Honeywell project at Grootvlei power station

September 2012 System Integration & Control Systems Design

Eskom, the largest producer of electricity in Africa, operates power stations, including Kendal, Matimba and Majuba, amongst the largest coal-fired power stations in the world, and Koeberg, the only nuclear power plant in Africa. Eskom’s Grootvlei station was built in the late 1960s and was generating electricity until 1990. In 2004, demand for power and favourable government policy encouraged Eskom to re-commission the plant.

The return to service of a decommissioned plant carried a plethora of challenges, including dated equipment, space constraints and a need for up-to-date technology and advanced engineering services. In 2005, Eskom hired Honeywell for the Grootvlei return to service project to provide its Experion PKS, field instrumentation, fire detection systems, training simulator, as well as design, engineering, installation, commissioning and optimisation services. The project encompassed the complete replacement of the automation and control systems for six power units.

Solution

Honeywell implemented Experion PKS, Uniformance PHD, Enterprise Buildings Integrator, safety management system (Failsafe Controller), operator training simulator, actuators and field instrumentation. It also managed the refurbishment of the central control room. The upgrade replaced the automation and control systems for six power units, improving operational efficiency and maximising production output. With the Honeywell control solutions, it is anticipated that the Grootvlei plant will deliver a reliable supply of peaking power, 1130 megawatts, to the Eskom grid over the coming years.

After commissioning unit one, the operators found it difficult to manage the alarms due to the high volume. Eskom decided to implement Honeywell’s platform independent Advanced Alarm Management R300 solution: reducing the number of alarms that require operator intervention makes Grootvlei power station operators more effective. Since implementing Honeywell’s alarm management solution, Grootvlei power station has realised a decrease in alarms from 14 000 events per hour to just over 80 per hour.

Benefits

Grootvlei power station achieved the following benefits from the control system upgrade:

* Improved control and audit trail of changes.

* Reduced need for manual intervention.

* Increased limits of process capabilities.

* Constraint-driven alarm configuration management to ensure alarms are consistent with plant fundamentals.

* Auxiliary notification provides reminders to operators and other plant personnel without cluttering the alarm system.

* An event analysis tool assists in quickly identifying cause and effect relationships.

“The combination of Honeywell’s solutions and its engineering and services teams has provided Eskom with the robust, consistent support needed to provide a reliable power source for the people of South Africa,” Deon Smit, RMDC manager, Eskom Grootvlei.

For more information contact Boni Magudulela, Honeywell Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 695 8000, [email protected], www.honeywell.co.za

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