Impact of Daily Cycling in

Combined Cycle Power Plant

Key Components in Steam Cycle

1
 Agenda
• CCPP & overview of effects of frequently cycling on Key
Control Components of Steam cycle.
– Power Market Trends pertaining to CCPP
– Turbine Bypass (TBS)
– Feedwater Regulation (FREG)
– Attemperation (main focus of presentation)
• Attemperation issues, Thermal Shock & temperature
control critical for plant performance and reliability
• Understanding the attemperation fluid and
thermodynamic process & review of a proven solution.
• Conclusions
3/3/2014 © 2013. CCI - Control Components Inc. All rights reserved. 2
Power Market Trends
• More Renewables drives the need for CCPP
flexibility
• CCPP’s have to change load faster
• Daily cycling and even double daily cycling.
• Faster Start-up times Required

3/3/2014 © 2013. CCI - Control Components Inc. All rights reserved. 3

 Outlook for CCPP’s
New requirements
Security of Security of
Supply Supply

Focus on
erection,
operation and
maintenance of Environmental
power plants Compatibility

Economic Environmental Load

Efficiency Compatibility Flexibilty Economic
Efficiency >60%

2010
Higher efficiency driving higher firing
temperatures & steam temperatures

Page 4
Key Components in Steam Cycle

• Maintain and control flow of Steam Cycle:

Feedwater Regulator Valve (Drum Level Control
Valve).
• Critical for start-up, shut down and load rejection.
Turbine Bypass Valves are Critical for GT operation
and maintaining Steam Cycle pressure
• Control of steam temperature to Steam Turbine:
Interstage and Final Stage Attemperators

3/3/2014 © 2013. CCI - Control Components Inc. All rights reserved. 5

How does this effect Steam Cycle
• Higher Efficiency in Gas Turbines lead to Higher
Exhaust Gas Temperatures
• Steam Cycle is integral in operation, but follows GT!
• Leads to higher steam temperatures which increases
Steam Cycle efficiency
• Part Load Steam Temperatures increase
• Water Control Valves frequently exposed to high ΔP
• Demands on HRSG’s:
– Frequent Starts Daily
– Ramping up load in Minutes (Thermal Stress)
– Once Thru/Smaller Drums etc
3/3/2014 © 2013. CCI - Control Components Inc. All rights reserved. 6
 Feedwater control Challenges
• High rangeability required for
How much ∆P for single stage? – Start-up (HIGH ΔP)
30 bar! – Full load (low ΔP)
• Most HRSG have fixed speed pump.
• More frequent cycling
• Increasing pressure drop
• Instability problems when switching
between main & startup valves
• Manual operation of startup valve
• Solution:
– One Valve, long stroke multi stage
characterization

• Solution = Single Combined Valve

– Multi Stage throughout stroke
– Long Stroke
– Characterised
– Piston Actuator
Turbine Bypass Challenges
Fuel HRSG Dual Boiler
Feedwater
Gas turbine LP water pumps
HP IP LP
IP water
Steam for VS-BT HP water
NOx control 15
Air or STIG
VLB-BTC
VS-BT VS-BT 5
VST-SE
4 2
Requirements VDA-4
1
16 3
• Critical for Quick Start-up VS-BT
18
• Potential for wet VDA-4
steam/condensate VS-BT
17 6
8
• Higher ΔP’s 7 VLB-BTC

9 10 11
• Higher Steam Flows 840
VDA-4
LLP-stop
• Growing use of ACC’s 840 840
13 14 LLP
• Low Noise Solution 840 840
12
Condenser
• Thermal Shock!!!
• Ensure supplier proven track record & CCPP experience
• Valve must modulate fast 3-5s
• Body and trim suited for High temp & thermal shock
• Angle Pattern and over the plug design
3/3/2014 8
Proprietary and Confidential
The target application “Attemperation”
• Interstage Attemperation normally Heat Recovery Steam Generator
standard. (HRSG)

• Final Stage optional allows faster cold

start

RH

SH

(CCPP)
Final Stage

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 Attemperation Challenges

Fluid & thermodynamic

Mechanical Challenges: Thermal Stress!

