An electric utility company reached out to our team seeking options to replace their existing fuel oil fired auxiliary boiler for a power plant. They had a 2MW+ application, were under time constraints, and needed a quick response.

The Solution

Keeping the customer’s restricted timing in mind, we recommended a previously designed 2,280 KW @ 480V 3PH Steam Generator. In doing so it allowed us to save engineering and manufacturing time and to deliver the steam generator on schedule


We decreased maintenance cost and increased reliability since the steam generator has far less moving parts and a much simpler operation compared to a fuel fired steam boiler. The system operates as an auxiliary steam generator when the power plant is idle and not producing steam from the gas turbine heat recovery steam generator. The auxiliary steam also provides a saturated steam source which is then superheated by a Chromalox model GCHIS circulation heater to preheat the seal glands on the steam turbine.


Our solution met the customer’s sustainability requirements by allowing the end user to eliminate their backup fuel oil storage tanks since they no longer needed to have fuel oil onsite to fire the auxiliary steam boiler. Due to the sporadic operation of the auxiliary steam generator, the customer chose to utilize an electric steam generator due to fast start-up capabilities and limited maintenance requirements—adding yet another benefit to the outcome of the project.

Benefits

+ Electric steam generators provide zero emission auxiliary steam generation.
+ Precise power control provides efficient and effective use of available electricity, even with fluctuating steam flow demands.
+ 100+ years of electric heating knowledge provides a wealth of experience and past projects to use for design basis and for speeding up engineering and production.
+ Bundling of the steam generator and superheater allows for design uniformity and single source responsibility.
+ The steam generator vessel and interconnecting piping are shipped fully insulated to reduce field installation cost and reduce energy losses.
+ Incoloy sheathed electric heating elements provide a long lifetime with their resistance to corrosion.