CLIENT: CS Energy

Background: Wivenhoe Power Station is Queensland’s only pumped storage hydroelectric plant and is currently operated by CS Energy. The 500 megawatt power station is located on the eastern side of Wivenhoe Dam, about 90 kilometres north-west of Brisbane and comprises two 250 megawatt units.

Wivenhoe Power Station

A pumped storage hydro-electric power station recycles a limited amount of water between a high level and a low level reservoir. This is different to a conventional hydro-electric power station which uses water only once.

Splityard Creek Dam (high level reservoir)

Water from the Wivenhoe Power Station’s upper reservoir flows through the turbine that drives the generator to produce electrical power. The flow of water through the turbine is controlled by means of adjustable guide vanes. Water is pumped back into the high level reservoir to be used again at times of high demand.

Guide Vane Linkages

Control and Instrumentation Systems : The existing control system comprises electromechanical relays and discrete componentry, which provides control of the units from the power station’s Unit Control Desk. Interfacing facilities were also installed to allow the power station to be controlled remotely.

Provecta has been awarded the contract to upgrade the control, process protection and monitoring systems at Wivenhoe Power Station. The project scope includes:

• design and configuration of new control, process protection and monitoring systems for both units and the Common Plant at the Site (the Control System);

• supply, installation and commissioning of the new Control and HMI System ( hardware, and software), including procurement, implementation and testing plans;

• provision of a separate Safety Instrumented System (SIS) that provides a dedicated protection system for the site.

• Supply of required equipment to implement the new protection System;

• design and installation of extensive new instrumentation and field devices; and

• testing and commissioning associated with interfacing the new Control System, with the new D-EHG and AVR.

The control systems for the two generating units will be upgraded during outages scheduled to commence in April 2012 and April 2013 respectively. The controls for the common plant will be upgraded in the period between the two unit outages.

The Contract requires Provecta to achieve and meet guaranteed performance levels (both in terms of control systems reliability and in achieving power station availability during the defects liability period).

Provecta was recently awarded the contract to upgrade the existing controls and instrumentation systems which were installed when the Wivenhoe Power Station was built in the early 1980’s and which are now approaching the end of their economic life. This upgrade will ensure that the Wivenhoe Power Station continues to operate with reliability and availability levels that meet world’s best practice.

Click here to read more about this project.

The plant is being wholly constructed by Bechtel Power Corporation and will be the largest greenfield coal-fired power plant built in the United States in the past 20 years. It also will be the cleanest coal plant in the state, and one of the cleanest in the nation with advanced emission controls and also lower carbon dioxide production than conventional plant resulting from its high efficiency.

PROVECTA, as subcontractor to Bechtel, is providing specialist engineering services, including:

• Controls design review and advice;
• Controls commissioning schedules and procedures development;
• Training simulator optimisation;
• On-site assistance with start-up operations procedures and co-ordination;
• On-site loop-by-loop optimisation including response analysis, modelling, adjustments and performance testing.

Read more about the project at

http://www.bechtel.com/prairie-state-power-plant.html

Click here for further information on this project

Provecta is currently providing control system monitoring and maintenance support to a number of clients across a broad section of industries.

Provecta offers a variety of control system maintenance support services including:

System Support – includes telephone support, callout services to investigate and resolve system problems as well as technical advice on control augmentation and modifications.

System Performance Monitoring – The performance of control systems are regularly monitored (either remotely or on site) to ensure that they continue to operate correctly and that issues are promptly identified and corrected before system performance is degraded.

System Periodic Audit and Backup – Periodic audits and backups to ensure that all components and software has been documented and can be readily restored in the event of failure.

Control System IT Security – Reviews of IT security for all control systems to ensure compliance with relevant Australian standards (e.g. AS/NZS 27001:2006). Provecta can also assist with the development and implementation of a Disaster Recovery Plan.

Software System Updates – The security and reliability of control systems is maintained through regular updates of operating system service packs, patches, anti-virus software and control system software service packs.

