LINgEN POwEr PLANTs

RWE Power
LINgEN POwEr PLANTs
where the energy is
RWE Power AG
Essen, Cologne
I www.rwe.com/rwepower
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RWE POWER –
ALL THE POWER
THE LOCATION
RWE Power is Germany's biggest power producer and a leading player in the
extraction of energy raw materials. Our core business consists of low-cost,
environmentally sound, safe and reliable generation of electricity and heat
as well as fossil fuel extraction.
In our business, we rely on a diversified primary
energy mix of lignite and hard coal, nuclear power,
gas and hydropower to produce electricity in the
base, in¬termediate and peak load ranges.
With an about 30 per cent share in electricity
generation, we are no. 1 in Germany, and no. 3 in
Europe, with a 9 per cent share. We wish to retain
this position in future as well. That is what we are
working for – with all our power.
Lingen in Emsland is a power-plant location with tradition.
The Lingen power-plant location is a node in
Germany's electricity supply and an important factor
for the regional economy. It secures many hundreds
of jobs in the power plants and among service providers and suppliers in Lingen, in Emsland and
beyond.
The natural-gas powerplant at the location went on
stream in 1972 as co-generation unit A to supply
neighbouring industry with electricity and process
steam. This unit was decommissioned in 1985.
Today, the gas-fired co-generation units B and C from
the years 1974/75 still perform the same function in
The location has tradition. As early as 1968, a
demonstration power plant with a capacity of 250
megawatts (MW) was commissioned with which
nuclear-based commercial-scale power generation
was successfully trialled. This power station was
shut down in 1977 and is in so-called safe enclosure.
It was replaced with the new Emsland nuclear power
station, a pressurized-water reactor with a capacity
of 1,400 MW.
the grid with a capacity of 420 MW each. They are
currently being fitted with new gas turbines which
increase their capacity by some 65 MW. The most
recent addition to the local power-plant site is the
new combined-cycle gas turbine plant, an 887-MW
system with especially high efficiency.
RWE Power operates in a market characterized by
fierce competition. Our aim is to remain a leading
national power producer and expand our international
position, making a crucial contribution toward
shaping future energy supplies.
A strategy with this focus, underpinned by efficient
cost management, is essential for our success. All
the same, we never lose sight of one important
aspect of our corporate philosophy: environmental
protection. At RWE Power, the responsible use of
nature and its resources is more than mere lip service.
Our healthy financial base, plus the competent and
committed support of some 15,300 employees under
the umbrella of RWE Power enable us to systematically
exploit the opportunities offered by a liberalized
energy market.
In this respect, our business activities are embedded
in a corporate culture that is marked by team spirit
and by internal and external transparency.
Bremen
Essen
Aachen
Dortmund
Hard coal
Lignite with integrated
opencast mines
Natural gas
Nuclear power stations
Other conventional
power plants
Hydropower stations **
* in deconstruction
** RWE Power including holdings
as well as plants operated
on behalf of RWE Innogy
Cologne
Frankfurt
Mainz
Saarbrücken
Stuttgart
Munich
The location benefits from an optimal link-up to the
gas supply: it is connected to five lines and can also
stockpile gas amounts at short notice thanks to
natural gas pipe arrays.
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THE ENERGY MIX – NO EASY RECIPE
Germany is a highly developed industrialized country and cannot
cover its tremendous electricity needs from just one source. What is
more, it depends heavily on energy imports.
Germany's 2009 power generation was composed of
an energy mix: 24.6 percent lignite, 22.6 percent
nuclear energy, 18.3 percent hard coal, 12.9 percent
natural gas, 10.4 percent wind power and hydropower
and 11.2 percent other, like pumped-storage, oil and
incineration. None of the above energy carriers is
ideal, each has its merits and drawbacks, weak spots
and sweet spots. What matters is that they have their
place in a balanced mix that combines environmental
protection, security of supply and economic efficiency.
