Using its' patented pattern matching technologies, Cybula has been developing novel analytics which can be
used to detect and diagnose abnormal or changing performance across fleets of complex assets. There is a
growing level of interest in data-driven analytics as organisations want to gain greater understanding of the
condition of their assets. This is particularly true in the energy sector where sustainable base load power
provision has become increasingly critical to maintaining an adeqaute supply balance yet plant is being
operated beyond their intended life span. At the same time, the economic viability of renewable generation
relies on improved reliability of the assets and reduced maintenance costs and there are much larger numbers
of assets in a fleet. We have early stage versions of an enterprise level software platform to support the use of
the various analytical toolkits but for this 15month project, we aim to produce a pre-commercial version of this
platform and configure the tools for a commercial use case so they can be evaluated by Doosan Babcock. The
intended use case will cover monitoring of fatigue in high pressure components in a UK BioMass station.
In this project, Ionix Advanced Technologies and Doosan Babcock will test the feasibility of manufacturing a new type of sensor for monitoring the integrity of high temperature plant found in power stations and the oil & gas industry. The new sensor design requires a unique piezoelectric ceramic material to be bonded directly to the steel of the vessel or pipe to be monitored. As current methods for bonding the ceramic to steel are unsatisfactory, the project will investigate 3 new manufacturing methods. The new sensors enabled by this process will allow continuous monitoring and detection of corrosion and cracks in operational plant without the need to shutdown the plant on which they are deployed. This will simultaneously improve safety and reliability whilst reducing costs to the operator and consumers.
SNZR; Scotland's Net Zero Roadmap
To achieve Net Zero by 2045 Scotland needs to decarbonise industry, transport, heat and power. Scotland's Net Zero Roadmap project (SNZR) will provide the roadmap to enable large-scale industrial CO2 emissions reduction in a way that focuses on ensuring the continued, but evolving, contribution of high-value industry and employment in a future Net Zero economy, and supports other UK regions to do likewise.
Scotland emitted 41.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2018, of which 11.9 million tonnes were attributable to business and industrial processes. The top five emitting sectors in industry across Scotland are: Oil and Gas, Chemicals, Paper and Board, Cement and Glass and Environmental and Waste Services, as identified from sources above reporting thresholds. 74.2% of the greenhouse gases in 2018 were CO2, meaning that focusing on reducing CO2 emissions around the Forth (Lothian, Grangemouth, Fife) and St Fergus areas, which together account for over 9 million tonnes of CO2, provides a clear pathway towards Net Zero.
Crucially, SNZR will provide the roadmap that enables the deployment of options in a way that ensures competitive decarbonisation through continued and growing prosperity across the economy.
CCS is necessary, according to the Committee on Climate Change (2019), if we are to meet our net zero obligations. Capturing CO2 from industrial emissions and manufacturing hydrogen with CCS, provide two of the lowest cost and fastest means to decarbonise. These are options that offer opportunities for the continued but evolving role of our current energy supply industries, but which need to develop in a way that sustains the competitiveness of our high-value industries.
Scotland is in a strong position to lead this new large scale CO2 management industry. Offshore Scotland has some of Europe's best-characterised and largest CO2 storage sites while CCS and hydrogen will create opportunities for jobs and economic activity and help transition staff employed in sectors such as oil and gas.
To achieve net zero by 2045, Scotland needs to decarbonise its industry, heat and power. Scotland's Net Zero Infrastructure (SNZI) provides the infrastructure backbone to enable large scale CO2 emissions reduction across Scotland in a way that focuses on ensuring the continued, but evolving, contribution of high-value industry and employment in a future net zero economy and supports other UK regions to do likewise.
Scotland's Net Zero Infrastructure (SNZI) will deliver a material development of a range of core infrastructure to enable decarbonisation of the Scottish Cluster and will support decarbonisation of other UK and international industrial clusters. It links the gathering of CO2 from industrial emitters in Grangemouth and beyond, the Feeder 10 pipeline to transport CO2 to St Fergus and the Acorn CCS Project, which is anticipated to commence operations in 2024. In addition the project progresses ship transport infrastructure to enable CO2 transport by ship. It therefore provides the basis for infrastructure to link emitters across Scotland and around the North Sea basin with the offshore CO2 storage site.
