Oops, steam circuit at 600 ° C under 250 bars!
To push the yield to 46%
Alstom pushes coal more than ever
28 Seven 2012 New Factory
The contract announced on September 26 for the equipment of a power plant in South Korea testifies to this: coal remains at the heart of Alstom's energy activity. With technology that is emerging.
"Ultrasupercritical". At Alstom, superlatives are in order when it comes to coal. And for good reason: it is the first source of electricity in the world. It is also the largest segment of the power plant market, with around a quarter of capacity installed each year. Finally, it is one of the very first, if not the first, business sector of the group.
Turbine, boiler, alternator ... the French want to continue to grow on this market. And for that, he is betting on the latest evolution of his centenary technology: the ultrasupercritical. A word that essentially means hot, very hot: the steam that turns the turbines - and the associated electricity generators - exceeds 600 ° C. And the pressure exceeds 250 bars. Extreme conditions that allow the efficiency of a coal-fired power plant to be increased to around 46%. Or, for the same quantity of fuel, more kilowatt hours and less CO2 emissions.
This recent technology is gaining ground at high speed. "The shift is radical," says Andreas Lusch, director of Alstom Thermal Power's 'steam' business. While the first ultra-supercritical power plant project dates back only six years, it is now 40% of the capacity of production that we are building that fall under this technology. And that number will increase further. " Being the first to start, Europe has already switched to the ultra-supercritical with nearly 100% of projects underway. Alstom claims more than half of these contracts. The rest fell into the hands of Siemens, neck and neck with the French in this technology.
New contracts
The movement is spreading to Asia: Alstom is carrying out two contracts of this type in Malaysia, one in China, one in India and… the new Korean contract. "Most of the future large Chinese power plants will be ultra-supercritical," says Andreas Lusch. The penetration of this technology in Asia is fundamental for Alstom's "steam" business. China and India in the lead, Asia concentrates two thirds of the world market for coal power plants. Alstom must follow this shift in the market as the Chinese giants Shanghai Electric, Dongfang and Harbin dominate their national market and have been exporting to their neighbors for several years. "The Chinese are trying to advance in ultra-supercritical technology, admits Andreas Lusch. But they will still need time to master it."
The fact remains that the manager is not deluding himself. To continue leading the technological race, Alstom already has a progression agenda for the next decade. And by 2020, the commercialization of a technology reaching 50% efficiency, with a vapor over 700 ° C. Another superlative will have to be invented.
http://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/al ... on.N182978