February 2004
PF 04-02 Profiles
‘Effectual I&C systems are
essential for safe,
economic and reliable
operation of plant’
A modern, advanced instrumentation
and control (I&C) system, an integral
part of any power station, plays a major
role in the profitable operation of a
plant. In a previous IEA Clean Coal
Centre review by Nalbandian (2001) on
the status of I&C in existing coal-fired
power plant, brief references were made
to the effects of upgrading such
systems. The following environmental
and fuel cost benefits were reported
following the upgrading of a vintage
I&C system in a 500 MWe coal-fired
unit:
● up to 1% improvement in efficiency
which yields significant savings in
fuel costs as well as reducing air
pollutant emissions;
● additional benefits include up to 1%
reduction in both greenhouse gases
and solid wastes;
● 1% increase in availability resulting
in additional capacity (kWh/y) for
sale hence improving plant
profitability.
This report provides an overview of
power plant instrumentation that are
used to measure the values of relevant
parameters, and control systems, which
maintain the optimum operation of the
power generation components such as
boilers and turbines. All I&C devices
can be included in one of the following
categories:
● sensors (including signal conversion
equipment);
● controllers (including associated
control logic and operator interface
stations);
● actuation devices (including
positioners).
The I&C chain begins with sensors
that carry measured values to
Upgrading instrumentation and control in
coal-fired plant
‘Upgrading I&C improves
plant availability/reliability,
flexibility, maintainability
and/or efficiency’
controllers where a control strategy is
activated based on the received values
and the response moves to final
actuating control elements. This loop
repeats over and over during plant
operation through a complex and multi-
level communications schemes.
When a project is proposed for
upgrading I&C, in general, management
insists on some form of return-on-
investment analysis before expending
the capital. In some upgrades, specific
promises are made such as ‘the changes
are expected to improve heat rate by,
for example, 200 kJ/kWh' or ‘load-
following ability will be enhanced by
20%’ or ‘steam temperature control will
be improved by 2°C’. Most utilities
may go a step further and translate
these promises into expected cost
savings. Some even try to audit the
actual versus expected savings, after the
upgrade project is completed. However,
those that try, typically, concede failure
as they cannot quantify the
improvements due to lack of baseline
conditions and information, if a
baseline was established to begin with.
Apart from the technical solutions
implemented and achieved as a part of
a plant automation upgrade, there are
also non-technical factors that are
crucial if I&C upgrade projects are to
be carried out successfully including:
● Detailed analysis of the processes
involved; a joint pre-study
(feasibility study), which includes
evaluating plant disturbances and
performing test runs.
● Readiness/willingness on the part of
the operating staff to perform critical
reviews of existing control methods,
to change these if necessary, and to
‘The main driver for an
upgrade is system
obsolescence and the
main barrier is cost’
conduct open discussions of existing
plant problems.
● Close co-ordination and co-operation
between plant owner/operator and
supplier/vendor during planning,
implementation, testing and
optimisation. It would be
advantageous to establish a small
owner/supplier team with the
capacity and authority to take and
implement decisions.
● The majority of control system
modifications and expansions
should, for the most part, be carried
out while the plant remains on-line,
whereas critical changes should be
made during scheduled outages/
down-times.
● The operating staff should be
provided with both constant
information and the opportunity to
participate, actively, in the upgrade
process. This raises the level of
acceptance and identification with
the new solutions.
● Extensive changes in control modes,
along with associated operations
backup mechanisms, improve
considerably the expertise and the
skill level of the operating staff.
● Willingness on the part of the
supplier to plan for a potentially
longer project run-time in order to
carry out major modifications
gradually or in small steps. This is
essential if plant operations are to
remain largely undisturbed and if the
changes are to be transparent.