"The energy system in Orkney is subject to specific constraints, and its independent location means it is the ideal location to demonstrate the capabilities of a self-contained smart energy network, and the potential impact it can deliver.
Orkney is a representation of energy supply problems which energy networks find difficult to solve using traditional technology. Specifically; Orkney produces 130% of the electricity it needs through existing installed renewable generation, yet 63% of Orkneys residents live in fuel poverty.
Project **ReFLEX** will install **FLEX**ible technologies to address the restrictions which cause this imbalance and demonstrate a **Re**sponsive Virtual Energy System which links these networks together. Thus, allowing production to be maximised, efficiencies to be recovered, and new business models to be proven, meaning energy can be supplied at minimum cost to the consumer and generating knowledge which will allow us to replicate activity and impact across the UK and internationally.
The project will last for 36 months and include the installation and operation of multiple technologies including:
\*Vehicle to grid charging infrastructure
\*Building management systems
\*Virtual power plant systems
\*Integrated Grid-smart community-led transport system and infrastructure
\*Smart Heating Controllers
A Virtual Energy System will combine the above infrastructure to demonstrate the capabilities of a smart energy system.
In this project, Ionix Advanced Technologies and Doosan Babcock will test the feasibility of manufacturing a new type of sensor for monitoring the integrity of high temperature plant used in power stations and the oil & gas industry. The new sensor design requires a piezoelectric ceramic material to be bonded directly to the steel of the vessel or pipe to be monitored. As current methods for bonding the ceramic to steel are unsatisfactory, the project will investigate 3 new manufacturing methods. The new sensors enabled by theis process will allow continuous monitoring and detection of corrosion and cracks in operational plant without the need to shutdown the plant on which they are deployed. This will simultaneously improve safety and reliability whilst reducing costs to the operator and consumers.
The recent TSB funded "IMPACT" project successfully developed a novel alloy, MARBN, capable of enabling a
25°C temperature and at least 2% efficiency increase, with consequent emission reductions, in new steel-based
steam power plant. IMPULSE is a consortium involving the IMPACT project group with new partners to lead the
industrialisation and commercial deployment of MARBN in new and retrofit boiler plant. IMPULSE will develop
MARBN ingot casting, pipe manufacture and welding, together with design and performance data to enable
standardisation and implementation of new build MARBN boilers. This will complement the current Innovate
UK "INMAP" project on large cast MARBN turbine components, thereby providing a unified UK materials and
manufacturing supply chain for a new generation of world-leading ultrasupercritical steam plant for the world
market. MARBN will also play a key role in UK and European retrofit component markets, where its superior
strength will enable current fossil plant to meet unprecedented demands of highly flexible operation, as
required to enable rapid parallel deployment of intermittent wind and solar generation with major CO2 savings.
The utilisation of biomass fuels, fired in dedicated boiler plants or co-fired with fossil fuels, provides a method of generating continuous renewable energy and, combined with CO2 capture and storage, provides one of the means of reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere, whilst helping to ensure security of power supply. However, biomass combustion products can be challenging, particularly in terms of the risks of excessive rates of metal loss of high temperature boiler components due to fireside corrosion. It is considered that the development and use of effective corrosion resistant coatings would enable power plant to operate at higher temperature & efficiencies and utilise lower grade fuels. The proposed project is intended to build on the knowledge gained from the TSB co-funded ASPECT project, which was concerned with the development and evaluation of coating materials for advanced fossil fuel plants, and to address issues related to biomass derived flue gas chemistries.
AURA will bring together a world leading sensor technology SME, Alba Ultrasound Ltd, Quest Robotics, an embryonic micro SME based within the University of Strathclyde (UoS) and a major international company, Doosan Power Systems (DPS). The key objective is to create a novel, autonomous reconfigurable ultrasound phased array inspection robot for non-destructive testing and evaluation (NDT/NDE) in the power generation industry. The technology will significantly reduce manual labour over current inspection regimes, as well as enabling inspection of inaccessible/hazardous areas. This will offer three quantitative benefits to the power industry: improved accuracy, improved safety and reduced costs. The major innovation of the project will be to embed ultrasonic phased array technology into a small form-factor robotic vehicle, overcoming issues in ultrasonic coupling, miniaturised electronics and high power density. Furthermore, AURA will enable the reconstruction of component geometry from positional information, identifying structural deformation. Alba Ultrasound (lead) is a world leader in the design and manufacture of ultrasonic array transducers for challenging conditions. UoS/Quest Robotics is expert in ultrasonic systems, miniature robotic vehicles, embedded electronics and robot positioning. DPS is a boiler and turbine OEM providing manufacturing, testing and servicing/inspection expertise globally with an established relationship with the power generation industry, including 80% of the major power stations in UK. The company has an exclusive contract with EDF Energy, supporting its fleet of power stations across the UK.
