GE completes upgrade work

This modernisation was part of a broader project to extend the plant’s operational flexibility, achieve major integration, and decrease total emissions at turndown.

Until this project, the RaM and Termica Milazzo plant, located approximately 500 m from the refinery, were totally separated from both an electrical and automation standpoint. Now, all electrical energy consumption of the Italian refinery (770 GWh in 2018) is supplied by the upgraded gas turbine, which provides sustainable electricity with cost-competitive economics.

“We needed a solution that would allow us to use more flexible power and steam for our industrial process at our site and GE’s 9E gas turbine upgrade at our Termica Milazzo site met all of our project expectations and requirements,” said Stefano Bertazzi, RaM's Project Manager.

“The new combustion system configuration increased the flexibility, efficiency, fuel savings and, consequently the overall sustainability of our refinery. In addition, by reducing load minimum turndown of the gas turbine, we can match potential energy trading market opportunity and add new revenue stream by the ability to sell additional power range to the grid which we were unable to do before,” added Gianfrancesco Licandro, RaM 's Process & Technology Support Manager in charge during the project.

The modernisation of GE’s gas turbine was part of a broader project, including electrical and automation integration, led by TERNA for Electrical Interconnecting work, while ABB supplied the plant’s distributed control system (DCS) and integrated it with the substation control system (SCS). The duration of the project since its preliminary phase was about three years. The main gas turbine modifications have been assembled and installed during a major overhaul of the gas turbine by Fieldcore, the field services execution arm of GE. The project has spanned almost a year, including the first start-up, operational commissioning and tuning, and test validations.

“We are pleased the project was executed with the highest standard of safety and helped The Milazzo Refinery be more sustainable and competitive in the oil and gas industry,” said Eric Bagden, General Manager of E-Class turbines for GE’s Gas Power business.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/02102020/ge-completes-upgrade-work/