Major upgrades for Korean power plant

PlantWeb architecture with Ovation expert control systems will deliver operational benefits by integrating control of major plant equipment for the Boryeong Power Station in Korea

Emerson Process Management has won a contract to replace the existing controls at the Boryeong thermal power plant Units 1 and 2 using PlantWeb digital plant architecture.

The contract was awarded by Korea Midland Power Company (KOMIPO), which operates the plant.

The primary architect-engineer for the project is Korea Power Engineering Company (KOPEC).

Previously, the two 500-MW units each used multiple control systems - analogue Toshiba turbine controls and a Bailey 820 analogue system that controlled the Babcock and Wilcox boiler on each unit and the balance of plant processes.

Installation of the Emerson Ovation expert control system will offer an integrated control solution for the nearly 25-year-old units.

The Ovation system will monitor and control all major equipment, including the boiler, turbine and boiler feedwater pump turbine, as well as the burner management system and balance of plant processes.

"This project, in which separate islands of automation are replaced with a tightly integrated control system, is a model for how to modernise controls of an existing power generating facility," said Bob Yeager, president of the Power and Water Solutions division of Emerson: "By adopting an integrated control strategy based on our PlantWeb architecture and Ovation technology, we expect Boryeong units 1 and 2 to achieve greater operational efficiency and enhanced plant performance - all of which will help KOMIPO best serve the burgeoning electricity needs of this region".

Installing the integrated Ovation solution will unify boiler and turbine operations, thereby translating into a number of significant operational benefits.

For example, fully co-ordinated boiler and turbine control not only enhances unit-wide compatibility, but also contributes to improved unit stability, responsiveness and thermal efficiencies; tighter overall control of plant operations; and a more streamlined view of key plant and turbine parameters.

In all, the Emerson Ovation system will manage 12,000 I/O points at each unit.

For additional efficiency, operators will be able to monitor and control the operation of units 1 and 2 from a central control room.

Other components of the Emerson automation solution include AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager and intelligent field devices, including Fisher I/P positioners (57 per unit) and displacement level transmitters (24 per unit), as well as Rosemount temperature transmitters (556 per unit), differential pressure transmitters (11 per unit), differential level transmitters (18 per unit) and pressure transmitters (five per unit).

The Emerson Power and Water Solutions industry centre will engineer, install and supervise the project.

Both retrofitted units are expected to be operational in 2009.

"Emerson has demonstrated their knowledge of large control system retrofit projects in general, as well as an understanding of our objectives for this modernisation project, in particular," said JungHyun Park, plant management team manager, Power Generation Department, KOMIPO: "Their ability to provide a comprehensive, integrated automation solution that takes advantage of the latest technologies was exactly what we were looking for in an automation supplier for this project".

The Boryeong power plant, located in middle of South Korea, consists of six operational units with two additional units (units 7 and 8) slated to connect to the grid in 2009.

When completed, the facility will produce 4,000 MW of electricity to serve the region.

Under a separate contract, Emerson is migrating its previous-generation WDPF control system to the Ovation system for balance-of-plant processes at Boryeong units 4 and 6.

The Unit 4 project is complete, while the migration for Unit 6 is currently underway.

Back to top