Frimley, 2013-Mar-06
Drax LP turbine
- Multi-million steam turbine order with Drax, the UK’s largest power station.
- New modules will contribute to Drax’s efficiency improvement programme.
The new contract was awarded following the hugely successful completion of the £100 million turbine upgrade project which, over a period of five years, saw the replacement of the high pressure and low pressure turbine modules of all six generating units at Drax Power Station. The turbine modernisation project has increased the overall efficiency of the power station to almost 40% and reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by one million tonnes a year. Drax’s turbines are now among the most efficient in the world.
Commenting on the new order, Peter Emery, production director at Drax said:
“We have taken the decision to upgrade the intermediate pressure turbines of the three generating units that are to be converted to burn sustainable biomass in place of coal. This will optimise the efficiency of those units by helping to offset any loss in efficiency experienced as a result of the change in fuel diet.
“The project builds on the success of the major turbine upgrade progamme completed last year and underlines our commitment to delivering leading operational performance in power generation.
“The new design means that the intermediate pressure (IP) turbine will be installed as a module, which will support the ease of installation and reduce the required outage duration.
This new project will be delivered by joint teams from Siemens in the UK and Germany. Siemens steam turbine engineering team in Newcastle is undertaking the design and draughting elements of the project. The IP modules will be manufactured at Siemens’ factory in Mülheim an der Ruhr with critical support from Newcastle’s engineering, projects and field service teams. The turbines will be installed at Drax by an integrated team of Drax and Siemens engineers, technicians and craftsmen.
Darren Davidson, head of projects at Siemens Energy Service Fossil in Newcastle said: “A combination of hard work and an excellent collaborative relationship with Siemens in Newcastle, Germany and Drax resulted in the latest contract win. Securing this new work was a real team effort and is testament to the excellent working relationship that both companies have formed over the past five years."
Each IP module weighs 63.5 tonnes and has 26 rows of blades. The first module is scheduled to be installed in 2014 with project completion in 2015.
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The Siemens Energy Sector is the world’s leading supplier of a broad spectrum of products, services and solutions for power generation in thermal power plants and using renewables, power transmission in grids and for the extraction, processing and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2012 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of EUR27.5 billion and received new orders totaling approximately EUR26.9 billion and posted a profit of EUR2.2
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About Drax
Drax is the owner and operator of Drax Power Station, the largest, cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power station in the UK. The capacity of the power station’s six generators is 4,000MW. At current output levels it meets some 7-8% of the UK’s electricity needs.
Through executing its plan to convert three of its six generating units to burn sustainable biomass in place of coal, Drax is transforming itself into a predominantly biomass-fuelled generator. The first unit is due to be converted in April 2013. Further information is available at: www.draxgroup.plc.uk
