Siemens recently signed an agreement with Shanghai Shenergy Energy Technology Co (Shenergy Technology) to implement a high-temperature subcritical upgrade for a 320MW steam turbine unit at Xuzhou Power Plant, in China.

Xuzhou Power Plant is a subsidiary of China Resources Power Holdings Co (CR Power) in Jiangsu province.

It is estimated that the upgrade will enhance the unit's power output efficiency up to 42.9 per cent, reduce its emissions by more than 10 per cent and extend its overhaul interval from six to 12 years, said a statement.

This will increase the generation revenue of the plant while reducing maintenance costs significantly. The project is expected to be concluded in mid-2019, it said.

Gery Nocker, executive vice president of Siemens, China and general manager of power generation services division, said: “We are glad to bring proven technologies and experience in steam turbine modernisation and upgrades to China for making the thermal power of the country more efficient and contribute to the emission reduction targets set by the government.”

Steam temperature is the key factor in influencing the power generation efficiency and coal consumption of a steam turbine. In this project, the main steam and hot reheat steam temperature will be raised from 537 to 600 degrees, said a statement.

In addition, the project will include adopting control stage, advanced blade designs, such as 3DS and 3DV blades, and additional steam extraction for the A0 high-pressure pre-heater. This will help CR Power to lower the coal consumption of the subcritical unit by more than 10 per cent to 287g/kWh, which is close to the ultra-supercritical level. The project will also help reduce performance degradation while improving the unit's flexibility, availability and reliability, it added.

Professor Feng Weizhong, general manager of Shanghai Shenergy Power Technology Co, said: “Although we are experiencing energy transition right now, coal-fired power generation is still the backbone of the energy mix in China.”

“This poses high requirements on the coal fired power plants in service, and the market demand for upgrade solution increases accordingly. As can be seen from technical strength, practical experience and 20 years of fruitful cooperation, Siemens is our trustworthy partner,” he added.

Over the past 36 years, Siemens has successfully upgraded more than 300 large scale steam turbines worldwide. Moreover, Siemens' four service centres in Beijing, Huludao, Shanghai and Yixing together with nearly a hundred engineers is part of a global network of over 80 service centres that offers Chinese customers state of the art technical and service support solutions, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service