Before the operation phase of a power plant, different kinds of engineering tasks need to be solved in the design phase. Dynamic simulation provides value to engineers as a tool and as a systematic process to carry out the following tasks:
- Development of control strategies
- Analysis of the system operation
- “What-if experiments” that are not possible in the real plant.
- Transients, such as load or grade changes, but also disturbances, malfunctions and accidents.
- Verification of design
- Integrated verification of the process and automation design, and verification of equipment dimensioning.
- Testing of control system
- Connecting the actual DCS (Distributed Control System) to the process simulator and testing the functionality of the system.
- This leads to a significantly shorter factory acceptance testing and commissioning time of the automation and earlier start of production.
- Training of operators
- Development and validation of operating procedures and the control room
During power plant operations, unpredicted states and conditions occur. To ensure plant safety and continued efficient operation, it is important to quickly identify the reason for the observed deviations from the expected plant state. Dynamic simulation is an invaluable tool in these problem solving tasks. It provides a way to:
- Identify the reason for the deviation
- Assess the severity of the issue and potential impacts on safety and efficiency
- Plan a solution to the issue
At Fortum, we have encountered similar challenges in our own plants and projects, and by successfully using Apros to overcome them, we have recognised the great value of using Apros in both small and large engineering projects. We see that dynamic simulation provides very much value in all stages in a plant life-cycle. Thus, the maximum benefits of dynamic simulation are achieved when dynamic simulation is an integral part of the engineering workflow.
