.

COGEN Europe’s new heat manifesto calls

for the EC to use an integrated approach

to the energy system, where heating and

cooling are taken into account at the start

of any process towards new legislation. Any

new European heating and cooling strategy

must interact genuinely with the power and

fuel supply sectors in order to overcome the

main barriers to cogeneration.

The manifesto also calls for the tracking of

primary, not just fnal, energy consumption,

and in particular the massive losses

occurring in power systems, by EU member

states. As COSPP readers will already know,

something approaching two-thirds of the

primary energy supplied as fuel to coal-

fred power plants is lost as waste heat or,

put another way, more heat is discarded at

power stations than is used to heat buildings

in many countries.

Integrate heat with power policies, and

take proper note of energy system wastage

– if the EU takes note of this advice from

the industry, its move towards a new Energy

Union will also beneft the decentralised

energy industry.

Steve Hodgson Contributing Editor

1503cospp_6 6 3/12/15 5:01 PM

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www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 7

Comment

Fifty Shades of CHP

The precipitous drop in

energy prices is having

repercussions throughout

the energy industry,

and nowhere is this felt more

profoundly than in the energy

capital of Houston, Texas. In

the US we have 50 states, each

of which has a distinct market

profle for CHP and distributed

power generation. While the

Texas economy has diversifed in

recent years, it is still very much

an energy town and when prices

fall as far and as fast as they

have, there is going to be some

pain experienced. It is estimated

that there could be 130,000 job

losses in Texas by this summer

as a result of the drop in energy

prices. While energy prices seem

to be slightly rebounding, natural

gas prices remained remarkably

low throughout the winter in the

US, notwithstanding the record

low temperatures and snowfalls

that many parts of the country

experienced.

The fip side of this price

slide is that interest in effciency

measures, such as CHP, is

escalating as companies look for

solutions to increase productivity

and reduce costs. WADE is having

a conference this April that will

focus on CHP for the industrial

sector and the many new

opportunities for CHP in areas

such as oil and gas, chemicals,

processing and others. We will

hear from none other than Pat

Wood, a Texan who served as

Chairman of the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission in

Washington and who currently

serves as Chairman of the Board

of the power company Dynegy.

In addition, neighbouring

Mexico is undergoing an energy

renaissance as it opens up its

markets to foreign investment,

which is creating a range of

opportunities for energy projects

and infrastructure.

The US energy boom has

created a remarkable industrial

expansion in the Gulf Coast

area. According to the American

Chemistry Council (ACC),

the shale-related chemical

investment has offcially topped

$100 billion which will create

55,000 permanent jobs in the

chemical sector.

While the Obama

administration is giving out mixed

messages on energy policy, with

the recent veto of a bill that

would have allowed the Keystone

Pipeline project to move forward

and announcement of methane

regulations that will impact the

natural gas production and

delivery sectors, the Executive

Order that articulated a goal

to increase the use of CHP in

the United States by 40 GW

by 2020 remains in effect. The

Clean Power Plan announced

by the EPA will also create new

and signifcant opportunities

for CHP, as it can be used as a

mechanism for compliance with

the new emission targets.

While the US is comprised

of 50 unique states and there

are 50 shades of the market for

decentralised energy throughout

the country, we are excited by the

strong opportunities that lie in the

Gulf region and with industrial

customers. We hope that you

can join us in Houston.

David Sweet

Executive Director

World Alliance for

Decentralized Energy

[email protected]

1503cospp_7 7 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 10: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com8

On-site renewables

The Airports Authority

of India (AAI), which

is owned by the

Indian government,

plans to generate 50 MW

of electric power from solar

plants at 30 airports by the

end of 2015. A communiqué

issued in May 2014 noted

that the plan was designed

to reduce the sector’s

dependence on India’s

unreliable grid power and

eschew supplementary

diesel generators.

At least eight of India’s

130 airports, including those

owned by private companies

such as the Indira Gandhi

International Airport in the

capital, New Delhi, already had

functional solar power systems,

operating smoothly before

the announcement of the

solar expansion plan. Other

Indian airports already ftted

with solar power systems or

currently obtaining such power

sources include Indore city’s

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport,

Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda

Airport, Bhubaneswar’s

Biju Patnaik International

Airport, Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj

Airport, Amritsar’s Sri Guru

Ram Dass Jee International

Airport, Chandigarh

Airport, Ahmedabad’s

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Projects are underway in India to install captive solar photovoltaic (PV) power

systems at the country’s airports, exploiting innovative funding models and long-

term power purchase agreements. However, the country’s grid power operators

are refusing to purchase any excess power, fnds Raghavendra Verma

On-site solar powering India’s airports

Cochin International Airport in Kochi plans to add 12 MW in additional solar power capacity Credit: Cochin International Ltd

1503cospp_8 8 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 11: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 9

On-site renewables

International Airport,

Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath

Bordoloi International Airport,

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi

International Airport and

Jaisalmer Airport.

Of course, India’s move

towards airport solar power

is far from unprecedented,

with other airport industries

worldwide assessing its beneft.

In November 2010, for instance,

the US Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) said that

‘airport interest in solar energy

is growing rapidly as a way

to reduce airport operating

costs and to demonstrate a

commitment to sustainable

development’, and issued a

technical guidance paper

promoting the idea.

Generating on-site solar

power is a particularly an

attractive proposition in India,

which receives signifcant

sunshine during most of the

year and suffers from chronic

power shortages, leading to

unreliable grid supplies.

India’s new Bharatiya Janata

Party (BJP)-led government,

elected in 2014, has plans for

expanding solar energy of all

kinds. It has already approved

25 large (non-airport) solar

energy projects, with a note

from its Ministry of New and

Renewable Energy (MNRE)

saying it wants to develop

20,000 MW of solar power

capacity nationwide by 2019.

Each megawatt of solar

power generating capacity

requires 1.8 ha of land and

costs $1.3 million in investment,

Rakesh Kalra, regional

executive director of the AAI,

told COSPP.

In most of the ongoing

solar power projects, the AAI

has not invested up front, but

is making deals with solar

power companies to install

and maintain the plants.

Kalra said it was possible that

airports might invest their own

money, rather than under a

build-own-operate basis, but

with a lifespan of 25 years,

either system should be

“cost-effective.”

The cost of grid power

in India has been rising

continuously. For example,

according to a note from

India’s recently replaced

Planning Commission, power

tariffs for use in commercial

establishments rose by 19%

between 2008 and 2012.

According to Kalra it is

expected to continue to do

so, while the cost of electricity

from existing solar plants

should either remain constant

or even fall.

Airports lead the way

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi

International Airport – which

is owned and operated by

Delhi International Airport

Private Limited (DIAL) – started

operations of its 2.14 MW

solar power plant in January

2014. The plant includes

8736 PV modules of 245 W

each, which have an anti-

refective coating to avoid

distracting landing aircraft

crew. They are mounted on

galvanised iron structures that

can be tilted in three positions

to adjust with the seasonal

changes in the sun’s position.

Spread over 3.64 ha

and running parallel to the

4.43 km runway ‘11/29’, the

solar modules are connected

to 16 combiner boxes, which

use 630 kW inverters to

convert direct current into

alternating current. Installed

by the German company

Enerparc, the average energy

generation of the plant is

10,000 kWh, peaking at

13,050 kWh. After synchronising

with the low tension voltage

received from the grid, the

solar power is fed into two

1600 kVA transformers and

stepped up to 11 kV in

the airport’s high tension

distribution network. It is used

for aeronautical ground

lighting systems installed at

the airport’s three runways,

taxiways and parking stands.

The system includes a

weather monitoring system

to check that the energy

produced follows actual solar

radiation, thereby assessing

performance. It also features

SCADA systems, which

raise alarms about poor

performance and generate

reports.

Meanwhile, Devi Ahilyabai

Holkar Airport, Indore, installed

two smaller, 50 kW systems in

October 2013 under the build-

own-operate model, with a

power purchase agreement

for 25 years with Mumbai-

based Chemtrols Solar Pvt

Ltd. It owns and maintains the

plant, charging $0.18/kWh,

falling to $0.11 by the end of

the agreement.

Such tariffs are fxed

through a tender bidding

process as per AAI guidance

and vary according to

location. According to India’s

Central Electricity Regulatory

Commission, the desert state

of Rajasthan and the southern

state of Tamil Nadu have very

high potentials for solar energy

and hence quoted tariffs

are low, while New Delhi, for

instance, has more cloud and

less space and hence bids per

kWh are higher.

In Indore, in the central

Indian state of Madhya

Pradesh, peak power

generation occurs during

summer afternoons, when

systems work at 85% capacity,

whereas this reaches only

10%–15% on a cloudy summer

morning, a senior Indore

airport manager told COSPP.

Despite this useful power

contribution, the Indore airport

plant contributes only a

small fraction of the airport’s

average power requirement

of 1500 kWh and its electricity

is mainly used within the

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore has installed two 50 kW systems Credit: Airports Authority of India

The cost of grid power in India has been rising continuously Credit: Airports Authority of India

1503cospp_9 9 3/12/15 5:01 PM

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Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com10

On-site renewables

terminal building. The plant

draws power from 414 solar

panels of 240 W installed

over 1200 square metres,

800 metres from the main

runway. Made by Mumbai-

based PV Power Tech, the

solar modules are placed at

an 18o incline facing south to

catch the maximum amount

of sunlight. They can withstand

wind speeds of up to 160 km

per hour and are resistant to

lightning. The system uses two

50 kW inverters from German

company KACO.

The plant is equipped with

sensors for solar radiation,

ambient temperature, module

temperature and wind speed.

It can be monitored remotely

through a KACO web portal

that shows various parameters

in real time as well as archived

data.

According to Kalra, AAI solar

power systems are designed

to constantly compare the

energy generated by the

plants with airport power

requirements, drawing only

the required additional power

from the grid.

These solar plants also

can be protected by the

comprehensive security

already in place at airports.

And there is little maintenance

required except for cleaning

the panels. Delhi airport has

a pressurised water washing

system for cleaning and

maintaining the entire plant

area. Delhi airport authorities

have also planted slow-

growing grass to ensure

minimum grounds-keeping

maintenance and to reduce

exposure and damage

caused by birds and reptiles.

The design requirement of

the Delhi project included a

guaranteed life of 25 years,

module effciency exceeding

15% and plant load factor of

more than 20%.

A spokesperson for DIAL

told COSPP that the project

also received customs and

excise duty exemptions on

buying materials used in the

plant. The company also plans

to expand the airport’s solar

power plant capacity.

Restricted subsidies

Indian government policy

provides for a potential 30%

subsidy for any solar power

project to encourage the

generation of renewable

energy. However, subsidies

have not been given to every

solar power project and the

government is trying to restrict

them to only those projects

that would otherwise be

unviable, said Rakesh Kumar,

director of the Solar Energy

Corporation of India (SECI).

Furthermore, according

to Kumar, airports now

commissioning new solar

plants face a key disadvantage

as the government has

decided not to grant the

subsidy to projects (including

those at airports) which do

not install panels on rooftops.

‘The Ministry says that rooftop

is rooftop and not the ground,’

he said. And while that might

sound like fuzzy logic, there is

a reason: solar panels on roofs

are more visible than those on

the ground, and this helps the

government popularise solar

energy, said Kumar.