Full title
Verified approaches to life management & improved design of high temperature steels for advanced steam plants - VALID
Summary of the VALID project
The project explores the link between welding process and cross-weld creep strength for CSEF steel P92 and also the relationship between specimen geometry and weld width. Five different welding processes are being used to fabricate joints in P92 to allow acquisition of data over a wide range of process parameters and demonstrate the available welding technologies to industry. This will include the development of welding equipment and consumables. A demonstration of the creep performance of welds in new experimental steels will also be carried out.
Consortium
The consortium consists of seven official partners (see below, plus TSB Grant details) and six associates that have a strong involvement in the project
Official Project partners:
TWI Ltd – Grant £157,560
Air Liquide UK Ltd – Grant £147,390
Scottish & Southern Energy plc – Grant £12,750
Centrica Energy plc– Grant £12,000
Metrode Products Ltd – Grant £43,465
E.ON New Build & Technology Ltd - £26,117
Doosan Power Systems Ltd – Grant £26,268
Total Grant = £425,550
Associates:
Polysoude SAS (Sub-Contractor)
TenarisDalmine (Material Supplier)
The Open University
The University of Nottingham
TU Chemnitz
Industry Sector
Power (primary)
Secondary - ECM, Oil and gas, construction and engineering.
This project will evaluate a software based advanced remote visual interface that will allow images and/or captured video of inaccessible areas of power plant to be displayed in a format that is easy to view and extract positional and defect sizing information from. Remote Visual Inspection (RVI) is routinely carried out as part of a plant inspection for pipework and boiler condition assessment, and offers a visual inspection of areas otherwise inaccessible for viewing either as images or captured video footage. Doosan Power Systems (DPS) provides this service within the UK and global nuclear markets and has found that the technologies main limitation in being used more extensively for condition assessment is the inability to accurately size and locate a defect. Nine of the ten current UK nuclear power stations are due to close within the next 20 years - more efficient and cost saving inspections could assist with their safe lifetime extension to ensure a continued reliable response to energy demand while new nuclear build moves forward. The ability to accurately size and locate a defect in accessible areas (e.g. smallbore pipework and headers) would therefore be of great benefit.
Doosan Power Systems is a boiler OEM providing manufacturing, testing and servicing/inspection expertise globally with an established relationship with the UK civil nuclear industry. DPS contract with BE/EDF Energy to provide engineering and technology services for the UK fleet (including RVI), along with their strong commercial links to Westinghouse (developers of AP1000 - Gen III system planned for deployment in next phase of nuclear new build) would allow a route to market for the technology – for existing plant and new build. NDT Consultants (NDTC) main area of expertise is in the Aerospace industry and provide services and consultancy to manufacturers including Rolls Royce, Boeing and Honeywell. In addition they carry out R&D projects and provided the software for the following European projects, Polypipe and Chain-test, in both projects automatic ultrasonic testing systems were developed
The study was concerned with investigating the feasibility of creating an ultrasonic detection unit capable of automatic flaw characterisation. The objectives were to develop a novel signal processing algorithm based on UGTD models to allow for automatic characterisation, consider acquisition of data from the phased array equipment, build a demonstrator with the algorithm embedded into it, and to trial the system on suitable components with the results being validated by comparison to those achieved by an NDE data analyst.
Investigating various options available, it was realised that major benefits would be achieved by focussing the research on state of the art Full Matrix Capture technology for gathering information from phased array probes. This approach allowed the project partners to focus primarily on developing algorithms for processing ultrasound data rather than conducting a large number of experiments to gather the required data. Automated defect detection algorithms were developed for real-time processing of the data and providing display to the user.
The study has been successful in proving the feasibility of the technology and a demonstration of the capability of the system was given at the final meeting at DPS. The technology requires further development to take forward as a service/product, and an exploitation plan with details of the development required has been written.
