This power station is one the newest CCGT power plants to be built in Italy. It’s a 400 MW plant and has been in operation since 2011. It was designed for very frequent cycling, providing electricity and ancillary services to the network.
During an inspection, the maintenance team found severe cracks on the SH2-SH3 pipe sleeve which forced them to replace and upgrade material. At the same time the operational manager made claims of significant spraywater flow excursion and very unstable spraywater control valve behaviour.
By leveraging on existing positive customer experiences with GESTRA solutions, and expertise on other severe service applications, the plant management agreed to co-design and re-size the desuperheater system by considering both design and actual operating data. It became clear that the existing valves were oversized, being around 50% larger than required.
The existing desuperheater probe had a fixed area configuration resulting in poor water atomization at low steam flow. GESTRA provided a comprehensive solution including ZK 313 spraywater control valves as well as variable area desuperheater probes.
After the new equipment had been installed, the benefits for the customer were immediate. The correctly sized spraywater control valves allowed for stable and well-controlled steam temperature. The risk for overspray was eliminated too, with no thermal shocks occurring since the replacement. The ZK 313 zero leakage tight shut off control valve proved its reliability, thanks to its high-quality construction, granting zero maintenance since their installation in 2018.
By working with customers like you to understand their system, we have become trusted partners in tackling a range of challenges they have faced within their desuperheater systems, improving their system reliability, and improving their plant’s ability to meet demand.
See below how we have worked with our customers to achieve their power generation goals.
See how GESTRA helped a 1200MW CCGT power station resolve issues with the HP bypass station desuperheating system.