Fossil fuels
The fossil sources lignite and hard coal, natural gas
and crude oil currently – not only in Germany, but
worldwide – provide the largest share by far of the
energy required. Fossil fuels have emerged in millions
of years from the residues of prehistoric plants that
grew thanks to photosynthesis, ie the utilization of
sunlight; so they are stored solar energy, as it were.
There is no denying that the industrial revolution
that culminated in our modern, industrialized society
would never have happened without the discovery
and systematic use of fossil energy.
The great advantages of fossil fuels are their high
availability and universal, relatively simple usability.
Even if lignite and hard coal in particular are still
available for centuries to come, the reserves of all
fossil energy sources are finite, since they are nonrenewable. Moreover, when coal, oil and gas are
combusted, carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced. Its
increase in earth's atmosphere is held responsible
for climate change.
Nuclear energy
Nuclear-based power generation uses the energy
that is produced by uranium fission. The great
advantages of nuclear energy are its high energy
density and electricity generation without any CO2
emissions. Uranium, too, is a non-renewable energy
source, but it will be available for centuries to come
and can be used safely and reliably by deploying
modern technology.
Renewable energies
Wind power, solar energy, hydropower and biomass
are playing a growing role in the energy mix, not only
in Germany. Renewables are available in virtually
unlimited amounts, at least in theory. Since in
practice they do no release residues with an impact
on the climate, they are being politically promoted
in Germany and elsewhere. However, most renewables can only survive economically in the foreseeable
future with direct or indirect subsidies. In addition,
wind power and solar energy in particular are not
always available, since generating power from such
sources depends on fluctuating weather conditions
that ignore the needs of modern society. For this
reason, the search is on for ways to temporarily store
electricity from wind or solar energy.
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POWER PLANTS FOR EVERY NEED
Power consumption is not always constant, but
subject to daily, seasonal and business-cycle fluctuations. No matter what the demand for electric power
looks like at any moment, utilities must satisfy it on
target at all times. This is because electricity cannot
be stored on a grand scale, but must be generated
the second it is needed. Another aggravating factor:
in Germany, electricity from renewables has absolute
priority in the grid over conventionally produced
power. If the wind is strong, the stations must be
powered down or switched off. Wind power in particular is already making a significant contribution to
the generation of electricity. By its nature, however,
wind power is hard to count on. Unlike a gas-fired
power plant, wind cannot be switched on or off at
the push of a button.
The technical structure of power supply offsets all
fluctuations. This is only possible, however, using
different energy sources, flexible power stations and
an efficient grid. The sprinters among power stations
are gas and pumped-storage systems. They can be
powered up practically from a standing start in less
than a few minutes from zero to 100 percent. Due to
their relatively high deployment costs, they are only
on stream temporarily, ie during peak demand.
Nuclear power stations are the marathon runners:
thanks to their favourable generating costs, they
mainly run at full capacity around the clock. It is in
their nature, though, to change their operating
mode very quickly.
Lignite-based power plants, too, are long-distance
runners. Thanks to their cost advantages, they likewise
work at full capacity as a rule, although modern
stations can be reduced by half in 15 minutes.
Hard-coal power stations are deemed the middledistance runners in power generation: with their
relatively high fuel costs, they show their strength in
hour- or day-based deployment.
Newer systems can increase their capacity in under
20 minutes from 25 to 100 percent, and back again.
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THE EMSLAND NUCLEAR POWER STATION –
HOW IT WORKS
Nuclear power stations are thermal power plants in which the heat required to
generate electricity comes not from the combustion of coal, gas or oil, but from
the controlled fission of U235 atomic nuclei.