Explaining why AAI prefers

ground-based over rooftop

solar projects, Kalra said: ‘The

[airport] rooftops are not

big enough or are curved at

many places, and climbing

for the maintenance on the

top of these glass buildings is

not user-friendly.’ On the other

hand, many Indian airports

have a vast amount of unused

land; for example, Hyderabad

Rajiv Gandhi International

Airport is spread over 2200 ha,

while Chennai International

Airport has around 1500 ha.

Kumar believes the

government should continue

to pay subsidies to land-based

projects. ‘This kind of an issue

should better not [be] micro-

managed,’ he said. There are

several pending proposals with

ground-based solar panels,

but now, without the subsidy,

many will remain unviable

or may not be optimised, he

argued.

Raju VR Palanisamy,

president of India’s Solar Energy

Association, said companies

bidding for ground-based

solar power plants have even

started to quote prices without

factoring in the subsidy. But

they are applying for subsidies

nonetheless. ‘If the government

grants that, it would be their

windfall,’ he told COSPP.

Subsidies are distributed

by SECI, which is a state-

owned not-for-proft company

responsible for implementing

and facilitating solar

development. Since its launch

in April 2013, all new Indian

airport projects have been

routed through it. ‘We ensure

quality and remain engaged

for two years in the operation

of the system,’ said Kumar.

Instead of choosing vendors

for each project, SECI chooses

them for each city on the basis

of the best-priced tenders,

taking into account bidders’

technical and fnancial

strengths. Furthermore, to

create competition, it selects

at least two bidders in each

city to encourage a second-

placed bidder to match the

price of the frst, said Kumar.

SECI has already selected

25 solar power vendors and

installers for 37 cities – mostly

state capitals – and it will slowly

expand its approvals to smaller

towns and cities for airport and

other solar energy projects.

The chosen companies

themselves search for solar

power business in a city. In the

case of an airport project, SECI

shares the details of chosen

vendors in the particular

city with AAI and starts the

Many Indian airports have large amounts of unused land that could be used for power generationCredit: Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd

1503cospp_10 10 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 13: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

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1503cospp_11 11 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 14: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com12

On-site renewables

bidding process between the

two chosen local competitors,

Kumar explained.

After an initial agreement,

a solar power benefciary

and project installer/operator

bring a detailed project report

to SECI, which sanctions it

for a fee. Upon satisfactory

completion of a project,

two-thirds of the subsidy

amount is released by SECI

directly to the project installing

company. The remaining

subsidy is paid in two equal

instalments after the frst and

second year of successful and

satisfactory performance. ‘So

we remain engaged with them

from allotment to two years of

operations and ensure quality

and performance,’ said Kumar.

However, he said subsidies

will be harder to secure in

future even for rooftop projects,

as the government has a

limited budget. ‘30% subsidy is

going to be reduced to about

15%,’ he added, although it is

not yet known when.

Financing models

SECI does not insist on any

particular fnancial model

for agreements between a

solar power operator and the

land or rooftop owner. Kumar

said the ‘build-own-operate’

model, which is preferred by

AAI, is benefcial because

the installing company is

encouraged to demand better

quality products to avoid future

generation losses. But even

here he foresees potential

problems, which could even

generate court action. ‘If, in

the future, a rooftop owner

doesn’t make payments in

time or starts fnding fault with

the service or decides that

he does not need the system

and tells the vendor to take

it away, it could lead to legal

complications,’ he warned.

Kumar said SECI

recommends installing grid-

connected solar power systems

so that surplus power can be

sold onto the grid. Indeed,

the AAI’s April communiqué

noted that solar power plants

are being set up on a site

‘to meet not only its own

requirements but also to feed

the surplus power generated

to the local grid.’ Likewise,

Kalra stressed that some of the

smaller Indian airports have

little power consumption and

big stretches of empty land to

generate excess solar power.

According to Kumar, one

possible approach is net

metering, where bills are settled

at the end of every month or

year. ‘But [frst] we have to see

all this happening as it is a very

new concept,’ he said. One

potential problem with such

a system is pricing disparity,

with solar power being costlier

than conventional power,

leading grid operators to

refuse to pay the higher price

for excess solar electricity.

‘They do not have any interest

in promoting solar energy and

want separate government

help if forced to purchase solar

power,’ he said. This is especially

likely to be a problem if solar

panel operators become net

exporters onto the grid, he

suggested.

Kumar argued that India

needs new regulation to deal

with solar power. ‘Solar is going

to replace many things and

people will become self-reliant,’

he said. Indeed, solar power

will continue to be attractive to

users with a poor grid supply,

as they have to run costly

diesel generators. ‘Even if you

are able to reduce the running

of generators for a few hours

in the week, you are making a

good saving,’ said Kumar.

Solar power is also

especially attractive to

business customers, as Indian

power tariffs for commercial

units are higher than for the

residential sector. For instance,

the Indore airport pays

$0.13/kWh to the grid supplier,

while local residential tariffs are

$0.08/kWh.

Pressing ahead

These benefts are

encouraging airports to

press ahead with their on-site

solar power projects despite

the recent diffculties over

subsidies. Cochin International

Airport, in the southwestern

state of Kerala, is pushing

ahead with a plan to sell

excess power from its solar units

to the grid. It has negotiated

a power banking contract

with local power company

the Kerala State Electricity

Board Limited (KSEB), under

which any excess solar power

supplied to the grid could only

be adjusted against future

power bills. ‘We have given

in-principle approval’ for the

airport’s proposal, a senior

offcial of KSEB told COSPP.

Cochin airport plans to add

12 MW in solar PV capacity on

22 ha of land before the end

of this year. It already has a

1 MW system installed at three

locations, including a 320 kW

plant on a hangar roof.

One potential way out of

grid supply deals for Indian

airports would be to install

power storage systems – but

such developments are

unlikely in the short term.

‘Storage is a very costly affair

and not very environmentally

friendly,’ said Kalra. ‘The

batteries have a limited

life; it takes lot of energy to

manufacture them, and bulk

power cannot be stored.’

Meanwhile, diesel

generators will continue to

operate on standby mode at

India’s airports whether they

have solar power systems or not.

Raghavendra Verma is a

New Delhi-based journalist.

This article is available

on-line.

Please visit www.cospp.com

Delhi Airport’s 8376 photovolatic modules have an anti-refective coating to avoid distracting aircraft landing crews Credit: Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd

1503cospp_12 12 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 15: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 13

Opinion

Switching to liquefed petroleum gas (LPG) can deliver both fnancial and

environmental benefts in industrial environments, argues Rob Shuttleworth

Rob Shuttleworth

The case for LPGin the industrial sector

With the energy

l a n d s c a p e

c h a n g i n g

so rapidly,

industrial organisations

could be forgiven for feeling

bombarded with messages

about the most effective

power solution.Across much

of Europe, different markets

are trialling a variety of

technologies to deliver

on their energy needs.

Of course, concerns over

fossil fuels are directing

the energy spotlight onto

renewables; however, these

do not suit all environments.

Indeed, while governments

are concerned with meeting

global targets, for the majority

of businesses and industrial

units the challenge is on a more

local level. Most organisations

are focused towards delivering

cost savings, ensuring process

effciencies and removing the

risk of unplanned downtime.

The opportunity for LPG

When weighing up the options

for powering the industrial

sector, specifers should

not overlook the potential

advantages of affordable

and available conventional

energies, such as liquefed

petroleum gas (LPG), a

low-carbon fuel that is portable,

widely available, easy to install

and competitively priced.

A mixture of propane (C3H

8)

and butane (C4H

10), LPG is

derived during the exploration

of natural gas felds and is

also produced during the oil

refning process. Its combustion

emits 33% less CO2 than coal

and 17% less than heating oil.

In addition, LPG emits almost

no black carbon, which is the

second largest contributor to

global warming after CO2 and

a signifcant contributor to

poor air quality. LPG’s low levels

of particle and NOx emissions

also make it ideal for both

indoor and outdoor use.

The lowest-carbon fuel

available in non-mains gas

areas, LPG has been used within

commercial applications

for the past 40 years. It is a

particularly attractive option

for larger organisations that

have to report on their carbon

emissions. And the fact that

LPG will be in plentiful supply

for many years to come adds

security for any commercial

building energy managers.

Case study: UK site

The benefts that LPG can bring

to a commercial property

were highlighted recently with

an installation carried out at

a packaging manufacturer

to reduce its carbon footprint

and energy costs.

One of the key company

sites is located in an off-mains

area and had previously relied

on an oil-powered fuel system,

which had not only begun

to prove expensive, but had

also heavily increased the

CO2 output. By switching to

LPG, the company was able

to reduce its fuel costs by

around 15%–20% per year and

reduce the associated CO2

emissions by up to 29%. In just

two months, fuel costs were

lowered by £42,000 ($64,000).

The time is right for LPG

The industrial sector has a

large role to play in helping

Europe and the wider

developing world to meet

ambitious carbon reduction

and renewable deployment

targets. However, as a

complement to renewable

energy and energy effciency

measures, it is apparent that

certain conventional fuels like

LPG still have a distinct area

of responsibility as part of

the development of a more

sustainable energy future.

Indeed, market conditions

are currently favourable for the

type of on-site gas-powered

cogeneration to which LPG is

particularly suited. With LPG

production forecast to increase

over the coming decades,

stability of supply is clearly a

selling point. As technology

develops and the effciency of

engines and pumps increases,

the arguments for introducing

LPG into the industrial sector

continue to stack up.

Rob Shuttleworth is chief

executive of the UK

Liquefed Petroleum Gas

Association (UKLPG)

This article is available

on-line.

Please visit www.cospp.com

1503cospp_13 13 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 16: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Executive profle

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com14

In his 20 years of service

in the combined heat

and power (CHP)

sector, Trevor Atkins

has acquired a wealth of

experience across control

engineering, EPS systems

and CHP engines for a

breadth of applications,

and a deep knowledge

of their operation and

maintenance. During his

long career Trevor has

worked with almost every

aspect of CHP. He spoke with

COSPP as he was winding

up his work at UK packaged

CHP frm Cogenco.

After leaving school at 16,

Trevor joined the Royal Navy

where he served for 24 years

as a controls electrical artifcer,

maintaining weapons systems

– missiles, gunnery systems,

sonar systems and ship

electrics – as well as working

for 10 years in mine warfare. On

his discharge he was awarded

a British Empire Medal by the

Queen for services to the Navy.

Newly discharged in 1988,

he joined power solutions

frm Holec, now called Hitec

Power Protection Ltd, where

he carried out service and

commissioning on CHP and

rotary UPS systems. When Holec

split, forming a new company

between Eastern Elecricity

and newly-created Nedalo,

Trevor moved across to Nedalo

where he worked as project

manager for fve years. He

recalls installing CHP systems

for hotels, leisure centres and

industrial and agricultural

sites, and in the late 1990s

he worked on the UK’s frst

combined heat and power

system for greenhouses.

This was Nedalo’s frst

big project, at Tangmere

Nurseries in Chichester. It was a

£6.5 million ($9.9 million)

contract, which Trevor project

managed and helped design.

