Aalborg CSP Signs 600 MW Order For Dubai CSP Project

Aalborg, Denmark - The record-breaking Dubai 700MW CSP+250 MW PV Hybrid Project developed by ACWA POWER, with Shanghai Electric Group Corporation as EPC, will use the Steam Generation Systems based on header-and-coil technology from Aalborg CSP. A contract for a 600 MW order for delivery of 42 heat exchangers and pressure vessels now is signed.

According to Aalborg CSP, the header-and-coil technology from the company has operated since 2009 in Spain without any leakages in the tube bundles and will provide value-add for the project with a much higher availability and significantly lower operation and maintenance cost.

As Aalborg CSP points out, the header-and-coil design the company originates from traditional boiler technology and is a 100 percent welded coils type based on steam boiler technology, rather than a conventional TEMA-type based steam generator using U-tube design. The header-and-coil design has a higher availability from the no leakages design and thus lower operation and maintenance cost. Since Aalborg CSP’s entry on the CSP market, the company’s steam generator technology has won several international awards, due to its no-leakage design and higher performance features. In 2019, Aalborg CSP celebrates its 10-year anniversary for no leaks in header-and-coil.

Leakages are one of the main causes for breakdowns causing unplanned downtime for CSP plants and is considered a major quality issue within heat exchangers and steam generation systems for CSP plants, as the company says. During repairs, the steam generator is drained and cooled down resulting in massive loss of revenue, as the system cannot produce steam while repairs are made. The majority of TEMA U-tube type equipment has leaking issues, as it is not suited for the frequent system starts/stops and load changes in large-scale CSP plants.

The header and coil type equipment on the other hand possesses the ability of absorbing the dynamic loads and thermal stress of large-scale CSP plants. This technology eliminates leakages, avoiding unnecessary maintenance and system downtime.

According to the company, due to the patented header-and-coil design for CSP applications, Aalborg CSP is capable of demonstrating a proven track record of 10 years leakage-free operation, which presents the client with the optimal amount of availability. Thereby productivity, electricity revenue and the general payback time of the power plant are greatly improved to lower the cost of energy, Aalborg CSP says.

Source: IWR Online, 21 Feb 2019