p [ ENERGY / IN DETAIL ]
[ ENERGY / IN DETAIL ]
ECC with internal combustion engines
AU T H O R : A n d e rs A h n ge r , G e n e ra l M a n a ge r, Co m b i n e d C yc l es a n d Env i ro n m e n t , Powe r P l a n ts, W ä r ts i l ä i n F i n l a n d
In this article, engine combined
cycle (ECC) solutions are discussed
as a means of increasing electricity
output and efficiency for a plant using
combined cycle techniques, based
upon heat recoveries from medium-
speed gas and diesel engines.
The energy world is in the process of
undergoing big changes. Environmental
requirements are becoming more and
more stringent, while the Kyoto-protocol
is being implemented country-by-country,
step-by-step. Authorities and governments
around the world are enacting measures
aimed at fulfilling the CO2 and other
emission targets and limits. Combined
heat and power (CHP) directives striving
for better primary energy utilization,
economy, and savings are being published
and implemented to improve general
plant efficiencies. Renewable fuels are
becoming preferable to fossil fuels due
to the CO2 emission targets. At the
same time, fuel prices are high and
slowly but steadily increasing. Electricity
Fig. 1 – Conceptual study for hot climates. A 140 MWe ECC plant with eight Wärtsilä 18V50DF engines and a steam turbine with a
direct air-cooled condenser.
4 in detail
prices are also increasing, although not
as directly nor as fast as fuel prices.
In order to meet these demands, the
technologies used in modern power
plants need to be further developed
for higher efficiencies and technical
solutions, amongst other things, will
require greater sophistication. All waste
heat sources from the prime movers
must be better utilized for secondary
energy production, either for direct
heat generation or for secondary power
generation. Governments are engaged
in ensuring that such developments
are heading in the right direction.
With this situation very much in
mind, Wärtsilä is studying different
kinds of combined cycles and developing
them further. The rising interest by
power producers and plant owners,
in engine combined cycles has been
noted, and there is clearly an increasing
awareness in utilising and recovering
for re-use in, for example, additional
electricity production, energy and heat
that would otherwise be wasted.
Engines in combined cycles
Both diesel and gas medium-speed internal
combustion engines (ICE), also called
reciprocating engines, are already from
design and construction very efficient in
terms of electricity and power production.
Today, we talk about a gross electrical
efficiency of up to 47%, for engine sizes
bigger than about 3 MWe. This electrical
efficiency is remarkably high, even
compared with large-sized power plants
based on other technologies. The rest
of the engine fuel input emerges in the
form of heat in exhaust gases and engine
cooling. In a typical CHP application,
these engine waste heat sources can be
utilized for valuable heat production.
However, in many places there is no
“heat sink” into which the waste heat can
be “dumped”, and therefore, secondary
power generation is preferred, as in an
engine combined cycle configuration.
The most common technique for
secondary power generation is based
upon a conventional steam bottoming
cycle. The cycle can be defined as a post-
 WÄRTSILÄ TECHNICAL JOURNAL 02.2007

Exhaust in
a total gross efficiency of 49.0-51.5%.
390–410°C With a sophisticated multi-pressure
Steam turbine system, efficiencies of up to 53.5% can
wilt alternator be reached. These figures are valid for
Make-up today’s standard engines. Even though the
water G efficiency from multi pressure secondary
power generation is much higher, it very
Steam
drum seldom justifies the higher investment.
Exhaust 16–20 bar
gas boiler
(HRSG) Organic rankine cycles (ORC)
105°C Condenser The organic rankine cycle (ORC), is a
Feedwater tank closed thermodynamic rankine cycle
process where heat is added to the selected
organic fluid at a constant pressure in
order to vaporise it. It is then expanded
Exhaust out through a turbine, condensed under
175–190°C very low pressure to liquid, and fed
back for heating and evaporation.
ORC manufacturers are typically
Fig. 2 - General flow diagram of a typical steam turbine system for internal
focusing on heat recoveries from different
combustion engines.
low grade or low volume waste heat, such
as geothermal heats, where an ordinary
steam turbine cycle is unnecessarily
inefficient and expensive, and where the
Plant set-up Fuel Simple cycle Additional Plant
investment for a comprehensive steam
output output efficiency
turbine system cannot be justified. The
MWe (gross) MWe % equipment is manufactured as small
6 x Wärtsilä 20V34SG Natural gas 52.3 4.8 50.7 compact factory-made modules, which
3 x Wärtsilä 18V50DF Natural gas 49.8 4.7 51.8 are then delivered to site as functional and
6 x Wärtsilä 20V32 HFO 53.5 3.8 49.3 pre-tested units. The markets for such
3 x Wärtsilä 18V46 HFO 51.2 4.2 50.7 units are such that they are generally less
than 5 MWe in size. From a design and
construction point of view, the ORC cycle
Table 1 - Performance values for various engine combined cycle plants based on is well suited for gas and diesel engines.
ordinary, one pressure steam cycle. (Values given at ISO reference conditions, The organic fluid in the closed
tolerance 5%)
rankine cycle is selected according to the
application and the temperature levels of
the waste heat source. Using an organic
engine “hang-on” type, and does not of the steam cycle. Taking a normal fluid is seen as being environmentally
directly affect the performance or the medium-speed engine directly from hazardous, and brings up the question of
running of the engine. Prerequisites for production, the exhaust gas temperature fluid stability and toxicity. Because the
a modern and efficient steam bottoming would be approximately 340–370oC for organic fluid is kept only in the primary
cycle are high steam pressures and diesel engines, and 370–410oC for gas cycle, an intermediate thermal oil circuit is
temperatures. As previously pointed out, engines. Engine exhaust gas temperatures, usually used for transferring the heat from
the reciprocating engine is, from basic the ambient conditions, steam condenser the waste heat source to the ORC-module.
design, already very efficient, meaning cooling, engine type, and the type of fuel The organic rankine cycle products
that the temperatures of the waste heat determine the design pressures for steam of today give 8-10% additional power
are somewhat low for a steam bottoming generation. Usually, a single pressure - even for small engine plants. Even
cycle. Nevertheless, very high total steam system operates economically at though the organic rankine cycle has been
plant efficiencies are easily obtainable. 12–20 bars. The engine cooling water on the market for more than 20 years,
The main equipment in the system is used as preheating for the feed water further development potential to increase
are: the heat recovery steam generator and condensate flows, before being fed the efficiency and output remains.
