EU - MACPLUS - Component Performance-driven Solutions for Long-Term Efficiency Increase in Ultra Supercritical Power Plants

The intelligent and cost effective use of CCS technologies requires new strategies to increase the net efficiency of coal fired power plants. Among them, the most promising are summarised as below: - Increase working steam temperature and pressure in new USC power plants (350-370 bar, 700/720°C minimum), and hence increase the severity of fireside operating conditions, - Promote clean coal technologies based (for example) on oxy-combustion + co-firing technologies (by a continuous increase of biomass % in mixture with coal), in order to reduce CO2 capture losses and the amount of CO2 to be captured and stored. The project aims to increase the net efficiency of coal fired plants by increasing the performance and reliability of some critical components identified as follows: - refractory materials of the combustion chamber (especially for oxy-combustion application), up to 1800 °C - headers and pipework (avoidance of weld Type IV cracking phenomena, working temperature increase), up to 650-660 °C - super heaters (optimised performance in high temperature oxidation/hot corrosion environments), up to 720 °C - coated pipes and boiler components able to withstand co-combustion conditions (high temperature oxidation/hot corrosion, erosion-adhesion and wear), - HP and IP steam turbine rotor components and turbine casing up to 750-780 °C For each critical component, a full-scale prototype will be realised and installed into an industrial plant and/or in test loop(s) at known temperature, pressure and atmosphere conditions.