Advanced coal-fired

technology for
Meri-Pori
To meet increasing electricity demand Finland is building a 560 MWe power
station known as Meri-Pori. Once complete, it will be one of the world's cleanest
and most efficient coal-fired power plants. The project which is being funded by
Imatran Voima Oy (IVO) and Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO), is scheduled for
completion in late 1993.

Kevin Dodman
inland needs more generating
capacity, to meet an expected
3 0 0 0 M W g r o w t h in e n e r g y
demand during the period up to the
year 2000. Of this 3000 MW, it is
anticipated that 1500 MW will need
to be base load capacity, while the
rest will only be needed during the
winter months.
T o help m e e t t h i s d e m a n d a
new 5 6 0 MWe c o a l - f i r e d plant
called Meri-Pori is being built, near
the town of Pori, 250 km north-west
of H e l s i n k i in F i n l a n d . T h e n e w
plant will use an advanced design
of s t e a m t u r b i n e t o a c h i e v e an
overall efficiency of 43.5 per cent.
It has been designed for base
load o p e r a t i o n a n d will have an
annual output of 3.6 TWh. A combination of l o w - N O burners a n d a
flue gas cleaning plant will result in
emissions that will be within t h e
recently determined regulatory limits of 7 0 m g / M J f o r N O , 1 4 0
mg/MJ for S 0 and 20 mg/MJ for
particulates.

hydroelectric power plants. The

company is Finland's largest s u p plier of heat and power to industrial
and utility c o m p a n i e s , meeting
some 45 per cent of the national
energy consumption.
TVO is owned by a number of
individual industrial groups, includJoint funding
ing IVO which has a 25 per cent
shareholding in T V O . It supplies
The overall cost estmate for
Meri-Pori is FIM 2.5 billion ($650 power t o industry a n d owns a n d
million), including f i n a n c i n g a n d o p e r a t e s t h e O l k i l u o t o n u c l e a r
interest charges. Of this, 45 per power plant.
The decisin to build the Meric e n t i s being financed by TVO, the
rest by IVO. T V O will have a 250 Pori plant was taken at the end of
1989, p r e l i m i n a r y p l a n n i n g w a s
MW share of the power generated
by t h e plant in e x c h a n g e f o r its c o m p l e t e d in 1 9 9 0 , a n d I V O
investment, w h i l e IVO has been ordered the main equipment for the
responsible for construction of the power station at t h e e n d of May
plant and will o w n and oprate it that year.
when completed.
Construction work started at the
IVO owns and operates a range end of 1990 and equipment instalof n u c l e a r , f o s s i l f u e l f i r e d a n d lation c o m m e n c e d a y e a r later.
x

March 1993

C o m m i s s i o n i n g is s c h e d u l e d for
s u m m e r 1993, w i t h c o m m e r c i a l
operation to follow in November.
Power will be fed into the local 400
kV grid.

Power needed urgently

To meet the anticipated growth

in d e m a n d for power in Finland,
three types of power generating
capacity were considered: natural
gas, nuclear and coal.
Natural gas. It was felt that a stable supply of natural gas could only
be g u a r a n t e e d by b u i l d i n g a
pipeline either from Norway or from
the Barents S e a . Both options
would be uneconomic under current conditions.
Nuclear. There are four nuclear
units in Finland - two at Loviisa
and two at Olkiluoto - all of which
have been operating successfully

Figure 1. T h e
Meri-Pori
power station
will be one of
the world's
c l e a n e s t and
most efficient
coal-fired
power plants

19

for a number of years. Government

approval would be needed before
further nuclear capacity could be
built and a proposal has been put
forward to build a fifth unit. No final
decisin has yet been reached
about whether to proceed with it
but even if it is approved, it will take
around seven years to construct,
s o o t h e r f o r m s of g e n e r a t i n g
capacity are needed in the short to
mdium term.
Coal is already used extensively
for power generation in Finland.
Coal-fired power stations can be
built relatively quickly and by using
the latest emission control technology, environmental emissions can
be minimized.