It featured nine Cat 3516

engines with heat recovery

and CO2 scrubbing systems,

feeding exhaust gases back

into the greenhouses to

enhance crop growth. The

frm went on to install similar

systems at another 13 sites.

Around 2000, Trevor became

an embedded manager

with Nedalo. He managed

14 embedded generation

sites, from 1 MW to 10 MW,

plus a feet of maintenance

engineers, and was fnancially

responsible for the sites and

their maintenance.

Both Eastern Electricity, now

known as TXU Europe, and

Nedalo were owned by US frm

Texas Utilities. Around the time

that energy and commodities

frm Enron declared

bankruptcy, the power market

price collapsed and Texas

Utilities in Europe entered

administration. In 2003 part

of the business was acquired

by npower, and some 12

months post-administration

Nedalo was bought by its

management team, making

Trevor a minority shareholder

in the business.

The four majority and

six minority shareholders

renamed the frm Cogenco

and proceeded to rebuild it

to manufacture and produce

its own CHP systems. The

company grew quickly and

further funding was required,

so it was sold to Dalkia in 2007.

It is now owned by Veolia.

At the time of the TXU Europe

administration, Nedalo sold off

all but one of its embedded

generation sites. Trevor took

over as Operations Manager

for the whole of Cogenco,

which involved managing

some 35 service engineers,

seven to eight commissioning

engineers/product specialists,

and a budget of £10–11 million

per year. This was his job until

May of last year, when he was

slated to retire. However, he

was asked to stay on to wind

up the frm’s 1999 contract with

Tangmere Nurseries. Then, set

to retire again, he was asked to

stay on as a general advisor to

management until Christmas,

when he was asked to set up

training programmes on new

technology, control systems,

air-to-fuel ratio controllers

on engines, software system

controls and a bespoke

remote monitoring and control

system.

Change and challenge

When asked about the

biggest change he’s seen in

the industry, Trevor said: ‘The

biggest change is in engine

technology, with the contrast

between the very lean burn,

very high effciency engines

which we have today and the

old stoichiometric engines

which weren’t too clean for the

environment.

‘The biggest change

engine-wise is effciency and

increased demand for lean

burn/clean burn engines to

come under the new emissions

standards,’ he added. As to the

biggest overall technology

change, he cites how engine

controls and electronics have

shifted to digital controls.

‘Now it’s impossible to set the

engine up without use of a

laptop! A huge V20 engine is

controlled from a laptop; all

emissions, controls, closed-

loop air-fuel ratio controllers

are software-based.

‘Before, you had a gas

supply, you put the gas supply

in the engine, there was a

butterfy valve and a mixer,

Trevor Atkins is Head of Operations at UK utility Veolia’s specialist packaged combined heat and power

subsidiary, Cogenco. After 20 years in the industry, he is set to retire this year.

Trevor Atkins: a life in CHP

Executive Profle

1503cospp_14 14 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 17: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Executive profle:

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 15

and you just set the engine up

like a car throttle, turned a few

screws, got the mixture right

and the engine would run,’ he

explains. ‘It’s like the difference

between running an old Morris

8 car and a new high-tech

car on the road today. It’s a

constant battle adapting to

new software – one of the

training programmes I’m

setting up now is about this.

We’re trying to broaden the

experience of our service

engineers in the feld to give

them, for example, a better

understanding of remapping

engine fuel maps.’

From a business

perspective, Trevor said

his biggest challenge has

been that consultants are

increasingly aware of CHP

and its capabilities, so tender

specifcations today are

much tighter than they used

to be. Additionally, the level of

effciency sought by today’s

industry ‘wasn’t even dreamed

of 15 years ago,’ he said. ‘It’s

not unusual now to be asked

for 94% availability on projects,

which is very high. In reality

this is too high an expectation,

particularly when you consider

that service and overhauls

have to be accounted for

within the 6% allowed for

downtime.’

Cost is also a growing issue,

he added: ‘People are much

more aware of the bottom line

now. In the past our customers

may have gone for, say, a Rolls

Royce CHP unit, while now they

and consultants are looking

at price more than anything

else, and the market is very

competitive price-wise.’

Trevor believes this trend will

continue into the future. He

says: ‘Looking at any major

project now, any developer

now has got to put, within his

remit, some sort of energy-

saving technology, and CHP

fts quite nicely with that. We’re

fnding now that a lot more

CHP units are being ftted to

blocks of fats, district heating

schemes, and things like that.’

And requirements are

changing. Like engine

manufacturers, Trevor says his

frm is now increasingly looking

into alternative fuels. Cogenco

deals primarily with natural

gas, biogas from anaerobic

digestion or sewage gas, as

well as red diesel and biodiesel.

‘It’s an up-and-down

market,’ Trevor says. ‘When I

frst came into the industry it

wasn’t unusual to see a spark

gap of 6–1 or even 7–1, while

over recent years we’re lucky to

get 3–1 or 4–1 because of the

difference between gas and

electricity prices. This makes

savings not quite as good, but

there are still savings to be had

for the end customer.

An evolving industry

The basic principle behind

CHP systems is ‘the same as

it’s always been,’ Trevor says,

although today’s margins

are tighter and demands on

suppliers are higher.

‘When I frst joined Nedalo,’

he says, ‘I helped project-

manage and install 30 CHP

units in Hilton hotels. Those

engines have now run their

course, many with over 120,000

operating hours on them.’

Cogenco is currently in the

process of decommissioning

old plant at Hilton and Marriot

sites as well as at a Land Rover

manufacturing facility, and

installing new plant, including

two new MTU CHP units. ‘We’ve

now run through a complete

cycle with those engines,’

Trevor says. ‘Those contracts

have run their course and the

customer is renewing.

‘We tend to fnd that

hospitals and universities are

now required by European

law to have open tenders,’ he

adds. ‘In the majority of cases

we do tend to win our old

contracts back. The deciding

factor is either price or a bad

experience with the previous

supplier – we win others’

contracts too. But taking on

other people’s kit can be a

challenge. We prefer to ft our

own bespoke monitoring and

control systems.’

Asked about his most

challenging project, Trevor

cites the Tangmere Nurseries

installation – Nedalo’s frst

contract, ‘so it was all new to

us. We had a sister company

in Holland so I spent a fair

amount of time there looking

at how other projects were

done and best practices,’

he says. ‘Then I had to put

a package together in the

UK along with a horticultural

engineer from Holland. We had

to build, from scratch, three

big engine rooms with three

3516 Cats in each engine

room, and incorporate the

mechanical, electrical and

HV connections which we had

to sort out, although we had

consultants for the HV.

‘Then we had to go to the

Continent and look at COdi

NOx’s huge catalytic converters

which scrub exhaust gases,

as well as interface water

systems, exhaust sytems and

HV systems, and then deal

with the grid connections with

Southern Electric – so that

project, over the course of 18

months, involved £6.5 million

worth of kit.’

On a previous project

with Holec, undertaken right

after his retirement from the

Navy, Trevor was service and

commissioning engineer on

a data centre installation in

the UK. ‘We were dealing with

putting in a 500 kVA rotary UPS

system,’ he recalls. ‘It was going

to be a combined booking

centre for several airlines. We

put it all in, and 18 months later

the Americans bought it and

moved the whole database

back to the US. The rotary UPS

system was very interesting

because we couldn’t afford to

make mistakes. The UPS systems

supported all their computer

networks: one mistake and you

put the whole place down!

‘Systems today are very

similar, they just use much

larger engines now,’ he adds.

‘They were moving from

500 kVA MTU engines to

2 MW Cummins engines when

I left: from single-unit supply to

multiple-unit supply.’

When asked what advice

he would give to new industry

entrants, Trevor says: ‘To be

a CHP engineer these days

you’ve got to be an electrician,

a mechanical engineer, a

plumber and a gas engineer!

You have to have a gas

qualifcation to work on CHPs,

you have to know the ins and

outs of engines, you have to be

competent and safe working

with electricity, and you have

to be open to training because

very few people who come into

the business are competent in

all of those aspects.

‘That then applies to project

managers as well,’ he adds.

’You need a good all-round

general grounding in the

basic principles of engineering

and electricity. You need to

also be able to be fnancially

responsible.’

Trevor is uncertain about

how well retirement will suit him

– as we can perhaps tell from

the fact that he’s still working!

But whatever he does in future,

we wish him all the best.

This article is available

on-line.

Please visit www.cospp.com

‘People are much more aware of

the bottom line now’

1503cospp_15 15 3/12/15 5:01 PM

Page 18: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

DistribuGen 2015

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com16

The market for CHP is

changing and many

now have a better

understanding about

power generation. Aiding

this understanding is the

constant drumbeat of news

suggesting that abundant

natural gas supplies are

expected to keep the price

of the fuel at multi-year

lows for the foreseeable

future. As a result, the

economics supporting

CHP development are

becoming increasingly

attractive, thereby driving

more adopters to seek CHP

for both its economic value

proposition and for power

reliability.

This is evident in America’s

chemical processing and

refning industry. These

operations need heat, lots

of heat, and where these

or other concentrations of

manufacturing facilities are

located are typically the same

locations where CHP facilities

can best provide heat and

power. Last year the American

Chemical Council gathered a

list of 148 proposed chemical

plant investments between

now and 2023, and found

that chemical companies

are planning to spend

$100.2 billion in the US. The vast

majority of new projects are

in the Gulf Coast area and

will involve the expansion of

existing CHP systems or new

systems altogether as part of

their investment.

But more deployment of

CHP won’t stop there. CHP

and waste heat-to-power

(WHP) technologies can and

will play an increasing role in

the nation’s manufacturing

renaissance beyond just

chemical processing and

refning. Industrial demand

for electricity is growing in

every region and all industries

are sure to examine, and

ultimately implement, CHP as

an economic, effcient and

reliable on-site energy option.

This also holds true for many

other CHP end-user candidates

such as hotels, hospitals, data

centres, residential towers and

even single-family homes.

Additionally, policymakers

concerned about grid

inadequacies are beginning

to better understand the

emission benefts. Plus,

many now know that more

distributed energy using CHP

saves vast quantities of water,

making water shortages in

many regions an important

driver for additional CHP. Just

last year the Texas legislature

changed the state’s utility

code to allow CHP facilities

to sell electricity to multiple

customers in microgrid-type

arrangements.

Before the change, CHP

facilities could only sell

electricity to one customer,

and this restriction may have

kept otherwise good energy

projects from moving forward.

This change was deemed

important in the ongoing

discussion about how Texas will

power its industrial expansion

and vibrant population growth

while, at the same time, reduce

the amount of water used by

traditional power generation.

Policy initiatives like these in

many states, combined with

equipment and technology

advances, innovative project

fnancing mechanisms and

power price dynamics are

all driving decisions to install

new CHP and WHP systems.

Currently, 82 GW of installed

CHP capacity (9% of US

energy-generation capacity)

are in use at more than 4100

sites across every state. But at

least 50 GW, and up to almost

200 GW, of additional potential

remains. The potential for WHP

projects is equally impressive,

with more than 11,000 MW

available at industrial sites

as well as gas compressor

stations, landflls and locations

where gas faring is occurring.

