Emerson Wins Contract to Apply PlantWeb® Digital Plant Architecture at Xcel Energy's New Comanche Unit 3 Power Station
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New coal-fired unit expected to be largest showcase of digital bus technologies in a North American power plant
PITTSBURGH, PA (November 28, 2006) - Emerson Process Management announced today that it has won a contract to install its PlantWeb® digital plant architecture with the Ovation® expert control system at Xcel Energy's new Comanche Power Station Unit 3, located near Pueblo, Colo. The contract was awarded by Shaw Stone & Webster Inc., a unit of The Shaw Group, Inc.; NYSE: SGR , the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project. The new facility is expected to be the largest showcase of digital bus technologies in a North American power plant. The digital bus approach has been proven in a number of industries to result in significant construction savings as well as ongoing operational savings.
The 750-MW, supercritical plant - Xcel Energy's first new coal-fired electric generation unit in nearly 30 years - will use new clean coal technology that enables operation at elevated steam temperature and pressure for increased efficiency and reduced fuel-related emissions. When it becomes commercially operational in 2009, Comanche Unit 3 will provide additional generating capacity to help Xcel Energy meet the area's growing demand for energy. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy is the fourth-largest combination natural gas and electricity company in the nation, providing energy-related products and services to 3.2 million electricity customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers through its regulated operating companies in eight Western and Midwestern states.
Emerson's PlantWeb digital plant architecture utilizes high-speed communications networks, intelligent field devices, asset management software, and bus I/O technologies to help power producers control critical plant processes, increase plant efficiencies and megawatt production, and realize long-term operations and maintenance savings. For new plants, PlantWeb offers additional advantages to power generators: by lowering wiring costs, and streamlining device installation, communications verification and troubleshooting, this digital bus-based approach translates into faster startup, and reduced startup and commissioning costs.
The Comanche Unit 3 digital automation solution, to be engineered and installed by Emerson, consists of the PlantWeb digital plant architecture with the Ovation control system and AMS(TM) Suite predictive asset management software.
The Ovation system will monitor and control the Alstom boiler, as well as the burner management system, motor control center and balance of plant processes. In addition, the Ovation system will control the Babcock and Wilcox Air Quality Control System (AQCS) that encompasses the unit's environmental equipment, including a scrubber and baghouse. The Ovation system will also interface to the unit's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries turbine controls.
Xcel is no stranger to the Ovation system, which was designed and built by Emerson to meet the unique requirements of the power generation industry. A number of Xcel facilities - including Comanche Units 1 and 2 - already rely on the Ovation system to control critical power generation processes. In fact, under a separate contract awarded by Xcel Energy, Emerson will expand the existing Ovation control systems at these two units to include their burner management systems and new scrubber controls.
Another core component of the comprehensive PlantWeb solution is Emerson's AMS Suite: Intelligent Device Manager, which will initially streamline device configuration, translating into cost savings and increased unit startup efficiency. In addition, the predictive intelligence of AMS Device Manager will further increase the availability and performance of the unit on an ongoing basis by capturing and analyzing real-time predictive diagnostic information from plant assets, as well as intelligent field devices.
When completed, Comanche Unit 3 is expected to feature the most extensive use of digital bus-based technologies in a North American power generation facility: Emerson's Ovation system will incorporate 220 Foundation fieldbus segments and 28 DeviceNet segments to network 1,350 Foundation fieldbus devices and 358 DeviceNet devices, respectively. In the boiler area, for example, Foundation fieldbus technologies will communicate information from Emerson's Rosemount 3051S transmitters to the Ovation system. Contracts for additional balance of plant instrumentation have not yet been awarded, although Emerson has been selected to negotiate for the supply of these devices.
According to Bob Yeager, president of the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson, this type of forward thinking is becoming more critical in light of the power generation industry's increasingly complex and competitive landscape. "The operational, regulatory, environmental and economic issues facing the industry are in flux," said Yeager. "In such an environment, developing a master automation plan based on a flexible, open systems approach that incorporates the latest technologies positions power generators, like Xcel Energy, to nimbly respond to this ever-changing landscape."
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management (www.emersonprocess.com), an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the power, water and wastewater treatment, chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries.
Emerson's Power & Water Solutions division (www.emersonprocess-powerwater.com) is a global supplier of advanced distributed process control and information systems. The Pittsburgh-based company is a recognized leader in developing plant-wide process control solutions for the power generation, water treatment and wastewater treatment industries. Power & Water Solutions plays a key role in the Emerson mission of combining superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management and maintenance services.
Emerson brands include PlantWeb®, Ovation®; SmartProcess®; Fisher®; MicroMotion®; Rosemount®; Mobrey®, Daniel®, Bristol®, DeltaV(TM); and AMS(TM) Suite.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2006 were $20.1 billion. For more information, visit www.GoToEmerson.com.