Plant c o n s t r u c t i o n

The new plant is being built near

the city of Pori, next to the existing
Tahkoluoto power plant. Factors
nfluencing t h e c h o i c e of P o r i
included the fact that the site
already has a deep water harbour.
Also, many facilities from the existing power plant, such as the cooli n g - w a t e r channel a n d road a n d
railway infrastructure, are
being re-used.
The first stage of c o n struction involved site
modification work. The
building office of the City
of Pori g r a n t e d b u i l d i n g
p e r m i s s i o n in O c t o b e r
1990, a n d w o r k on t h e
foundations began the following month.
T h e largest c o n s t r u c tion contractor at Meri-Pori
is the Haka Group. They
have undertaken the concrete work and supplementary s t r u c t u r e s for t h e main
buildings. In all, over a hundred
subcontractors
have
been
employed, and during the installation phase, around 700 people
have worked at the site.

ted to a coal-fired power station in

Finland.
In M a y 1 9 9 1 , t h e F i n n i s h
Supreme Court ruled on the emission levis that would apply, and
these were in line with the original
guidelines. T h e levis set by the
Supreme Court are 140 mg/MJ for
sulphur dioxide, 70 mg/MJ for nitrogen dioxide and 20 mg/MJ for particulate emissions during normal
operation of the plant.
Wet desulphurization:
T h e desulphurization plant will be a wet syst e m , s u p p l i e d by O u t o k u m p u
E c o e n e r g y of F i n l a n d a n d L & C
Steinmller of Germany, with the
bulk of the e q u i p m e n t m a n u f a c tured in Finland. It will comprise an
absorption reactor, together with
water, washing liquor, end product
and ash treatment systems.
The flue gases will be fed via
the electrostatic precipitators and
the heat exchanger into t h e
absorption reactor, where the S 0
in the flue gas will react with an
alkaline washing liquor made up of
powdered limestone and water, to
form gypsum.

appeenranta

The process will remove over 90

per cent of the sulphur contained in
the flue g a s . T h e s i t e ' s s u l p h u r
dioxide emissions on an average
a n n u a l b a s i s w i l l be b e l o w t h e
Finnish G o v e r n m e n t ' s g u i d e l i n e
valu of 140 mg/MJ with
all grades of coal.
The slurry accumulating in the bottom of t h e
reactor will be f e d to
hydro cyclones, which will
increase the solid matter
conten from about 10 per
cent to 50 per cent. T h e
lighter, s m a l l e r g y p s u m
crystals will be fed from
the c y c l o n e s to a recycling tank and from there
back into the reactor. The
concentrated slurry g e n e r a t e d by t h e c y c l o n e s
The washing liquor will be fed will then travel to a vacuum belt filinto the sump of the reactor a n d ter, after which the solid content
pumped from there into the reac- will be 90 per cent.
tor's spraying zone. Flue gases will
The Meri-Pori plant will produce
be fed into the reactor abov the about 60 000 t/yr of gypsum and it
sump containing the washing
is planned that this will be used in
liquor. As the gases move upward, the construction industry. Between
the washing liquor will be sprayed 4 and 10 t / h of limestone will be
Emission control
used under normal conditions,
The emission control system for into t h e t o w e r f r o m a q u a d r u p l e
depending on the purity of the limeMeri-Pori was selected at the end battery of overlapping spray banks.
stone and the sulphur content of
of 1990, on the basis of the sulphur This will ensure efficient mixing of
removal requirements then prevail- the gases and the washing liquor. the coal being burned. Some 100
ing, a n d t h e p r o p o s e d n i t r o g e n The liquor will collect in the bottom t/h of seawater will also be used,
as well as 8 t/h of potable water for
oxide
levis,
in l i n e
w i t h of the reactor, where the reactions
will be supported by aeration and gypsum cleaning.
Government guidelines.
Burners: The boiler at Meri-Pori is
T h e s y s t e m h a s c o s t a r o u n d agitation.
$125 million and includes low-NO
T h e u p p e r p a r t of t h e t o w e r equipped with a two-stage low-NO
burners, plus catalytic converters
incorporates droplet separators to combustin system, incorporating a
for further reduction of N O levis,
prevent droplets from leaving the total of 30 l o w - N O burners. The
electrostatic precipitators to remove
r e a c t o r w i t h t h e f l u e g a s . T h e b u r n e r s s u p p l i e d by T a m p e l l a
particulates, and a wet-type desul- cooled, water-rich gases will be fed Power are of the Babcock-Hitachi
HTNR (High T e m p e r a t u r e N O
phurization system. This combina- to the exit stack through a gas-gas
Reduction) type. This design was
tion of systems is the first to be fit- heat exchanger.
2

