Emerson wins contract to upgrade power plant

Emerson Process Management has won a contract to upgrade the combustion and turbine control systems at PPL Generation LLC’s 1,473-MW Brunner Island (PA) plant.

By Control Engineering Staff July 6, 2005

Emerson Process Management has won a contract to upgrade the combustion and turbine control systems at PPL Generation LLC ’s 1,473-MW Brunner Island (PA) plant. The Ovation expert control system from Emerson’s Power & Water Solutions industry center will replace existing WDPF combustion controls at the plant’s three coal-fired, steam-electric generation units. In addition, Ovation turbine controls will be installed at Unit 1 to upgrade the existing WDPF system and at Unit 2 to replace a mechanical hydraulic system. Ovation is part of the PlantWeb digital plant architecture.

PPL Generation will use an Emerson high-fidelity simulator to test and validate the Ovation control logic before it is installed at each unit. The simulator will also serve as a training tool, so that operators can fine-tune their skills and familiarize themselves with the new controls before startup. The simulator is part of the Ovation Simulation Suite, which includes modeling technologies and simulator types to help users meet specific needs.

“The new simulator is valuable element of this comprehensive project,” said Charles Sweeney, senior instrument and controls engineer at the Brunner Island plant, which has been cited as one of the safest operations in the industry. “By verifying the new Ovation control strategies prior to installation, and facilitating operator training, the simulator is helping to pave the way for a seamless conversion.”

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com