Power Plant Flexibility & Optimisation

Flexibility - a new rewarding market or a charity program for existing conventional assets?

• Increasing share of renewable generation: What is the current and future impact?
• The value versus margin prospects of flexible generation
• Conventional power producers: How should they meet this development?
• Decision makers: Is it enough to increase flexibility capabilities of assets?

Steffen Kartenbender - Speaker, Head of Synergies, Steering Generation, RWE AG

Developing the very best asset management techniques for fossil fired power plants: Exploring methodology alongside examples of emission reduction applications

• Identifying the risks and mitigation actions to secure your power plant operation
• Elaborating strategies to cope with regulatory and technical constraints
• Defining scenarios to model the regulatory uncertainties to ensure you are fully prepared for the future
• Accurately modelling technical uncertainties with a probabilistic approach for a holistic approach towards fossil fired asset management
• Effectively computing the net present value (NPV) for each strategy to ensure you make the best decision for power plant developments

Fanny Douard, Senior Research Engineer, EDF

Empowering renewables: Defining requirements for flexible and back-up capacity in Europe This session will build upon an analysis undertaken within the framework of Eurelectric’s Renewable Action Plan

• Evaluating the current and future shape of the European electricity markets to map out the expected deployment of intermittent-RES
• Ascertaining what the current fleet of hydropower, fossil-fired and nuclear can perform to pinpoint future development areas
• Understanding how the underlying gas markets will have to develop given the increased shares of i-RES
• Clarifying the market design in order to facilitate RES integration and further define the role of conventional generators
• Outlining a proposed system-wide approach to tackle the issue of integrating renewable sources

Giuseppe Lorubio - Speaker
Senior Adviser - Energy Policy and Generation, Euroelectric

The Demands of Flexibility from the Power Plant -- What are the technical and operation challenges?.

• Operational Flexibility - what are limitations and viable solutions to expand operational performance?
• A view of current power markets' impacts on plant operating regimes
• A view of current power markets' impacts on plant operating regimes
• Maintaining performance and meeting emissions requirements under different dispatch profiles
• Managing the impacts of environmental control retrofits
• Fuel Flexibility - Identifying the consequences of fuel composition changes upon your installed or planned generating capacity
• What are the solutions for biomass co-firing and how does co-firing impact plant flexibility and performance?
• What fuel range can be used with gas turbines and what are the operational implications for CCGT plants?
• What is the potential for enhanced fuel flexibility in your steam plant to incorporate greater supply flexibility

Hugh Kennedy - Speaker
Director Marketing , Alstom Thermal Power - Steam, Alstom Power

Utility Keynote: Assessing O&M approaches, strategies and challenges towards enhancing flexibility whilst minimising expenditure

• Fully understanding the energy market to better enable you to optimise your O&M procedures and attain the highest number of working hours at minimal cost
• Ascertaining the impact of increased renewables use upon your conventional plant to better define the need and capacity for enhanced flexibility
• Analysing the capacity of your base load plants in a more flexible environment for optimal operations
• Successfully meeting the demands of a fluctuating market to maximise your profit margin
• Determining a response to system stability issues caused by a decarbonising generation mix

Kevin Nix - Speaker
Director of Asset Operations and Technology, RWE NPOWER

Effectively improving plant efficiency, availability and predictability through successful analysis, programming and execution

• Enhancing efficiency through daily data analysis and monthly reviews to maintain operational condition as per equipment design
• Assessing availability through equipment monitoring, thermographic control and vibrations for short and long term planning of outages
• Effectively planning and executing equipment preventative maintenance to ensure successful lifecycle management
• Improving predictability through issue information exchanges and lessons learnt through case studies
• Achieving centralised plant operation management to enhance visibility over plant systems and reviews

Theodoros Trachanidis - Speaker
Plant Manager, El Pedison Power SA

Analysing ENTSO-E’s role in facilitating European balancing markets to enable integration of renewable sources

• Outlining the role of ENTSO-E in developing network codes to discover the benefits of a consistent approach
• Determining the purpose of balancing markets to provide flexibility for integrating renewable energy sources
• Defining ENTSO-E’s vision for developing balancing markets for cross-border system services markets
• Evaluating the state of play and challenges ahead for successful demand response methodology
• Pinpointing further actions required to ensure continual grid development to fit with an evolving market

Alexander Mondovic - Speaker
Operations Code and Advisor, ENTSO-E

Utilising advanced diagnostics to optimise gas turbine performance and life span

• Achieving effective management of gas turbine availability to ensure longevity
• Exploring gas path methodology and advances to enhance gas turbine performance
• Successfully undertaking performance simulation and coupling to component level degradations
• Effectively using gas path analysis to manage gas turbine life

