Emerson to Improve Korean Thermal Power Plant

Emerson Process Management will apply its PlantWeb digital plant architecture with Ovation expert control system at units 3 and 4 of the Samcheonpo thermal power plant, located in South Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. The six-unit, 3,240-MW plant is owned by Korea South East Power Company (KOSEP), a major player in the Korean market. The company’s power plants currently generate 7,334 MW of electricity – more than 10 percent of the country’s electric generating capacity.

In order to extend the service life of these units, the contract calls for replacement of outdated controls at Samcheonpo units 3 and 4 (2 X 560 MW) with Emerson’s Ovation expert control system. The Ovation system will monitor and control each unit’s Combustion Engineering boiler, GE turbine and balance-of-plant processes. In all, Emerson will install 17 Ovation controllers and 52 workstations that will manage a total of approximately 21,300 I/O points.

In addition, Emerson’s solution for Samcheonpo units 3 and 4 includes Rosemount instrumentation, including eight pressure transmitters and 24 differential pressure-type level transmitters, as well as vibration monitoring and protection system equipment, coal feeder controls, soot-blower optimization and a boiler tube leak detection system. Emerson will also remodel a central control room that will enable plant operators to monitor both units from one location. Equipment delivery for Unit 3 is slated for September 2010, just six months after contract award. Commercial operation for Unit 3 is expected in December 2010; Unit 4 is scheduled to return to service in March 2011.

"Emerson offered us not only a comprehensive and integrated control solution, but also the engineering and support capabilities necessary to complete this major retrofit project on an accelerated schedule,” said Son Kwang-Sig, general manager, Power Generation Management Team, KOSEP. “The equipment and controls modernization of Samcheonpo units 3 and 4 will not only help us to greatly extend the life of these units, but also ensure that they operate at optimal efficiency and reliability.”

"We are gratified by KOSEP’s ongoing confidence in Emerson’s people and technologies,” said Bob Yeager, president of the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson. “We are confident that implementation of our PlantWeb technologies, along with boiler-turbine unit coordinated control, will translate into ongoing O&M savings and operational efficiencies at the Samcheonpo thermal power plant.”