In April, the World Alliance

for Decentralized Energy

(WADE) will bring together

business and energy leaders,

engineering consultants,

project developers, policy

specialists and end users

to Houston, Texas for the

DistribuGen Conference and

Trade Show for Cogeneration/

CHP 2015. There attendees

will explore new market

drivers, discuss emerging

technologies, examine policy

changes and survey the

growing demand for the

energy security and resiliency

offered by CHP and WHP

systems for the industrial,

commercial and institutional

sectors.

This is the ffth year that this

important energy conference

has been held, and more

about the event can be found

at www.distribugen.org.

Paul Cauduro is Director

of WADE’s Cogeneration

Industries Council

An upcoming conference will discuss new power market dynamics, new

technologies and new policies that are changing the game for the many

cogeneration systems that experts agree are on the horizon, writes Paul Cauduro

CogenerationDiscuss among yourselves

1503cospp_16 16 3/12/15 5:02 PM

Page 20: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Operations and maintenance

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com18

Co n d i t i o n

m o n i t o r i n g

allows operators

to switch from

a preventive maintenance

programme – in which key

components are inspected

and replaced on a regular

schedule – to one based on

actual physical conditions.

A clear understanding of

these conditions thus allows

systems to be maintained

more effectively, improving

overall availability and

reliability and reducing

unplanned outages.

Furthermore, by making

such a transition, owners and

operators not only typically

reduce both the frequency

and duration of shutdowns

for maintenance, but also

maximise the lifespan of

such machinery whilst saving

money on other associated

areas of the maintenance

programme, for instance

minimising inventory.

Principal parameters for

Effective condition monitoring has always been key to plant reliability, but

the advances of the digital age are opening up new horizons and the

possibility for feet-wide management of gas turbines and balance of plant

equipment, fnds David Appleyard.

Making condition monitoring smarter

SKF’s Machine Condition Indicator is a vibration sensor and indicator for monitoring non-critcal machines Credit: SKF

1503cospp_18 18 3/12/15 5:02 PM

Page 22: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Operations and maintenance

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com20

monitoring gas turbines in

on-site and combined heat

and power (CHP) applications

include temperature and

pressure – both dynamic and

static – as well as vibration.

Other methods of investigation

include oil analysis and

thermography. Temperature

and pressure readings, for

example, allow operators to

control combustion more

precisely, enabling advanced

warning of potential failure

modes or unstable and

potentially hazardous

combustion conditions.

Similarly, vibration monitoring

can reveal the vast majority

of machine faults which arise

from shaft misalignment,

imbalance or bearing and

gear wear.

Indeed, the importance of

effective condition monitoring

in power generation and

CHP assets cannot be over-

emphasised. As Derek Griffths,

Sales Director, Western Europe

for GE Measurement & Control’s

Bently Nevada product line,

explains: ‘Excessive vibration

can lead to catastrophic

mechanical failure and the

associated environmental

health and safety risk to

plant personnel. Analysis of

the signals obtained from a

correctly selected vibration

transducer can provide insight

into the machinery condition

and the possible cause of a

malfunction. More importantly,

continuous monitoring of

machine vibration can provide

early detection of deterioration

of the machine condition

and enable proactive

management of the asset and

its maintenance.’

And this is the crux of

condition monitoring, as

Griffths notes: ‘The operating

condition of a gas turbine

can only be assessed by

use of a comprehensive

online monitoring system that

provides an indication of both

the mechanical integrity and

thermodynamic performance

of the machine’.

New requirements,

changing demands

The need for fexible and

effcient operations is central to

achieving economic viability,

even for captive power plants

where the presence of on-site

renewables is increasingly

introducing an element of

greater variability. As Griffths

notes: ‘The current market,

where machines need to

operate under variable load

conditions, increases the need

for detailed information about

machine availability and

reliability. Therefore, the need

for an online monitoring system

that provides plant operations

with a clear indication of

whether it is safe to operate

the machine has never been

greater’.

Henry Reinmann, Vice

President (Energy) for Strategy,

Sales & Marketing at Meggitt

Sensing Systems, echoes

this theme of increasingly

demanding operational

requirements, saying:

‘Operational costs have to

be low, emissions have to be

low for SOx and NOx; it’s now

also CO2. Effciency needs to

be increased and availability

and fexibility of the machines

needs to be high, and

these are all contradictory

requirements’.

Reinmann continues: ‘If you

want to increase effciency

and lower emissions you have

to operate the machine in a

very lean manner. You have

to go close to the stall limits of

the machine, which is when,

for example, a gas turbine

starts pumping. That could

potentially be dangerous

and you need to monitor it to

see whether, if such an event

is coming up, you have to

move away from that critical

stage with the machine. The

chemical composition of the

fuel affects the combustion

dynamics, so a change in the

gas supply on the grid may

have a signifcant effect. You

can only do that with active

monitoring’.

In late August 2013, Meggitt

signed an agreement to

acquire Piezotech LLC for

$41.2 million, bolstering its

access to high-performance

piezo-ceramic technology

for extreme temperature gas

turbine sensors.

Adopting new

approaches

Faced with growing

operational complexities,

asset owners and operators

are increasingly turning to

more sophisticated condition

monitoring techniques as

they attempt to maintain a

competitive edge. As Griffths

says: ‘There is an increasing

acceptance of condition

monitoring in a range of

industries, with vibration

monitoring being one of the

technologies used in these

programmes’.

Dr Geraint Jones, Technical

Manager for SKF’s Traditional

Energy business, picks up on

another change too. ‘Perhaps

what’s slightly different now,’

he says, ‘is that the process

data is incorporated within the

vibration data, your analysis

data and which instrument

you’ve used to collect your

data. That allows you, with the

condition monitoring software

we have now, to incorporate

the process parameters that

tell you how the gas turbine

is operating.’ However, Jones

also notes: ‘These installations

are not just a gas turbine on

their own. You might have

something on a skid with oil

pumps and other ancillary

equipment, and all those extra

machines are important. The

task of condition monitoring

is to treat the whole machine

as a complete system, not just

focus on the gas turbine.’

Reinmann also notes an

increasingly holistic approach

to condition monitoring, saying:

‘We see a combination of

monitoring tasks, with vibration

and combustion monitoring,

Meggitt Sensing Systems’ rack-mounted VibroMeter VM600 monitoring system is designed for power plants where measurement data is accessed

from a central area Credit: Meggitt Sensing Systems

1503cospp_20 20 3/12/15 5:02 PM

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Operations and maintenance

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 21

for example. A trend we

are seeing is that the large

machines usually monitor the

traditional rack-mount systems,

and we now see combinations

with balance of plant and

the smaller machines with

modular distributed systems.

With distributed monitoring

there is certainly an advantage

of reducing cabling and

installation cost and increasing

fexibility.’ He adds: ‘Many

machine manufacturers want

to have monitoring systems on

the smaller machines so they

can swap out the machine,

including all the monitoring

around it. They take it out and

put a new machine in and

everything is on there already.’

Such modular ancillaries

are connected to the control

and monitoring system via an

ethernet cable. As Rienmann

notes, ‘You don’t have to

worry about transporting

pico coulomb signals a long

distance. These signals from

piezoelectric transducers are

quite critical, but you cannot

easily transport them over

large distances.’

Mark Carrigan, Senior Vice-

President of Global Operations

for PAS Inc, also highlights

the growing complexity

of condition monitoring

systems in process plants.

He says: ‘For many in the oil

and gas community and

petrochemical industry, there

has been a focus over the

last couple of years on better

managing operating windows.

The issue that processing

industries have is managing

across the literally thousands

of measurements and their

associated operating limits.

The problem is exacerbated

by the fact that the storage

of all those different operating

windows is typically scattered

across various locations,

including documentation,

OEM specifcations and

control systems.’

Carrigan continues:

‘An original equipment

manufacturer, for instance,

will have established reliability

limits. The plant will have

optimisation limits that it wants

to keep within the reliability

limits of the equipment. In

this case, a plant that pushes

production must understand

the resulting long-term impact

on equipment performance.

This requires a co-ordinating

element that is best handled

through automation.’

Explaining how such a

system works, Carrigan points

to a hierarchy of operability

limits, such as an optimisation

limit, which should be lower

than an alarm limit, and

correspondingly should

be lower than the value at

which long-term reliability of

the equipment is affected.

‘The main value PAS provides

is bringing together all of

these limits that live in many

different data sources,’ he

says. ‘Consolidating and

normalising this data ensures

that the operational limits

stay in sync. It also provides

additional capabilities such

as varying the alarm in the

distributed control system

(DCS) so that the alarm always

enunciates at the right time,

allowing the operator to take

the proper action.’

In February of this year, PAS

announced a new multi-year

contract with BP Downstream

to help manage critical

operational limits in refneries

and petrochemicals assets.

The product, PlantState Suite

inBound, captures, analyses

and alerts operators on

boundary data within plant

operations. Boundary data

includes process alarms, safety

instruments and environmental

trip points, mechanical design

For more information, enter 7 at COSPP.hotims.com

1503cospp_21 21 3/12/15 5:02 PM

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Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com22

limits, normal operating zones,

and safe operating envelopes.

Carrigan says: ‘Companies

have realised the diffculty in

managing all these systems

they’ve put in place. No one

plant has one control system

vendor that does it all, so

it’s hard to try and get these

systems working together.’

He concludes: ‘Automating

boundary management

with software within a plant is

considered an industry best

practice today. Most of the

majors have an initiative in

place to get a handle on their

operating windows.’

PAS is not alone in adopting

a more holistic approach to

condition monitoring, covering

not just the gas turbine but also

critical ancillary equipment

and balance of system.

For example, in July 2014,

GE’s Measurement & Control

business invested in asset

performance management

(APM) software company

Meridium, Inc to integrate

Meridium’s suite of enterprise

performance management

and asset strategy software

with GE’s System 1 condition

monitoring and diagnostic

solution. The new integrated

solution, Production Asset

Reliability (PAR), aggregates

data from System 1 and other

plant maintenance systems to

provide plant engineers with a

dashboard of reliability metrics,

the company says. According

to a statement, this new

industrial internet offering can

result in an estimated 10%–30%

reduction in maintenance

costs.

‘The way we do business

is being dramatically altered

in the era of the industrial

internet. We are realising the

increased productivity and

effciency gains from big data

and analytics delivered in real

time,’ says Art Eunson, General

Manager of GE’s Bently

Nevada product line.

More recently, in January

Meggitt released its VibroSight

software for turbines, critical

machinery and balance-

of-plant equipment. The

company says its software

suite fags critical events

and monitors machinery

health, enabling the use of

predictive methodologies

which help operators make

informed decisions about

asset management and

maintenance.

A further focus of

development in condition

monitoring has seen

considerable energies

expended on improving the

interface between the various

monitoring systems and the

decision-making user.

As Carrigan explains: ‘The

frst thing you want to do is make

it available to the operator,

visualise it and see real-time

data against these limits and

make sure we’re operating

within them. The second is that

you want to provide a score

card to management.’ For

example, in mid-December SKF

announced further investment

in ‘smartifying’ its maintenance

service offering, production

and sales processes. As

part of the investment, feld

maintenance engineers

and others are equipped

with smart devices using

tailor-made software apps.