The project aimed to reduce the use of chemicals and amount of time required to carry out surface inspection in the nuclear industry by replacing conventional magnetic particle and dye penetrant inspection with a technique known as Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) mainly used in the oil and gas industry. In order to do this, the sensitivity of ACFM had to be improved to detect micro-cracking, preferably while operating at high temperatures.The project investigated miniaturisation of sensors in an array, and building sensors for operation at temperatures up to 550°C
The key goal of IMPACT is to improve the efficiency of future steel-based coal-fired power plant, and hence reduce carbon emissions, by:
(1) Improved high temperature capability of welded thick section high alloy steel components in steam plant (boiler, pipework, turbine) by development of innovative materials and processes, including upscaling from laboratory development, a pilot commercial scale "MARBN" steel cast, and a demonstration welded boiler tubing product;
(2) Better understood, monitored and controlled performance of these welded components to maximise efficiency while avoiding premature weld Type IV cracking as found on current high alloy steel plant;
(3) Novel advanced in-service monitoring techniques to enable plant to operate at highest temperatures and challenging design conditions without prejudice to safety: creep strain monitoring to warn against plant failure risk, semi-nondestructive miniature disc sampling and testing to identify materials at risk;
(4) Improved component design capabilities linked to whole-life plant condition monitoring.
The CCPilot100+ post-combustion amine scrubbing Carbon Capture plant built at SSE’s existing site at Ferrybridge and retrofitted to one of the coal fired units is a fast-track collaboration between Doosan Power Systems (DPS), as a leading plant and capture technology supplier, SSE and Vattenfall as potential users of post combustion capture, plus academic involvement from four UK universities at the forefront of carbon capture research.
Designed, built and commissioned within a relatively short timescale, the plant is capable of removing 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide per day from a one percent slip stream of flue gas from one of Ferrybridge C’s existing four 500MWe coal fired units.
The plant is undergoing an extensive test programme, finishing at the end of 2013 to improve understanding of how the technology performs under variable power plant operating conditions, with particular reference to flexibility, amine degradation and materials.
This groundbreaking project bridges the gap from research to the commercialisation of carbon capture technology, both for new build power plants and for retrofitting to existing facilities. It is the UK's biggest pilot and one of the largest in the world, providing an important showcase for DPS’s carbon capture technology to customers and partners globally.
Project Title
Advanced Surface Protection to Enable Carbon abatement Technologies (ASPECT)
Project partners and grant funding
Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd (co-ordinator) £204,722
E.ON UK (partner) £107,130
RWE UK (partner) £73,731
Cranfield University (partner) £538,328
National Physical Laboratory (partner) £171,266
Sulzer Metco (partner) £15,590
Monitor Coatings (partner) £163,585
Total grant £1,274,352
Project description
The ASPECT project is concerned with the developments in materials necessary for the successful implementation of advanced coal-fired utility boiler technologies, with advanced steam conditions and high efficiencies, and fitted with CO2 capture and storage technologies. The reduction of greenhouse gas production from power generation is a key element of the British government's Carbon Abatement Technology strategy, and is a core priority of the Materials for Energy programme.
The more arduous operating environments associated with the emerging Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies and with biomass co-firing are of specific concern. Both the fireside and steam-side of the superheaters/reheater tubes, and the internal surfaces of the steam pipework will be subject to increased wastage rates, as both steam temperatures and pressures are increased in pursuit of the increased cycle efficiencies required to compensate for the efficiency penalties associated with CO2 capture technologies. The Surface Engineering of both the fireside and steam-side surfaces represents one of the preferred options for the mitigation of risks to the key high temperature boiler components.
An existing project, funded through the former DTI Technology Programme (Modelling Fireside Corrosion of Heat Exchanger Materials in Advanced Energy Systems), which was completed in 2011, was concerned with the development of the modelling capability to predict the levels of damage that might be expected with the introduction of oxy-combustion and biomass co-firing in existing and new power station boilers. It became clear from the results of this work that there are significant concerns that the materials used in existing boilers, and those being specified for future plant may not be able to deliver the reliability expected from modern power station, principally due to the increased risks of excessive rates of fireside corrosion and steam side oxidation.
