Schroeder valves used in Southeast Asia’s ‘most efficient’ combined cycle power plant
This article was written by Anne Doerseln, a PR consultant for Schroeder Valves from PR-Atelier.
Malaysia’s industrialisation has been proceeding quickly since the 1990s, increasing the demand for electricity by an average of about 4% each year. In order to keep up with the power demand of its 31 million citizens and of the growing number of industrial facilities, Malaysia is investing in the construction of new and efficient power plants.
One of the most advanced facilities for power generation is operating in the city of Seberang Perai in the region of Penang: the combined cycle power plant with gas fired turbines of Prai. Due to its performance of roughly one gigawatt and its efficiency of more than 60%, it is the most powerful and efficient power plant in Southeast Asia. It produces nearly 7% of the amount of energy in Malaysia. It is being operated by Tenaga Northern (TNBP), a fully owned subsidiary of the power supplier Tenaga Nasional Berhad.
The Siemens 50Hz H-Class power plant comprises two so-called power trains consisting of one state-of-the-art gas fired turbine, one water-cooled generator and one steam turbine with auxiliary systems each. Here, two units with three centrifugal pumps by the Korean pump manufacturer Hyosung Goodspring are in use. These pumps are being protected by six high pressure valves by the German specialists for protective pump fittings, Schroeder Valves.
These Schroeder High Pressure (SHP) valves are made to withstand high pressures and work reliably under highly fluctuating pump loads. This makes the SHP the perfect valve to protect pumps in the Malaysian power plant from the damage that can be caused when the flow rate falls below the permissible minimum.
The automatic recirculation valve is designed to ensure that pumps and installations are being protected from the effects of highly fluctuating pump loads and extended operation under partial load conditions. This is achieved through an automatic minimum flow control system, which manages the release of a modulating adaptive minimum flow.
Prai’s operators are pleased with the performance of the valves. The senior technical engineer at TNBP said: “Since their initial commissioning, the SHP valves have been in permanent use. They have protected our installation reliably and without any problems.”
