[en] The first 750 MW block of the new South Humber Bank gas-fired combined cycle power plant, sited about 300 km north from London, was officially commissioned in September 12th 1997. The project has been a major success story for Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which developed the concept and managed the project and owns 22.5 % of the plant; and ABB Power Plants Limited, responsible for the turnkey delivery. IVO Generation Services (UK) is responsible for the running and maintenance of the facility. IVO also manages two other existing plants in Britain, at Brigg (240 MW) and Peterborough (360 MW)

[en] In the power generation industry, non utility generators (NUG's) comprise a significant portion of new generation growth as electricity demands exceed existing utility capacities. These NUG's are developed by customers with widely varying experiences; bankers, lawyers, architect engineers, original equipment manufacturers, and other organizations involved in such diverse industries as petrochemical, pulp and paper, and steel making. The demands of these customers can be significantly varied in terms of features such as capacity factor, operability, maintainability, equipment redundancy, acceptable design practices, and many others. In addition, both the utility and NUG industries demand flexibility due to external influences such as regulatory policies, environmental conditions new design technologies, and emerging global markets. All of these factors are subject to wide variation across different market regions and even within a given region. This paper discusses the development of a reference plant design approach which focuses on customer flexibility while maximizing the use of proven designs. This approach allows basic system designs to be modified in a modular fashion to meet the differing demands of utility and NUG customers

[en] In the future fossil fuelled power plants are realised/laid down as combined cycle power plants with high current generation efficiencies. The method of pressure fluidized-bed combustion with downstream hot gas cleaning is going to compete with methods combined with a pressure coal gasification or a pressure dust combustion. The advantages of the pressure fluidized bed combustion are the simpler method set-up and consequently lower investment costs. (orig./CD)

[en] Short communication

[en] Despite the fact that biomass and bioenergy contribute about 15% of the world's primary energy supply, the actual contribution to the tertiary end-use sector is much less because of the relative inefficiencies of biomass use. Here the author explains biomass gasification technology and describes projects aimed at improving the efficiency and reducing the investment costs of biomass power generation. (author)

[en] Pinon Pine, a proposed 104 MW (gross) demonstration project at Sierra Pacific's Tracy Power Station 17 miles east of Reno NV, would demonstrate Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle for converting coal into clean gas, burning the gas in a combustion turbine to generate electric power, and capturing the heat to drive a steam turbine for additional power. It would use the KRW fluidized-bed gasification process and would also demonstrate the effectiveness of hot gas cleanup. Environmental impacts from Pinon Pine construction are evaluated in this FEIS: detailed analyses are made on air quality, water quality and quantity, the endangered Cui-ui fish species, disposal of spent limestone and coal ash, noise, land use, aesthetics, cultural resources, socioeconomic resources, etc. Mitigation measures are discussed

[en] The combined cycle power plants characteristics are better than one course open to a closed loop presenting an electrical efficiency close to 60% do not reach for gas turbine engines for power plants and conventional steam engines.

[en] Drilling platforms are rather inefficient when it comes to their own power supply. In view of ecotax and their environmental image, the offshore industry particularly the Norwegians is highly committed to changing this situation. An efficient power plant, specially designed for the offshore industry, might just prove to be the answer to their prayers

[en] The clear advantages of the gas turbine engine are making it the engine of the future in electric power generation. Some combined cycle power plants are breaking the 60% efficiency barrier. One of the key technologies for such high thermal efficiency is steam cooling.In the integrated gas and steam cycle (IGSC), part of the steam generated in the heat recovery boiler (HRB) is used in the gas turbine as the cooling medium instead of air, whereas the other part is used as process steam. In the analysis, the compressor pressure ratio r_c and the turbine inlet temperature were considered the main variables. A computer program was specially tailored to carry out calculations and evaluate performance over a wide range of operating conditions including the design point.Performance results show that, when the cooling air is disregarded, the combined cycle (CC) produces 7% more power than IGSC, whereas the latter outperforms the CC by about 6% in SFC_ov and 12% in η_ov.However, when 5% cooling air is considered, the IGSC outperforms the CC by 2%, 12% and 20%, respectively (in points).Moreover, considerable saving in capital cost is achieved by dispensing with the steam turbine, condenser and cooling tower needed by the CC. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

[en] The changes facing the electric power industry in the 1990s have created opportunities to build new power plants. These plants are called Merchant Plants because they will not benefit from long-term power purchase agreements as in the past. Currently in Canada and the United States, about 45 per cent of the generating capacity is provided by plants that are more than 25 years old. These plants have high heat rates (i.e. the cost of generating one kWh of electricity is high) and are a major source of pollution. Nuclear power, which held much promise 30 years ago, has been rejected on both sides of the border, and coal-fired power plants are facing their own set of challenges. Modern natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plants appear to be a feasible, less polluting way to generate electricity. The per kilowatt cost of building a modern combined-cycle power plant averages about $500/kw which is far below the cost of coal or nuclear plants. Costing and siting new merchant plants, configuring a plant in such a way as to achieve the lowest-cost power generation were some of the topics that were highlighted