Pressurized-water reactor
In the pressurized-water reactor, water is heated by
the nuclear fission of U235. In the primary cycle,
there is a pressure of 155 bar, so that the heated
water remains liquid despite a temperature of
320°C. In this state, it reaches the steam generator –
which forms the interface between the primary and
secondary cycles – via pipes. Here, the heat of the
water is transferred by the pipes' heat conduction to
the steam generator's feedwater surrounding the
pipes and, hence, to the secondary cycle. At some
62 bar, the pressure there is much lower, so that
main steam can emerge to drive a steam turbine with
connected generator. Separating
the two water circuits means that
cycle
the steam in the secondary circuit
remains free of radioactive materiTransformer
als. Below the steam turbine is the
condenser. There, the steam "worked off" in the turbine is cooled
down using cooling water to
become liquid again. The condensate is pumped back into the steam
to river
or cooling tower
generator. The heat absorbed by
the cooling water is released into
the atmosphere in the power
plant's natural draught cooling
tower. Evaporation losses occurring
in the cooling tower are compensated by water from the river Ems.
The process takes place in the reactor core which, at
the Emsland nuclear power station, contains 193
fuel assemblies with 300 fuel rods each of enriched
U235. Then there are rod-shaped control assemblies
which regulate the neutron flow that is important
for the chain reaction, and the reactor's output.
With the aid of electric motors, these assemblies are
lifted or lowered between the fuel rods. Once a year,
the nuclear power station is shut down for two to three
weeks for overhaul of the systems and refuelling.
About one quarter of the fuel assemblies are
replaced.
Primary cycle
Reactor
pressure vessel
Steam generator
Secondary
Turbine
Generator
Condenser
URANIUM – A ROCK FULL OF ENERGY
Nuclear power stations use the energy that is
released during the fission of the radioactive element
U235. In nature, this heavy metal always occurs
together with ores and is extracted by mining. At
the present consumption rate and with the technology
now available, the earth's uranium reserves known
today will last some 200 years. Uranium's great
merit is its exceptionally high energy content. One
kilogram of natural uranium contains as much energy
as 12,600 litres of crude oil or 18,900 kg of hard
coal.
The uranium, which must be extracted from ores,
consists of roughly 0.7 percent fissile U235, the
rest being non-fissile U238. If the uranium is to be
used in a nuclear power station, the U235 share
must be increased 3 to 5 percent by so-called
enrichment. The enriched uranium is then pressed
into tablet form, or pellets, and filled into tubeshaped fuel rods made of particularly resistant
material. The fuel rods
1 kg natural
are then bundled into
uranium
fuel assemblies
and used in
reactors.
is equivalent to
12,600 litres of
crude oil
or 18,900 kg
of hard coal
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NUCLEAR FISSION –
SLOW DOWN, AND THE HEAT IS ON
Slow neutron
Uranium
Fission
products
The more neutrons you have, the more fissions you get.
This means that more energy is released.
Controlled chain reaction
Fast
neutron
In the reactor of a nuclear power station there is
nothing mysterious going on. As in other power
plants, people here just make natural occurrences
technically useable.
When neutrons hit a U235 nucleus at a relatively low
speed, this first produces U236, which disintegrates
into two radioactive fission products. These, in their
turn, spin apart at high speed, to be slowed down by
other atoms in the vicinity. Thanks to this braking
action, the kinetic energy turns into utilisable heat
for power generation. Each fission also produces two
to three new neutrons that trigger further fissions.
The result is a self-sustaining chain reaction.
Moderator
Control rod
The whole thing only works, however, if we can slow
down the fast neutrons, so that they can hit further
uranium nuclei. One suitable neutron brake –
'moderator' in the jargon – is water. With its aid,
the neutrons' speed is slowed down to a degree
that's right for fission.
Since in uranium fission, more neutrons emerge than
are required to maintain a controlled chain reaction,
some of the neutrons are deflected from their actual
target. To produce this effect, use is made of so-called
control rods in a nuclear power station's reactor.
They are largely made of a material able to absorb
neutrons. To lower the reactor's output, rods are
inserted; to increase it, they are withdrawn again.
Nuclear fission is interrupted when they are inserted.
The reactor works at max. output when the rods are
removed. During operations, the control rods are
powered by electric drives. For fast shutdown, a
system is available that works independently of
the drives.
But there is another way to control and regulate the
chain reactions: when a boron solution is injected
into the reactor, the neutrons can be captured and
the fission process interrupted. Finally, the moderation
effect, too, adds to the stabilization of the chain
reaction.
