POWER-GEN Asia 2014

KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 10-12, 2014

Advanced Ultra-Supercritical Steam Power Plants

Marion, Johna*, Kluger, Frankc, Sell, Michaeld,
Skea, Adriand,
a
ALSTOM Power, Inc., 200 Great Pond Drive, Windsor, CT 06095 USA
c
ALSTOM Power Systems GmbH, Augsburger Strasse 712, 70329 Stuttgart, Germany
d
ALSTOM Power (Switzerland) Ltd., Brown Boveri Strasse 7, Baden CH5401, Switzerland

ABSTRACT

Alstom’s development of Advanced Ultra-Supercritical Steam Power Plants is provided with a

future view of the design & configuration of such plants. The current state-of-the-art USC steam
power plants with the most advanced steam conditions worldwide are explained. Of note is the
Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) 1000 MW Manjung Unit IV USC steam power plant in Malaysia,
for which Alstom has turnkey plant responsibility for the engineering, procurement, construction
and a major component supplier (including the boiler, steam turbine generator, and
environmental control). Looking into the future, A-USC power plants are significantly more
efficient & will reduce use of scarce fuel resources while maximizing power generation with
reduced environmental impact. While there is no specific technical definition of A-USC, Alstom
defines it as steam conditions beyond today’s USC state-of-the-art (~600 – 625oC) & requiring
employment of nickel alloys. The strength of such alloys allow a significant jump in steam
conditions with a target of 700-760oC allowing a significant (~7-10%) efficiency benefit for
incremental investment in application of these materials over todays plants. Alstom is the World
leader in advancing USC and A-USC steam power plant technology & has on-going
developments for the boiler & steam turbine components & optimized integrated plant.
Achieving 700-760oC steam temperature requires new materials & new fabrication techniques.
Alstom is a founding member of the European EMAX consortium & USA USC Materials
Consortium. Alstom continues active involvement in materials validation in laboratory
environments & in field testing in test loops in operating utility boilers in Germany & USA. In
these programs Alstom has gained considerable know-how & experience in materials properties,
welding, fabrication, design, design rules (including relevant industry code standards) and is
ready to progress to full scale demonstration. Remaining work to commercialize A-USC plants
in a global market is explained.

INTRODUCTION

Currently global electric power generating capacity is 3,900 GW. Of this, 1,300 GW (33%) is
coal combustion-based steam power plants and presently the largest category of power
generation. Through further development to improve plant cycle efficiencies and emissions, coal
combustion steam power plants are expected to maintain a critical role in the foreseeable future.

For new units, the utilization of higher efficiency steam cycles and improvements to the plant
components for efficiency are the most inexpensive ways to lower all emissions (liquid, gaseous,
and solid) and, particularly, CO2 emissions. Further, the improvement in generation efficiency
saves limited fuel resources.

*Corresponding Author: Tel.: +860-285-4539, Fax: +860-285-3861

E-mail address: john.l.marion@power.alstom.com
 POWER
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KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Septeember 10-12, 20014

Efficienccy improvem ment of stteam powerr plants haas followedd a systematic increasse in
thermody ynamic cyclee conditionss and this treend is expeccted to continnue into thee future in loogical
steps larg
gely driven by market needs
n and thhe developm ment, validattion, and avvailable suppply of
cost-effective materiaals to enablee these operaating conditiions. Figuree 1 shows thee impact of ssteam
temperatu ure and presssure on the heat
h rate imp provements and thermoddynamic effi ficiency. Figgure 2
shows th he historicall trends and d expected future evollution of steeam conditiions. Efficiency
improvem ments are mainly
m due to
t increased d steam tem mperature and pressure, but also include
improvem ments in steam turbine aerodynamic
a cs, seals, coondenser heaat transfer, reeduction in stack
losses, im
mprovement in fans and drives, overall plant inteegration, andd other meassures.

Figure 1 – Evolution of Power

P Plant Effficiency Figu
ure 2 - Steam Poower Plant Efficciency,
with
w Steam Temp perature and Pressure Past and Future

CURRENT STATE
E-OF-THE-A
ART STEA
AM POWER
R PLANTS

Today’s state-of-the-art plants operate

o withh “Ultra-supper critical” (“USC”) cconditions; ssteam
conditionns with presssure greater than 250 baar (>3600 pssi) and tempperatures ~6000 - 620oC ((1110
– 1150oF).
F Such plaants exist no ow within most
m of the m major global markets. T Table 1 show ws the
current maximum
m steeam conditio ons in the world
w by the region as wwell as for Allstom direct sales
and by liicensees. Th his table doees not includde the early A-USC expperience in A America witth the
125 MW We American n Electric Power’s (AE EP) Philo Unnit 6 (designned for 6211oC (1150oF F)/306
bar), (wh
hich began operation
o in 1957) and thhe 325 MWee Exelon Edddystone Uniit 1 (designeed for
654oC (1210oF)/360 bar) (which h began operration in 19660). While nnot represenntative of moodern
designs, the experien nce with thesse early unitts was helpfu
ful in highligghting techniical requirem
ments
related to
o thermal faatigue of thick walled components llike headerss and they ppioneered today’s
successfuul developmment of USC conditions world-wide.
w The boilerr for Eddystoone was desiigned
and builtt by Combustion Engineeering (now Alstom Pow wer) and opperated for 550 years at ssteam
conditionns of 613oC (1135oF) / 340 bar, more advannced than aany other ccoal-fired unnit in
operationn today [6].