Drivers and barriers to upgrading
existing I&C with advanced systems in
existing coal-fired power plants, in
several countries, are investigated. The
main drivers for the upgrade were
found to be, in general, system
obsolescence followed by the number
of operators required to run the existing
system. Other drivers are discussed in
the report. Based on communications
with I&C system vendors, drivers
behind upgrading I&C also include
reducing life cycle and plant
maintenance costs as well as emissions
to the environment. They also include
the ability to fire different coals and
manage the load changes characteristic
of some coal-fired power plants. The
results of the upgrades could include
reduction in fuel cost as well as
emissions of CO2 and other air
pollutants such as particulate matter,
SO2 and NOx, improved plant
availability, profitability and impact on
power plant lifetime.
The main barrier encountered is cost.
Other barriers include lack of quantified
I&C upgrade benefits and justification
for a system upgrade. A further barrier
encountered is the operator’s comfort of
using a proven and reliable system
added to the additional learning barrier
required in order to become involved in
installing and running a new system.
One way of dealing with this is that,
sometimes, the system is upgraded but
the old control algorithms are used to
reduce cost as well as training
requirements. In cases such as these no
reduction in staff numbers are achieved
but training is increased.
The average life of a modern I&C
varies from 10 to 15 years for PC-based
systems, and 15 to 20 years for
proprietary DCS systems. Payback on a
complete (new) I&C system, including
all instrumentation apparatus, control
tools and algorithms can take up to
30 years. Payback on investment in
partial upgrade of systems can range
from two years to the lifetime of the
upgraded technology, depending on
level of upgrade and complexity. Cost of
upgrading I&C in coal-fired plant ranges
from US$1 million to US$6 million.
In the past few decades and to-date,
governments and industries devoted
considerable resources toward the
development of advanced power
systems and emission control
technologies. An area that has received
relatively little attention is I&C.
Increasingly, however, cost-effective
electricity generation is becoming
critically dependent on detailed data
collection, close process control and
predictive response methodologies,
necessitating greater research and
investment in this field.
Seventeen case studies are
undertaken in the review presenting
experience with I&C upgrades in
existing coal-fired power plants in nine
countries. The results indicate that
upgrading I&C system can be cost-
effective and amortisation, in some
cases, can be achieved within two to
five years due to higher availability,
flexibility or even efficiency of plant as
well as reduced maintenance costs and
extended intervals between inspections
and outages. Upgrading the I&C
systems of an older power plant can
have many important benefits, in most
cases non-measurable and hence non-
quantifiable. These include:
● improved operating flexibility, that
is, the ability to meet a wider range IEA Clean Coal Centre is a
of operating conditions more collaborative project of member
effectively; countries of the International
● reduced maintenance costs through Energy Agency (IEA) to provide
better monitoring of plant equipment information about and analysis of
condition and an enhanced ability to coal technology, supply and use.
detect equipment malfunctions; The service is governed by
● reduced emissions of greenhouse representatives of eight countries
gases and air pollutants through (Austria, Canada, Italy, Japan, the
better control of the combustion Netherlands, Sweden, the United
process and of environmental control Kingdom and the USA) and the
equipment; European Commission.
● extended equipment life through the
reduction of excessive equipment
operating stress.
Specific environmental and even
financial benefits due to an I&C system
upgrade, although acknowledged and
accepted, are in general rarely measured
or quantified. The financial benefits,
which are mostly estimated and, on
occasion quantified, can range from
100,000 US$/y to 1 million US$/y. As
other plant modifications are invariably
carried out in conjunction with a controls
upgrade, it is practically impossible to
carry out an accurate assessment and
allocate exact monetary values to the
benefits of the new I&C system.
Each issue of Profiles is based on a Gemini House
detailed study undertaken by IEA 10-18 Putney Hill
Coal Research, the full report of London SW15 6AA
which is available separately. This United Kingdom
particular issue of Profiles is based on
the report: Tel: +44 (0)20 8780 2111
Fax: +44 (0)20 8780 1746
Upgrading instrumentation and e-mail: mail@iea-coal.org.uk
control in coal-fired plant > Internet: www.iea-coal.org.uk
Herminé Nalbandian
CCC/80, ISBN 92-9029-395-0, 52 pp,
January 2004, £255*/£85†/£42.50‡
* non-member countries
† member countries
‡ educational establishments within member
countries