Control rods lowered
Control rods removed
Low to no fission
Increased fission
Fernsehen
U235 nuclear fission
CHAIN REACTION – EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL
Fuel
Control
assemblies rods
Fission
Neutron
processes release
The hotter the moderator or the cooling agent
becomes, the more vapour bubbles emerge, so that
the braking effect is lost and more and more neutrons
miss their targets.
Behind this principle lies an essential, inherent safety
element in a pressurized-water reactor.
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MULTIPLE AVAILABILITY –
sAFETY IN NUMBErs
sAFETY – ALwAYs sTATE OF THE ArT
Ensuring a high safety standard is the central obligation of
nuclear power station operators.
The basis of the high safety level is a high-quality
technical design that reliably prevents disruptions.
In addition, downtimes of systems and components
are "thought of in advance", and it is ensured that
these have no implications for the environs. Comprehensive inspection and maintenance regimes help
keep the system in an optimal state and enable any
irregularities in components to be spotted and
remedied early on.
Besides ensuring an excellent technical state, the
operator's efforts focus on organizational issues and
on the high safety awareness of the power-plant crew.
Operation of the nuclear power stations is also
strictly monitored by the authorities and experts in
charge.
The design principles
By way of precaution, the design of nuclear power
stations always assumes a concurrence of unfavourable
circumstances and damaging events. This being so,
the planning and construction of a system implement
the design principles of 'redundancy', 'diversity',
'physical separation' and the so-called fail-safe
principle.
Diversity: Different systems have the job of performing the same function. If, eg, the lowering of the
control rods fails, gravity takes over. In the long run,
the reactor can also be safely shut down by injecting
a boron solution.
Fail safe: In any disruption, all safety systems work
toward safety. If the power supply fails, say, valves and
dampers automatically switch to the safety-relevant
position.
Thanks to the physical separation of the redundant
and diverse systems, several systems cannot fail
simultaneously due to one single cause.
The safety systems
Every nuclear plant has numerous safety systems. The
design and construction of nuclear power plants have
to meet the most rigorous of demands. The aim of all
safety precautions in nuclear power plants is to retain
the radioactive substances that emerge from the
nuclear fission in the reactor core.
The following barriers exist for this purpose:
› the crystal lattice of the fuel, which retains most of
the fission products;
› the gas-tight and pressure-proof metal casing
around the fuel pellets (fuel rod);
› the reactor pressure vessel with a closed cooling
circuit;
› the biological shield: a 2-m thick concrete casing;
› containment in about 38-mm thick steel;
› the reactor building of 2-m thick steel-reinforced
concrete.
Fuel pellets
Metal casings
Reactor pressure vessel
and cooling circuit
Biological shield
Containment
Redundancy: Several systems of the same kind
perform the same function. One stands in for the
other in an emergency. For instance, Lingen has four
independent emergency cooling systems, two of
which suffice for cooling purposes.
Reactor building
The reactor-protection system
In addition, every nuclear power station has a reactorprotection system. During operations, this system
continuously monitors all important measurements,
compares them with the target state and corrects
any operating states it identifies as being abnormal.
If certain thresholds precisely defined in advance are
reached, the reactor-protection system automatically
triggers active safety measures, like the reactor trip
or the emergency power supply.
Safety systems and safety measures are vetted as
to their functioning state by a defined regime of
recurring checks.
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THE GEESTE RESERVOIR
Like any other thermal power plant, the Emsland
nuclear power station, too, needs water for cooling.
It must replace the amount of water that evaporates
via the cooling tower. For this, water from the river
Ems is used. Since the river's water level can fluctuate
due to the seasons or the weather, an artificial
reservoir was created for the nuclear power station,
the Geeste reservoir.
The reservoir, which holds about 23 million cubic
metres of water, is located some 12 km from the
nuclear power station and is filled with water from
the Ems via the Dortmund-Ems canal. Surrounding
the reservoir is a large forested area and a wetland
biotope, a feature that benefits both sustainable
environmental protection and the leisure value of
the region.
