Doosan Škoda Power gives steam turbine 20MW boost after upgrade

Doosan Škoda Power has completed a steam turbine upgrade for Czech Republic-based energy and heating provider Plzeňská Teplárenská.

The upgrade, which coincided with the summer shutdown, has boosted continuous output to 70MWe and increased operational efficiency at Plzeňská Teplárenská.

Furthermore, it has strengthened the flexibility of this power installation, making it ready to meet future market demand.

In a statement, Doosan Škoda Power explained the reason for the upgrade. The original turbine, commissioned in the early 2000s, was designed to deliver 50MWe. As operational needs evolved, a turbine was required that could deliver a higher output for longer periods.

These requirements led Plzeňská teplárenská and Doosan Škoda Power to consider modifications to enable higher design output and customise enhancements to the turbine’s flow section.

Technical experts from various disciplines drafted the project design, after which the new parts for the flow section of the steam turbine were manufactured and prepared for implementation.

The preparatory phase lasted a year until the planned two-month summer shutdown, when the turbine would not be in use.

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Jiří Hadrava, head of service at Doosan Škoda Power, commented: “We needed to thoroughly assess numerous conditions when modifying the design of the flow section, ensuring that we didn’t affect the basic design concept of the original steam turbine and downstream equipment.

"It was also quite a challenge for us to schedule and implement everything within the planned shutdown. After performing basic calculations and making sure that this change was technically feasible, even in the relatively short period of time allowed by the summer shutdown, we arrive to the decision together with the customer to implement the plan.”

Jan Skřivánek, production director of Plzeňská teplárenská, added that the steam turbine upgrade has increased efficiency and resulted in greater energy savings.

Said Skřivánek, “The upgraded steam turbine provides flexibility with minimum restrictions and the increased efficiency aligns with our long-term decarbonisation strategy. We can now switch to higher power output whenever needed and for any length of time, which was not possible before. The whole operation can thus be even more efficient and sustainable.”