‘Integrating SKF’s condition

monitoring technologies into

mobile devices supports the

group’s focus on asset lifecycle

management. By providing

access to real-time machine

performance data in a user-

friendly format, customers

and maintenance engineers

are better able to take

informed decisions regarding

maintenance activities and

increase machine effciency,’ a

statement says.

Building relationships

with the OEMs

While condition monitoring

equipment is growing in

sophistication, there are

nonetheless signifcant

opportunities for further

improvement. Some sensor

and diagnostics companies

already work with turbine and

balance-of-system original

equipment manufacturers in

order to more effectively place

or embed sensor equipment

within machines during the

manufacturing process, as

well as enable condition

monitoring systems to establish

a clear performance baseline.

However, Jones argues

that more could be achieved,

saying: ‘Normally, in that

situation, we would want

to work in partnership with

the client, but we would like

to really get in touch with

OEMs at an earlier stage

and do condition monitoring

at the point at which the

equipment is commissioned

and tested. The way we would

see that working would be

to encourage our clients to

specify this to their OEM as a

pre-requisite when ordering

new equipment.’

Jones also calls for turbine

manufacturers to work

with such companies to

design condition monitoring

machines into the equipment

at the outset, as well as earlier

engagement with their clients

on condition monitoring.

He notes that owners and

operators will often provide

detailed specifcations for

the turbine, but the issue of

condition monitoring will only

be raised at the shipping

point, when customers may

belatedly realise that there

is no condition monitoring

equipment included in the

package as specifed.

‘One development we

are really interested in at the

moment, in terms of our varying

research, is embedding the

accelerometer in the bearing

itself. If we could do that,

we would save a lot more

bearings than we currently

do. The condition monitoring

becomes more robust,’ says

Jones. He adds: ‘Advanced

processing techniques

Metso’s wireless Maintenance Pad is a portable data collection and analysis tool that includes the Metso

Machine Analyzer vibration analysis softwareCredit: Metso

1503cospp_22 22 3/12/15 5:02 PM

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Operations and maintenance

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 23

give you a better understanding of the

rolling element bearing. Although those

techniques are not new, they are still very

useful. Simply embedding the sensor in the

bearing makes them even more effective.’

There is also a continued push

towards simplifed modular systems.

For example, SKF has launched remote

wireless technology sensor systems –

machine condition indicators – which

include a traffc light system that

activates depending on the vibration

limit programmed into it. ‘This can remove

some of the burden for data collection,’

says Jones.

The future of condition

monitoring

A natural consequence of a more holistic

and online approach to condition

monitoring is the potential beneft for feet-

wide operations. As Griffths says: ‘Remote

condition monitoring via the internet

allows entire feets of gas turbines to be

managed from a central location. This

allows feet data to be gathered, common

faults to be identifed, and engineered

solutions developed to improve the overall

reliability of the feet.’

This is a theme also picked up by

Reinmann: ‘In the early days you had

machine specialists in every power plant,

and that is just not economical anymore.

Large utilities concentrate resources, they

have remote monitoring centres, and

some of the large OEMs do that also. They

want to get a central location where the

specialists sit, and it can then act or react

remotely, if they have a feet of machines

of the same type. If there’s an event

happening on a machine, they look at the

data to see if there are other machines of

the same type showing similar indications

- a feet-wide approach.’

Jones also points out the development

of remote diagnostic centres, saying:

‘As a condition monitoring tool, you can

actually monitor your machines online

and you don’t need someone walking

around. As you move to an online system,

you can possibly move towards remote

diagnostic centres; those have been

developed in the past decade.’ However,

he also sounds a warning: ‘The other side

of the coin is that cybersecurity is an issue.

That has to be considered.’

Looking ahead, Griffths says: ‘I

believe power generation operators will

continue to improve the effciency of their

operations, which will require some form of

condition monitoring to provide them with

an indication of where they need to focus

their maintenance efforts and improve

the overall availability of their plant, whilst

keeping control of their operational costs.

Think of this as enabling condition-based

maintenance.’

And, as Reinmann says: ‘Thus, it will

require more condition monitoring, data

management, more knowledge and

understanding of what the machine

is doing, and also to be able to plan

changes, upgrades etc. I think there is a

long way to go for condition monitoring.’

David Appleyard is a freelance

journalist specialising in the energy,

technology and process sectors.

This article is available

on-line.

Please visit www.cospp.com

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Page 26: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com24

Biomass case study

The Studstrupvaerket

power station in

Studstrup, Denmark

features two units, 3

and 4, which are designed

for combined heat and

power (CHP) production.

The maximum net power

output is 350 MW and the

maximum district heating

output is 455 MJ/s per unit.

Dong Energy Thermal Power

is planning a fuel conversion

at unit 3 (SSV3) to 100 per

cent wood pellet fring, while

as far as possible keeping

the maximum thermal heat

output at 930 MWth with the

option of using the present

fuel qualities (coal, straw and

oil) alternatively to the pellets.

The complete conversion

of unit 3 comprises mainly

new unloading and feeding

systems, wood pellet storage,

feeders and modifcation of

existing mills and burners. The

existing coal feeding system

remains ready-to-operate to

allow a fuel switch between

hard coal fring and wood

pellet fring.

In summer 2013 one of the

upper mills (mill No 40) and

the respective burners were

upgraded at SSV3 to allow

wood pellet operation as well

as coal combustion. After the

modifcations, the transition

from coal to biomass operation

(and reverse) should be

possible within a period of

30 minutes or less for each mill

while the unit keeps running

continuously.

Four different trial runs were

conducted from October

2013 to February 2014 using

bituminous coal and different

kinds of wood pellets for testing

under different load conditions,

variable load ramps and

fuel switching between coal

and biomass at the modifed

mill. From December 2013 to

March 2014, a total of about

70,000 tonnes of wood pellets

were ground and burned with

the upgraded combustion

equipment.

Mill modifcations

The boiler at SSV3 is equipped

with four bowl and roller mills

type MPS 190. Inside the mill

(see Figure 1) the grinding

process of the fed raw coal

is initialised by rolling off

stationary, rotating grinding

rollers upon a turning grinding

bowl.

The fuel is fed via a coal-

chute centrally into the mill

to the rotating grinding bowl,

and afterwards is transported

by centrifugal force to the

grinding rollers. The grinding

rollers are pressed on the

grinding bowl due to their

own weight and an additional

external force, generated by

a spring-loaded rope pull

system.

The fuel gets crushed

through pressure and shearing

inside the milling gap between

grinding rollers and grinding

bowl. The primary air required

for drying and pneumatic

transport of the ground fuel is

provided by a separate fan.

The required primary air fow

depends on the inserted mass

fow rate of the fuel. The desired

primary air temperature is

achieved by mixing hot and

With specifc modifcations, a bituminous coal-fring CHP system can be

converted to operate with wood or other biomass pellets, write

Thomas Krause and Yaqoub Al-Khasawneh

Making the switchfrom coal to biomass

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www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 25

Biomass case study

cold primary air. The primary

air is fowing into the grinding

chamber through a nozzle ring,

with a defned temperature,

velocity and fow direction.

The mills at Studstrup unit

3 are equipped with dynamic

classifers of type HEP 33H6.

This classifer uses adjustable,

stationary blades and a speed-

controlled rotor for fneness

adjustment. Increasing the

rotor speed leads to an

improvement in the grinding

fneness. The dynamic classifer

is designed for coal operation

with a grinding fneness of R_90

µm = 5%–25% (about 10%–30%

residue on a sieve 75 µm).

Because of the differences

in grinding, drying, pneumatic

transport and the fneness

requirements for combustion

of pulverised coal and wood

pellets, it is not possible to grind

both fuels simultaneously.

The parameters of the

grinding system regarding the

requirements of pulverised

fuel drying, as well as fre and

explosion protection, are set

either for coal or for wood

pellets. After the correct setting,

the mill operates economically

and reliably with the chosen

material.

Necessary changes for

adjusting the grinding system

to the new fuel, besides the

adapted control technology,

are mechanical modifcations

to the mill and classifer

regarding grinding, pneumatic

transport of the pulverised

fuel, and classifcation. The

following modifcations were

made to adapt the grinding

system:

• Grinding bowl rotational

speed increase;

• Dam ring installation at the

grinding table edge;

• Coal-downpipe extension;

• Modifcation of the classifer:

installation of variable drive

for louver blade angle

adjustment, return hopper

modifcation, change of the

fan at the classifer motor;

• Double wall installation

(cylindrical airfow defector)

inside the grinding chamber

and upstream classifer.

These mechanical

modifcations allow mill

operation with both fuels. The

classifer, for example, can

be controlled by the angle

adjustment of the louver

blades and by adjusting the

classifer’s rotational speed

to fulfl the different fneness

requirements for bituminous

coal and biomass combustion.

The grinding system is

equipped with additional

temperature measuring points

and an explosion suppression

system.

Besides mechanical

modifcations, some

adaptations to the control

system had to be arranged.

Mill operation with bituminous

coal or wood pellets is realised

individually by an independent

operation programme

which contains the required

parameters and limit values for

mill operation.

Burner modifcations

The 24 burners were originally

designed for the use of

pulverised bituminous coal.

Six burners are arranged in

four elevations, located on

the boiler front and rear walls.

Each burner is connected to

the combustion air supply

system by a secondary air

duct, including the necessary

damper and fow measuring

devices for individual

combustion air control.

The target for the

modifcation was to operate

the swirl burners either in

100 per cent bituminous coal

mode or 100 per cent biomass

mode on a wood pellet

basis.

For the realisation of coal/

biomass combustion the six

burners of the upper level

40 were upgraded with the

essential DS Burner elements.

Concentric setup and

swirling of all burner fows are

essential features of this burner

type. The DS Burner design is

determined by the ignition, the

fame start and the subsequent

low-oxygen primary reaction

phase. Further, the burner has

been designed to handle the

fuel particles in the pyrolysis

process as well as their

subsequent oxidation.

In general, the DS Burner

consists of the following main

components:

• Ignition device;

• Core air tube;

• Primary air tube with

integrated fuel nozzle,

primary air swirl device and

inlet elbow linked to the

pulverized fuel line;

• Secondary air pipe with

swirl blades and tertiary air

defecting cone;

• Tertiary air nozzle with swirl

blades;

• Burner wind-box.

The prerequisites for the

process are created through

the interaction between swirl

devices and fuel nozzle, as well

as the resulting heat transfer

in the nearby burner zone.

Early oxidation of the pyrolysis

products with a defned oxygen

volume is the precondition for

stable low-NOx combustion in

the core fame.

The core fame is surrounded

by spatially staged fows of

secondary and tertiary air,

while the combustion process

is supplied with the necessary

oxygen by a continuous

delayed supply from the

peripheral burner fow.

For the burner modifcation,

new primary air tubes with

Raw coal

Hot air

Louver blades adjustment

Dynamic classifer

Rotating cage

Louver blades

Sealing air circle line

Grinding rollers

Rod

Dam ring

Nozzle ring

Grinding track

Hot air annular channel

Mill gearbox

Coal dust outlet

Coal down pipe

Return hopper

Loading frame

Spring

Guide frame

Inner housing(Double wall)

Hot air inlet duct

Motor

Figure 1. MPS mill for coal and biomass operation

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Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com26

Biomass case study

integrated fuel nozzles and inlet

elbows, linked to the pulverised-

fuel tubes, were installed. The

fuel nozzles, fabricated as

single component of spun-

casting heat-resistant alloy, are

welded to the pulverised-fuel

tubes. With exception of the

fuel nozzles, the pulverised-

fuel tubes are fabricated of

composite material, including

an inside erosion-protective

lining on a chromium-carbide

base.