It should
d be further noted
n that Double
D Reheeat [DRH] coould be added to this taable, althouggh the
maximum m steam co onditions wo ould remain n as shown with the aaddition of a second rreheat
condition
n typically at
a the same reheat
r tempeerature but aat a lower prressure. Plaant efficiencyy can
be improoved with thee addition off a second, or
o double, rehheat (DRH) flow into thhe steam cyclle. At

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ultra-supercritical (U
USC) steamm parameterss, net plantt efficiency increases ffrom 0.75 – 1.0
percentagge points (HHHV basis) are realizedd. Alstom inncorporated DRH in its pioneering USC
Eddystonne Unit #1, a 325 MW unitu with 50 000 psig/12000 psig/10500oF/1050oF ssteam param meters
and a net plant heat rate of 8534 Btu/KWhr. In anotheer example, Alstom also supplied a 475
MW su upercritical unit, GK KM K18, in Germ many with steam pparameters 27.5
o o o
MPa/530 0 C/540 C/53 30 C. Alstom
m has the reequisite expperience andd capabilitiess to supply uultra-
supercritical boilers and
a steam tuurbines for DRH
D plants ttoday

Today’s state-of-the--art power plants

p apply
y high strenggth ferritic aand austenittic steels thaat are
more dem manding thaan traditionaal materials in terms of fabrication, erection, annd serviceabbility.
The Induustry is noww gaining exp perience witth these matterials whilee demonstratting the neeed for
proper materials
m seleections and design
d operaating marginn. Quality asssurance in procuremennt and
careful ad
dherence to fabrication processes
p must
m be combbined with sttaff training for both the shop
and field
d constructioon. Operatin ng plants neeed to followw OEM guidance and bbe proactive with
maintenaance. Throu ugh these esttablished Inddustry princciples, USC ppower plantts have provven to
be highlyy reliable whhile providin
ng flexible operation
o ass demanded in today’s ppower generration
climate in which fossil geneeration must effectivelly complem ment interm mittent renew wable
on.
generatio

The new EnBW Karrlsruhe RDK K 8 power pllant in Germmany and thee new TNBJJ Manjung U Unit 4
in Malay ysia are outsstanding Alsstom examplles of the cuurrent state-of-the-art U
USC steam ppower
plants in the world.

RDK8 Power
P Plant in German
ny

The Rheinhafen Dammpfkraftwerk k (RDK) Po ower Plant iss located in the City off Karlsruhe aat the
River Rh
hine. This new
n state-off-the-art unitt is fired witth bituminouus coal and has an elecctrical
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output of 912 MWee. The oveerall plant efficiency

e iss over 46%
% (LHV), annd the addittional
combined d district heeat productioon (max. 22 20 MWth) leeads up to 58% of fuell utilization. The
specific CO2 emissions are far below the European aand global aaverage. H High boiler ssteam
o o
parameteers [603°C (1117 F)/28 85 bar, 621°C (1150 F F)/60 bar] fo
for the HP and RH seection
respectiv
vely, low emmissions, a wide
w coal ran
nge, and thee use of advaanced materrials are the main
significan o this plant. Alstom designed and bbuilt the tottal plant inclluding the bboiler,
nt features of
steam turrbine, and balance
b of pllant. Comm missioning oof the powerr plant was in 2012. Details
about this boiler are given
g in [10].

Manjung
g Unit IV Power Plant in Malaysia
a

The new 1000 MW Manjung M Unnit IV (Figurre 3), under constructionn next to thee existing unnits at
the Manjjung power station in Perak,
P Malayysia, is a seccond exampple of today’’s state-of-thhe-art
steam plaant under construction. This plant iss owned by T TNB Janamaanjung Sdn B Bhd, a subsiidiary
of Malayysia’s state-ccontrolled po ower generattion, transmmission and ddistribution ccompany, Teenaga
Nasionall Bhd (TNB)). The plantt site is apprroximately 3300 km northh of Kuala L Lumpur. Unnit IV
will be th
he first coal--fired plant in Malaysia utilizing
u USSC technologgy, and also will be the ssingle
largest un
nit in South East Asia an nd one of thee most efficiient coal-fireed power plaants in the w
world.
Alstom is responsiblle for the po ower plant’s turnkey enggineering, prrocurement, and construuction
(EPC).

Figure 3 - TNBJ Manjunng IV 1000 MWW Figure 4 – Manjung IV Sliding Pressurre, Supercriticaal
USC Power Plant in Malaysiia Vertical Walll Boiler Design

State-of-tthe-art comp
ponents are:

- Alstom
A two-paass, USC oncee-through boiiler (tangentiaal firing, low NOx combusstion system)
- Alstom
A STF1000 steam turrbine with one high-presssure, one inntermediate-prressure, and three
do ouble flow lo
ow-pressure tu urbines for hig
gh efficiencyy and reliabilitty
- Alstom
A Two-p pole GIGAT TOP turbogeenerator withh most advaanced water hydrogen-coooling
teechnology forr generators, providing
p high efficiency, reliability andd simple mainntenance
- Alstom
A ALSPA A® Series 6 Distribute
D Control System (DCS)
- Environmental
E l control systeems including
g flue-gas dessulfurization ((FGD) and faabric filter (FF
F)

The boileer features a main steam m flow of 3226 tonnes/hoour at 282 bbar and 600oC (1112oF). The
boiler design is a verrtical orienteed tube wall design, two fireball, twoo-pass arranngement equiipped
with Alstom’s uniqu ue TFS2000® firing sysstem and wiill burn bituuminous andd sub-bituminous

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KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 10-12, 2014

coals (Figure 4). The furnace wall is a vertical tube design, which incorporates rifled tubing and
stress reduction features, allowing sliding pressure operation for flexibility, and has the highest
efficiency during daily load swings (30% to 100%). A vertical wall arrangement is desirable for
simplification of wall support, less complex manufacturing, and less costly construction and
maintenance. Rifled tubing is used to insure uniform tube cooling with high furnace heat fluxes
and relatively low fluid flow. Additionally, orifices are employed to match the fluid flow within
individual tubes to the furnace heat flux and water wall heat absorption. The evolution to
vertical wall arrangement for USC conditions is a significant technical achievement which was
previously demonstrated at the Comanche and Iatan units in the USA [7].