Figure 3.
Meri-Pori
during
construction

Figure 2 . T h e
plant is
situated near
the town of
Pori, 250 km
north-west of
Helsinki

Varch 1993

21

chosen for o p t i m u m fuel

efficiency and N O reduction. These swirl burners
can run on pulverised coal
or oil, and yleld N 0 conc e n t r a t i o n s of b e t w e e n
100 a n d 2 0 0 m g / M J
depending on the type of
coal used.
The design w a s influe n c e d by a n u m b e r of
requirements:
To maximize the rate at which
the volatile elements are evolved
from the fuel.
To provide an initial oxygen-deficient zone to minimize N O formation, but provide sufficient oxygen
to maintain a stable fame
To optimise both the residence
time a n d t h e t e m p e r a t u r e under
f u e l - r i c h c o n d i t i o n s , to minimize
NO formation
To maximize char residence time
under fuel-rich conditions,
to reduce the potential for
the formation of char nitrogen oxide
To add the remaining air
in s u c h a w a y that c o m p l e t e f u e l b u r n - o u t s
ensured.
A further requirement is
that the fame should have
an oxidising envelope, to
minimize possible c o r r o sin of the furnace wall.
K e y e l e m e n t s of t h e
HTNR burner design are
the i n t r o d u c t i o n of a x i a l
swirl generation, which is inherently
more stable than radial generation,
and the use of a stabilizing ring to
promote rapid and stable ignition.
Staged combustin, as used in
the HTNR burner, is widely regarded as t h e most effective w a y to
minimize N O p r o d u c t i o n in t h e
boiler, as it promotes localised fuelrich conditions and reduces the formation of both thermal a n d f u e l derived N O .
The burners will yield N 0 concentrations of b e t w e e n 100 a n d
200 mg/MJ in the flue gas
leaving t h e boiler. These
levis will be reduced by
subsequent catalytic c o n versin.
Catalytic
converters:
Catalytic converters are fitted to reduce the N O levis further. The BabcockHitachi system supplied by
Tampella Power includes
an a m m o n i a p r o c e s s i n g
unit, a n e t w o r k of s p r a y
jets a n d a c a t a l y t i c c o n verter, w h i c h is l o c a t e d
x

March 1993

ic p r e c i p i t a t o r s for dust
r e m o v a l . T h e s e will be
dual-chamber, four-field
systems and after passing t h r o u g h t h e m , t h e
dust content of t h e flue
gas will be a mximum of
100 m g / n m (wet).
A p r o p o r t i o n of t h e
remaining particulate
m a t t e r will be r e m o v e d
during
the desulphurization
process, after which the particulate
content will be no more than 50
m g / n m (wet), which is equivalent
to 20 mg/MJ.
Overall, 99.5 per cent of the fly
ash in the flue gas stream will be
removed. This will be around 150
000 t/yr and it will be held in two
silos, each with a volume of 3000
m , prior to being recycled either
for use in the construction industry,
or for disposal in a landfill site.
3

between the feedwater preheater

and the air preheater. The temperature in this rea is around 350C,
which is the optimum temperature
for the reaction. Additional catalytic layers should be installed after 34 years, and the total expected life
of the catalyst is seven years.
Ammonia will be fed into the flue
gas flow prior to the converter and
the process has been designed to
keep ammonia concentrations in
the post-converter stage as low as