One of the potential responses is to develop a new generation of protective coatings for key components. To be successful, the fireside coatings have to be suitable for in-situ application in boilers, for installation and repair purposes, while the steam-side coatings have to be applied before the installation of the boiler tubes, and should not cause problems with boiler component fabrication. This approach to the development of protective systems for protection against corrosion in large coal boilers is relatively novel.
For the fireside, the emphasis is on the development of a portfolio of sprayable, particulate-based coating compositions and application technologies that can be used in-situ in either new build or retrofit applications, as well as for repair purposes. One of the key innovations here will be to investigate the use of ‘exothermic reaction synthesis’ (ERS) to consolidate coatings of appropriate thicknesses, following their application using cheap, low temperature spraying methods.
For steam-side protection, the emphasis is on the development and testing of diffusion coating systems and application methods for the protection of the internal surfaces of boiler tubes and steam pipework. The key issue here is the development of cost-effective application methods for diffusion or slurry coatings, which can be used inside tubular components of many metres in length. The application will probably be after they have been formed into the required shapes, but prior to installation. These components will then be welded together during installation. The coating technology will have to be compatible with these operations both for new build applications and for replacement/repair in plant following periods of service
The ASPECT Work Programme is divided into the following tasks:
Task 1 Boiler Environments (led by Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd.)
This task builds on the knowledge developed in the existing project on modelling corrosion in the fireside environment, and adds similar information for the range of steam-side environments in existing and advanced boilers. A key deliverable from this task is the definition of the components at greatest risk, the description of the metal wastage mechanisms and the specification of the required protective properties of the coatings. The proposed work in this task will also help to define in detail the more practical issues associated with the application and performance of the coatings.
Task 2 Coating Design (led by Cranfield University)
This task is aimed at building on corrosion data from existing coating compositions to identify the preferred compositions to resist the forms of attack on the fireside and steam-side, as defined in Task 1. For the fireside, this information will be combined with knowledge of the reactive elements required to drive the ERS process for the formulation of powders suitable for spraying the required coating composition. The required compositions will be produced by depositing surface layers on to existing powders using a new facility at Cranfield. Trials of coatings made from these powders will then take place to relate the powder compositions to the ‘fired’ coating compositions.
For the steam-side, it is envisaged that existing coating chemistries which are expected to provide good oxidation resistance under the relevant conditions, will be used in vapour or slurry form.
The basic characteristics of both types of coating in providing protection from fireside corrosion and stem side oxidation will be evaluated at laboratory scale.
Task 3 Coating Application (led jointly by Sulzer Metco and Monitor Coatings)
This task is focused on the application methods for both fireside and steam side protection. As indicated above, existing cold spraying methods are preferred for the fireside coatings. Sulzer Metco will develop these methods, within the constraints established for in-situ application in boilers. They will prepare test coupons for screening trials, and further coupons and sub-components for evaluation under Task 4, below.
For the steam-side, the coating applications will be further developed by Monitor and coated coupons and test specimens will be prepared for the screening and performance trials.
Task 4 Performance Trials and Benchmarking (led jointly by Cranfield and NPL)
This task is intended to provide the critical performance data on the new fireside and steam-side coatings, and benchmark this performance against existing alloys and coatings. The metal wastage rate data and coating performance information will come from medium term, i.e. >1000 hour, laboratory tests to assess the coating behaviour under the ranges of expected fireside and steam-side environments, and the results of shorter term tests in pilot scale rigs.
Task 5 Plant Trials (led jointly by E.ON and RWEnpower)
The final technical task involves the performance of two validation trials in host coal power plants. These start in the final year of the project and run on past the end date. Work started in preparation for this at the beginning of year 2 of the project, leading on to the fabrication of the parts in the second half of year 2. Installation and execution of the trials took place in year 3/4.
Task 6 Cost Benefit Analysis and Guidelines (led jointly by Sulzer Metco and Monitor)
To assist the rapid deployment of these newly developed fireside and steam-side coatings, a technical and commercial guideline document on the coating technologies and their application, with a number of appropriate illustrative Case Studies, will be prepared.
Task 7 Project Management, Dissemination and Exploitation (led by Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd.)
Dissemination of the outcomes from the project to the global power generation market place is being pursued through a range of measures. These include the preparation of press releases and technical articles for appropriate publications, participation in relevant international conferences and, where appropriate, the direct organisation of awareness events.