Manjung Boiler Design Features

1. Finishing superheater and reheat sections fabricated with austenitic materials
2. Coal pulverizers provided are the largest design in commercial operation for an Alstom
two-pass steam generator to date.
3. Combustion air staging for NOx reduction is accomplished with side wall separated over
fire air (SOFA) windboxes. Mounting the SOFA boxes on the furnace side wall and
directing the air stream normal to the rotating fire ball promotes a more uniform gas side
energy (GSE) profile leaving the combustion zone.
4. Two stages of superheat attemperation are provided to regulate final outlet steam
temperature. Total SH spray water is designed for 4% with a bias of higher flow in the
first stage.
5. Reheat steam temperature is controlled by windox tilt position and furnace excess air
control. Reheat spray water is provided for abnormal operating conditions and is located
upstream of the finishing reheater for responsive control.
6. Furnace and boiler auxiliaries have been selected for a wide range of coal properties
7. Furnace wall tubes are arranged vertically throughout the full height of the evaporator.
The vertical wall arrangement provides proper cooling flow for each tube by selecting
restricting orifices unique to the heat release profile of the furnace. The system pressure
drop in this arrangement is reduced when compared to other circulation arrangements
employed more commonly in smaller plan area generators.

Manjung Power Plant Milestone Events, (48 Month Schedule)

 Project Start April 2011 - completed
 Steel Erection May 2012 - completed
 Boiler Hydro Feb 2014 - completed
 First Fire on Coal Target - July 2014
 Synchronization Target - Sept 2014
 Performance Tests Target - Feb 2015
 Provisional Acceptance - March 2015

A-USC STEAM POWER PLANTS

In the quest for higher efficiencies and better environmental performance, A-USC steam
conditions will be the next evolution of steam power plants. Achievement of A-USC conditions
will require new materials and new fabrication techniques. Nickel-based alloys for SH / RH
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 POWER-GEN Asia 2014
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 10-12, 2014

tubing and piping, and for turbine forgings and casings are required. These may include nickel
alloys IN617, IN740, Haynes 230, Sanicro 25, IN625, Haynes 282 and other advanced alloy
materials. New fabrication techniques will include membrane walls from high chrome (Cr)
ferritic alloy (T91 or T92) and dissimilar metal welds in the turbine rotor.

Conventional arrangements of the boiler, steam turbine, and plant are feasible and are expected
as the first steps in the realization of plants with A-USC steam conditions. Due to the high cost
of nickel alloys, the relative cost of high-temperature duty pressure parts, and in particular the
connecting piping between the boiler and steam turbine, has motivated innovative design
arrangements to minimize the length of such piping.

Alstom has been heavily involved in A-USC development for the last 10-15 years through its
own work and in collaborations with various groups in Europe and in the US. Alstom has
completed materials tests, component fabrication and welding tests, thick-walled component
tests under cyclic conditions, and developed and validated all of the necessary material selection
specifications and manufacturing information to design and build an A-USC plant. Several A-
USC boiler concept designs have been developed including a detailed 550 MW tower boiler
design, a 550 MW steam turbine design, a 1000 MW two-pass reference design, a 1100 MW
tower boiler reference design, a 1100 MW steam turbine design, and a 1100 MW total plant
design.

It is generally agreed that progress toward the realization of A-USC conditions rests with the
availability of cost-effective materials with the required combination of strength, oxidation
resistance, corrosion resistance, weldability and fabricability, and overall long-term durability
and reliability. Several major collaborative programs have been on-going in Europe and in the
US in which Alstom has been a key player. New efforts are now also underway in Japan, China,
and India, all of which provide further evidence of the interest and certainty that appropriate
materials will become available and confirmed for this application.

In Europe, substantial progress has been made within the European Union (EU) Thermie/AD700
[2,8] programs toward the development of a coal-fired A-USC plant targeting steam conditions
of 700 / 720oC (1290 / 1330oF) and an overall net plant efficiency of over 50% lower heating
value (LHV). These programs addressed the boiler, steam turbine, and the main steam piping. A
significant achievement has been the completion of a components test facility (COMTES700) by
the EMAX consortium which was coordinated by the VGB and consisted of several European
utilities (EON, EDF, EnBW, ENEL, Electrabel, Energi E2, Elsam, RWE, and Vattenfall) [4, 5].
This successful test demonstrated large-scale critical boiler components (membrane wall,
superheater, headers, connecting piping, desuperheaters, safety valves, high pressure bypass
valves and a turbine valve) at the Scholven F power plant in Germany. Alstom supplied the
superheater and evaporative wall panel to this project as well as components for the turbine valve
[4].