Professor Riti Singh - Speaker
Head of Gas Turbine Engineering and Technology, Cranfield University

Electrabel Case Study: Revealing a technology upgrade of CCGT units to ensure you can meet flexible market demands efficiently and effectively

• Analysing results achieved through upgrades to enable an older plant to remain competitive in a changing market
• Evaluating the current market demands for more flexibility, higher efficiency and lower emissions to pinpoint crucial upgrades accordingly
• Achieving effective cooperation between you and your OEM to guarantee optimal results
• Detailing ongoing optimisation processes to continue assessing potential benefits of further upgrades
• Ensuring knowledge gained through upgrades is utilised and applied through the rest of the GDF-Suez fleet for overall harmonisation and optimisation

Klaas Boonstra - Speaker
Technical Expert Gas Turbines, Electrabel

Cycling tolerant HRSG: Review of the options to implemented into HRSG design to operate efficiently under two shifting operation

• Looking at a special HRSG design for flexible CCPP compared to base loaded cogeneration plants
• Assessing Horizontal and Vertical HRSGs designs to be cycling tolerant under two shifting operation modes
• Avoiding construction stiffness between tube/tube by building a flexible heat exchanger
• Working out the best heat transfer systems

Pascal Fontaine - Speaker
Proposal & Marketing Manager, CMI Energy

Achieving an integrated approach towards energy efficiency and load scheduling to enable your plant performance to meet flexible power generation requirements

• Improving production capability whilst taking into account environmental conditions and cogeneration constraints to reduce production mismatching
• Enhancing plant energy efficiency through accurate and detailed online performance monitoring
• Evaluating the variations of process Key Performance Indexes (KPI)as a consequence of changes in environmental and/or plant operating conditions
• Uncovering results from preliminary technical and operating feedback to better understand what further enhancements could be implemented

Roberto Vernazza - Speaker
Operation and Continuous Improvement Officer, ENIPOWER

Detailing the role of highly distributed microgeneration technologies within an integrated energy system for sustainable and flexible generation

• Outlining visions for a sustainable energy system to ensure a steady and stable power feed onto the grid
• Evaluating challenges to implementation of a low carbon energy system through creation of a technology roadmap
• Examining characteristics of microgeneration technologies to determine their capabilities within an integrated energy system
• Defining the role and scope of microgenerations within the LV grid
• Determining how microgeneration supports the overall energy system to better understand the future landscape for power ge

Jeremy Harrison - Speaker
Technology Development Manager, EON

Uncovering a techno-economic assessment of energy storage in a diversified energy market environment to enhance grid flexibility

• Exploring the present energy status: Defining reliable and flexible electricity as the essence of modern society
• Evaluating current techno-economic assumptions through assessment of market operation in a predictable environment
• Determining future prospects: Diversification of energy mix and technologies
• Achieving flexibility and dynamic system operation: What does it take to make future energy solutions work in a carbon-restricted economy?
• Revealing three new pillars of energy management systems within energy storage, smart grid and virtual plants
• Revealing new techno-economic assumptions through exploration of market operation in an erratic environment
• Assessing the impact of uncertainties with carbon saving and economic benefits

Dr Sina Rezvani - Speaker
Research Fellow, University of Ulster

Determining the effect of plant flexibility upon power plant equipment to develop a successful maintenance strategy

• Exploring future market demand to assess the impact upon operating profiles
• Investigating the impact of cycling upon power plants to better understand its effects upon plant lifetime
• Examining the consequences of cycling upon maintenance costs and availability
• Uncovering preventative measures to minimise the impact of cycling upon plant equipment
• Evaluating flexibility within the context of life cycle management for long-term plant optimisation

André van der Niet - Speaker
Production Manager, Intergen

Optimising your CCGT plant: Assessing the stress cycle to effectively implement maintenance procedures to minimise wear and tear

• Examining the impact of altering flow conditions upon gas turbines to ensure optimal functioning during increased starting and stopping
• Increasing material flexibility to minimise damage to the hot side of the turbines
• Minimising thermal fatigue of components to avoid a decreased number of operating hours and increased maintenance costs
• Analysing the consequences of intensive combined cycle operations upon lifetime expectancy
• Exploring turbine technology that will enable increased agility and enhance flexible plant operations

Andrew Copley - Speaker
Engineering Manager - Deeside Power Station, International Power GDF Suez

Examining your current biomass co-firing plant design to establish the extent to which flexibility could be enhanced

Morgan Skov - Speaker
Vice Director, Ramboll and Formally Dong Engineering