Emerson Wins Contract To Automate Huadian Lingwu Power Plant Units 3 And 4

Pittsburgh, PA - Emerson Process Management has received a $2.72M contract to install its Ovation expert control system at Huadian Lingwu Power Plant units 3 and 4, which are the first 1,000-MW, ultra-supercritical units in China to utilize air-cooling condenser technology. The air-cooling condenser technology, typically used in subcritical power plants located in areas where water is scarce, is now also gaining traction in supercritical and ultra-supercritical units that are increasingly specified in response to environmental regulations.

Owned by Huadian Lingwu Power Generation Company, the plant is located in Yinchuan City in northwest China. It currently consists of two 600-MW, coal-fired units (units 1 and 2) that have utilized Ovation technology since they went into commercial operation in 2007. Units 3 and 4, expected to begin commercial operation in August 2010 and December 2010, respectively, are being built to spur economic development by serving the growing electricity needs of industry in the region.

This growth is part of the broader increase in power demand in China. China's National Development and Reform Commission stated earlier this year that the country's electricity consumption rose nearly six percent in 2009. According to the country's National Energy Administration, in the first quarter of 2010 alone China's electricity consumption rose 24.19 percent year-on-year to 969.5 billion kilowatt-hours.

As part of its automation solution, Emerson will supply a total of 67 redundant Ovation controllers, 20 workstations and more than 70 Fisher® control valves to Huadian Lingwu Unit 3 and Unit 4. At each unit, an Ovation control system will perform data acquisition as well as monitor and control the air-cooled condensers, Donfang boiler, sequence control system, electric control system, modulation control system, furnace safety supervisory system, flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system, feedwater pump turbine and balance-of-plant processes. Each Ovation system will also interface to Hitachi steam turbine controls. In addition, Emerson's Ovation technology will monitor and control systems common to both units using multi-networking technology. All told, the Ovation control systems will manage a total of approximately 28,000 I/O points.

"We already know firsthand about the advantages of Ovation technology, based on our experience at units 1 and 2," explained Lead Engineer Wu Lianwen, Huadian Lingwu Power Plant. "We based our decision to select Ovation for units 3 and 4 on our personal experience with the technology, as well as Emerson's extensive expertise automating 1,000-MW, ultra-supercritical units, and their significant resources in China."

Emerson is the global leader in the automation of large ultra-supercritical and supercritical power generating facilities. In fact, the Ovation system has been selected to automate 30 of the 50 1,000-MW, ultra-supercritical units in China. Ultra-supercritical plants use advanced technology that allows operation at elevated steam temperatures and pressures. Ultra-supercritical technologies have become more prevalent in China because they can boost the efficiency of coal-based electricity generation by more than 45 percent, while maintaining superior environmental performance.

"Emerson's involvement at the Huadian Lingwu Power Plant demonstrates how we bring our global resources and industry-leading technologies together for the benefit of our customers," said Bob Yeager, president of the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson Process Management. "We are gratified by the organization's continued confidence in Emerson's people and technologies."

SOURCE: Emerson Process Management, Power & Water Solutions