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Function of Attemperator
• Control of Final Steam Temperature for Start up of
Turbine
• Control of final steam temperature during normal
operation
• Prevents overheating of downstream superheaters
• Used both Main and RH

3/3/2014 © 2013. CCI - Control Components Inc. All rights reserved. 11

The Symptoms: Problems seen in the field

• Leakage!!
• Excessive Condensate Drainage
• Water hammer events
• Cracking Probes
• Poor control during Startup or
Shutdown
• Operating below Set Point
• Wetted temperature sensors
• Damage to downstream
superheaters
• Damage to downstream pipes
• Forced shut-downs

3/3/2014 12
Considerations for good temp control
• Distribution of spray water over cross
sectional flow.
• Good installation
– Upstream straight piping
– Downstream straight piping
– Thermal liner
– Positioning temp sensor

© 2003. CCI –
Control
Components Inc. 3/3/2014 13
All rights
reserved. P602.
Importance of Atomization/Evaporation

• Spray Water must be evaporated

rapidly (measurement/damage limitation)
• Spray water needs to be controlled
over wide range of conditions (high
ΔP and high turndown)
• Piping distances between
superheater headers minimal
• Typical distances 10-18m (relates to
residence time 0.2-0.3s)
• Prevent forced shut-down
3/3/2014 © 2013. CCI - Control Components Inc. All rights reserved. 14
Atomization/Evaporation of spraywater

• Desuperheating - 3 stages for successful

evaporation of water into steam
– Primary atomization
– Secondary atomization
– Tertiary evaporation (time related)

• Primary –Mechanical Atomization

• Provides good atomization/spray pattern
regardless of flow
• Incorporates swirl to maximize coverage
• Provides protection to spraywater valve
• Self cleaning with regard to debris

Relative velocity drives the breakup: the higher the better.

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Effect of nozzle direction

Nozzles spray in cross flow Probe style spray with flow

Secondary atomizing velocity

Dynamic force
=
Surface tension
Reliant on
Primary = Penetration Primary only
Secondary = superior Atomization
Traditional Probe Style in Cycling Duty

• Hot steam + cold water = thermal shock cracks for probes

• 400°C of temperature difference on a heavy wall and
mechanical components inside hot steam flow
• Additional stress components: Vibration (vortices)
Mechanical (full ∆P) & Bending Moment
• Control components in hot steam path

548°C
1018°F 153°C
307°F

17
3/3/2014
Traditional Probe Style in Cycling Duty

• Hot steam + cold water = thermal shock cracks for probes

• 400°C of temperature difference on a heavy wall and
mechanical components inside hot steam flow
• Additional stress components: Vibration (vortices)
Mechanical (full ∆P) & Bending Moment
• Control components in hot steam path

Solution

+
18
3/3/2014
Attemperation giving PP Flexibility

1. Most Plants have Interstage

2. Few utilize final stage only
3. More plant flexibility is using
Interstage and Final Stage

RH

SH

3/3/2014 Proprietary and Confidential 19

Attemperation giving PP Flexibility

1. Most Plants have Interstage

2. Few utilize final stage only
3. More plant flexibility is using
Interstage and Final Stage

Final
Stage

3/3/2014 Proprietary and Confidential 20

Attemperation giving PP Flexibility

1. Most Plants have Interstage

2. Few utilize final stage only
3. More plant flexibility is using
Interstage and Final Stage

RH

SH

Final
Stage

3/3/2014 Proprietary and Confidential 21

Considerations for thermal liner
Improved performance through steam flow profiling

• Protects steam pipe under stress from impingement of relatively cool water
droplets
• Reduce diameter to increase velocity (secondary atomization effected by v2)
• Reduces cross sectional area making coverage of 100% of steam easier
• Thermal shield assists with heat transfer & evaporation of water
• Assists with atomization of un-atomized water in the vortexes
• Steam is profiled at point of water injection, minimising risk of water impingement.
• 100% of the steam is used in atomisation/evaporation process (Traditional liners
are 85-90% Coverage) which becomes more important as you approach sat temp.

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Conclusions
• Trend of Flexible/Cyclic CCPP’s is putting high demands on
key steam cycle control equipment.
• Additional care should be taken in specification and
selection of components. Reliability + Performance
• Consider careful Attemperation design concerning resistance
to thermal shock. Reliability
• Need to attemperation design suited to providing small
average droplet size <125micron over all operating
conditions. Performance and Reduced installed cost
• Attemperation Design should be such to ensure even
coverage of atomized spraywater over cross section of steam
flow. Reliability (HRSG Components) & Performance
• If Final Stage (Terminal) Attemperators are requirement then
Fastest evaporation time required. Turbine water ingress!
Performance
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