In the US, the A-USC consortium has been ongoing since 2002 through a project with two
separate phases addressing boiler, steam turbine, and plant connecting piping. This consortium
has been sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology
Laboratory (NETL) and the State of Ohio’s Energy Industries Office (EIO), with cost share from

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KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Septeember 10-12, 20014

memberss including Alstom,

A B&&W, FW, Riiley Power, and with teechnical cooordination by the
Electric Power Reseearch Institu ute (EPRI), and effortss by Oak R Ridge Natioonal Laborattories
(ORNL),, and otherss [3]. The US Consorttium targets a temperatture of 730 / 760oC (13350 /
1400oF) and an overrall efficienccy approachiing 50% on a high heatiing value (H HHV) basis. The
US prog gram’s targeet was baseed on the viewv that thhe nickel allloys under evaluation have
sufficientt strength fo ures and preessures and therefore thheir full poteential
or the higheer temperatu
should be
b exploited d. Precipitaation strengtthened nickeel-based allooys (such aas Haynes2882 or
IN740) are
a stronger, but similar in cost, to their
t weakerr solution strrengthened ccounterpart (such
as CCA6 617 widely applied
a to eaarly 700oC design
d conceepts). How wever, the achievement oof the
higher steam conditio ons requiress more heat exchange
e suurface even iif the specifiic material ccost is
similar (F
Figure 5).

Figure 5 – Material use in SC, USC, aand A-USC Boiiler

One of the
t positive outcomes of o this alternnate target hhas been to expand the material chhoices
00oC. A sp
availablee to the desiigner for 70 pecific exammple is that the applicattion of IN7440 to
connectinng piping ap
ppears to be an attractivee choice for tthe main steeam piping bbecause it redduces
pipe thickness, allow
ws extrusion of longer seections, and results in loower overalll material weeight.
Furthermmore, the hig gher yield strength of the precipittation strenggthened allooys gives hhigher
resistance to low cyccle fatigue further
f enhaancing the cyycling capabbility of the component. The
applicatioon of such h alloys to o turbine components
c is currenttly being iinvestigated and
demonstrrated in the European
FP7 projeect MACPL LU.

A-USC BOILER
B

Boiler Materials
M

Material options foor A-USC

boilers are
a shown in n Table 2.
These have no
ow been
selectively approved for use by
both th he ASME and EN
pressure vessel codess. Table 2
provides the status of ASME
approval.
Table 2 - Materials forr A-USC Boiler Design (accord
ding to ASME) ref [3]

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A-USC Boiler
B Desig
gns

One exam mple of an A-USC dessign is a 10 000 MW twoo-pass boileer with steam m turbine thhrottle
o o o o
conditionns of 37.9 MPa/730 C/760C C (55500psig/13466 F/1400 F)), developedd to identiffy the
materialss requiremennts as part of
o the US A-USC
A cons ortium efforrt [9]. The furnace andd tube
spacings were desig gned applyiing normal practices w with
regard to
o complete combustion
c of
o the Pittsbburgh #8 dessign
coal andd to minimize slagging g and foulin ng effects. To
reduce NOx
N emissioons and peaak heat flux rate, the TF FS-
2000® low-NOx
l taangential firring system was selectted.
Figure 6 shows thee surface arrangement
a of the booiler
design. The
T unit is configured
c as
a a once-thrrough, two-ppass
gas desiggn with pen ndant heatinng surfaces located in the
upper fuurnace and horizontal surfaces
s in the rear paass.
Furnace heat is parrtially absorrbed by flu uid-cooled wwall
tubes, which
w form the
t lower an nd upper ch hambers of the
furnace.

Figure 6 - 2-Pass A-USC

C Boiler Design for
730oC/7600oC/350 Bar (13350oF/1400oF/55500 psi)

Adequatee wall tube cooling

c is acchieved by using
u the spiiral wall connstruction thhat has beenn used
by Alsto
om on man ny supercritical power plants. T This boiler design appllies materiaals in
1400 accorddance with tthe ASME C Code.
S
S304H, HR120,
740 617, 230 This d
design requirres applicati on of
7
740
T23 ((2Cr) alloyy in the llower
Fluid Temperature - F

740 S304H
1200
347HFG, 617, 740
7
S304H portionn of the low
wer furnace aand a
347H
HFG
material with the strength off T92
S30
04H, 617, 740
1000 (9Cr) aalloy in the upper portion of
T92 the lowwer furnace. Also, maaterial
T23, T91
of coonstruction for the uupper
800 furnace is T92, orr a material with
T23, T92 compaarable elevaated temperrature
CS
creep strength. Figgure 7 show ws the
600
averagge fluid temmperatures w within
SH els

RH nts
r

SH lls

In

s
t

the vaarious boileer heat traansfer

Ou
ize

SH aten

en
3r

p
wa

h
n

em

a
om

at
s
sh
Pa

sh

nd
ni

Te
er

Pl

Pl

surfacee sections aand the materials

T
ni

ni
on

Fi

Pe
at

w
Fi

Fi
W

SH
Ec

Lo

Lo

RH
SH

specifiied for consttruction.

RH

RH

Fig
gure 7 - Materia 30/760oC A-USC
als applied to 73 C Boiler

The prim
mary superheeat duty is performed
p by the roof aand backpasss wall tubess. Similar tto the
furnace walls,
w the caandidate maaterial of construction iss T92. Widde-spaced suuperheat divvision
nd superheat platens cool the furnaace gas in thhe upper furrnace. The superheat ppanels
panels an
have 50.8 mm (2”) ODO tubes. Materials
M off constructioon and wall tthickness vaary dependinng on
the metal temperaturres and incluude Super30 04H, IN617,, and IN7400. Estimatedd maximum m tube

