A cogeneration plant operating 368MW gas turbines in Singapore suffered from availability, reliability, and efficiency issues. To improve the situation, it needed to upgrade its air-inlet filters. Camfil performed on-site and Life Cycle Cost analyses to recommend a solution appropriate for the challenging site conditions.
The plant is located on the West Coast of Singapore, where it is challenged by salt-laden air and year-round humidity ranging from 70-90%. PM2.5 ranges from 50-70μg/m3, which is 130% greater than the national average.1
The main sources of contaminants arise from the plant‘s industrial neighbors, including power producers and refineries. Additionally, every summer a large-scale haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia reaches Singapore. Pressure drop spikes, fouling, and corrosion are therefore prominent consequences under these challenging circumstances.
The plant’s original filtration system was comprised of 500 M6 bag prefilters at the first stage and 500 F9 static final filters at the second stage.
Due to the harsh environment of the plant, an EPA filtration solution with hydrophobic, self-drainant, and low pressure drop properties was required to protect the turbine. Camfil performed a Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCC) that showed which filter set would generate the most savings. The LCC showed that the plant would save approximately $1.56m USD every three years, per gas turbine, from fouling and pressure drop, with the following solution:
As a result, the plant decided to upgrade their filters with the recommended solution.
Benefits of the Camfil Solution• Improved fuel efficiency• Higher power output • Reduced maintenance requirements • Extended component life • Increased reliability • Safer operations • Reduced CO2 emissions per MWh |
The operational efficiency of the gas turbines greatly improved with the CamGT installation, despite the challenging environment.
Result 1: The plant reported that they no longer experienced fouling. As a result, the plant’s annual frequency of offline water washes went from six to zero with Camfil’s solution. According to ‘Impact of Enhanced GT Air Filtration on Power Output and Compressor Efficiency Degradation’ (2016)2, Figure 1 shows the average compressor efficiency degradation due to the filter upgrade is generally expected to improve by around 1-2%, while the average power degradation is generally expected to improve by 4-5%.
According to The Value Rating classification system, the table on the right shows that the CamGT 3V-600 E11 increases power output by 5.2%, decreases fuel penalty by 2.6% MJ/MWh, and increases the CO2 savings by 10 500 tonnes/TWh, as compared to the original F9 final filter.
These results are based on a standardized environment that are already assumed in The Value Rating calculations. This is a tool that operators can use when a more detailed Life Cycle Cost analysis has not been performed. It is a good indicator to compare filters.
Competitor F9 | CamGT 3V-600 E11 | |
Power output | 93.8% | 99.0% |
Fuel penalty | +3.1% MJ/MWh | +0.5% MJ/MWh |
CO2 savings | 6 800 tonnes/TWh | 17 300 tonnes/TWh |
CamFlo GT Hybrid F7 bag filter
|
CamGT 3V-600 E11 compact final filter
|