APC Utilized at IGCC Plant (ABB)
APC Utilized at IGCC Plant (ABB)
APC Utilized at IGCC Plant (ABB)
Process Control
Utilized at an Integrated
Gasification Combined
Cycle Plant
Abstract:
IGCC (Integrated Gasification and Combined Cycle) IGCC technology offers a number of important
plants are among the most advanced and effective environmental benefits: first because gasification
systems for electric energy generation from refinery allows the use of both a combustion turbine and a
residuals and are becoming more and more popular in steam turbine in the power production process, an
many regions worldwide. From a control perspective, IGCC power plant can achieve an operating efficiency
IGCC plants represent a significant challenge: complex of about 45 percent, compared to pulverized coal
reactions, highly integrated design and variable feed (PC) plants which operate at efficiencies ranging from
composition come together requiring coordinated control about 33 to 40 percent. Particulate matter, sulphur,
to simultaneously satisfy production, controllability, nitrogen and mercury are removed from the gasified
operability and environmental objectives. While all these coal prior to combustion instead of from boiler exhaust
requirements seem clearly to demand a multivariable, gases post-combustion as in a PC plant. Up to now,
model predictive approach, not many applications refinery-based IGCC plants (mainly in Europe) have
can be easily found in the literature. demonstrated good availability performance and
are more established rather than utility-based coal
This paper describes an ongoing Advanced Process IGCC plants, with availability in the range of 90%-
Control project at the Isab Energy IGCC plant in 95% consistently being achieved. Several factors are
Priolo, Italy, and aims to share design considerations, common to these plants that may be contributing to
implementation details and preliminary results ach- this good performance. It should also be noted that
ieved on the first units. The project can be seen as the non-utility plants have recognized the need to treat the
second step of a multi-stage plan for increasing pro- gasification system as the up-front chemical processing
cess performance through automation improvements. plant that it is, and have generally reorganized their
After an overall DCS control revision performed in operating staff accordingly. Because IGCC plants are
2005, the project team was asked to introduce unit highly demanding from a control perspective, they are
optimization on some of the most critical areas. This is ideal targets for advanced strategies (see for example
going to be completed by means of several Multivariable [3 and [4]]). However literature about actual advanced
Process Controllers which are contributing to reduce process control applications for IGCC facilities does
steam and utility consumption, stabilize H2S removal almost not exist.
and minimize environmental impact.
2. The ISAB Energy Priolo IGCC Plant
1. IGCC Process Generalities
2.1 Process Overview
An Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, or IGCC
(Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle), is a power The Isab Energy (IE) IGCC plant in Priolo, Italy, converts
generation system which produces synthesis gas about 120 tons/h of heavy residual oil, provided by the
(syngas), mainly composed of CO and H2, converted nearby ErgMEd refinery, into more than 500 MW of
from fossil fuel, such as vacuum residue, heavy oil, electric power. Isab Energy and Isab Energy Services
petroleum coke, coal and Orimulsion by a partial are a joint venture between ERG Power & Gas (51%)
oxidation process and then burned to generate and International Power Mitsui & Co. Ltd (49%). Isab
electricity from syngas by combined cycle. IGCC Energy and Isab Energy Services represent, respectively,
technology has become the center of public attention the Owner and the Operator of the IGCC complex.
as one of the prime applications of technology for
The Priolo IGCC plant started commercial operation in
maintaining clean air for the world (see for example
April 2000 and can be divided in three main areas:
[1] and [2]). The reason for this is that it enables the
production of clean gas, equivalent to natural gas • Solvent Deasphalting Unit (SDA)
even if at lower heating value, from inferior fuel with • Gasification and Utilities Units
expected reduction of CO2 emissions by use of high • Combined Cycle Units (CCU)
performance gas turbines.
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DAO
REFINERY Electric
Power
CCU
SDA
Heavy
Residue
Vanadium
Asphalt Concentrate
Gasification
BTZ HP Steam
from CCU Oxygen
The SDA receives the heavy residue from the refinery ERG PETROLI
and deasphalts it; the deasphalted oil is then sent REFINERY
• 2 Gasification Units
• 2 Carbon Recovery Units Syngas
• 1 Sulphur Recovery Unit
Sour Gas
• 1 Heat Recovery Unit
• 1 Acid Gas Removal Unit
Unit 3300 Unit 350
• 1 Heavy Metals Recovery Unit Heat Recovery and Acid Ga
• 1 Waste Water Pre-treatment Unit Saturation Remova
Sour Water
Expander
Syngas to CCU
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GT
MW G HRSG
Steam Steam
Start-up Diesel
ST G MW
GT
MW G HRSG
Steam Steam
Start-up Diesel
Fig. 3 - Combined Cycle
ST G MW
Flow Diagram
To Stack
Unit 3700
Tail Gas
The CCU includes two trains, each of them with a
gas turbine, a HRSG and a steam turbine.