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THE ENVIRONS – UNDER CONTROL AT ALL
The entire environs around the Emsland nuclear power station are continuously
controlled by expert operatives and by independent institutions.
The remote-monitoring system of the environment
office of the State of Lower Saxony, which is completely
independent of the plant's internal control systems,
is used to monitor the stack air and effluent produced
by the power plant. At the same time, measurements
from the power station's environs are read at regular
intervals and transmitted to the competent authority
for analysis. The analyses are freely accessible to the
public at any time.
Measuring samples from the soil, air and water
around the Emsland nuclear power station prove that
the statutory thresholds are not only met, but are
always well undercut.
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THE DIsPOsAL CONCEPT –
THE LINgEN INTErMEDIATE sTOrAgE FACILITY
Castor
Castor
When power is produced from nuclear energy, radioactive waste emerges
that must be placed temporarily in safe intermediate storage facilities on site.
Such waste mainly concerns spent fuel assemblies
that are destined in future to be safely enclosed and
contained indefinitely in final repositories. Until
such final repositories are made available by the
federal government, the fuel assemblies must be
placed in intermediate storage facilities. Besides the
central intermediate storage facilities in Gorleben
(Lower-Saxony) and Ahaus (North Rhine-Westphalia),
the operators of nuclear power stations, ie including
RWE Power, have set up additional intermediate
storage facilities at their power plant locations, as
envisaged by Germany's amended Atomic Energy
Act. The Lingen intermediate storage facility (SZL)
was commissioned after an 18-month construction
period at end-2002. Since then, the SZL – which is
checked by Germany's Federal Office for Radiation
Protection – has been accommodating spent fuel
assemblies from the Emsland nuclear power station
until they are transported to a final repository after
max. 40 years.
The safety concept
The most important module in the safe storage and
transport of spent fuel assemblies in the storage
building is the cask of the Castor V/19 type, which
can accommodate 19 fuel assemblies. Among other
features, the Castor, with its 40-cm wall, is built so
soundly that it can withstand a 9 m fall onto solid
ground without damage and cope with external
temperatures of at least 800°C. It shields off the
radiation of the spent fuel assemblies so effectively
that you can stand in the immediate vicinity of the
Body
Basket
Moderator rod
5.86 m
The storage building
The building is 110 m long, 27 m wide and approx.
20 m high, and was erected on site some 100 m
away from the nuclear power station's reactor building.
Thanks to its 1.20-m thick outer walls and a 1.30-m
strong roof, the building, which resembles a factory
hall, is extraordinarily robust and can house about
130 Castor casks. This provides more than ample
space, both for past spent fuel assemblies and for
those that will come up during the power plant's
remaining operations.
Double cover
Cooling fins
20 22 24 Uhr
2.44 m
cask without any risk of exposure. The
storage building, too, with its massive
walls, serves to shield off radiation and
also provides effective protection against
external impact, such as earthquakes,
explosion-pressure waves and aircraft
crashes.
The route of spent fuel assemblies
Spent fuel assemblies are removed from
the reactor and taken first to a water-filled
cooling pond inside the reactor building
where they are stored for at least five
years. In the process, their thermal rating
declines considerably. Next, the Castor
casks are loaded and transported by the
power plant's own railway to the on-site
intermediate storage facility. The casks'
tightness is monitored not only during
transport, but continuously for the whole
storage period.
The residual heat emanating from the casks
is removed by natural draught or with the
aid of vents. Although the radiation emitted
by the casks is extremely low, it is likewise
continuously monitored.
Look into a Castor cask
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NATURAL GAS FOR POWER AND HEAT –
EMSLAND GAS-FIRED POWER STATION
Top technology in the peak load: RWE Power investing € 700 million
in new-build and modernization.
Natural gas is one of the cleanest energies around.
Gas-based power plants achieve high efficiencies
and are virtually emission-free. When natural gas is
burnt, no ash emerges. Another merit: the start-up
time of a gas-fired power station from standstill to
full load is very short. Which is why this plant type is
used above all to cover peak loads or when there are
power-plant downtimes in the grid.
