Innovation

The engineering team improved the cleaning of the air compressor of the gas turbines at Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant by determining the appropriate cleaning interval and reduced the washing frequency through an online system, which saved water without affecting the efficiency of the air compressing system. The system improvement addressed an issue with the usual online water wash, for which the production had to be lowered to the condition suitable for cleaning, thus preventing the gas turbines from operating optimally and resulting in loss of both production units and natural gases used. CKPower successfully reduced the amount of natural gases used by 14,122 MMBTU per year, reduced energy consumption by 293 MWh, equivalent to 135 tCO2e , and lower water usage by 40 cubic meters per year, equivalent to savings of 1,088,962 Baht in energy and water expenses.

Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant discovered that the excessive pressure of the gas compressor activated the excess flow valve system, resulting energy loss. To this end, they studied and improved the excess flow valve system and reduced the pressure of the gas leaving the pistons to ensure that the valve system would not be triggered. As a result of this improvement, CKPower successfully saved 238 MWh of energy for gas compression, equivalent to savings of 885,952 Baht in energy expenses, and 110 tCO2e .

Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant has enhanced the efficiency of the production system by launching a project aimed at reducing heat loss during production through the inspection, analysis, and optimization of the flow pressure at each point in the pipe system to reduce the energy consumption of the gas compressor, which pressurizes the system. This project has reduced energy consumption by as much as 1,904 MWh, equivalent to 880 tCO2e per year, equivalent to savings of 7,090,726 Baht in expenses. The project won the Power Utility of the Year Award – Thailand at the Asian Power Awards 2022, hosted by Asia’s leading magazine in the electric power industry.

Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant has instituted a policy to promote the reduction of energy use in order to help reduce the cost of electricity production, extend the life of machinery, and decrease ensuing maintenance costs. To this end, the power plant has implemented an initiative for the joint use of air dryers between BIC-1 and BIC-2 as well as reduced the number of air dryers in use at BIC-2 by one unit in order to reduce energy consumption by 2,875 kWh during the production process, equivalent to 1.3 tCO2e per year.

As there is less heat that needs to be dissipated during off peak periods, coupled with lower temperatures at night, there is no need for cooling towers to operate at maximum capacity. Thus, the company has begun to deactivate one cooling fan during 00.00-06:00 hrs. every day, which reduced electricity consumption by 188,490 kWh annually or an equivalent to 87 tCO2e per year, equivalent to savings of 701,840 Baht in expenses. In addition, it helped reduce the number of working hours and prevented delays in machinery fatigue.

Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant has managed the activation and deactivation of the cooling fan in the cooling tower to reduced power consumption and the activation of a cooling pump to better divert heat to the cooling tower so as to reduced electricity use within the plant and loss of steam due to evaporation by the cooling fan. In 2022, The initiative cut down power consumption by 103 MWh, equivalent to 47 tCO2e per year. The project won the Innovative Power Technology of the Year at the Asian Power Awards 2021, hosted by Asia’s leading magazine in the electric power industry.

Nam Ngum 2 Hydroelectric Power Plant conducted a study on the relatively rapid decrease in the insulation resistance of power generators, as the equipment can be damaged when such resistance drops too low and investigated the issue of dust collecting in the carbon brush during production. After data collection and the installation of a slip ring dust collector, it was found that the device helped in the following ways:

1. Slow down the decrease of insulation resistance.
2. Preventing the operational temperature of the slip ring from getting too high and reducing the temperature by 40-47 degrees Celsius.
3. Reduce PM 2.5 from the carbon brush in the area of operation.
4. Extend the lifespan of the carbon brush to an extent

Nam Ngum 2 Hydroelectric Power Plant conducted a study on the relatively rapid decrease in the insulation resistance of power generators, as the equipment can be damaged when such resistance drops too low and investigated the issue of dust collecting in the carbon brush during production. After data collection and the installation of a slip ring dust collector, it was found that the device helped in the following ways:

Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant 1 (BIC-1) has implemented the Adjustment and Control of the Chloride Range in the Cooling Water of BIC1 program to increase chloride concentration, as the amount of effluent released from the cooling tower depends on the coolant cycle of concentration, which is correlated with chloride concentration. Given this, the Company has undertaken to increase chloride concentration in order to reduce the amount of effluent produced by the cooling tower at Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant 1. In 2022, BIC-1 was able to reduce its effluent by 54,347 cubic meters as well as save over Baht 1.4 million in operation costs. This program is safe and reduced water usage, monitored and controlled by specialized personnel, thus demonstrating CKPower’s commitment to enhancing the efficiency of energy production alongside environmental conservation.

Due to reduced consumer demands for steam energy at Bangpa-in Power Plant 1, resulting in residual steam which is then discarded into the compressor and thus a large amount of energy wasted during the production process, the Company recognized the opportunity to channel this excess steam into the electricity production process and, consequently, initiated an engineering research project to reduce wastage by diverting excess steam into electricity production during periods of low steam energy usage. To this end, the Company has undertaken a project to increase the energy production capacity of the steam turbine to achieve a higher 25.3 MW as well as the efficiency of the production process by enabling the steam turbine control system to utilize residual steam to successfully generate 1.3 MW of electricity.

In 2022, the company's continuous development of innovations and ongoing projects has resulted in significant achievements. The company has been able to reduce gas compression energy consumption 3,250 MWh, cost savings of 12,100,253 Baht in energy expenses also reduce greenhouse gas emissions 1,500 tCO2e per year. These accomplishments have led to the company receiving the prestigious "Gas Engine Combined Cycle Power Project of the Year - Silver" award at the Asian Power Awards, organized by Asian Power magazine, a leading publication in the Asian electricity industry.

Bangpa-in Cogeneration Power Plant has undertaken the improvement of its machinery lubrication injection system to increase efficiency and match the actual consumption level, thus significantly reducing the amount of lubricant used and hazardous waste generated. In 2022, the power plant effectively reduced the amount of lubricant used and hazardous waste generated by approximately 8,151 liters per year, thus saving around 125,460 Baht per year in cost of lubrication and waste oil disposal, cost savings of approximately 885,952 Baht in energy expenses also reduce greenhouse gas emissions 110 tCO2e per year.

Food security and biodiversity are vital to the way of life in communities along the Mekong River. As such, the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant has been conducting several studies to better understand the life cycles, migration pattern, and physiological features of the various fish species in the river. The Project has successfully implemented a PIT-tag system to trace tagged fish in the fish passage facilities.

From a very early phase, even before project construction began, the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant studied and tracked the migration patterns of fish in the river. To enhance the fish monitoring system and to gain a better understanding of the behavior of various species, XPCL entered into a collaboration with Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia, Karltek Pty Ltd, Australia, as well as the National University of Laos (NUOL) and the Living Aquatic Resources Research Center (LARREC) of Lao PDR to research, design, and develop the PIT-tag system.

The multi-system fish passage facilities at the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant comprises of a vertical-slot fishway and large fish locks with the size of 18 meters in width and 16 meters deep at the deepest part. The design of the facilities has been tailored specifically to the sizes and behavior of the fish in the Mekong River. There are relatively few studies on fish migration in the Mekong compared to research in other regions, such as in America or Europe. In addition, physiological features and fish species vary greatly in different parts of the Mekong. Therefore, the fish migration monitoring system designed for the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant is considered an innovation and is the first deployed in the Mekong Mainstream.

These large sizes had never before been covered by PIT-tag antenna, so one of the first questions which needed an answer was to check if existing antenna would function under these conditions. To design an effective PIT-tag system, the working group created a prototype to study its efficiency to detect PIT-tags. After completing the preliminary stages, the system was installed at the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant. The major components of the system are the antenna which detect the tagged fish when passing through the slots. The largest antenna put in place is 8x1.5 meters, enabling highly accurate detection of tagged fish.