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outside teemperatures can reach asa high as 72 21oC (1330oF F) in some loocations. Doownstream oof the
platens and
a above th he arch, theere is a finishing reheaater followedd by a finisshing superhheater
pendant. To minimize the effecct of high raadiant heat flux emittedd from the ffurnace, the final
superheaat section is shielded froom the furnaace by its poosition behinnd the final reheater secction.
The max ximum tube outside
o tempperature of about
a 743oC (1370oF) iss estimated ffor wrapper tubes
(outer tubbe in an asssembly). Th he superheat finishing suurface is preedominantly IN740, althhough
IN617 co ould be appliied in some portions. Outside
O metall temperaturres for some tube sectionns are
o o
above 76 60 C (1400 F). The fin nishing superheater and finishing reeheater outleet header annd the
steam lin
ne piping aree designed with
w IN740. For the inteermediate teemperature hheaders and llinks,
the candiidate materiaals are IN6117, HR6W, SAVE25,
S Haynes230, aand HR120. In the backkpass,
there is a primary reeheater folloowed by an economizerr. As compared to supeercritical (SC C) or
USC designs, the reh heater is quitte large due to
t a lower diifference bettween steam
m temperaturre and
furnace gas
g temperattures. The location
l of the convectivve and radiaant surfaces is determineed by
consideraation of the proper balaance between n gas, steam
m, and tube metal tempeeratures as iis the
case withh boilers designed for lowwer temperaatures.

Status off Boiler Materials Valid

dation and Establishm
ment of Manu
ufacturing & Repair
Processees

Boiler Su
uperheater and Reheatter

Boiler su uperheaters and reheateers are consttructed of tuubing and kkey considerrations are creep
strength, oxidation inn steam, and d high temp perature corrrosion in thee flue gas. Depending upon
metal temmperature, A-USC
A SH and
a RH tubin ng can incluude at low teemperature T TP347HFG (17%
Cr-steel fine grainedd), to Super304H (17%Cr-steel shoot peened), tto HR3C (225% Cr-steeel), to
nickel allloy IN617 and IN740 0. IN740 and a Hayness 282 are thhe only viaable materiaals at
730/760oC. Note that t while IN740 is ASMEA codee approved, Haynes 2882 is still uunder
consideraation. Materials propertties have beeen extensiveely evaluatedd in laboratoories and thrrough
field testting. Oxidattion resistan
nce is mandaatory, becauuse oxidationn promotes aaccelerated creep
due to reduction of cross
c section and progresssive increasse in tube meetal temperaature. Steam m-side
oxidationn also causees exfoliatioon of oxide particles w which can cause blockaage of tubess and
erosion of
o steam turbbine compon nents. Flue gas
g corrosionn is a compleex subject w where corrosiion is
impacted d by metalss temperatu ure and specific gaseouus and coaal-ash enviroonment. B Boiler
manufactturers have considerable
c e know-how and experieence at lowerr metal tempperatures andd this
is augmeented by labooratory furnaace testing to
ogether withh steam test lloops at actuual boilers.

Figure
F 8 – COM
MTES700 at Sch
holven Unit
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Several noteworthy
n A-USC
A steamm loops hav
ve been operrated and are under operation by Allstom
in Europe (Esbjerg, Westfalen, Amager,
A Weeissweiler, S Scholven, M
Mannheim (G GKM)) and iin the
USA (Baarry Station)). A key milestone was the testing of all criticcal A-USC pplant compoonents
(membraane wall, supper-heater bundles, headders, pipes aand valves) under real conditions iin the
COMTES700 test rig g (12 kg/s stteam mass flow)
fl installeed in E.ONss power statiion Scholvenn unit
F in Germ
many (Figurre 8).

At the Baarry Steam Loop,

L field exposure
e testting at A-US
SC steam tem mperature (7760oC, 1400°°F) is
validating laboratoryy corrosion and oxidatio on testing (FFigure 9). M Materials unnder study iin the
loop are;; Super304H H, HR3C, HR6W,
H Haynnes 230, Hayynes 230 wiith an Amstar thermal sspray,
Inconel 617,
6 Inconel 617 with EN33 laser cladding, Innconel 617 with EN622 laser claddding,
Haynes 282,
2 and Incconel 740. The loop beegun operattions in late 2011, and w will continuue for
approximmately 15,000+ hours tottal, of which h >5000 houurs operatingg under load dispatch, cyycling
nearly daaily at loop outlet
o steamm conditions greater thann 1400oF (7660oC). This is the only ssteam
loop and the first in the
t world wiith advanced d materials eexposed to thhese high tem
mperatures uunder
actual cooal fired booiler operatin ng conditionns. In addittion, the Baarry steam lloop has seeveral
dissimilaar welds join
ning differentt specimen that
t may dem monstrate thee performance of the weelding
materialss and the pro
ocedures used.

o o
Figurre 9 – A-USC Steam
S Test Lo
oop (>760 C (>1400 F) at S
Southern Com
mpany Servicess Barry Statioon

Boiler Headers
H and Piping

Boiler heeaders and piping

p mustt be constru
ucted of matterials with appropriate long-term creep
rupture strength, an nd also must consider thermal faatigue due to the largge mass of such
componeents. Ideal material can ndidates willl have low coefficient of thermal expansion, high
thermal conductivity
c y and high yield strength. Steam oxiddation is stilll an importaant consideraation,
although internal coaatings have been propossed which m might be appplied in the ffuture. For those
headers exposed
e to furnace
f gases (not typicaal), corrosionn resistance is a consideeration. Theermal
fatigue consideration
c ns are increaasing with elevated
e tem
mperatures annd, at the saame time, m market
condition
ns are requirring coal-firred power pllants to be iincreasinglyy flexible in terms of cyycling
operation
n, low load operation, anda ramp raate. Operatioonal flexibillty in order to accommodate
increased
d non-flexibble intermitteent renewab bles generatiion. The E Eddystone U Unit 1 used high-
strength thick-wall
t auustenitic SH
H outlet head
der and mainn steam line componentss and experieenced
thermal-ffatigue and creep-fatigu
c ue damage. Today, the eelevated ruppture strengtths of ferriticc and
nickel-baased alloys have increaased significcantly, so tthat thinner--walled com mponents caan be

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 POWER
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KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Septeember 10-12, 20014

operated at higher teemperatures and pressurees. Headerr and piping materials foor A-USC booilers
will inclu
ude X20 (12% Cr) forr low tempeeratures, to P91 and P992 (9% Cr) for intermeediate
temperatuures, and Alloy
A 617 (7700oC), Alloys IN740 and 261 (7700oC – 8000oC) for A--USC
condition
ns. IN740 iss now approvved for use by
b the ASME E code.