The Emsland natural-gas power station consists of
the two units B and C, which went on stream in
1974/75, and – since 2010 – unit D. At present, its
operator, RWE Power, is replacing the gas turbines
of the older units with new models, spending € 200
million.
In principle, the Lingen gas power plants are thermal
power stations like any other: instead of coal or
nuclear fission, they use natural gas to evaporate
water, driving a turbine with connected generator.
Units B and C, on the one hand, and unit D, on the
other, differ in one crucial detail, however: B and C
produce steam using a gas-firing system, unit D
using only the hot waste gas from the gas turbines.
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UNITS B AND C –
A STRONG COMBO
THE CCGT PLANT
Unit D, the combined-cycle gas turbine plant (CCGT)
at Lingen, sets standards worldwide when it comes
to efficiency and environmental friendliness.
In unit D, the hot turbine waste gases are conducted
to steam generators without firing systems, so-called
heat-recovery steam generators (HRSGs). There, they
convert water into vapour which then drives steam
turbine and generator. The plant has a net efficiency
of 59.2 percent.
Unit D consists of two gas turbines with 280 MW
each, two HRSGs and a joint steam turbine with a
capacity of 326 MW. It is designed for a main-steam
temperature of 585°C and a pressure of 159.2 bar.
Like its adjacent units B and C, unit D, too, is designed
for co-generation. It can decouple 100 tons of process
steam an hour.
At the heart of both units are the two steam generators: the 16 gas burners per boiler reach flame
temperatures of 1,350°C. They heat water which
then – as steam that is 535°C hot – drives a steam
turbine at a pressure of up to 185 bar. The steam
flows across the turbine blades and sets the drive
shaft in rotation. As in all turbines, this rotary movement drives a generator which produces the electricity,
in this case with a net capacity of 355 MW.
This means: some of the steam is diverted away
from the steam turbine and can be made available
for industrial purposes (steam customers). This
steam is highly charged energetically and is not at
all to be confused with the only lukewarm cooling
water or even the plumes coming from the power
plants' cooling towers.
Such an efficient input of fuel and heat also lowers
CO2 emissions perceptibly – benefiting the environment and the climate.
Today already, some of the steam is extracted and
delivered to Dralon GmbH (fibre factory) at Lingen's
South industrial estate. Customers use it to cover
their heat needs in production, so that they can
dispense with their own heat or power plants.
Upstream of each steam generator there is currently
one gas turbine with 55 MW. It drives a separate
generator using the emerging mixture of combustion
gases and air. Next, the 430°C hot and oxygen-rich
combustion waste gases in the steam generator are
used as combustion air to heat the water for the
At present, RWE Power is replacing the two gas
turbines of units B and C with two new models.
While the old units have an efficiency of 26 percent,
the new Rolls Royce turbines reach 40 percent. The
€ 200-million investment boosts the overall efficiency
of the combined-cycle units by up to 12 percent and
lowers CO2 emissions – with unchanged power
generation – by over 45,000 tons a year.
Combined-cycle
unit
Combined-cycle
gas turbine plant
Heat-recovery
steam generator
Steam extraction
Lingen fibre factory
Cooling
tower
Cooling
tower
Steam
generator
Heat-recovery
Heat-recovery
steam generator
steam generator
Steam extraction
Lingen fibre factory
Steam
Steam
turbine
Feedwater
Intake air
Main-water
discharge
Steam
Steam
Cooling
tower
Steam
turbine
Condenser
Feedwater
Steam turbine
Condenser
Gas burner
Generator
Main-water
discharge
Hot waste gases
Generator Gas turbine
Intake air
Feedwater
Feedwater
Intake air
hot waste
gases
Hot waste gases
Gas turbine
Generator
Generator
Gas turbine
Dortmund-Ems canal
River Ems
Feedwater pumps
Intake air
Gas-regulation
station
Feedwater
Fuel
Generator Gas turbine
Gas-supply line
Feedwater pump
Gas turbine
hot waste
gases
Intake air
Generator
Gas-regulation
station
Cooling
tower
Steam turbine
Condenser
Feedwater
Cooling tower
make-up water
Feedwater pump
Cooling-water
pumps
Cooling-water pumps
Cooling tower
Feedwater
pumps
make-up water
Steam extraction
Lingen fibre factory
Reheater
Gas
burner
Generator
Condenser
Cooling-water pumps
Steam
generator
Heat-recovery
Steam extraction
steam generator
Lingen fibre factory
Reheater
Steam
Generator
Cooling tower
make-up water
steam turbines. Since the gas turbines supplement
the core process in this way, they are also referred to
in this case as topping gas turbines. Due to the
effective and environmentally-friendly combination
of two different turbines, this plant type is called a
combined-cycle plant.
