Manila Bulletin
By MYRNA M. VELASCO
August 22, 2012, 4:35pm
MANILA, Philippines — Have you heard of the “corona effect” on power system operations? Yes, there is. It is a condition which can trigger power loss in a system due to ionization of the air especially in the operations of high voltage systems like power transmission.
Generating electricity which will flow into our homes and businesses really involves complex processes. The whole juggernaut of technical upsets or ‘system stresses’ could range from boiler tube leaks to more serious equipment failures, and this can get people, including energy officials, easily lost in the ‘electricity system jungle’ – especially if they won’t devote time to understand how the entire power industry’s value chain works.
In blackout situations (or what the Philippines would uniquely call rotating brownouts) which spooked the Luzon grid in June, there have been confusions as to what have happened to some power plant units – whether these really suffered forced outages or if their capacities were just de-rated due to problems or limitations in the operations of some equipment.
In a written advisory to customers of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) for bills dispatched in July, it referred to the ‘non-availability’ of coal plants Pagbilao and Sual as among those which triggered spikes in the generation charge that it passed on within that particular billing cycle.
Power plant operator TeaM Energy Philippines, a joint venture of Japanese firms Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Marubeni Corporation, qualified though that the Pagbilao plant was on scheduled downtime (maintenance shutdown) during that period; while the Sual plant’s capacity had been de-rated due to “detected technical problems’ at its flue gas desulfurizer (FGD) equipment or the one which is responsible in limiting the sulfur dioxide emissions of the facility.
Company officials set on record that the plant had not been on shutdown, its capacity had just been reduced to 450 megawatts instead of the usual maximum load of more than 600MW, so as not to breach emission limits set by government regulations as well as international standards.
Murphy’s Law
The seeming confusion, compounded by miscommunication to media on the cause of the power outages, had been one of the compelling reasons for TeaM Energy to continually carry out its Skills Improvement in Controls Analysis Tournament (SICAT), a simulation program intending to enhance operational efficiencies for their Sual and Pagbilao power plants.
Team Energy President & CEO Federico E. Puno enthused that its SICAT simulation activity on power plant operations is already at its second year, and it heralds the company’s commitment to not only raise the bar but also to avoid human error in the overall process of their operations.
“We operate under Murphy’s law,” Mr. Puno has accentuated in his opening statement at the SICAT-2 power plant operations simulation activity at the Pagbilao facility, apparently in reference to the traditional maxim that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong” especially in the technically-complicated network of power plants.
He thus acknowledged that “running a vital energy plant is no easy task” and that “crisis and stress situations” are part of the day-to-day challenges they would have to deal with just to keep the lights on for the Filipino people.
Yet in the overall scheme of things, the TeaM Energy chief executive has emphasized on the need to reinforce “know-how in responding to signals” especially when the system is snarled-up.
Since the business of power generation undeniably thrives as the nation’s economic growth partner, Mr. Puno rallied the company’s workforce that “we need to operate our plant at world class standard.”
He noted that the SICAT drill also re-aligns their Philippine operations’ technical pace with their parent firm’s systems and processes, primarily that of TEPCO’s which initiated a parallel activity on improving systems processes way back in 2009.
Communication Is Crucial
At the simulation activity, Pagbilao station manager Hilarion Medrano similarly asserted that “communication” is a crucial element in enhancing operational skills in controls analysis and this will also enable people at the facility to properly ascertain the operating condition of a power plant.
By responding appropriately with technical issues, Mr Medrano pointed out that the corresponding application of strategies and solutions could “prevent units from possible de-ration (reduced level of generation), tripping or downtime” – the last two of which may delve with total loss of power in the system.
Ensuring efficient and reliable operation of generation facilities, he added, revolve on three core actions: speak, confirm and execute – meaning, people would have to communicate the problem efficiently and must re-confirm such before applying a tailor-fitted solution.
With these, he underscored that it is important “for people to develop teamwork and leadership through proper communication.”
The grit and resolve of at least four of the TeaM Energy’s power facilities’ operating teams were thus tested with the various scenarios set out for the simulation activity. These included prospective problems of: a) drum water level transmitter failure; b) mill exhaust high temperature; c) high opacity due to electrostatic precipitator (ESP) transformer rectifier failure; and d) condenser A high conductivity and condenser B tube leak.
For non-technical folks or ‘energy sector outsiders’, these so-called power plant upsets may just appear as “mixed-up terminologies”, but learning their actual effect on how your electricity service can be cut-off will compel anyone to consider understanding them deeper.
Of all the specified technical dilemmas, boiler tube leak is often reported in media as a common cause of “rotating brownouts”. To put it simply, this entails equipment damage and is typically detected through telltale roaring noise. For repair to be carried out, the Operations Shift Supervisor would require that the affected generating unit be set off-line (or placed on shutdown) and it may take days before it can be brought back to service. It is for this reason that, when there are no reserve capacities available to plug the gap of the lost capacity, power outages could occur.
The high opacity problem (or when dark smoke manifests at the chimney) is another critical dilemma that power plant operators would have to deal with under difficult combustion conditions.
They would either resort to de-rated capacity generation or ‘mixed firing’ of fuel to reduce particulate emissions – purposively to comply with government regulations or they will risk losing their permit or license to operate the plant.
“Before the community can complain, we should already be doing our job,” Mr. Medrano has explained, stressing that they are only given a scarce time leeway to address the problem “or we risk having our plant closed by the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) or our host local government units.”
With the unseen complexities in power plant operations, the next time that consumers may flick on that switch, they must also ponder on and appreciate that electricity is a service being delivered to us, not just with corresponding costs but tough technical tasks involved. source
No comments:
Post a Comment