Mechanical properties of candid date A-USC C materials have been eextensively investigatedd and
large com
mponents bu uilt and testeed (for exam
mple within CCOMTES7000, Figure 100). Additionnally,
currently
y an on-goinng test, calleed HWT I & II at the G GKM Unit 6 (Boiler 177) in Mannhheim,
Germany y, includes high
h temperaature steam corrosion
c witthin an operrating boiler.. These fieldd tests
include thick section
n componentts (e.g. Alloy y 617/Alloy 263 header)) under cyclling conditioons as
shown inn the right picture
p of Figure
F 10. At GKM U Unit 6 over two thousannd cycles (22638)
operating 7 oC and 400
g between 725 4 oC, have been perfoormed with approximateely fourteenn (14)
cycles daaily. The 630oC (1166oF) F SH test looop containss materials ssuch as 304HHCu, Save122AD,
DWM 31 10M, Sanicrro25, HR6W W and T92. The T 725oC ((1337oF) SH H test loop ccontains materials
A617mod, HR6W, HR35,H A263,, Haynes 230 0 and IN7400.

Figure 10 – 725oC HTW GKM – Steam m Test Loop (H HWT I) for C

Corrosion / Oxxidation
and
a Thick wallled Headers (HWT
( II) for Fatigue Cycliing Study

The Supeerheater Testt Loop in HWWT I and HW WT I Extenssion has seenn approx. 144,000 h abovve
700°C steam temperaature, whereeas the Creepp Test Loop has seen appprox. 13,0000 h above 630°C
& 700°CC steam temp perature resp
pectively. For HWT II, att the end of March 20144 the test rig has
been opeerated with a steam tempperature overr 700°C for aapprox. 7,9777 h.

One of th
he main targets of HWT II from the ALSTOM
A siide is a strucctural viscopplastic analysis at
the edge of the bore holes
h (Figure 11) at the header
h sectioon of Alloy 617 and Alloy 263 to
evaluate the number of cycles to crack initiattion.

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 POWER
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KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Septeember 10-12, 20014

Figure 11 – 725oC HTW II GKM – Thick walled Headerss (HWT II) for Fatigue Cyclin
ng Study

Boiler Membrane
M Walls
W

Furnace membrane walls requiire creep strrength, oxiddation resisttance in steam, and firreside
corrosionn resistancee. Addition nal requiremments incluude welded constructioon with minnimal
distortion
n of the wall with long welds (tube to fin). Fieeld construcction challennges are withh butt
weld and d the need for
fo effective post weld heat
h treatmennt procedurees. Choicess of materialls are
T12 (1% % Cr) for low w temperatuures (as withh supercriticcal units), buut due to thhe increased fluid
temperatu ures, the meembrane wallls will need to use T23, T24, and addditionally, T T91 and T922 (9%
Cr) will be required.. There is lim
mited industtry experiennce with suchh membranee wall fabriccation
and operation (Figurre 12). For the
t waterwalll outlet, nicckel alloys or nickel-ferrritic alloy suuch as
HR6W maym be required.

Due to very high heaat fluxes and d high inlet fluid

f temperaature, in the case of the 730/760oC bboiler
design, some section ns of the furnnace wall tu
ubes will havve outer diam meter metal temperaturee near
o o
593 C (1 1100 F). Generally,
G because
b of metal
m oxidaation concerrns, the praactice is to limit
applicatio
on of 9Cr allloys. Whilee the estimateed metal temmperatures arre below this limit, suchh high
temperatuure waterwaalls fall outtside practiccal operatioon experiencce. Servicee experiencee has
shown th hat some co oals produce complex ash sulfatess, which is extremely corrosive inn the
temperatuure range 5666 - 691oC (1050 to 1275oF). Thereefore, it is annticipated that the appliccation
of protecctive coating
gs or claddin ngs to somee sections oof the furnacce walls maaybe necessaary to
mitigate corrosion efffects, and th
hese are undeer study.

Figure
F 12 - Watterwall Panels: T 92, 8-tubes, OD
O 38 x 6.3 mm
m, SAW-Weldin
ng, Wire 2 mm – Alstom‘s Shop
p

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 POWER
ER-GEN Asia 20114
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Septeember 10-12, 20014

A-USC STEAM
S TU
URBINE

The desiggn philosoph hy of Alstomm’s A-USC steam

s turbine is to remaiin within thee architecturee and
design prractices of th
he existing suuper- and ultra-supercrittical turbine modules. Thhis means thhat
extensivee references are availablee to demonstrate the robbustness of thhe design appproach and nno
significan
nt changes oro adaptation ns are requireed in the dessign and enggineering proocesses.
Fundameentally, this means
m that th
he A-USC modules
m takee advantage of the fact thhat there is nno
requiremment for cooliing. Figure 13 shows a typical
t desiggn schematicc of a single reheat
arrangemment for a 5000 MW, 50H Hz generator. To improvee cycle efficiiency an addditional HP
heater ex
xtraction is lo
ocated towarrds the end ofo the HP exp xpansion. Othher power cllasses and sppeeds
follow annalogously.