Technical Support and Engineering – Provision of engineering services to assist or perform control system modifications and upgrades, including procurement and installation of replacement control system components and control system software upgrades.

Support can be tailored to suit the different needs of clients including their specific plant operating requirements. Where the full breadth of capabilities required are not available via clients staff or existing outsourcing arrangements Provecta can supplement and work in partnership with clients’ staff, existing service providers and equipment vendors.

Should you wish to discuss any aspects of control system support  where Provecta will be able to assist you, please contact:

Mr. Andrew Oates
Andrew.Oates@Provecta.com.au
P 02 8204 5410
M 0408 256 039

Click here to download a PDF brochure of Control System Support

Elm Rd and Trimble County Power Stations (USA)

Power Plant Controls and Operations Engineering

CLIENT: Bechtel Power Corporation

Background:  Bechtel Power Corporation is the lead equipment procurement contractor responsible for the design, construction, commissioning and optimisation of super-critical once-through units located at Elm Rd (2 x 677MW)  in Wisconsin, USA and at Trimble County (1 x 750MW) in Kentucky, USA.

Project: Provecta was initially engaged by Bechtel to provide specialist engineering advice on modulating control concepts and configuration, unit plant commissioning and tuning programs and procedures to Bechtel. Since initial engagement Provecta’s role has been expanded to provide on-site engineering services including modulating controls tuning at both power stations. At Elm Rd, Provecta staff have also assisted in providing operator training, co-ordinating operator activities during commissioning and plant performance tests, developing operational procedures, and, investigating plant and operational issues (e.g. loss of plant output root cause analysis). Provecta has also advised Bechtel in regard to issues with the Elm Rd power station staff training simulator and water treatment plant.

CLIENT: Power and Water Corporation

Background:  Weddell Power Station (WPS) is owned and operated by the Power and Water Corporation (PWC) in the Northern Territory, and comprises two (2) General Electric (GE) LM6000PD SPRINT, aero-derivative type, gas turbine generator (GTG) units and associated supporting infrastructure, with a total nominal generating capacity of approximately 84MW.  The current WPS has a standalone control system.

PWC intends to increase the electrical generating capacity (‘augmentation’) of the existing WPS by installing a third OCGT. 

Project: Provecta has been engaged (after an open Tender process) to integrate the existing Weddell Power Station (WPS) Unit 1 and 2 Control Systems and the proposed new Unit 3 Control System into Power and Water Corporation’s existing Yokogawa CS3000 system at Channel Island Power Station (CIPS). The existing WPS facility comprises 2 x GE gas turbine generators and associated supporting infrastructure, and a standalone control system comprising various PLC’s and HMI’s. It is the intention of this project to provide a common control system platform across WPS and CIPS to provide a uniformity of control interface for operating staff. The project will involve the design and installation of up to 4 new CS3000 controllers (FCS’s), 2 new operator stations (HIS’s), a new engineering workstation (EWS), expansion of the ExaQuantum historical data server, and installation of an appropriate communications network to facilitate remote operation of the plant.

CLIENT: Macquarie Generation 

Background:  

Liddell Power Station, which is owned and operated by Macquarie Generation, is a 4*500MW conventional coal fired power station located in the Hunter Valley in NSW Australia. PROVECTA won two significant contracts (under open tender) to upgrade the controls for the Liddell Power Station major water plant systems ( Condensate Polishing / Regeneration and Demineralised Water Plant). 

Both projects required the control and instrumentation systems to be upgraded without impacting on the power station generation output.  This required detailed project management and planning. Some site upgrade work was performed with generation plant in service (polishers) , and  some upgrade work involved staging and minimising the amount of water plant out of service at any one time by performing controls upgrade work on plant over short intensive periods.

