The World’s First Turbine Generator Set as a High-level Arrangement Put into Operation

The world’s first turbine generator set as a high-level arrangement independently developed and built by China was put into operation to generate electricity at Jinjie Power Plant of Guohua Electric Power Company after passing a 168-hour full load test run on December 23.

A panoramic view of Jinjie Power Plant.

The project is a key construction project under the national air pollution prevention and control program, a key project of the 13th Five-Year Plan of Shaanxi Province, a concrete practice to promote the energy technology revolution, and an independent innovation project aiming at the frontier of science and technology.

The project takes the lead in the world to adopt a high-level arrangement solution for the turbine generator set, raising the placement of the generator unit from conventional 13.7 meters to 65 meters. This new type of structure significantly shortens high-temperature and high-pressure metal pipes, improves thermal efficiency and regulation performance, creates a new pattern of design, manufacturing, and development in the power industry, and provides support and reserves for future development of 700℃advanced ultra-supercritical coal-fired power generation technology, which will help promote the upgrading of the world power industry.

The project also applies 16 environmentally friendly innovative and intelligent technologies including the eight-machine integrated centralized control method and the integral frame spring vibration isolated turbine-generator foundation, both never seen before in the world. The complete set of independent innovative technologies for high-level arrangement of turbine generator set provides a key technical solution for China to build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, which will effectively enhance the global competitiveness of China’s power industry and will be of great significance to the accomplishment of the goal of hitting peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060 and the construction of a new development pattern featuring domestic and international dual circulations that complement each other.

The 660MW ultra-supercritical generator set put into operation this time is the No. 5 unit of the plant and the first unit of the third-phase expansion project of Jinjie Power Plant. The generator project started on May 28, 2018, the boiler was ignited on October 26, 2020, and the unit was connected to the grid on December 3. During the trial operation, the main and auxiliary equipment of the unit operated stably, the protection and automatic input rate was 100 percent, and all the operation parameters and energy consumption indicators reached designed levels. The emission concentrations of flue gas, sulfur and nitrogen are below 1, 10 and 20 mg/m3, respectively, much lower than the national “ultra-low emission” standards.

The turbine generator set as a high-level arrangement.