On the circumference of

the core air tube, primary swirl

blades with angle position of

35° to the fow direction are

welded at a certain distance

to the burner tip. In addition,

the existing core air nozzle was

replaced by a new one made

of heat-resistant material, with

length of about 650 mm.

Due to the new design of

the pulverised-fuel tubes, new

secondary air swirl inserts

must be installed. With the

exception of the SA nozzle with

TA defector, all burner parts

on the combustion air side

remained unchanged.

Process parameter and

safety considerations

Coal and wood pellets have

a clearly different grinding

and combustion behaviour

than coal. Thus the operating

parameters of the fring system

have to be adjusted to the

individual fuel properties to

comply with the following

tasks: grinding and classifying,

drying, pneumatic transport

and distribution of the fuel dust

into the individual pulverised

fuel lines. Furthermore, stable

ignition at the burners and

the combustion process in the

furnace has to be ensured. Mill

operation with coal or wood

pellets is realised individually

by an independent operation

programme.

Due to the highly volatile

content, the reactivity of

pulverised biomass is much

higher compared to pulverised

bituminous coal.

Special attention was paid to

a suffcient distance between

carrier gas temperature and

self-ignition temperature of the

pulverised biomass in a hot air

atmosphere, and to preventing

biomass ignition at hot surfaces

in the grinding system.

During coal operation

the required primary air

temperature and, partly,

the grinding system surface

temperature during coal

operation could lead to wood

pellet ignition. Before switching

from biomass to coal operation

the grinding system must

be emptied of biomass – in

particular, the hot air annular

channel below the mill’s

nozzle ring, and the reject box.

The primary air temperature

may only be increased to the

required values after this step.

Before switching from coal

to biomass operation it must

be ensured that the hot zones

inside the mill are cooled down

suffciently to prevent self-

ignition of the fuel during any

operating mode or shutdown

procedure. Therefore,

additional temperature

measuring points inside the

mill housing were installed.

While switching fuel types,

dust samples were taken from

the PF lines at certain times to

determine the duration of the

fuel discharge.

Figure 3 shows parameters

and temperatures of the

primary air upstream mill and

of the carrier gas at mill outlet

as well as fuel parameters to

reach the boiler peak load

of 930 MWth in four-mills

operating mode.

Operational results

In delivery state, the mill MPS

190 was equipped with a

static classifer of type SLK,

and designed for grinding

a coal fow of 12.78 kg/s

with a grinding fneness of

R_0.09 = 20% (residue on a

screen 90 µm) related to the

coal parameters HGI = 55°H,

moisture = 9% and ash content

= 13.5%. Later the mill was

equipped with a dynamic

classifer of type HEP 33H6 for

fneness improvement. Today,

the average grinding fneness

is about R_0.09 = 14% Related

to the design fuel and the

higher fneness degree, the

coal mass fow for the same

mill load is 11.65 kg/s.

The pulverised coal mass

fow, the accessible grinding

fneness and the dynamic

behaviour of the mill should

not be limited by the mill

modifcations. These are

the requirements given by

EnergiNet DK Grid Code: load

changes at 50%–90% plant

load not less than 4% per

minute; below and above this

range plant load changes

not less than 2% per minute.

Furthermore, the functionality

of the modifed burner must

be demonstrated. The burners

should have a stable ignition

and fully satisfying coal

combustion behaviour.

The performance of the

modifed mill 40 and the

function of the dedicated

burners were proven in a trial

run in February 2014. The mill

was operated safely with a

coal mass fow of 12.5 kg/s

and measurements were

taken at the mill, as well as coal

sampling at the pulverised

fuel lines. Burner functionality

was monitored by the fame

scanners and checked by

video recordings of the wing

burners from the side wall

inspection holes.

The dynamic behaviour of

the modifed mill had already

been tested in January 2014.

Load change behaviour of

the modifed mill has not

deteriorated compared with

unmodifed mills. The required

grid code parameters have

been achieved.

A deterioration of part load

behaviour appears while in

coal operation mode. The

modifcations have led to an

increased grinding capacity,

while also increasing the

achievable minimum load.

The aim of a minimum load of

5.2 kg/s leads to a disturbed

smoothness, so that the

obtainable minimum load

was increased to 6–6.5 kg/s.

The desirable minimum load

could be realised through

adjustment of the grinding

force during operation (state-

of-the-art, but not implanted

in SSV3) or by a moderate

decrease of the modifed mill’s

grinding capacity.

With the exception of

the temporary limitation of

minimum load behaviour

during coal operation, the

performance of the modifed

grinding system as well as

the burners turned out to be

comparable to the capacity

of the unmodifed units. Thus,

high expectations for biomass

operation could be fulflled

and even exceeded.

Secondary Air SwirlerFuel Nozzle

TA Defector

Primary Air SwirlerPF Tube

Core Air TubeFigure 2. DS Burner components

1503cospp_26 26 3/12/15 5:02 PM

Page 29: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 27

Biomass case study

Switching modes

The target was 30 minutes

to shut down each mill and

restart it with the other fuel

– and the same process in

reverse – or two hours for all

four mills.Furthermore, it should

be checked if a direct switch

between operating modes

without stopping the mill is

possible.

A switch between the fuels

in a period of 30 minutes with

a shutdown and restart of

the mill was possible from the

beginning onward.

It is important to note that,

during the switch from coal

to biomass operation, the mill

is cooled down suffciently

prior to the biomass feeder

start in order to decrease

the material temperature at

the nozzle ring and the hot

air inlet channel below the

self-ignition temperature of

biomass in particular. During

the cooling-down process with

the operational programme,

the temperatures inside the

mill were measured.

When switching from

biomass to coal, it must be

ensured that no biomass

remains inside the mill, as

self-ignition could occur due

to the increased primary air

temperature in coal operation

mode. Complete clean-out

of the mill is ensured with

a special purge sequence.

The mill reject box has to be

cleaned completely as well.

Good dynamic behaviour

of the grinding systems

opened the possibility for a

direct switch between fuel

modes. Direct switching

without any infuence on

fame stability at the burner

was tested in a separate trial

run, and comprehensive

safety assessments were

conducted. As a result of these

assessments, the operation

programmes were modifed

accordingly. The previously

mentioned safety parameters

must be fulflled, and the

experience gained from prior

operating modes must be

incorporated.

During coal operation, the

material temperatures of the

complete mill must be lower

than 150°C prior to biomass

feeder start. To ensure this,

additional temperature

measuring points have been

installed. After switching

to biomass feeding, the

classifer’s rotational speed

has to be continually lowered

to the wood pellet classifer

speed to protect the mill from

overflling. At the same time,

the particles of the pulverised

coal leaving the classifer must

be fne enough to ignite safely.

Before starting with

coal operation, it must be

ensured that biomass can

be discharged from the mill

completely before setting

the primary air temperature

for coal operating mode.

In addition, cleaning of the

reject box is required prior

to an increase in primary air

temperature. After that the

classifer rotational speed

can be increased continually

towards coal operating mode

requirements. This must be

done carefully as the coarse

wood pellet particles have to

leave the mill frst.

Dr Thomas Krause is Head

of Process Engineering

Pulverizing Systems at

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power

Systems Europe. Dr Yaqoub

Al-Khasawneh is Process

Engineer for Pulverizing, Coal

and Ash Handling Systems

at MH Power Systems Europe

Service.

This article is available

on-line.

Please visit www.cospp.com

Pulverizer operating data for 930 MWth (boiler peak load)

Figure 3. Gas and fuel parameter per mill for 930 MWth (boiler peak load) with guarantee fuels

[email protected], +420 483 363 642

www.tedomengines.com

GAS ENGINES

Reliable heart for your unit

Power range: 80 - 210 kW

Fuels: NG, Biogas, LPG,

Wellhead gas, CBM gas

and others

For more information, enter 9 at COSPP.hotims.com

1503cospp_27 27 3/12/15 5:02 PM

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Cogeneration optimisation

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com28

Mo s t

c o g e n e r a t i o n

installations are

housed in an

enclosure, which can be

a container or a special

boiler house. An enclosure

is generally needed to

avoid noise radiating to the

environment and to shield

sensitive equipment from

the weather. An enclosure

can also prevent unqualifed

people from tampering with

the installation.

The effciency of a

cogeneration plant is also

affected by its enclosure,

depending on the ambient

temperature and the way

the ventilation system works.

If no enclosure is present, the

intake air of the reciprocating

engine or gas turbine equals

the ambient temperature.

In that case, for an exhaust

temperature controlled at a

fxed value, a lower ambient

temperature results in higher

losses in sensible heat with the

intake air.

In addition, the

temperature difference

between the engine and its

surroundings will then vary

with the ambient temperature,

affecting the convection

loss. The temperature of the

cylinder block is normally

thermostatically controlled.

Here we will use a series of

examples to illustrate the effect

of enclosures on the effciency

of a cogeneration installation.

Cogeneration effciency

with no enclosure

The fuel effciency of a

cogeneration installation

is 100% where the exhaust

temperature equals the

intake temperature and

the insulation ensures that

no heat escapes from the

machine to the environment.

Complete combustion should

also be present, and the heat

In the ffth of a series of articles on optimising cogeneration plant, Dr Jacob Klimstra

explains how the setup of an installation’s enclosure can affect its effciency.

Enclosuresand effciency

A properly designed enclosure can improve installation effciency and stability Credit: Emerson Process Management

1503cospp_28 28 3/12/15 5:02 PM

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Cogeneration optimisation

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 29

coming from the electricity

generator should not be lost

to the environment. Such

stringent boundary conditions

are diffcult to implement in a

practical installation.

A reference temperature of

25°C is a suitable value for the

sensible heat of the intake air

and exhaust gas, since it is, in

practice, the lowest possible

temperature used in heating

systems. At 25°C, heat can be

used for soil heating systems in

horticulture and for under-foor

heating systems in buildings.

When determining the heat

balance of a cogeneration

installation, we need to

calculate how much the fuel

gas and intake air must be

heated or cooled to reach

the reference temperature. The

same applies for the exhaust

gas.

Here, as we are focused

on the enclosure’s effect on

the energy balance, heat

loss resulting from an exhaust

temperature higher than the

reference temperature of 25°C

will not be discussed. (This was

the subject of an article in the

November–December 2014

issue of COSPP, now available

on-line at www.cospp.com.)

The sensible heat per unit of

calorifc value Especifc of the fuel

gas equals (eq. 1):

Especifc(gas)= cp(gas)(Tref

_Tin)

Hi

in which cp = specifc heat in kJ/

kg; Tref = reference temperature

in °C; Hi = lower calorifc value in

MJ/kg.

For methane, cp is about

2.2 kJ/kg and Hi is 50 MJ/kg

for a reference temperature of

25°C. The cp of nitrogen (N2) is

about 1.04 kJ/kg and that of

carbon dioxide (CO2) about

0.84 kJ/kg. Some natural

gases contain considerable

amounts of nitrogen. Biogas

can contain much CO2.