Figure 4.
Additional
coal delivery
equipment
h a s been
added to the
existing
facilities that
dellver coal
to the
Tahkoluoto
power plant

Boiler

The boiler at Meri-Pori

is a Benson once-through
supercritical design a n d
h a s b e e n s u p p l i e d by
Tampella
Power
of
Finland. It will burn pulverized coal, with oil used for
start-up, and will produce
440 kg/s of live steam at
240 bar and 540C, while
reheat steam conditions
will be 48 bar and 560C.
The boiler house is 77
m high a n d t h e boiler's
possible, to no more than 4 ppm,
size means that pulverized fuel is
which will have no impact on out- the best option. This also has the
side air quality.
a d v a n t a g e s of g o o d c o m b u s t i n
After passing through t h e cat- efficiency and low operating cost.
alytic converter, the flue g a s will
The 30 burners arranged at five
have an N 0 content of no more
levis will be fed with pulverized
than 70 mg/MJ and it is expected coal by five MPS milis manufacthat overall, the system will achieve tured by Deutsche Babcock, each
an 80 per cent reduction in nitrogen with a capacity of 5 2 t / h . T h e s e
oxide levis compared to older boil- feature a rotary classifier for better
er designs.
particle separation.
Removal of particulates: Following
At full boiler load four milis will
the c a t a l y t i c c o n v e r t e r , t h e flue
be used mostly, with the fifth as a
gases will be fed to the electrostat- s t a n d b y . T h e c o a l w i l l b e p u r chased worldwide, but
mainly from Columbia
a n d Poland. T h e boiler
has been designed for 16
different bituminous coal
types, w h i c h will have
c a l o r i f i c v a l e s in t h e
range 26.0 - 32.1 MJ/kg.

Figure 5. T h e
desulphurization p r o c e s s

Figure 6. T h e
boiler is fitted
with 30 HTNR
burners, six at
e a c h burner
level

Steam turbine

The steam turbine,

which is being supplied
by A B B Stal, comprises
five reaction axial-flow
turbine sections:
23

Figure 7. T h e burners feature

axial swirl-generation and a
stabilizing ring to promote
rapid and stable ignition

ging of combustin air

low-NO burners

Selective catalytic
reduction

1000C

800C
Economizer

1200C
Completion of
combustin
Overfire
air

CO+ I2 O2
Secondary

one single-flow high pressure

(HP) section
o n e d o u b l e - f l o w intermedate
pressure (IP) section
three double-flow low pressure
(LP) sections.
These are connected coaxially,
by integral forged coupling flanges,
to the generator and the slip-ring
unit. The whole train is supported
on eight bearing pedestals; one at
each end of the rotor train and one
oetween each individual rotor and
slip-ring shaft.
Each bearing pedestal, except
the o n e between t h e HP a n d IP
sections, has a single Journal bearng and is fixed to the foundation in
all directions. The HP/IP pedestal
can move axially, and carries the
axial thrust bearing, integrated with
the journal bearing
The HP and IP casings are supported vertically and guided transversely by the bearing pedestals.
The casings are axially connected
via t h e thrust b e a r i n g p e d e s t a l ,
which is free to move axially on the
'oundation.
At the side towards the first LP
rasing, the IP casing is fixed axially
to its bearing pedestal, which in
turn is fixed to the foundation. Thus
when warming up, the IP casing,
the thrust bearing pedestal and the
HP casing will be able to slide axially. T h e rotor t r a i n f o l l o w s t h e
m o v e m e n t of t h e thrust bearing
and thus the axial clearance in the
LP turbines can be reduced.
Steam path: Live steam will enter
the HP t u r b i n e t h r o u g h t h e t w o
valve casings flanged to the outer
casing. Each valve casing contains
a stop valve and a control valve.
After expansin through the sing l e - f l o w b l a d i n g , t h e s t e a m will
eave the exhaust rea for reheatng, with some being extracted for
'eedwater heating. T h e reheated
steam will be admitted to the IP turbine through the connections to the
two combined stop and intercept
.alves located on each side of the
turbine.
After expansin through the
double-flow IP turbine blading, the
steam will enter t h e IP e x h a u s t
rea. Again, s o m e steam from
1993