Ni Fe
erritic
basse ste
eel
allo
oy

1 – 500 MW Single RH A-USC

Figure 13 Figu
ure 14 – A-USC
C Steam Turbbine
Steam Tu
urbine Arrang
gement HP m
module design
n

Figure 144 shows a typical desiggn for an A--USC HP tuurbine. The kkey design ffeature (whiich is
common to all Alstom m HP turbin
nes, at all steeam conditioons, is the usse of shrink rings to closse the
upper andd lower casing halves. Shrink
S ring teechnology w
was introduceed in the 19660s, and has been
used succcessfully eveer since.

Figure 15 shows a typical turb bine arrangeement for ann A-USC pplant, showinng the first high
o intermediatte pressure tu
pressure turbine, two urbines and two double flow LPs. T
The configurration
used is extremely
e siimilar to th
he turbine arrrangement for a conveentional douuble reheat train,
which is discussed beelow, see Figgure 16.

The alterrnative archiitecture to th

he shrink ring
gs is to use flanged casiing halves. H
However, flaanged
structures are unsymmmetrical, with
w large maaterial mass es which arre not conduucive to lim mit the
transient thermal streesses, particu
ularly those arising
a from
m the start of the machinee.

In compaarison, the use

u of shrink k rings resuults in a radiially symmeetric structurre with relattively
thin casinngs. The resulting HP module
m desig
gn with shrinnk rings has minimized ccasing distorrtions
during operation. Th his is essenttial for A-UUSC applicaations, becauuse of the cconsequent sstable
clearancees and susttained efficiiencies com mbined withh long-term reliability and operattional
flexibility
y.

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 POWER
ER-GEN Asia 20114
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Septeember 10-12, 20014

Figure 15
5 - 500MW sin ngle reheat turbine Figu
ure 16 -Typicaal double reheaat layout,
train confiiguration MW Configuraation
1000M

The inneer casing is constructed from two materials.

m Thhe high tempperature nicckel based ppart is
welded to o the steel casing
c section at a location where, ddue to the steeam expansiion, the operrating
temperatu ure is withinn the normall maximum temperaturee of application of the stteel. All boltts are
selected on the basis of match hing thermaal expansionn coefficientt and high stress relaxxation
strength. Due to thee double shelll design, the outer casinng is exposeed to the exhhaust steam only,
which alllows relativeely small flaanges at the outer
o casing.. No preheatting of the caasings is reqquired
before a start and tu urbines are designed in n such a waay that the ccasings do nnot limit theermal
transientss so as to ach
hieve operatting flexibilitty.

The A-U USC steam tu urbine design n features a welded rotoor. This has bbeen a key ffeature of Allstom
steam turrbines since the 1930s. Welded
W roto
ors offer advantages in teerms of mateerial procureement
and overrall rotor weeights. In paarticular, eacch rotor secttion can be manufacturred from maaterial
which matches the reespective tem mperature off the steam ppath. For A--USC steam cycle param meters
this mean ns costs can
n be optimized through the t introducction of a nicckel based aalloy disc onnly at
the high temperaturee inlet. Thiss introduces a dissimilar ar weld, as ffor the innerr casing, to steel
forging where
w due to the steam m expansion n; the operaating tempeerature is w within the noormal
maximum m temperatu ure of applicaation for thee steel. Note that operatiional flexibillity and rotoor life
is furtherr improved due
d to the an nnular cavity y formed byy the two weelded rotor ssections. Thiis is a
consequeence of the reeduced stresss levels due to temperatture

A 10% CrC or 1% CrM MoV steel iss used for thhe section off the rotors aand inner cassings at the llower
temperatu ure. There are
a advantagees and disad dvantages in the choice oof steel: Thee choice of a 10%
Cr steel permits
p the dissimilar
d weld
w to the niickel alloy too be made aat a higher stteam temperrature
so that th
he nickel allloy forging is limited in i size (thuss permitting cost reducttion). Use oof 1%
CrMoV steel
s results in lower theermal stresses during cyycling operaation as a coonsequence oof the
matchingg coefficientts of thermal expansion,, and hence permit shorrter start-up times. A fuurther
benefit of the reduced d thermal strresses is thatt this leads too a greater ddefect tolerannce in the tuurbine
design. Consequentlly minimum m detectable defect size in a non-desstructive exaamination (N NDE)
increasess considerab bly. To faciliitate inspecttion of the ddissimilar rootor weld, a steel ring iss first
welded too the nickel alloy disc, followed
f by inspection oof this weld from both ooutside as w well as
from thee root. Thee weld betw ween the stteel ring annd the steell disc, perfformed at llower
temperatu ure, is manuufactured andd tested in a conventionaal manner.
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 POWER-GEN Asia 2014
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 10-12, 2014

Alstom methodology of designing rotor welds heavily depends on the large fleet experience
generated since the 1930s. The consequence of this experience is that it is possible to design new
rotor welds based on laboratory testing and design and operation experience from the existing
rotor welds already validated in the Alstom fleet. Alstom has by far the most experience in
welding of similar and dissimilar rotor materials. It is notable that Alstom’s welded rotors have
never experienced any failures since their introduction.

This experience has been further enhanced through an A-USC rotor demonstration project,
which aims to validate the technology, has been completed as part of Alstom’s design process.
A full-scale test block weld between alloy 617 and 10% Cr steel, as well as a full-scale test block
weld between alloy 625 and 10% Cr steel and alloy 617 with ferritic steel was performed. These
used a nickel alloy as the weld metal in both cases. These welds have been subject to long-term
testing without any technical issues arising.