It is generally presumed that

natural gas from underground

pipelines has a temperature

of 15°C. The specifc sensible

heat needed to raise the

gas temperature from 15°C

to 25°C is 2.2 · (25–15)/50 =

0.44 kJ/MJ, equalling 0.044%

of the fuel energy, meaning

that it is close to negligible.

A cogeneration installation’s

enclosure has no effect on the

gas temperature, and therefore

we will ignore the small effect

of the gas temperature on

effciency.

The composition of natural

gas depends on its source,

but methane is always by

far the main constituent. The

properties of natural gas,

such as calorifc value and

stoichiometric air requirement,

depend on its composition. For

simplifcation purposes, we will

here use pure methane as our

fuel gas example. The infuence

of the actual gas composition

on an enclosure’s effect on

total energy effciency is very

small.

Stoichiometric combustion

of methane requires

17.36 kg of air per kg of

gas. Most prime movers in

cogeneration installations use

a fuel-lean mixture for better

performance and lower NOx

emissions. For an air-to-fuel

ratio λ of 2 with respect to a

stoichiometric mixture, one

needs 34.72 kg of air per kg of

methane.

The specifc sensible heat

to be added to the intake air

is (eq. 2):

Especifc(air)= λ • 17.36cp(air)(Tref

_Tin)

Hi

The cp of air at ambient

conditions is about 1 kJ/kg.

We now know how to

determine the sensible heat

required to bring the intake air

and fuel gas to the reference

temperature of 25°C. This

amount of heat, as a

percentage of the fuel energy

required to raise the intake

air temperature, is shown in

Figure 1.

Figure 1 reveals that a

cogeneration system which

draws its combustion air

directly from outside can need

up to 6% of the fuel energy to

bring the intake temperature

from -30°C to the reference

temperature of 25°C. Most

gas turbines operate at an

air-to-fuel ratio λ of 3 and

higher. Modern reciprocating

gas engines operate at a λ

between 1.8 and 2.1.

The cylinder block of a

reciprocating engine is often

controlled at a temperature

close to 85°C. This warrants a

proper temperature distribution

of the engine’s inner parts,

while the coolant provides

a suitable temperature for

heating systems. For a modern

turbocharged engine with a

brake mean effective pressure

at full load of about 20 bar,

the heat loss from the engine

block to its surroundings

is about 1.5% to 2% of the

fuel energy where the room

temperature is 30°C. The actual

value depends on the size and

construction of the engine.

Since, in a normal situation, the

heat transfer from the engine

block to its surroundings is

via convection, the heat

loss to the surroundings is

directly proportional to the

temperature difference. This

heat loss can be written as

(eq. 3):

Econvection= 85 – Tsurroundings·0.015·Hi

85 – 30

Figure 2 shows the

dependence of the convection

loss on the temperature of

the surroundings, in a case

where no forced air fow is

present around the machine.

Some packagers design the

ventilation system in such a

way that blowers create high

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

-40 -20 0 20 40

pe

rce

nta

ge

of lo

we

r c

alo

rifc

va

lue

intake temperature °C

Heat required for raising the intake air temperature to 25°C

lambda = 1

lambda = 2

lambda = 3

Figure 1. A low intake temperature requires much energy to heat up the intake air to 25°C

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

-40 -20 0 20 40

pe

rce

nta

ge

co

nve

ctio

n

loss

of fu

el e

ne

rgy

temperature surroundings (°C)

Convection loss reciprocating engine

Figure 2. The convection loss of a reciprocating engine is directly proportional to the temperature difference between the engine block and its surroundings

1503cospp_29 29 3/12/15 5:02 PM

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Cogeneration optimisation

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com30

air fows against the engine

block. This can substantially

increase the engine block’s

heat loss.

Figures 1 and 2 show that

a cogeneration installation

exposed to ambient air can

easily lose 6% of its fuel energy

if the ambient temperature

is very low. Unfortunately,

heat demand generally

increases with a lower ambient

temperature.

An enclosure with a

controlled internal

temperature

As mentioned earlier,

cogeneration installations are

normally inside an enclosure.

This includes the electricity

generator. At full load, the

generator loss is some 1.5%

of the fuel energy. Generators

have to be cooled in order

to avoid overheating of their

windings. Sometimes ambient

air will be used to cool the

generator, but in many cases

the air inside the installation’s

enclosure is cold enough to

cool the generator.

INTAKE AIR FROM OUTSIDE THE

ENCLOSURE

Figure 3 is a schematic

representation of a

cogeneration system in an

enclosure. The temperature

inside the enclosure is

controlled by a variable-speed

ventilator. If ventilation was not

present, the enclosure would

reach a temperature of over

85°C, which means that the

air inside the enclosure would

have the same temperature

as the engine block. Therefore,

convection from the engine

block to its surroundings would

stop.

However, there is still heat

input from the generator

and from radiation of the

turbocharger, and ultimately

the engine block will even

start to receive heat from

its surroundings. Only a few

examples exist where no

ventilation takes place in the

enclosure. This has, e.g., been

the case with the FIAT TOTEM,

a 15 kW cogeneration unit

with a water-cooled generator.

All larger installations use

ventilation within the enclosure.

In the example of Figure

3, the inner temperature of

the enclosure is controlled

at 30°C. This means that

the temperature difference

between the engine block and

its surroundings is constant,

resulting in a convection loss

at full load of some 1.5% of

the lower calorifc value of

the fuel (equation 3). The

generator loss of about 1.5% of

the fuel energy is also added

to the ventilation air, so that

in total 3% of the fuel energy

leaves the enclosure with the

ventilation air.

The air for the engine

process is drawn from outside,

which means that the energy

required to heat the intake air

to the reference temperature

of 25°C is dependent on the

ambient temperature. Figure

4 gives the resulting fraction

of the fuel energy that is lost

due to intake air heating and

enclosure ventilation.

Actually, the energy required

to heat the intake air is exactly

the same as in Figure 1. No

line for λ = 3 has been given

in Figure 4, since the data on

the convection loss apply for

reciprocating engines only

and these engines do not

operate at such high lambda

values as the turbines. In this

solution, the convection loss

will never exceed 1.5% at full

load. This is in contrast with a

no-enclosure situation, where

the convection loss can reach

3% of the fuel energy in the

case of very low ambient

temperatures.

Again, the heat from a

cogeneration installation is

generally most needed when

the ambient temperature is

very low. Therefore, this solution

with intake air taken from

outside the enclosure is not

ideal.

INTAKE AIR FROM INSIDE THE

ENCLOSURE

A better solution is to draw

the required intake air for the

engine from the enclosure

itself. Figure 5 illustrates this

concept. The air infow into

the enclosure is now the sum

of the intake air for the engine

and the ventilation air. If the

average temperature inside

the enclosure is below 30°C,

the ventilator will stop, and the

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

-40 -20 0 20 40

pe

rce

nta

ge

of lo

we

r c

alo

rifc

va

lue

Losses due to intake air heating +ventilation (intake air from outside)

lambda = 1

lambda = 2

Figure 4. The heat loss for the intake air and ventilation air of a reciprocating engine-driven cogeneration installation running at full load in a temperature-controlled enclosure, expressed as a percentage of the lower heating value of the fuel

Figure 5: A cogeneration installation that draws its combustion air from inside its enclosure

Figure 3. A cogeneration installation in an enclosure with forced ventilation to keep the inner temperature at 30°C.

1503cospp_30 30 3/12/15 5:02 PM

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Cogeneration optimisation

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com32

heat from the generator and

engine block will only heat

the infow of air which exactly

equals the intake air of the

engine.

The question now is which

average temperature will

be present in the enclosure,

depending on the ambient

temperature. If the air fow into

the enclosure equals the intake

air fow, the energy needed to

heat the infow of air to the

enclosure temperature equals,

for a λ of 2:

Einfow=34.72·(Tenclosure– Tambient)/500%

The heat provided from the

engine block (see equation

3) and the generator (= 1.5%)

equals:

Eprovided= 85–Tenclosure ·1.5% +1.5%

55

Therefore, as long as

the temperature inside the

enclosure is lower than 30°C:

Tenclosure = 39.69 + 0.717 Tambient

The result of this relationship

is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6 immediately

shows the huge advantage

of drawing the intake air from

inside the enclosure, instead

of directly from the ambient

air. In the previous case, with

intake air drawn from outside

the enclosure, almost 4% of

the fuel energy is needed to

heat the intake air from -30°C

to + 25°C, while 3% of the fuel

energy resulting from engine

block and generator losses

had to be ventilated away. In

the case of drawing the intake

air from inside the enclosure,

for the same low temperature

of -30°C, only about 0.5% of

the fuel energy is needed

to raise the intake air to the

reference temperature of

25°C. Therefore, for ambient

temperatures below -12°C,

the energy effciency of a

cogeneration plant is about

three percentage points better

when the air for the engine

is drawn from inside the

enclosure.

A positive side effect of

taking the intake air from

inside the enclosure is that its

temperature varies only slightly

with the ambient temperature.

This makes the task of the

lambda control system much

easier, since the temperature

of the intake air considerably

affects the air-to-fuel ratio

prepared by carburettors.

Finally, fgure 7 shows how

much heat has to be ventilated

away when the intake air for

the engine is drawn from inside

the enclosure at ambient

temperatures from -12.5°C.

If the ambient temperature

exceeds 30°C, the ventilation

system is no longer able to

keep the temperature in the

enclosure at 30°C. For ambient

temperatures exceeding 30°C,

the convection loss from the

engine block will begin to

decrease.

The output of turbocharged

reciprocating engines does

not depend on the intake air

temperature as long as this

temperature remains below

30°C. This is in contrast with

gas turbines, where the power

capacity is proportional to the

intake air temperature.

In practice, the temperature

inside an enclosure is not

always uniform. In some

designs, ventilators push

ambient air into the enclosure

instead of drawing the air

out. In such situations, the

engine’s intake air can have

a temperature close to the

ambient temperature. The

convection heat and the

generator loss are then not

used to heat the intake air,

resulting in less-than-optimum

fuel effciency. High convection

losses also occur when cold

ambient air is blown against

the engine block. Sometimes

incoming air jets from the

ventilators are the cause of a

heavily fuctuating intake-air

temperature, which creates

unsteady engine operation. It

is recommended here to keep

the atmosphere inside an

enclosure as quiet as possible,

with ventilators drawing the

air from the enclosure. A

slight underpressure inside

the enclosure also prevents

foul gases escaping when

the doors are opened during

running.

A properly designed

enclosure can clearly improve

a cogeneration installation’s

energy effciency and stability,

especially on cold days.

Dr Jacob Klimstra is

Managing Editor of COSPP

This article is available

on-line.