Fuel
and
primary
air

a i r

Fuel
gases
380C

CO2

Tertiary air
NO
Nh
N2 + O2

Fuelj<
nitrogen
\ N

000
000
0000c
000
0000/
Nitrogen
water

2NO

S<N2

each IP flow, together with some

e x h a u s t s t e a m , will be used for
feedwater heating.
From the IP turbine, the crossover pipe will lead the steam to the
three LP turbines. After expansin,
it will enter the exhaust rea and
will then be fed to the condenser,
with some once again extracted for
feedwater heating.
When the power plant is operating at full capacity, 14 m / s of seawater will be required to cool the
condenser.
HP and IP turbines: The outer casings of the HP and IP turbines are
of simple cylindrical shape, horiz o n t a l l y split at t h e level of t h e
shaft a n d held together with
hydraulically tightened bolts. The
inner casing of the HP turbine is
split vertically and held together
with shrink rings, while the IP turbine inner casing is horizontally
split at shaft level a n d bolted
together with hydraulically tightened bolts.
Both rotors a r e t h e s t a n d a r d
ABB design, welded from solid
forgings, with integral coupling
flanges, and rebalancing is possible at both ends without dismantling the casings.
LP t u r b i n e s : A l l three LP t u r bines are of the same basic design
and the main components are the
rotor, the inner and outer casings.
The outer casings are welded
structures, horizontally split at shaft
level, while the inner casings are
castings, with integral inlet spirals
and blade carriers, once again split
at shaft level. The rotors are of the
standard ABB welded design.
3

Ammonium
feed

Ammonium +
nitrogen
oxides +
catalyst

cated steel cylinder, with gas ducts

to transport cooling gas, while the
stator core is built from low-loss Silicon alloy sheet steel stampings.
The rotor body is a one-piece alloy
steel forging, with integrally forged
couplings.
The infernal c o m p o n e n t s are
hydrogen cooled, except the stator
winding and its connections, which
are water cooled.

140-C

Figure 8.
Reduction of
nitrogen
oxides at
Meri-Pori

Machine bases

IVO has been working for some

time in the rea of machine foundation technology. The company

NH injection
grid

ReheaterSuper

After air
ports
LowNO burners
Fumace

Air
heater

claims that the foundations for

power plant machinery, turbines
and pumps rarely receive the attention they deserve during the design
phase, but that careful design of
foundations can significantly
reduce construction and operation
COStS.

At Meri-Pori, steel spiral springs

will be used to support the turbine
Generator
and other machinery. In this way,
The generator installed at Meri- d y n a m i c loads o n t h e s t r u c t u r e
Pori is a standard A B B t w o - p o l e below the springs are reduced, so
type, with a rated output of 6 5 4 a less bulky foundation structure
MVA. The stator casing is a fabri- can be used.

Figure 9. T h e
boiler
supplied by
Tampella
Power is a
Benson oncethrough
design which
will burn
pulverized
coal, with oil
u s e d for
start-up

25

Figure 10. T h e steam turbine

which features HP, IP and L P
s t a g e s is mounted on spring
b a s e s to reduce dynamic loads
on the foundation structure

ing system, one for the information

s y s t e m a n d o n e for t h e process
computer.
The whole plant is operated and
controlled via the monitors, using
the O S 2 5 6 - 6 o p e r a t i n g s y s t e m .
T h e O S s y s t e m also i n c l u d e s a