(HRSG), the steam turbine set with an to the feed water treatment system.
alternator, the condenser with cooling, as More sophisticated steam systems Research work continues
well as the feed water and water treatment with exhaust gas boilers having several Comparing investment costs against
systems. The main heat source from the pressure levels and multi stage steam performance, the ordinary steam turbine
engine is the engine exhaust gas, where the turbines are possible, but seldom cycle is a stronger alternative for engine
temperature plays a more important role economical. Generally, an ECC based plant sizes above 30 MW, while the
than the exhaust gas flow in the efficiency on a single-pressure steam system attains organic rankine cycle is well suited for p

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 p [ ENERGY / IN DETAIL ]
[ ENERGY / IN DETAIL ]
plants below 30 MW and especially
for one engine installations. The ORC
cycles still have the potential for being
developed to optimize the cycles and
technique for reciprocating engines, and
for the better use of engine cooling water.
Furthermore, from these two “hang-
on” type combined cycle technologies,
there are numerous research activities,
developments, and studies taking place
aimed at developing much more efficient
bottoming cycles. They are also looking
into integrating these technologies with
other combustion methods and boilers,
REFERENCES PAKISTAN AND ITALY
ENGINE COMBINED
CYCLE REFERENCES
The benefits and increased
efficiencies created through heat
recovery generating capability are
being realised on a global basis.
Recent orders for Wärtsilä combined
cycle engines reflect this trend.
Attock Refinery, Pakistan
Wärtsilä will be delivering a 160 MW
power plant for the Attock Refinery
Ltd site near Rawalpindi in Pakistan.
The customer is Attock Gen Ltd,
a company set up specifically to own
and operate the power plant. The main
sponsors are various units within the
Attock Oil Group, including Pakistan
Oilfields, Attock Refinery Ltd, Attock
Petroleum and Attock Oil Company.
The new power plant will improve
refinery operations.
The plant consists of nine Wärtsilä 18V46
type generating sets with heat recovery
steam generators (HRSG) on each, one
12 MWe condensing steam turbine plant,
and a 132 kV switchyard.
The plant is run on heavy fuel oil and
will be connected to the national grid.
The combined cycle concept is intended
to meet the demand for the highest
possible power plant efficiency during
a lifetime cycle of 25 years. With the
combined cycle configuration, an electrical
net efficiency of 45% can be reached.
6 in detail
with ordinary supplementary fired heat
recovery steam generators, and with
different kinds of “hybrid plants”, etc.
In parallel with these technologies, a lot
of focus and development work is being
targeted towards the engine and prime
mover itself, as well as the combustion,
efficient turbo-charging with direct
utilization of excess exhaust gas, and
other relevant areas. Many of these are,
however, not yet fully commercialized,
and it is likely to take some years before
they are applicable for combined cycle
technologies and ordinary power plants.
Fig. 1 – The Attock Gen Limited
power plant with a steam turbine totalling 160 MW in Pakistan.
ItalGreen II in Monopoli, Italy
ItalGreen is part of the Casa Olearia
Italiana Group (COI), a world-leading
supplier of household and commercial
food oils. COI situated in Monopoli, in
the heart of Italy’s Puglia olive growing
region, covers an area of 100,000 m2
(24.70 acres). This facility is used for
the production of extra virgin olive oil,
olive oil, and the refining of pomace oil
and various seed oils. The site has over
100 stainless steel tanks storing some
60,000 tonnes of oil, and a packaging
plant for their own brand and other
international household and commercial
brands. The facility is one of the largest in
the world with four packaging lines, one
of which has a phenomenal production
capacity of 11 pieces per second.
The ItalGreen II plant will burn vegetable
oil, mainly imported palm oil from
Southeast Asia. The economics of a biofuel
plant in Italy are good, with competitive
bio-oil prices and considerable government
incentives to generate electricity using
renewable power.
Power and energy demand is growing
hand in hand with economic growth, and
is already an important global concern.
We have many interesting years ahead
of us as we strive to meet the increasing
demand for better and more efficient
power and energy generation, and
for environmental compliancies.
REFERENCES:
- Miroslav Petrov/Steam bottoming cycles for
the W20V34SG gas engine /KTH 2006.
- Seminar work made by group of students
at Technical University of Helsinki and Royal
Institute of Technology, Stockholm/2007.
The 100 MW plant consists of six Wärtsilä
18V46 engines, each with heat recovery
steam generators equipped with natural
gas driven duct burners for improving the
steam parameters before being fed to
the condensing steam turbine of 12 MWe,
giving a gross electrical efficiency of 50%.
Green Energy, Italy
The Green Energy plant consists of one
Wärtsilä 18V46 engine running on liquid
biofuel and equipped with an organic
rankin cycle (ORC) for boosting electrical
output and efficiency. The engine waste
heat is recovered only from the exhaust
gases with a thermo-oil intermediate
heat circuit feeding heat from exhaust
gases to the package type ORC-unit.
The ORC turbine unit generates 1.3 MWe
net efficiency in parallel with the engine
and boosts the plant electrical output
by 8%. The project is under delivery
and will be commissioned in 2008.