Main-water
discharge
Fuel
Cooling-water
pumps
Cooling tower
make-up water
Main-water
discharge
Gas turbine
Intake air
Generator
Gas-supply line
Dortmund-Ems canal
Dortmund-Ems canal
Weir
Weir
River Ems
Generator
River Ems
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gAs TUrBINE
In its shape and structural principle, a power plant's
gas turbine resembles an aircraft's jet engine: air
enters at the front; in the centre it is swirled around
and combusted together with fuel gas; and, at the
back end, the thrust emerges that the aircraft
needs.
With their high power density and ability to start up
fast, gas turbines are the power packs in electricity
generation: one single plant, roughly the size of an
articulated lorry, can supply a city of 300,000 people
with electricity, and that in the space of minutes.
gAs sUPPLY AND NATUrAL gAs PIPE ArrAY
The term "gas turbine" usually refers to the entire
unit, which consists mainly of compressor, combustion
chamber(s) and the turbine proper.
In the CCGT plant, RWE Power is deploying two
turbines of the innovative type Alstom GT 26. In the
front section, the compressor, outside air is sucked
in and compressed by 22 blades. Owing to the rise
in pressure, the air becomes hot. In the first combustion chamber, natural gas, preheated to 150°C,
is admixed and fired under a pressure of 50 bar.
Here, the air is conducted in such a way that the
flame, at a temperature of about 1,200°C, does not
come into contact with the metallic wall of the combustion chamber.
The hot, low-oxygen waste gas drives a high-pressure
turbine and is swirled around with a gas-air mixture
which self-ignites in the following, second combustion
chamber. The 630°C-hot waste gases flow into the
turbine's low-pressure section where they drive a
series of blades, thus creating the rotary movement
to drive the generator. Next, they reach the HRSG's
heat exchanger where they are re-used to generate
steam.
The Emsland natural-gas power plant benefits from
its optimal link-up to the long-distance gas grid:
RWE Power obtains the fuel from five different supply
grids. To improve the power plant's gas supply even
further, RWE Power has additionally built a so-called
gas pipe array. This subterranean line, some 15 km
long and about 1.50 m thick, has been built approx.
3 km distant from the power station. It is used to
stockpile fuel and can provide up to 900,000 cubic
metres of natural gas.
Gasunie
Vlieghuis
Gas pipe array with
link-up to KEM power station
Contractual: 148 TNm³/h
Technical: 400 TNm³/h
67.5 bar
Emlichheim
> Compressor location
next to CCGT plant
Kalle gas
storage facility
130 TNm³/h
Lingen
Itterbeck
Itterbeck gas
storage facility
The novel feature of the Alstom GT26 is the serial or
double combustion in two chambers. This increases
the efficiency of gas-turbine technology without
significantly raising the material-critical combustion
temperatures. This ensures low emissions, both in
full-load and in partial-load operations.
The gas, compressed by a compressor station on the
power-plant site to 100 bar, is equivalent to the
amount that the power station needs for six hours of
full-load operations. This enables us to offset
short-term fluctuations in the electricity grid. Fuel
procurement, too, on the international gas market
becomes more flexible thanks to stockpiling, since
price fluctuations are unable to have an unchecked
effect. The gas pipe array acts as a buffer, both in
terms of logistics and finances.