Control system

The automation system at MeriPori was supplied by Siemens and

is b a s e d o n t h e c o m p a n y ' s
" e l e p e r m ME technology, d e v e l :oed for power plant use.
The system is made up of intelligent l/O modules, which enable a
m o d u l a r f o r m a t i o n of f u n c t i o n
groups to be assembled, dependi g on t h e m e c h a n i c a l s t r u c t u r e
a~d operation of the power plant. In
:rs way, the Teleperm ME system
: a n be applied t o all apsects of
rower plant automation, including
: o t e c t i o n , interlocking, measurement, a n d closed and open loop
controls.
The Meri-Pori system comprises
tne following elements:
Main automation system, includng automation for the boiler, turbine a n d t u r b i n e - r e l a t e d process
:a-ts
Automation of the desulphurizaron plant

Coal
transport
system
=Jtomation
Burner and sootblower automation (acting as a subcontractor to
the boiler supplier)
i Auxiliary switchgear automation
It includes two different bus sys"s; the CS275 bus and the sysm coupling bus, both of which
nave r e d u n d a n t s t r u c t u r e s . T h e
s y s t e m c o u p l i n g b u s is u s e d t o
nnect all t h e process stations
t need data exchange, such as
rxotection signis and interlocking
signis.
The C S 2 7 5 bus c o n n e c t s the
AS 220 EA automation systems,
ttie O S 2 5 6 - 6 operating systems,
t r e Simatic S5 programmable logic
: o n t r o l l e r s fitted to t h e auxiliary
ooiler plant and the water treatment
plant, the workstations for system
- a i n t e n a n c e , and the information
system (process computer).
Both main systems (boiler and
ine) and the auxiliary systems
sulphurization, coal transport,
_c) h a v e t h e i r o w n b u s e s a n d
rating systems. The two buses
r

1993

.
Absolute f x point, bearing
I 9 casing/outer casing
V anchored on foundation

are linked via a bus connector for

data exchange.

Control room

The control room is designed to

be manned by o n e operator a n d
one supervisor. However, the control desk s designed so that during
start up and shut down, a second
operator c a n be a c c o m m o d a t e d .
B o t h p a r t s of t h e c o n t r o l b o a r d
have four monitors for the operat

Relative fix point,

inner casing fixed
inside outer casing

Relative fix point,

positionof rotor train in
thrust bearing casing

Sicomp M56 computer, with the IS

information system for displaying
and storing such i n f o r m a t i o n as
alarms and limit switch signis. It is
also used for displaying curves and
functional operating points and as
a gateway to other systems.
Due to this extensive automation, when it enters service MeriPori will require only around forty
operating personnel, plus maintenance staff.

Inner
"casing
^Outer
casing
_ Rotor
train
Figure 11.
Thermal
expansin of
the s t e a m
turbine train

Figure 12.
T h e power
plant control
room

27

Schematic diagram

Schematic diagram
HT-NR BURNER

MERI PORI
FINLANDIA
560 MWe
Coal and
prlmary air

Tertiary
air

A.
B.
C.
D.

Fame
stabilizing ring

Combustin zone of volatile matter

Production zone of reducing species
NOx decomposition
Char oxidizing zone

Key
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

Coal yard
Coal conveyor
Coal silo
Coal feeder
Coal mili
Coal burners
Forced-draught fan
Mill-airfan
Air preheater
Ammonia supply
NOx catalyst
Electrostatic precipitator
Induced-draught fan
Desulphurization absorber
Absorbent circulation
Demisters
Flue gas reheater
Stack
Gypsum dewatering
Effluent
Process Water
Limestone silo

23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44

Gypsum silo
Ash silo
Main condnsate pump
Low-pressure preheater
Feed-water tank (FW)
Turbine driven FW-pump
High-pressure preheater
Economiser
Evaporator
Superheater
HP turbine
Reheater
IP-turbine
LP-turbine
Condenser
Cooling water pump
Turbogenerator
Main transformen
Control room
Boiler house
Turbine hall
Switch yard