February 2025, Issue 2 (848)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

BULLETIN OF PRO NOVUM

Jerzy Trzeszczyński, Radosław Stanek
Diagnostics performed in LTSA mode ensuring the availability of coal-fired power units during their further operation

Wojciech Murzynowski, Kamil Staszałek, Adrian Sobczyszyn
Assessment of the technical condition of steam boiler drums – selected problems and methods of solving them

Andre de Bache
Enhancing efficiency and sustainability in combined cycle power plants with Cetamine^® treatment: a solution for intermittent operations

Krzysztof Brunné
Modern non-destructive testing techniques of energy equipment: PAUT and TOFD in practice

 

POWER ENGINEERING AND PRODUCTION COMPANIES

ZAMEL Sp. z o.o.
Intelligent monitoring of electrical installations as a key to achieving ambitious energy target of modern companies

 

Przemysław Kędzierski
Project LIROV. Machine preparation for the evaluation of its technical condition and acceptability criteria for the limits of line wire exploitation
Part 2: industrial research, work description

 

Piotr Szymczak, Michał Cichowicz, Renata Zych, Krzysztof Komorowski, Ryszard Łukaszuk, Michał Kraśnicki
PIONEERING EXHIBITION
ELECTRICITY IN POLAND – FROM THE PARTITIONS TO THE BEGINNINGS OF THE III POLISH REPUBLIC

 

OVERTIME LECTURE…

Bogumił Dudek
Sweet and Sour Confectioner

 

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SUMMARIES

 

Jerzy Trzeszczyński, Radosław Stanek
Diagnostics performed in LTSA mode ensuring the availability of coal-fired power units during their further operation
The energy transformation process contains many unknowns. Some of the currently existing coal-fire units can be operated for up to approx. 10-15 years. The increasingly regulatory/flexible mode of their operation will accelerate the decline in the durability of equipment. It will require increasingly greater engineering competences in maintaining the technical condition of production assets, which may be in short supply. LTSA/LTDSA service provided by renovation and diagnostic companies seems to be the easiest way to avoid problems that can already be noticed. Diagnostics in LTSA services should have as much autonomy as possible, which will ensures objectivity of technical condition assessments. It can also be implemented in the LTDSA formula, which seems to be the most beneficial for users of long-operated units.

 

Wojciech Murzynowski, Kamil Staszałek, Adrian Sobczyszyn
Assessment of the technical condition of steam boiler drums – selected problems and methods of solving them
The transformation of the Polish energy sector has been taking place for many years and these changes should also be accompanied by an update of the approach to maintaining the power plant’s production assets, including, among others, for pressure components of boilers. Coal-fired boilers have not been operating in the base of the system for many years, and their thick-walled elements are exposed to operating conditions for which they were not designed. If we add many years of operation, numerous repairs and modernizations, we get a situation requiring an individual approach for each power plant and each power unit. Economic conditions are equally important. Every user of a natural circulation boiler should therefore take a close look at their equipment, and especially look at the drum, which in today’s reality is practically irreplaceable. Fortunately, it can be repaired, which also requires proper diagnostics. The article presents the current approach to the diagnostics of long-operated drums and presents methods that, when assessing the technical condition and during ongoing diagnostic supervision, allow to take into account the individual characteristics of drums and ensure their safe operation with the expected availability of the device and the power unit.

 

Andre de Bache
Enhancing efficiency and sustainability in combined cycle power plants with Cetamine^® treatment: a solution for intermittent operations
The power industry is increasingly facing challenges associated with intermittent operations, frequent start-ups, and shutdowns, which place significant strain on boiler systems and steam generators. This article examines the effectiveness of Kurita’s Cetamine^® treatment, a film-forming corrosion inhibitor, in mitigating corrosion and enhancing the operational performance of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant operating under cycling conditions. The plant, which experienced severe damage due to flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) from unstable operational regimes, adopted Cetamine^® alongside its existing chemical treatment. The introduction of Cetamine^® resulted in improved corrosion protection during shutdowns, reduced blow-down rates, and a significant reduction in particle counts during start-ups. This led to annual savings of 11 854 m³ of water, 3000 MWh of energy, and 940 tons of CO₂ emissions, translating to over 400 000 € in economic savings. The results underscore the effectiveness of Cetamine^® in enhancing plant efficiency, reducing resource consumption, and achieving sustainability goals, demonstrating its potential as a valuable solution for power plants operating under challenging conditions.

 

Krzysztof Brunné
Modern non-destructive testing techniques of energy equipment: PAUT and TOFD in practice
Diagnostics of energy equipment is a key process aimed at ensuring the long-term their reliability and minimizing costs. In this context, the selection of appropriate testing methods is of great importance. With the development of technology, ultrasonic techniques such as PAUT (Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing) and TOFD (Time of Flight Diffraction) have become important tools in the precise detection of material discontinuities. This article presents modern non-destructive testing techniques, such as PAUT and TOFD, which have been implemented and are offered by Pro Novum Sp. z o.o. The use of these advanced technologies provides innovative solutions in the diagnostics of materials in energy sector components, ensuring the highest quality and precision applied in the analysis. These methods, used across various industrial sectors, including energy, enable effective monitoring of the technical condition of equipment and minimize the risk of failure, which directly affects the performance and safety of operational objects.

 

Przemysław Kędzierski
Project LIROV. Machine preparation for the evaluation of its technical condition and acceptability criteria for the limits of line wire exploitation
Part 2: industrial research, work description
This publication describes the entire planned experiment and the research project. Individual phases of the line wire tests for Remotely Operating Vehicles (ROV) have been described. A number of tests have been planned. They include: endurance tests with periodic measurement of insulation resistance, and wire resistance. Moreover, breakdown voltage tests of the insulation layer have been planned. During endurance tests of the line wire, the simulation of real environmental conditions was achieved by pouring sea water on the wire. Furthermore, analysis of the cable housing properties was undertaken. Due to long-term exploitation under marine conditions, the line wire undergoes degradation. Additionally, saline sea water has adverse influence on the steel structure, which leads to corrosion. What is also essential to perform tests in real conditions, which are simulated during laboratory tests.