Uelsen
Neuenhaus
Power
station
E.On/Ruhrgas
180 TNm³/h
80 bar
WEDAL
Nordhorn
BEB
200 TNm³/h
40 bar
Netherlands
RWE Energy
EGM
Bookfeld station
50 TNm³/h
40 bar
Emsbüren
RWE Power, KEM
RWE Energy
EGM
E.ON/Ruhrgas
BEB H-Gas
BEB L-Gas
Border
Gas-production stations
24 Lingen Power Plants
Lingen Power Plants 25
IMPORTANT ECONOMIC FACTOR –
SECURE JOBS
INFORMATION ON THE SITE –
OPEN TO DIALOGUE
Our power plants at Lingen make a major contribution
to the Emsland region's economy.
RWE Power has been operating a visitor centre at Lingen since 1984
and has already welcomed more than 300,000 guests.
They provide jobs for approx. 500 of our own
employees plus numerous more among suppliers
and service providers. On top of this comes versatile
vocational training for young people who are being
trained at the location in various commercial-technical
activities.
The Lingen power plants also create important
advantages for local industry. For decades now, the
existing gas-fired power plants have been supplying
industrial customers not only with electricity, but
also and reliably with process steam. The new CCGT
plant, too, has already been technically designed
with this service in mind.
Using modern interactive media, a permanent
exhibition gives visitors comprehensive information
about the power plants at the site and about energy
topics.
A virtual tour of the power plant, for instance, offers
insights into the way a nuclear power station works.
Issues of nuclear power plant safety and the storage
of used fuel assemblies are also discussed in depth.
One large exhibit in the centre of the permanent
exhibition deals with Europe's power supply now and
in the future. It introduces all three energy sources
(fossil fuels, nuclear energy, renewable energies) in
connection with the three central aspects of energy
supply: economic efficiency, security of supply and
environmental protection.
Groups of visitors should book an appointment in good
time using the telephone number stated, especially if
they also plan to visit one of the power plants.
Individual visitors are welcome at any time and need
no advance booking
RWE Power AG
Visitor centre, Lingen Power Plants
Am Hilgenberg
D-49811 Lingen
T +49 591 806-1611
F +49 591 806-1610
E [email protected]
I www.rwe.com/rwepower
Opening hours
Mondays to Thursdays Fridays
from 08.00 am - 05.00 pm
from 08.00 am - 04.00 pm
26 Lingen Power Plants
TECHNICAL DATA:
EMSLAND NUCLEAR POWER STATION
Emsland nuclear power station
Emsland natural-gas power plant
Thermal reactor capacity
MW
3,850
Gross output
MW
1,400
Net output
MW
1,329
%
Net efficiency
Number of fuel assemblies
Steam flow rate
Main steam pressure/temperature
Condenser cooling-water flow
TECHNICAL DATA:
Emsland natural-gas power plant
Unit B/C
Unit D
Generator capacity
Gas turbine
MW
55 (2x)
281 (2x)
34,50
Generator capacity
Steam turbine
MW
365 (2x)
326
193
Total net efficiency
%
42
59.2
Nm3/s
5.6
39.43
min
3,000
3,000
16
–
Nm3/s
22
–
min
3,000
3,000
Cooling-water amount
kg/s
8,944
11,526
Steam power
kg/s
320
234.5
°C
535
585
bar
185.4
160
kg/s
2,133
bar/ºC
62.0/279
kg/s
43,889
Gas turbine
Natural-gas amount
Speed
Steam generator
Number of burners
Max. gas amount
Geeste reservoir
Steam power system
Reservoir capacity
mill. m3
23.00
Total area of reservoir
mill. m2
2.30
m
5,818.32
Dam crown
m above M.S.L.
36.00
Base
m above M.S.L.
21 – 19.50
m
15 – 16.50
m above M.S.L.
34.00
Length of dam crown (in the centre)
Reservoir depth
Maximum water level
Speed
Steam temperature
Steam pressure