Littlebrook Power Station




THE BIAPWS AWARD FOR UNDERGRADUATES

BIAPWS STUDENT AWARD 2010

The Student Award is targeted at undergraduates who will enter their final year studies in the autumn of 2010.

The British and Irish Association for the Properties of Water and Steam introduced the BIAPWS Award in 2002 and first awarded it in 2003. The BIAPWS Award is currently established as a co-sponsorship between BIAPWS and one of the BIAPWS industrial members. This will support a 10 week summer vacation, salaried placement for a final year undergraduate, in an industrial establishment working in areas related to the properties of water and steam and their industrial applications, particularly to power generation.

The 2010 award placement is with SERCO Technical Services (TS) at their Risley headquarters. The core of SERCO TS' business grew out of the defence and civil nuclear industries, with a heritage dating back to the 1950s and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). The BIAPWS award student will work within the Materials and Component Research Laboratory (MCRL) investigating the effects of surface condition on the corrosion susceptibility of power plant materials.

Project Outline

The project is entitled "A Review of the Effect of Surface Condition on Internal and External Corrosion of Power Plant Materials".

The project will include an investigation into the influence surface condition has on Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) of materials used in power plant components. The investigation will involve both internal and external corrosion and encompass materials used within Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) and fossil fuelled power plants. The comprehensive review will include:

The 2010 Award is now closed for applications.


The current co-sponsorship format of the Award has operated since 2006, and the 2007 and 2008 Award students have taken up career opportunities in the electric power generation industry.The reports prepared by the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Award Students are provided here to demonstrate the type of varied industrial experience that the Award can offer to undergraduates.

BIAPWS UNDERGRADUATE AWARD SCHEME 2009 at CENTRICA SHB POWER STATION

Project Report by Peter Clark - "Can Degassing Technology enable reduced Power Station Start-up Times?"

The BIAPWS 2009 Undergraduate Award was co-sponsored by Centrica Energy and took place at their flagship power station, the 1260MW SHB Gas-fired Power Station near Grimsby on the South bank of the Humber Estuary. This is one of the largest gas-fired power stations in the country and is split into two phases; Phase I and II. Phase I was completed in 1997 and Phase II in 1999.

I was given a project to deduce if it is possible to reduce the time taken during a power station start-up. This primarily involved using a Degassing technique to boil off carbon dioxide therefore giving a more accurate measurement of conductivity of the high pressure steam entering the Steam turbine. As a side-along project, I experimented with different degassers to determine in the long-run which degasser would be best as an investment.

At the time of my placement there was a full outage on 'Phase II' of the Centrica SHB site, this was highly convenient as I could monitor fully a Gas/Steam Turbine cold start using the degasser equipment on loan. I designed a multiplex system that allowed the inlet to the degasser be switched instantaneously from one sample stream to another. This was highly important as a flowrate had to be established through the equipment to keep the degassing boiler switched on. Switching the samples through the multiplex kept the flowrate above the minimum specification of the equipment.

During the construction of the multiplex system by C&I technicians, I had chance to test the flexibility and reliability of the unit by switching samples and reducing flowrates in the Phase I samples lab. Once the multiplex system was constructed, the Degasser unit was plumbed into the system; as the gas turbines were fired up, results started pouring in!

For the duration of the project I was supervised by the station chemist (the Centrica representative to BIAPWS); we took the equipment to Brigg power station to obtain results for a two-shifting power station as SHB is predominantly a base-load station so start-ups were hard to come-by! Again the results proved conclusive as they showed a definite time saving could be made in start-ups.

This placement presented to me by BIAPWS and Centrica has not only given me the opportunity to gain and further my knowledge of the power industry but I have specialised in a subject I had no understanding of prior to the placement. Throughout the project I have learnt skills in analytical power plant chemistry, instrumental design and have gained an understanding of how different areas of expertise all fit together to enable the station to run efficiently. I would conclusively say that the most valuable asset I have gained from this placement is the practical experience of working on-site on a power station and gaining an idea of the career opportunities present within the power industry.

Many Thanks to BIAPWS, Centrica Energy and all my colleagues at SHB Power Station for giving me the opportunity of this placement and helping me throughout the period.

The photo is of Peter Clark, 2009 Award Winner, Birmingham University: with from left to right Joern Boedeker Swan Analytical (UK); Richard Harries, BIAPWS Award Co-ordinator; Peter Clark; Andy Rudge, Chair of BIAPWS; Paul Kelk, Centrica, South Humber Bank Power.

BIAPWS Award 2009 Winner Peter Clark

BIAPWS Award 2008: Outturn Report from Joe Hook.

Through the sponsorship of both E.ON Engineering and BIAPWS, I was given the opportunity to spend time at E.ON's Power Technology Centre at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station participating in a 10 week BIAPWS Award Project. Those 10 weeks proved to be an invaluable opportunity to develop and apply my "university-learnt" skills to the "real-life" world of work.

With a growing interest in the power industry driven by my increasing awareness of current and developing environmental issues, it was particularly opportune that I should find myself placed with the Sustainable Energy team working on technologies at the forefront of research and development. Equally, however, as my work was not based solely within this group I was able to discover at first hand the wide variety of disciplines, subjects and expertise required within the power industry. Most importantly, this project has increased my understanding of the importance of the work being carried out within this sector, both for the present and the foreseeable future.

