THE FUTURE, - Solvay

Performance
improvement
32
Performance improvement > INNOVATIONS 09
208397 208588 208983
COMBINED CYCLE POWER PLANT AT BAHIA
BLANCA
Solalban Energía:
energy security in a volatile
market
THE PROJECT. In a context of uncertainty
as to the availability and price of electricity,
it was time for Solvay Indupa to take an important
step in Argentina: building a power plant
capable of ensuring the energy self-suffi ciency,
at competitive prices, of its vinyl chain at
Bahia Blanca.
The Solalban Energía S.A. project – a joint venture
between Solvay Indupa and Argentine energy
group Rafael Albanesi S.A. – consists of building
a new thermoelectric power plant (CCGT or gas
turbine combined cycle) at the Bahia Blanca site.
A fi rst open-cycle 120 megawatt (MW) unit should
be operational by 2009. Capacity will increase
to 165 MW in combined cycle in 2011. The open
cycle has involved installing two Swiftpack 60
turbines from Pratt & Whitney.
Albanesi will ensure a contractual supply of
natural gas to the plant, while a part of the
electricity production will be sold to customers
in Argentina, under the national Energía Plus
program, launched in 2006 and intended to meet
growing demand on the Argentine market.
The project has also required the construction of
a 17 km junction between the new power plant
and the TGS (Argentine gas distribution network)
pipelines, as well as reserve storage capacity on
the site.
CC ENERGY AND UTILITIES
> Philippe Warny; Edgard Bosso; Eduardo Calvo;
Armando Catala; Jose Granercarbona; Pierre Ligot;
Pablo Taboh.
COST SAVING BY COATING IMPELLER AND
CASING OF COOLING WATER PUMP
No to energy wasting!
THE PROJECT. The energy consumption of
a cooling water pump is the third largest cost
factor of the process. After doing some research
we came to realize that the performance of the
pump was rather low. The consequence is that
the electrical cost is high compared to the yield of
the pump. We started looking for a way to reduce
this high electricity consumption.
The trials we made gave us the idea to coat
the impeller and the casing of the pump. We then
observed a drastic reduction of the energy
consumption! The bonus is that the pump is also
protected from wear and corrosion.
The estimated annual profi t is around EUR 14 900
per pump.
SBU VINYLS
> Chaiwat Puttanuntadech.
OPTIMIZED LAYOUT FOR A NEW
INTEGRATED PVC SITE
A single control room
THE PROJECT. In the past, our vinyl plants
used separate control rooms for electrolysis (UE)
and the production of monomer (VCM) and
polymer (PVC). No logical connections had been
established between the different processes, and
big intermediate stocks were necessary.
Which is why we decided, in our Jemeppe plant
(Belgium) to establish close communication
between processes and to increase safety at
the same time. Later on, we were able to build a
unique control room for UE and VCM in Map
Ta Phut (Thailand). Today we are replicating this
confi guration in Santo Andre (Brazil).
The Russian IKRA project in 2006 was also a
good opportunity to develop an optimized layout
for a grass-roots integrated UEVCM-PVC site.
Signifi cant savings in investment and production
costs as well as improvements in safety and
operational coordination can be obtained by
sharing a single control room, by shortening
pipes and distances, and by changing the location
of the processing zones. This new design can
easily be replicated for other grass-roots projects.
The future will see the appearance of an integral
production unit without any intermediate stock
and managed by a central HAL (High Automated
Line).
SBU VINYLS
> Joëlle Gaspard; François Biral; Luc Botte;
Manuel Defrancisco; Monica Freitas;
Michel Lempereur; Séverine Rochard.