Sour Gas
Sour Water
10 Unit 4800
ter Waste Water Metal Cake Storage
r Pretreatment
Metal
Cake
Waste Water to IAS
(biological treatment)
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Fig. 5 - Gasification
Figure 5 - Gasification
Offline APC
e C
n
r
e 7 8 9 101 112
h
t
E
A 1 2 34 5 6 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x
A B
LAN
Firewall APC Workstation
& OPC Server
O-Net
ABB DCS
Fig. 7 - System Architecture
Figure 7 – System Architecture
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The controllers are hosted on a devoted workstation Operators manage the advanced application with the
that also hosts an OPC Server. A second PC is used as standard operator console where additional pages
development and testing environment and is not directly have been added for this purpose. Figure 8 shows a
connected to the base automation system (see Figure typical page in the Acid Gas Removal section.
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by the curve in blue (for a single reboiler – there are achieved during a night test, when changes in feed
two twin reboilers). The overall decrease in steam composition and cooling water temperature together
usage was up to 3.5 t/h. with a small increase of theH2S setpoint (2ppm) allowed
for a reduction in steam usage of about 2t/h.
Although such a drastic change in setpoint for H2S
often not possible in a few hours, it is quite common Overall, the APC application allowed running the unit
that changes in factors like: in a different operating region. The following figure
• Feed composition presents the steam specific usage (expressed as a
• Feed flow ratio between the steam and the MDEA circulation
• Cooling water temperature rate) over a long period of time, from the startup of
• Other units contribution to emissions the APC commissioning to the finalization of the APC
• Gasifier efficiency system for the AGR unit. As can be seen by the chart,
the reduction in the steam usage is quite relevant.
Impact on H2S content was of a similar quantity over
1-2 days. In that case, the presence of a APC system The overall benefit in terms of energy saving is quite
capable of minimizing steam while maintaining H2S considerable. Steam consumption went from 35.1 t/h
content at target provides large economic benefits. The to 26.1 t/h equivalent to a reduction of about 9 t/h.
figure below shows the steam consumption reduction
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30
Delta steam
13200
Series2
~ 2 t/h
Series3
28
Steam reduction (x2) Series1
26
12400 Steam Flow
24
APC turned on 22
11600 20
H 2 S SP on
small Sp increase for H 2 S, overnight Temp decrease T101 Overhead
18
16
10800
14
MDEA Flowrate
MDEA reduction 12
10000 10
21/2/07 17.06 21/2/07 19.30 21/2/07 21.54 22/2/07 0.18 22/2/07 2.42 22/2/07 5.06 22/2/07 7.30 22/2/07 9.54
- 22%
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Steam Steam
Usage Ratio
Reduction
Without APC
Circulating MDEA
> 45 %
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As a further confirmation, Figure 13 shows the trend of As a consequence of the successful results of the
the reflux stream over more than six months of data. APCs project, Isab Energy is evaluating the possibility
Analysis shows that the reflux flow has decreased of of extending them to other units. In particular, the
about 50%. This is quite remarkable given the fact highest benefits could be obtained in the following
that the original reflux flow was not far from the design plant sections:
value for the unit.
1. Carbon Recovery
4.2 Comments on Results 2. Tail Gas Treatment and Sulphur recovery
The positive results shown above (and the similar 3. Combined Cycle
ones achieved in other sections) have been achieved 4. Waste Water Treatment
through a proper combination of advanced control
A proper plan for APC extension to additional units is
technology, process expertise and deeper insight.
under evaluation and will be finalized in the second
The APC project has proven to be the opportunity to
half of 2007.
explore a number of possible operating conditions,
sorting out actual process and control limitations from References:
“control myths”. The improved control tools allowed [1] http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/
the engineers to move the plant into non familiar [2] http://www.gasification.org/
conditions, pushing the envelope and discovering [3] Tanaka, H., “The Control System applied to Negishi IGCC”,
Proc. of “Gasification technologies 2004”, Washington, DC,
hidden profit margins that basic control schemes October 3-6, 2004
don’t allow to harvest. This is not different from that [4] Vacca, G., Grugnetti, E., Sulis, S., Barabino, M., Venturino,
M., “On line monitoring of performance indexes and trigger
verified on any other process (no matter if it’s refineries, functions at Sarlux IGCC plant”, Proc. Of “ERTC Reliability
petrochemical or upstream plants) where APC is applied & Asset Management 2004”, Berlin, Germany
as a technology enabling operators to manage the plant [5] “Enhanced Alarm Management User Manual”, ABB Doc. Nr.
BG4.1004.EAM 20 Rev.2.0 Date March 2005
more aggressively without compromising on safety [6] Bonavita, N., Martini, R., Matsko, T., (2003), “Improvement
but with much higher economic performance. in the Performance of Online Control Applications via
Enhanced Modeling Techniques”, Proc. of ERTC
Computing 2003, Milan, Italy
4.3 Conclusion and Future Perspectives
This paper has presented a very successful application
of Advanced Process Control technology to an IGCC
plant. The application dealt with three sections (Acid
Gas Removal, Gassifier and Solvent Deasphalting)
that have been identified as interesting benchmarks
for return-of-investment evaluation. The results after
the first running period are extremely positive and
clearly show that APC has the potential of providing
relevant savings on IGCC plants, mainly through its
capability to greatly increase energy efficiency and
reduce steam consumptions.
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