Condensate Polishing and Regeneration Plant Upgrade:  The Liddell Condensate Polishing Plant consists of a set of four polisher vessels for each of the four generating units. Exhausted vessels are automatically regenerated with sulphuric acid and caustic via one of two identical regeneration trains. Provecta performed the work to upgrade the controls for the Condensate Polishing and associated Regeneration Plant from the original Modicon 984 PLCs to a Yokogawa CS3000 DCS platform. The project included design, supply, installation and commissioning of control and instrumentation systems and equipment, including new operator interface and operator training.

Demineralised Water Plant Upgrade:   This plant (consisting of 4 trains and total throughput capacity of  4000 KL) had for many years been controlled by a number of Modicon PLCs with a rudimentary HMI system. This project involved the complete removal of these PLC controls and HMI and replacement with an integrated Yokogawa CS3000 DCS. The project involved switchboard modifications, design of DCS infrastructure, supply and installation of new instrumentation, fiber optic network installation, and plant logic enhancements.

CLIENT: Sydney Water Corporation

Arial view of the Bondi Waste Water Treatment Plant (the majority of plant is underground)

Background:  

Bondi Waste Water Treatment plant (owned and operated by Sydney Water Corporation) is one of Sydney’s three major waste water treatment plants. The plant is located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and within walking distance of the iconic Bondi Beach. The plant is a high rate primary treatment plant typically treating approximately 125ML of waste water per day discharging it via a deepwater ocean outfall 2.2km from the shoreline.  In addition to ensuring process control and reliable HMI facilities for production staff, the control systems are also integral to ensuring waste is treated to acceptable levels  without  necessitating discharges that impact on the environment (with the subsequent negative publicity).  

Project Purpose:

Provecta Process Automation Pty Ltd (Provecta) has been engaged by Sydney Water Corporation to provide specialist support services to the Production Teams in respect to the Control Systems deployed at Bondi Waste Water Treatment Plant.  The Productions Teams may require that Provecta provide support services to the Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) Maintenance Service contractors as required.

The aim of the contract is to achieve Control System Availability, Reliability, Integrity, Security and Disaster Recovery requirements.

The Contract also facilitates Projects for upgrades or enhancements of the Control System.

The specialist support services commenced on the 1^st October 2009 and will continue for a period of four years.

The Bondi STP is currently controlled by a Yokogawa CS3000 DCS System. The DCS Support Contract requires Provecta to provide a number of specialist services including;

-          24/7 Support Desk

-          24/7 Fault Repair Service

-          Annual Control System Preventative Maintenance

-          Control System Enhancement Projects.

The Contract has duration of 4 years, and includes KPIs to assure Control System Availability, Reliability, Integrity, Security and Disaster Recovery requirements.

CLIENT: Tenix Alliance for Macquarie Generation

Background:  Construction of the new Plashett Dam Pumping Station was successfully completed in 2009. The pumping station transfers up to 800ML/day of water from the Hunter River directly to the Plashett Dam which supplies water to Macquarie Generation’s Bayswater and Liddell power stations.  The pumping station is divided into two independent 400ML/day pumping modules.  Each pumping module contains 4 pump sets consisting of two submersible pumps operating in series and each module is connected to a single pipeline which runs to Plashett Dam over a distance of 2,150m.  The pipelines are interconnected near the pumping station so that either of the pumping modules can feed into either one of the pipelines.

Provecta was engaged by Tenix Alliance (Tenix) under subcontract to undertake the design, supply and commissioning of the instrumentation and control system for the Plashett Dam Pumping Station project.

Provecta was responsible for the design, supply and commissioning of the Schneider Premium PLC / CitectSCADA systems; communications interfaces to new plant and field devices including soft-starters, circuit breaker controllers, and protection relays, and a communications interface to the existing Bayswater power station control systems.

The control system implemented by Provecta provides the control and protection functions required for the safe and reliable operation of the pumping station. In addition, the control system provides a single push-button start/stop facility which allows for the fully automatic operation of the pumping station with only alarm supervision being required.  The control system automatically operates the pump sets in accordance with a daily water entitlement set-point while ensuring that the pumping station does not exceed the limit at which the client can pump water from the river.