In supporting China’s commitment of improving air quality and public health, GE has completed the installation of DLN1.0+ with Ultra Low NOx combustion upgrade on nine GE 9E gas turbines at five power generation enterprises.

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Image: CNOOC Shenzhen Power Plant.Photo: Courtesy of General Electric.

The five power generation enterprises include Shenzhen Nanshan Power Corporation, Shenzhen New Power Corporation, Shenzhen DatangBaochang Gas Power Generation Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Yuhu Power Co. Ltd., and CNOOC Shenzhen Power Co. Ltd. in Shenzhen. GE unveiled the announcement during the “Shenzhen Blue Sky” DLN1.0+ Retrofit Project Completion Celebration Event it co-hosted with Shenzhen Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau and Shenzhen Nanshan Power Corporation. More than 100 power plant operators attended the event.

“Power generation companies are currently facing dual pressure from environmental indicators and economic performance,” said Liang Jianqiang, Head of Shenzhen Nanshan Power Plant. “We continue to search for a two-way solution to help contribute to local blue skies while improving asset performance. GE’s DLN 1.0+ Ultra Low NOx combustion upgrade is a perfect fit for our needs. Through this cooperation, GE has not only confirmed its technological advantage, but also demonstrated its excellent capabilities in execution. With the help of GE, we have succeeded in upgrading our plants while maintaining a steady supply of energy.”

This upgrade reduces NOx emissions from 50mg/m3 (about 25ppm) to 15mg/m3 (about 7.5ppm), thus contributing to Shenzhen Municipal Government’s “Blue Sky” initiative. As part of the initiative, all gas-fired power plants in the city are required to lower its emissions below 15mg/m³ in six months. NOx is a contributor to ground level ozone and reductions in emissions helps improve air quality and public health by making it easier to breathe.  Power plants that fail to comply with these requirements will be taken offline.

“We admire the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s adherence to greener and low-carbon development and the efforts to improve the living standards of their citizens,” said Yang Dan, vice president of GE and president, GE Power China. “GE’s DLN1.0+ with Ultra Low NOx reduced emissions and is contributing to the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s ‘Blue Sky’ sustainability plan to improve air quality. The successful modernization of nine gas turbines – in a record time of less than six months – provides a reference for many 9E units to repower and adapt to the needs of the new era. GE is proud to bring a real contribution to the ‘blue sky’ battle, and we hope to continue cooperating with more provinces and cities in the future.”

Completed on time, the project mobilized more than 200 experts from China and around the world for factory repairs to meet specific timeframe requirements and exceeded performance expectations. This milestone serves as a model for plant operators that are operating more mature gas turbine fleets in China and around the globe.

Breakthrough technology reduces NOx emissions down to 5ppm

NOx emissions produced in the combustion system increase with the temperature of the flame. A flame with a lower temperature will produce less NOx, and the key is to be able to mix air and fuel together prior to burning. GE’s DLN 1.0+ with Ultra Low NOx upgrade is an improved combustion system for the DLN 1.0 that can reduce NOx down to 5 ppm.

The new configuration includes:

more robust materials and improved thermal barrier coatings to extend maintenance interval and parts life;

new combustion hardware – fuel nozzle, liner and  transition piece, improving the mixing of air with fuel and enhancing the hot gas temperature profile to achieve industry leading emissionss;

combustion dynamics monitoring system and improved controls system using “Corrected Parameter Control (CPC)”, an advanced controls feature using real time information, such as ambient humidity, ambient temperature, inlet and  exhaust pressure losses to adjust the fuel splits between the primary and secondary fuel circuit, and maintain the emissions below the target.

In addition, the upgrade allows the units to accept fuels with larger Wobbe index fluctuations, expanding gas source choices and helping the units to operate flexibly. The upgrade can potentially extend combustion system maintenance intervals to 32,000 hours or 1,300 starts and stops (equivalent to four consecutive years of stable operation), reduce maintenance costs, increase operational flexibility, and extend the life span of related equipment.

DLN 1.0+ with Ultra Low NOx is based on GE’s 43 million hours of operating experience and advanced combustion technology for its B -class and E-class fleet of gas turbines. It marks a big potential not only for the nearly 700 GE 9E turbines but also for approximately 1,000 GE 6B gas turbines operating around the world that combined can generate around 120 gigawatts, which is roughly equivalent to powering the entire grid of Italy.

Source: Company Press Release