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Doosan Škoda Power voices

Martin Baxa

Rozhovor Daniel Procházka

Director of IST

Doosan Škoda Power offers customer solutions for industrial turbines too

The leading global manufacturer of steam turbines, Doosan Škoda Power, havegained experience in the Indonesian market. Their turbine is now used in the Grati Power Plant in Java, and this year another 195 MW turbine will expand Block 2. On top of that, Doosan Škoda Power is able to offer customer solutions with turbines of much lower output. Doosan have a lot to offer, and not just in the Indonesian market.

An Interview with Daniel Procházka,the director of IST in Doosan Škoda Power

Doosan Škoda Power manufacture turbines for large power plants. How would you appeal to a smaller production? Are your solutions at all suitable for such productions?

There is a section called Industrial steam turbines in Doosan Škoda Power, which specializes in delivering turbines for industrial use and smaller power stations. This product is used in power generation within a wide range of applications – from classic fossil fuels, through the burning of biomass and municipal waste, right up to solar power stations, the so-called CSP (Concentrated Solar Power).

Moreover, experience and references gained in other projects, and a solid technical base enable us to offer our customers more than a bare turbo-set. In many projects we make complete machinery halls to order, which means that we also provide other technologies, including condensers (the air cooled condensers as well – the so-called ACCs), a complete regeneration system (low-pressure and high-pressure), and a feed pump system, expanded electrical section up to the main transformers, complete control systems and so on. If required, we can also deliver the building and assembly work. In this sense we deliver complete machinery halls.

Could you give us examples of your work at a different, yet similar market to the Indonesian one? What kind of solutions have you provided?

I wouldn’t like to mention some of the particularretention projects as they are always about specific requirements of the customer.Doosan Škoda Power have hundreds of projects in this sector, although they often differ. I think of this to be our greatest advantage: a bespoke solution.

If you are asking about specific climate conditions in Indonesia, I can confirm that we have references aplenty from the tropical and subtropical regions of India, Central and South America and Africa.

What are the pitfalls of making and running smaller turbines, compared to the large ones? Are smaller turbines just smaller versions of the large ones?

Great emphasis is placed on disponibility (availability for an operation) of the machine when it concerns steam turbines used in industrial applications, since the turbine is often a part of a different technology (the manufacture of paper, steel industry, etc.), and a potential stoppage would cause large losses.Disponibility of Škoda steam turbines is generally very high; when we design industrial turbines, we already do so with this requirement in mind right during the design phase, as well as with the fact that the turbines are typically used for a wide range of outputs and extraction of steam for processing.

Regarding the other question concerning the design of smaller turbines, we naturally draw upon experiences from a so-called ‘utility application’ segment. High efficiency is one of the deciding factors, and we can utilize the outcomes of the work done by our R&D, which Doosan Škoda Power invests considerable resources into.

Do the specific properties for the operation of turbines differ in Europe and in Indonesia? Do Doosan Škoda Power develop bespoke turbines specifically for this market?

As I have stated before, the market for small steam turbines is specific by way of the requirement to have a high level of ability to adapt to the system requirements of the user. It is more about the specifics set by the customer. In order to be closer to the customers and understand their requirements better, we opened a business office in Jakarta (contact details: Doosan Škoda Power, MenaraSentraya 17th Floor, JalanIskandarsyah Raya No. 1A, Indonesia, MrJosef Ryšavý – Regional Representative, [email protected])with a solid technical base in the Czech Republic, Korea and India.

The ability to monitor the running of a machine from a remote place, for instance from Pilsen, is a matter of course(so-called remote monitoring system). Thus, our technicians are able to evaluate a particular operation on-line, and suggest its optimization, or if needed, a suitable service action to the operator.

How are the turbines from Central Europe delivered to SEA? Who ensures the correct setting of the turbine onsite?

The important factor in succeeding in the industrial steam turbines segment is, among others, the lead time and the total time needed for the assembly and the start-up of the machine. Therefore, we concentrate on a state of maximal completion and on the assembly of the turbine in the manufacture facility. That’s why some of our models are being delivered already fully installed on a frame with an oil tank, ready to be connected to other systems (also delivered in compact units) within the shortest amount of time. The means of transport is always selected accordingto specific circumstances. We have plenty of experience with both shipping and air freight.

As I stated at the beginning, the actual assembly of the machine on site may be included in within our scope of work. Regardless of this, our experienced supervisors partake in the processes of cold and hot testing, and in the induction of the machine to the business production. If the customer requires it, we also provide local technical support during the first months of the operation.

What is the returnability of the investment into a turbine designed for a small local power station? How long does it take the small turbine to pay back for its own operation?

Naturally, this cannot be said in general, it always depends on the type of the application, fuel, cogeneration requirements, etc. We contribute particularly with the best efficiency and disponibility. Our customers are also interested in the general service life of the machine and the requirements for servicing cycles. In this area, Doosan Škoda Power’s products rank among the best in the world. In some power plants we encounter Škoda turbines that have been in operation for more than fifty years.

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