construction from the federal Bureau of Land Management before rights-of-way were issued for pipeline construction across public lands.
Because this was a unique project, many challenges were encountered. Designing and routing the steam and condensate lines posed some problems, especially resolving
how to handle pipe expansion and road crossings for such a long line. In addition, dealing with soils in the dry lakebed proved challenging. So were tasks related to completing environmental studies and securing the necessary rights-of-way.
Determining how to collect and obtain good quality condensate recovery for high-pressure boilers from an old plant was also difficult. The thermo-compressor project technology was essentially developed on the fly, said Buchs.
“There was just a lot of overall coordination involved in getting all the pieces to fit: pipeline, tie-ins in both plants, condensate handling systems and three innovative conservation projects,” he said.
Even before the project was completed, some unique maintenance issues arose. “How do you clean a five-mile pipeline if you expect to deliver quality steam on the other end and how do you test its integrity before starting?,” Buchs said. Issues such as these were addressed throughout the design
phase and much of the construction phase.
“We ended up doing spot x-rays and weld inspection for quality control, a lot of pigging for initial cleaning and then a hydro pressure test and some steam blowing for final cleanup and pressure testing,” he said. In the end, the line started up with fewer problems than expected. Buchs said only a few leaks and some expansion joint issues needed to be fixed.
Much of the project was completed with in-house engineering and local contractors. The detailed pipeline design was completed by Veizades and Associates and construction was completed by PCL Industrial Services.
PG&E estimated that the project reduces 26,325 tons of CO2 emissions and 22 tons of NOX emissions per year. These estimates do not include the direct CO and NO
2X
reductions associated with shutting down the Westend gas turbine and package boiler.
Buchs said SVM expects to recover the investment within two years.
Visit us at:
Flow, Thermal & Stress
Solutions for the Energy Industry
ELECTRIC POWER
May 06-08, Booth 935 Baltimore, MD.
Productivity Accuracy Flexibility
What do you expect from your Engineering Simulation Software?
Expertise
For more information contact info@uk.cd-adapco.com For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS# 10
References:
Archives