GE Technology to support China’s nationwide initiative for cleaner energy

Instead of burning waste gas in a boiler, the off-gas from Handan’s blast furnace and coke oven will power a GE 9E Gas Turbine to generate power.

According to a release, GE technology selected for a new 170-megawatt power plant at Handan Iron & Steel Group Ltd’s mill in Handan City, China, will use emissions from iron and steel production to generate cleaner electricity. Instead of burning waste gas in a boiler, the off-gas from Handan’s blast furnace and coke oven will power a GE 9E Gas Turbine to generate power.

Handan’s benefits include higher efficiency and more output with fewer emissions when compared to traditional boiler technology for steel mills with blast furnace gas (BFG) and coke oven gas (COG), or Finex gas as byproducts of the steel mill process. The GE 9E Gas Turbine also can reduce costs for Handan by enabling them to buy less electricity from the grid with fewer emissions and a smaller footprint.

Recent Chinese government legislation is tightening the regulations on steel mill efficiency and industrial activities, with specific goals for the next five years. The new Handan power solution plant will help meet the goals for a host of government objectives, including increased non-fossil fuel energy production, lower water consumption, greater energy efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

“We’re being challenged to advance our thinking and find new paths to growth,” said Mr. Li Fujun, general director, power and equipment of Handan Steel Mills. “But this idea goes even further—we’re not simply doing the same things better, we’re doing something completely new. And that will have a huge impact on our efficiency, energy costs and carbon footprint.”

The waste gas used in this solution had been considered too low quality for high efficiency power generation. However, GE engineers devised a way to compress the gas and enable it to power a heavy-duty gas turbine.

“This is the lowest quality fuel we’ve ever even considered burning, but we saw the potential to redesign the energy landscape in the steel industry,” said Keiran Coulton, president, Global Industries, GE Energy. “Our engineers determined a way to compress the gas, make it more burnable and add it to the fuel options for what is otherwise a conventional power plant. In effect, we re-engineered the fuel instead of re-engineering the plant.”

GE’s 9E Gas Turbine burns a wide range of fuels including natural gas, light and heavy distillate oil, naphtha, crude, residual oil, BFG, syngas and biofuels. More than 50 9E units are installed in China. In this application, the off-gas from Handan’s blast furnace and coke oven will power the turbine, further contributing to the plant’s efficient performance. GE’s gas turbine technology uses less water and re-processes excess steam for steel mill operations. “We’re creating a continuous circle of reusing and redirecting resources to enhance the value of every process,” Coulton said.

The waste-to-value solution at Handan also will include two-stage centrifugal compressors manufactured by GE. These compressors leverage experience gained in the demanding oil and gas industry and provide superior reliability when compared to axial compressor alternatives. Each of the two gas turbine generator packages includes GE 9A5 generators with modifications to fit the largest centrifugal fuel gas compressor made by GE. Blending of the BFG and COG fuel streams will be accomplished using a GE Mark* VIe controller integrated with valves and fuel measurement systems.

The technology behind the Handan plant already has been proven at a steel mill in Wuhan, China. Work on the Handan plant is scheduled to begin in 2012.

GE Metals Solutions is part of GE Global Industries—GE Energy’s new cross-business unit that takes the best technologies from across GE Energy’s diverse portfolio and interconnects them to increase efficiency and results for customers in critical business sectors such as food and beverage, metals, mining, petrochemicals and unconventional fuels.