All the rotor blades used in the HP and IP turbines are milled from bar stock with greatly reduced
machining costs. The reaction blading profiles used in the A-USC turbine is an evolutionary
technology developed by Alstom which began with the 1000 series in the 1960/70s, progressed
through the 8000 series in the 1980s and continued into the 1990/2000’s with the HPB (High
Performance Blading) series. Current development is focusing on further optimization of the
HPB profile as well as refinements in the blade root and tip shroud regions. This profile is
characterized by its robust shape, excellent vibrational behavior and high performance level.

Double Reheat

Double reheat turbines sit between the classical USC and advanced A-USC turbine
arrangements. Double reheat cycles typically offer around 3% heat rate improvements compared
to a conventional single reheat cycle, but at the expense of an additional module in the turbine
train (see Figure 16). Double reheat configurations are usually 1,000 MW in a single shaft
arrangement, or 1300 in a cross-compound layout

Typical cycles for double reheat are inlet pressure 300 bar, with inlet and reheat temperatures of
600ºC, 620ºC and 620ºC. The technology for the modules in a double reheat train is exactly
identical to those in the standard USC or A-USC configurations and thus extensively proven by
Alstom in both laboratory-scale and site-scale USC validation.

USC DEPLOYMENT AND A-USC DEVELOPMENT & DEPLOYMENT NEXT STEPS

Today’s state-of-the-art USC power plants apply high strength ferritic and austenitic steels
requiring care in application. Through established Industry principles such as care in material
selection, design operating margin, strict quality assurance of procured material, careful
adherence to fabrication processes, operations, and maintenance, USC power plants are highly
reliable while providing flexible operation as demanded in today’s power generation climate in
which fossil generation must effectively complement intermittent renewable generation. The new
EnBW Karlsruhe RDK 8 power plant in Germany and the new TNBJ Manjung Unit 4 in
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 POWER-GEN Asia 2014
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 10-12, 2014

Malaysia are outstanding Alstom examples of the current state-of-the-art USC steam power
plants in the world. A model of the 1000 MW USC HP and IP turbine is shown in Figure 17.

Figure 17 - Schematic of 1000MW USC

Major development work has been completed and the general feasibility of A-USC has been
established as a next step in the advancement of power plants. A-USC conditions can be
achieved with proven boiler, steam turbine, and plant architecture and experience. Materials for
A-USC have been intensively evaluated in laboratory and in field trials and there is now industry
consensus on their application and use including all relevant manufacturing processes such as
welding, bending, heat treatment, etc., as well as pressure vessel code approval by the ASME
and the EN. A-USC is now ready for a commercial-scale demonstration which will prove: 1) the
performance and operational characteristics, 2) the supply chain for advanced nickel alloy
components, and 3) the cost and economics, and it will establish a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) A-
USC reference which will lead to A-USC steam plant commercial deployment.

ACKNOWLDGEMENTS

The authors acknowledge the contribution of European and US agencies who have provided
instrumental leadership and funding to bring A-USC technology to its state of readiness today for
commercial demonstration (these include: EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel, EU Thermie,
US DOE NETL, Ohio Coal Development Office [OCDO]).

REFERENCES

1. IEA WEO 2009.

2. Chen, Q, Scheffknecht, G, “Boiler Design and Materials Aspects for Advanced Steam
Power Plants”, 7th Liege Conference, 29 Sept. – 2 Oct. 2002, Liege, Belgium.
3. Shingledecker, J. and Phillips, J., “U.S. Department of Energy and Ohio Coal
Development Office Advanced Ultra Supercritical Materials Project for Boilers and
Steam Turbines - Summary of Results”, EPRI report No. 1022770, March, 2011.

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 POWER-GEN Asia 2014
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 10-12, 2014

4. Wieghardt, Heine, Kirchner (Siemens), Meier, Vanstone (Alstom), Folke, Tschaffon

(EON), “COMTES700 Turbine Valve – The World’s First 700C Steam Turbine
Component”, PowerGen Europe, 2005.
5. Folke, C., Frank, U., Tschaffon, H., “Integration of a Component Test Facility into a 700
MW Coal-Fired Power Station”, 2nd International Conference on Clean Coal
Technologies, 10-12 May, 2005, Castiadas, Italy.
6. Henry, J, Zhou, G, and Ward, T, “Lessons from the Past: Materials-Related Issues in an
Ultra-Supercritical Boiler at Eddystone Plant”, IFWT 2005.
7. Sadlon, E, Darling, S, and Midgley, T, “Comanche 3 and Iatan 2 Supercritical Boilers”,
ASME 2011 Power Conference, July 12-14, 2011, Denver, CO, USA.
8. Kjaer, S., Klauke, F., Vanstone, R., Zeijseink, A, Weissinger, G., Kristensen, P., Meier, J.
Blum, R, Wieghardt, K., “The Advanced Supercritical 700 C Pulverized Coal-fired
Power Plant”, Power-Gen Europe 2001, 29 – 31, May, 2001, Brussels, Belgium.
9. Palkes, M., “Boiler Materials for Ultra-Supercritical Coal Power Plants – Conceptual
Design – ALSTOM Approach”, NETL – DOE, 2003, USC T-1.
10. Lorey, H., Michele, W., Ebert, K., Kübel, M., “912MWe Supercritical Boiler for the Next
Coal Fired Plant Generation”, Power-Gen Europe 2013, 04-06, June, 2013, Vienna,
Austria.

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