Power plant topping cycle repowering

Abstract

Traditionally, power plant repowering is defined as the replacement of a worn-out steam generator with a new steam generator meeting the original steam requirements so that the remaining life in the steam turbine and balance-of-plant equipment can be used. Because it is also possible to upgrade older power plants with a variety of technology improvements that have become available since the original plants were built, a number of power plant upgrade technologies are now included in the definition of power plant repowering. Another change, besides equipment wear-and-tear and technology advancements, that has overtaken older power plants is more restrictive environmental regulations. Repowering technologies are available for economically meeting more stringent mission standards while concomitantly improving power plant performance. Technology upgrades can be used to achieve a variety of improvements over the original power plant. These include low-cost capacity increases, lower heat rates, improved fuel flexibility, greater plant operating flexibility, reduced O and M costs, increased availability and reliability, along with achieving and maintaining environmental compliance. A figure provides ranges for the value of the savings available from the many identified repowering technologies. In many cases it will be necessary to identify many distinct savings to fully capture the benefits ofmore » a competitive repowering opportunity. The various repowering technologies will each have their own potential benefits; the size of these benefits will also depend on the existing site, power plant equipment, and competitive business environment.« less