During the second half of January, the functional tests corresponding to the four new medium voltage frequency converters recently installed by KNK Energy in collaboration with ACG Ingeniería were completed at the Andasol 1 and Andasol 2 solar thermal power plants, owned by Cubico Sustainable Investments.
The new equipment, integrated into the control loop of the feedwater system for the steam generation trains – a critical loop in the operation of the plants – has been an unprecedented milestone in the operational improvement plan for these plants to date, further confirming the recommendation of the need for these inverters in these pumps made by the O&M technical team at the plant.
The commissioning of these frequency converters has resulted in a major improvement in the control of the functional parameters of the process, completely eliminating the original problems arising from the direct start-up system of the 1.5 MVA motor-pump sets.
In summary, the new automated control system incorporates the following main advantages:
- Phased integration of the project, which eliminates any possibility of loss of production from the plants. It is also a system that is 100% compatible with any type of solar thermal power plant that does not have this type of control and with a short payback period for the customer.
- It allows the control panel to always operate at its optimum point, and not at the operating point preferred by each operator, with the disadvantages that this generates. Minimal manual intervention.
- It minimises the possibility of plant shutdown in the event of a process trip caused by the feed pumps. This translates into a totally safe operation for the O&M personnel (avoiding the tripping of safety valves due to overpressure, interventions for resetting, etc.) and always with the best overall performance of the process.
- Drastic reduction in the number of incidents and chronic corrective actions at the level of motor pumps, internal shut-off and regulation valves and deflectors of the steam generation trains. Direct reduction in maintenance costs