Please visit www.cospp.com

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

-20 -10 0 10 20 30

fue

l en

erg

y ve

ntila

ted

aw

ay

(%)

ambient temperature (°C)

Figure 7. The fraction of fuel energy ventilated away as heat from a cogeneration installation, where the intake air is taken from inside the enclosure and the set point for the enclosure temperature is 30°C

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

-40 -20 0 20 40

en

clo

sure

te

mp

era

ture

(°C

)

ambient temperature °C

Set value enclosure T = 30°C

Figure 6. The enclosure temperature as a function of the ambient temperature where the engine intake air is drawn from the enclosure

Cogeneration plant in Lubmin, Germany Credit: Siemens

1503cospp_32 32 3/12/15 5:02 PM

Page 35: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

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Page 36: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com34

Genset Focus

Trigeneration powers Russian hospital

Genset supplier FG Wilson

has delivered a vital power

solution for a major new

medical centre in Russia.

FG Wilson’s Russian

dealer Technoserv has

commissioned and installed

gas gensets and combined

gas heat exchanger systems

for a power station that runs

Hospital VIT in Nizhny Tagil City,

in the Ural district.

Technoserv designed the

power plant based on four FG

Wilson PG750B gas generator

sets. The units work in base

load operating mode in

parallel with the local mains

grid at full load. For water

heating, a combined heat

and power system was used

in conjunction with a local

Russian manufacturer, CTM.

FG Wilson said that

in order to ensure the

maximum effciency of

natural gas consumption,

the power solution operates

in trigeneration mode,

producing not only heat but

also cooling – the CHP systems

supply exhaust gas-heated

water to the chemical

absorption chiller for cold

water produce, meaning the

total electric power plant

capacity is 2.4 MW and

around 2 MW thermal or cold

water power.

Finning offers new gensets for CHP and continuous power applicationsFinning Power Systems has

launched its Cat G3520H gas

generator set for combined

heat and power and

continuous electric power

applications.

The G3520H gas generator

is ideal for use in industrial and

commercial facilities, as well

as in distributed generation

power plants, Finning said,

adding that it features the

lowest total lifecycle cost in its

class.

It has a long stroke design,

high compression-ratio pistons,

a high effciency turbo, and

a high effciency generator

design. The company

claims that time and costs

associated with maintenance

are reduced due to to the

G3520H’s optimised piston, ring

and liner designs, which help

to minimise oil consumption.

The G3520H is the second

genset to be introduced as

part of the G3500 H-series,

following the G3516H, which

Finning launched in January

2013.

The gensets are offered

with power ratings of up to

2500 ekW, with three

confgurations available: High

Effciency (HE), High Response

(HR), and High Altitude (HA).

With the HE option turbo trim

is optimised for maximum

total electrical effciency,

while the HR and HA turbo

trim confgurations provide

optimisation for altitude

and ambient performance

capability and dynamic load

response, Finning said.

Aggreko commissions diesel plant in MozambiqueA new power plant has been

commissioned in Mozambique

by Aggreko and state power

utility Electricidade de

Moçambique (EDM).

The diesel plant in the port

city of Nacala comprises 22

diesel generator sets and has

a maximum output of 18 MW.

Power demands across

Mozambique are rapidly

increasing as the country’s

annual GDP grows by more

than 7 per cent and its industrial

sector rapidly expands.

However, electricity supplies in

the north have been strained

due to seasonal fooding

that has caused disruption to

networks in several provinces.

EDM executive board

member Carlos Yum said:

‘Nacala is experiencing

rapidly growing commercial

and industrial activity based

around its role as a logistics

hub of northern Mozambique.

By adding additional

generation capacity close to

areas of high energy demand,

EDM is addressing increased

power requirements with

fast-track power provision

until longer-term sustainable

solutions can be deployed.’

1503cospp_34 34 3/12/15 5:02 PM

Page 37: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

Genset Focus

www.cospp.com Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 35

Cummins ships European Grid Code-compliant gensetsCummins Power Generation

has announced that its

certifed Grid Code Compliant

generator sets have been

delivered successfully to a

customer in Germany.

Compliance for grid-

connected power plants is

already a legal requirement

in Germany, with many other

countries expected to follow

suit. DNV GL has validated

the Cummins 60-litre and

91-litre lean-burn gas genset

range as fully compliant with

the grid code requirements of

Germany, France and Italy.

Cummins said its team

studied variations in grid code

requirements across network

operators and countries with

the aim of designing genset

components that could meet

the electrical and mechanical

stresses encountered during

grid faults. Computer-aided

design tools were used to

determine the stresses and

optimise designs for the

products’ expected lifetime.

The gensets then underwent

testing in parallel with the

live UK National Grid, using a

simulation device to create a

localised fault. Real test results

were then used to validate a

model which could predict the

gensets’ performance in the

event of a low-voltage grid fault.

For more information, enter 13 at COSPP.hotims.com

Himoinsa gensets used in Egyptian water treatment plants Himoinsa has supplied

Acciona Agua with fve

gensets for operation in four

water treatment plants in Egypt.

The project aims to purify

150,000 m3/day of urban

wastewater, and re-use it for

irrigation. The gensets activate

the water purifcation system

whenever a power cut occurs,

‘something that happens

quite frequently in this area,’

said Leopoldo Lainz, Asia

Pacifc Development Manager

for Acciona Agua.

The largest plant, with a

fow of 82,000 m3/day, is the

Abnoub-El Fath plant where

two open gensets were

installed, the HMW-1135 T5 and

HTW-2030 T5 models. The two

gensets, with outputs of 1200

kVA and 2250 kVA, will allow

supply to reach a population

of over 300,000 people,

Himoinsa said. The sewage

plants of Sodfa-El Ghanayem

and El Ayat, which have

similar characteristics, have

been equipped with HTW-920

T5 gensets. Both emergency

gensets will help maintain

activity at the plants, which will

supply over 200,000 people.

The plant in Abu Simbel, a

popular tourist destination,

is equipped with a 400 kVA

generator set, the HMW- 350 T5

model.

HAVE YOUR SAY: BAROMETER OF POWER SECTOR CONFIDENCE LAUNCHES IN APRIL

This month sees the launch of a poll of power industry professionals which will provide a comprehensive guide to confdence in the European sector.

The European energy industry is undergoing widespread changes in the way it produces and delivers electric power to industry and consumers.

This energy transition is shifting the sands under the baseload providers in the coal, gas and nuclear sectors, so that distributed generation, renewables, smart energy systems and consumers are playing an increasingly important part in the electricity value chain.

As power industry companies contemplate their next important step, it is crucial that they have an understanding of the current state of the industry and a vision of where it is going. Thus research and reports are essential to support their strategic thinking.

Building on its expertise and the audience generated by its global POWER-GEN events, PennWell International is launching a POWER-GEN Confdence Index.

A comprehensive pan-European report for the power industry, the POWER-GEN Confdence Index will provide key market information, insights and trends to aid strategic decision making. Compiled on an annual basis to facilitate year-on-year trend analysis and comparison, this authoritative industry study will deliver insight, perspective and direction.

To ensure that the POWER-GEN Confdence Index for Europe represents the views and opinions of all aspects of the industry, COSPP invites you to participate in the study.

Why contribute to the POWER-GEN Confdence Index?

1. An opportunity to contribute to a ground-breaking initiative in the power sector – the inaugural POWER-GEN Confdence Index

2. An opportunity to contribute to an authoritative and comprehensive report providing key market information and insights

3. An opportunity to have your say on the key issues facing the power sector

4. An opportunity for your voice to be heard and for you to infuence and help shape strategic thinking in the power sector

5. Respondents completing the Confdence Index questionnaire will receive the full Confdence Index report free of charge

6. Respondents to the Confdence Index questionnaire will be invited to join a dedicated Social Media Group designed to elicit further discussion

As a power industry professional, your opinion has never been more important. Please contribute to the POWER-GEN Confdence Index to help shape the power industry of the future.

For further information please visit www.powergeneurope.com/

index/power-gen-confdence-index

POWER-GEN CONFIDENCE INDEX

A PennWell Event

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Cogeneration & On–Site Power Production | March - April 2015 www.cospp.com36

Diary

DistribuGen Conference and

Trade Show 2015

7 – 9 April

Houston, Texas, USA

www.distribugen.org

Energy Cities 2015

22 – 24 April

Aberdeen, Scotland

http://aberdeen2015.energy-cities.

eu/

37th Euroheat & Power

Conference

27 – 28 April

Tallinn, Estonia

www.ehpcongress.org

POWER-GEN India

& Central Asia

7 – 9 May

New Delhi, India

www.indiapowerevents.com

COGEN Europe Annual

Conference

19 – 20 May

Brussels, Belgium

www.cogeneurope.eu

POWER-GEN Europe

9 – 11 June

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

www.powergeneurope.com

Renewable Energy World

Europe

9 – 11 June

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

www.renewableenergyworld-

europe.com

5th China International

Distributed Energy Expo

Beijing, China

15 – 17 June

www.cdee-expo.com/en/

ASME Turbo Expo

Montreal, Canada

15 – 19 June

www.asmeconferences.org

POWER-GEN Africa

15 – 17 July

Cape Town,

Republic of South Africa

www.powergenafrica.com

Asia-Pacifc District Cooling

Conference

25 – 27 August

Bangkok, Thailand

http://energy.feminggulf.com/

asia-pacifc-distric-cooling-

conference

POWER-GEN Asia

1 – 3 September

Bangkok, Thailand

www.powergenasia.com

POWER-GEN Asia Financial

Forum

1 – 3 September

Bangkok, Thailand

www.powergenasiafnance.com

44th Turbomachinery, 31st

Pump Symposia

14 – 17 September

Houston, Texas, USA

www.pumpturbo.tamu.edu

POWER-GEN Middle East

4 – 6 October

Abu Dhabi, UAE

www.power-gen-middleeast.com

POWER-GEN International

8 – 10 December

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

www.power-gen.com

Send details of your event to Cogeneration and On-Site Power Production:

e-mail: [email protected]

Diary of events

ASME INTERNATIONAL GAS TURBINE INSTITUTE - ASME TURBO EXPO IBC

CIRCOR ENERGY BC

CMI ENERGY 5

HILLIARD CORPORATION IFC

LESLIE CONTROLS, INC. BC

MAN DIESEL & TURBO SE 1

POWER-GEN EUROPE / RENEWABLE ENERGY

WORLD EUROPE CONFERENCE & EXHBITION 31

POWER-GEN INDIA & CENTRAL ASIA /

DISTRIBUTECH INDIA CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 33

SEL 23

SIPOS AKTORIK 11

SOHRE TURBOMACHINERY, INC. 21

TEDOM 27

WORLD ALLIANCE FOR DECENTRALIZED ENERGY 17

YOUNG & FRANKLIN, INC. 19

Advertisers’ index

1503cospp_36 36 3/12/15 5:02 PM

Page 39: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

60 Years

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ME Turbo Exp

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June 15-19, 2015www.turboexpo.org

ASME INTERNATIONAL GAS TURBINE INSTITUTEphone +1-404-847-0072 | fax +1-404-847-0151 | [email protected]

The Most Important Conferencefor Turbomachinery Professionals.

ìEveryone who is doing groundbreaking work in the gas turbine community comes to ASME Turbo Expo. It is perhaps the most technically advanced assembly of users, designers and developers of gas turbine

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For more information, enter 10 at COSPP.hotims.com

1503cospp_C3 3 3/12/15 5:07 PM

Page 40: Cogeneration 03 04 2015

With CIRCOR Energy General & Severe Service Control Valves

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Reliable, durable and engineered for performance, when it comes to achieving

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