CCI Takes the Controls at Endesa France’s Provence 5 Power Plant

CCI has supplied new control systems for the HP/LP Bypass and Separator Level Control Valves at the Endesa France Provence 5 plant in Southern France.

Provence 5 is a Sulzer-designed fossil 600MW unit, once-through type, built in 1983. Endesa France is the third largest electricity producer in France, and sells its power to France’s EDF during peak load times. The company was formerly known as LaSNET before being bought by the Spanish power corporation, Endesa.

Provence 5 needed to upgrade their old control systems to maintain reliability and plant safety. Old analog cards were malfunctioning, which resulted in valve deviations and old hydraulics occasionally led to uncontrolled valve opening. The existing HP bypass control was a stand-alone system that was connected to other plant systems by a hardwired interface (cables). The customer had difficulty finding a replacement for this specific system, while keeping its functionality and not changing other obsolete systems. They turned to CCI as the proven leader in innovative solutions.

As the original manufacturer, Sulzer was in a great position to offer a new level of technology and performance. CCI exchanged all the old analog electronics comprising the temperature and boiler pressure control system for the HP bypass and separator level control with a modern CPU-based digital system. In addition, the safety system for the boiler was renewed and the hydraulics, including positioning circuits, were modernized.

Thanks to this solution, the customer has avoided problems with spare parts, valve position deviations, hydraulic malfunctions and safety hazards. Having the latest state controller with observer bypass controls allows the downstream temperature to be controlled more efficiently than before. This allows better control of the reheater temperature. In addition, the boiler pressure can be controlled more precisely, and the start-up procedure is now automated for the HP bypass system. All these result in improved plant operation during start-up.

This was an innovative custom solution for Provence 5, and this success is a breakthrough since many similar units also need to be upgraded. This project will be used as a reference plant. Four more units of the same type are installed in France and many more in Germany.

This project is unique because it allows DRAG ® and Sulzer valves to be controlled by Sulzer hydraulics and the latest Sulzer digital control system, creating a unified overall system. In addition, the whole turnkey upgrade project was done in only 12 days, including civil works, cabling, electronic commissions, hot and cold commissioning, change of hydraulics, new cabinets and valve overhauls. It is also the first digital AV6+ control system installed in the France/Western Europe sales area.

CCI won this order over well-known DCS suppliers such as: Siemens, ABB, Schneider, Yokogawa and Emerson. The company demonstrated its superior technical expertise and the customer is well satisfied. As an added example of CCI’s focus on customer service, education about the new products was conducted in French at the CCI office in Switzerland.

Published in SOLUTIONS Summer 2007