As legislation governing the limits of power station emissions becomes more stringent, increasingly efficient and effective pollution control-and-capture technologies are required to ensure compliance. Pollution control is therefore a topic of great interest within the energy industry. During my placement at E.ON, I worked on a small number of projects based around Sulphur Dioxide removal and the Post Combustion Capture of Carbon Dioxide from the flue gas of coal fired power plant. My main task was to create a computerised numerical model to simulate a CO2 capture plant, using a Monoethanolamine (MEA) liquor, combined with an SO2 polisher employing aqueous reagent solutions. Designing this model required considerable research and detailed analysis of the available technologies and the underlying chemical and physical processes occurring at each point of each system. An essential step in the development of the project was the evaluation of the technical proposals and accompanying process flow designs of various manufacturers. This was necessary in order to enable both the construction of an accurate model and to assess critically the competing technologies. Throughout the project I was involved in regular team meetings to discuss my progress, any problems encountered and future work requirements. One outcome of my detailed research was that I was in a position to inform and update my supervisors regarding certain specific subject matters. As a result of this, and following the early completion of my Carbon Capture Model, I was requested to write a number of reports to be published on the E.ON Engineering library database. These reports ranged from summary documents detailing current legislation and environmental controls, to a technology progress report describing the current situation of CO2 capture techniques and comparing the advantages / disadvantages of two competing technologies.

I have always believed an informed and knowledgeable member of staff should be considered a valuable asset to any company. As such, much of my time was spent trying to ensure that I knew everything I needed with respect to my subject area. The guidance and advice received from colleagues was invaluable in helping me improve key skills such as verbal communication, writing styles, research techniques and the presentation of findings and conclusions. As a result, my learning curve over the 10 week period was phenomenal. This project has helped me appreciate the diversity of disciplines required within the power industry and has identified career paths that I would have otherwise been unaware of. Thank you to both E.ON and BIAPWS.

The photo is of 2008 Award Winner, York University: with from left to right Paul McCann, E.ON Engineering (UK); Joe Hook; Andy Rudge, Chair BIAPWS; Richard Harries, BIAPWS Award Co-ordinator.

BIAPWS Award 2008 Winner Joe Hook

BIAPWS Award Summer Intern 2007 Report by Rochelle Green 3rd Year Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Imperial College London

BIAPWS CHAIRMAN, Andy Rudge congratulates Rochelle Green, the 2007 award winner when she gave her presentation at the BIAPWS Symposium in Nottingham in April 2008.

BIAPWS Award Winner Rochelle Green and Andy Rudge

In summer 2007, I was given the opportunity to participate in a 12-week BIAPWS Award research project with Thames Power Services at Barking Power Station in Dagenham, Essex. Through this project I was able to gain valuable experience of working on a 'real-world' problem within the power industry, an industry which previously I had limited knowledge of. My time at Barking enabled me to learn a significant amount about the systems, processes and environmental considerations involved in power generation. It also allowed me to appreciate the importance of water and steam system chemistry control in enabling these plants to operate successfully. Following its completion I am now pursuing a career within the power industry. I would thoroughly recommend the BIAPWS Award to any undergraduate student doing a science or engineering degree and seeking industrial experience.

THE PROJECT

Barking Power Station is a combined cycle power station. Corrosion control issues had previously been experienced within Barking Power Station's closed circuit cooling water systems. These systems are used to supply cooling water to the power station's auxiliary equipment. Past application of chemical biocides to the system had subsequently led to serious corrosion related problems within the system coolers. I was asked to investigate the past issues involving corrosion and fouling in the closed circuit cooling water systems and look at possible methods of preventing their reoccurrence.

Through extensive research on the system, operation methods, corrosion and prevention techniques I was able to carry out an analysis of the corrosion problems and issues experienced. I was also able to make feasible recommendations for the station's existing system and propose design improvements for a future development. I compiled a project report and presented my findings and recommendation to the station managers, engineers and chemists. I also made a second presentation to the BIAPWS committee.

MY EXPERIENCE

The scale and complexity of power generation systems was initially quite daunting. However, I benefited from close supervision and also support from my colleagues. Their knowledge and guidance allowed me to gain better understanding of the system processes and to rapidly obtain the resources I required to complete the project.

I consider this project an achievement from which I have benefited a great deal. Not only did I gain confidence in my ability to apply the analytical skills gained on my course to a real problem but I also managed to substantially improve my technical communication and presentation skills. I feel this project has opened a window for me into career opportunities within the power generation industry.

Report on the BIAPWS Ten Week Student Summer Placement - 2006.

During the ten week summer vacation placement I was based within the central engineering and technical department of a major UK power generation company. I worked alongside two established power plant chemistry specialists, with one acting as my mentor by assisting me throughout the placement. My principle task whilst on placement was to write a report reviewing water and steam cycle chemistry within possible new build nuclear power plants. This involved a literature search using both the internet and in house library resources. I started the report with almost no knowledge of the nuclear power plant designs in question and no detailed knowledge of how water chemistry is used within power plant cooling systems. Initially, this made the report very challenging. However, I quickly gained a further understanding of water treatment technology, the basic nuclear power plant system designs and how fossil power plant chemistry compares with nuclear power plant chemistry.
I also carried out several other tasks, including:

I found the nuclear review particularly enjoyable, as it was previously an area that I was unfamiliar with. The research I carried out not only gave me a better understanding of the nuclear power industry, but it also helped me to put the fossil power plant water chemistry, learnt elsewhere, into a better perspective.
The skills that I have learnt whilst in my placement will definitely benefit me in the future. I feel that there has been a significant improvement in my report writing ability and I have increased my knowledge of Excel and its use in data manipulation. Both of these skills will hopefully be beneficial both during my final year project at university, as well as further on into my career. During my placement, I have realised that the role of chemistry within many industries is significantly more extensive than I previously thought. This has led to me considering a career within industries that I previously thought lacked opportunities for chemists.
I would like to thank both the sponsoring company and BIAPWS for the opportunity that I have been given. I feel that the experience it has given me will serve me well in the future and may possibly lead to me pursuing a career within the industry.

www.biapws.org

Top of Page