Successful Operation SwirlFlash at Bayer Oil
21 May 2007 15:04
Interview with Mr. Morawietz of Bayern Oil
More services, greater MW output and less NOx discharge. These were the aims set by Bayern Oil, one of the big petrochemical companies in Southern Germany which is owned by four shareholders: BP, AGIP, PDVSA, and Ruhr Oel MV.
High-quality technology ensured the fulfilment of their wishes. In fact, Bayern Oil installed a SwirlFlash installation on a frame five in 2005. From then on they wanted nothing more. The person involved from the start on the SwirlFlash project is Mr. Morawietz, Responsible for Rotating Equipment of the Bayern Oil plant in Neustadt. He is full of enthusiasm when he talks about it.
What's the performance of the SwirlFlash installation been up to the present?
Mr. Morawietz: "We were - and still are - very happy with the SwirlFlash installation. It gives us a lot of flexibility in the summertime. We get the same GT output in the winter (without SwirlFlash) and summer time (with SwirlFlash). The SwirlFlash compensates the GT output performance drop during the summer. The Frame 5 is getting an extra 3MW to 3.5MW output very easily and at the same time the NOx output is going down from 150mg/Nm3 to 90mg/Nm3. The GT is now fired with Propane and Butane and it is expected that 75mg/Nm3 will be reached when Natural Gas is fired."
What did you earn with the SwirlFlash installation?
Mr. Morawietz (laughing): "The amount of money we earn is a confidential matter. But I can give you an idea. We were in operation for 3,000 hours last year and have 10 million kWh extra available thanks to the extra SwirlFlash power. Last year we used the SwirlFlash in continuous operation for 3.5 months. The energy is used on the refinery itself and the energy surplus is delivered to the grid."
You did a major inspection some weeks ago. How did your Gas Turbine look?
"It looked good, very good. We did a boroscopic inspection on the compressor blades and the hot parts and we could see no difference compared to use without SwirlFlash. It seems that the small water droplets technology really works. Continuous use of SwirlFlash for 3,000 hours did not show any erosion on the blades."
Do you have anything else you would like to add to your system
In addition to all the benefits, we are now discussing with Stork about upgrading the SwirlFlash to full automatic operation, to be remote-control operated."
Would you also recommend SwirlFlash to other GT users?
"Yes, absolutely. The system works fine, output has increased by more than 10% and the NOx emissions have decreased by more than 40%. We are earning a lot of money, improving the environment and adding flexibility to our system. Tell me yourself: who wouldn't recommend it?"
For more information on this company:
Stork Thermeq - Water Injection Technology for Gas Turbine Power Augmentation and NOx Reduction
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