Page 7 - Energize September 2021 HR

COVER STORY

Remote operator-initiated purge

for safety, increased efficiency

and risk mitigation

Information from Environment One Utility Systems (E/One)

An estimated 70% worldwide of all electric power generators over 60 MW use hydrogen as the cooling
medium. With hydrogen posing significant safety and risk mitigation challenges to owners, operators, and
maintenance personnel, the generator’s hydrogen purging system demands close attention.

/One’s focus on hydrogen-cooled The Manifold
generator gas systems begins at the From the point where gas is received from the plant bulk supply systems
Epoint where cooling and purge gases or bottle manifolds, E/One’s Generator Gas Manifold (GGM) monitors
enter the generator. For over 40 years, the critical H 2 and CO 2 supply pressures and regulates the H 2 supply to
company has led the way in the development maintain the appropriate machine gas pressure. Manual isolation valves,
of condition monitoring and predictive arranged for easy end-use access, allow operators to control all facets
maintenance systems for electric power of the purge and fill process from a single location.
producers. Today over 3500 of our systems A safety spool is an integral feature of the GGM to ensure the dangerous
stand vigil protecting more than 1 TW of mixtures of H 2 and Air are avoided. E/One’s GGM is an available module in
power production in 70+ countries. Our our GAS STATION™ platform, or also available as a stand-alone product.
mission: helping generator manufacturers
and plant owners/operators optimize safety, Remote Operator-Initiated Purge
increase unit efficiency, and avoid costly Inherent safety risks associated with deploying personnel to perform a manual
disruption to operations. purge of the generator increase during emergency situations. E/One’s GGM can
be configured to include a remote purge feature that automates the generator
The Challenge purge process. A series of actuated ball valves are integrated into the GGM
Operational challenges such as increased piping that, when imitated by the DCS, will quickly and safely de-gas and purge
cycling, reductions in experienced plant the generator with either CO 2 or Argon gas (whichever is used by the plant).
personnel, aging fleet and prolonged Optional CO 2 vaporizers (sold separately) can be provided to speed up the CO 2
periods between outages necessitate a purging process and prevent the formation of dry ice in the pipework.
plant’s risk mitigation technologies are
aligned to asset protection. Learn more
Extending the life – and efficiency – of a generating asset requires a broad perspective,
including not only the machine itself, but the auxiliary systems and predictive maintenance
systems that support it. E/One offers a range of products and services spanning the areas of
critical gas monitoring and control, including condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and
peripheral auxiliaries associated with generator cooling and seal oil systems. During this phase
of the generator’s life, E/One assists owners by supplying upgrades that meet evolving safety
standards for hazardous areas, and by integrating technologies into cost-effective packages
that allow installation work to be accomplished within the more dominant, critical-path boiler
and turbine outage periods. Our designs meet the highest international standards for safety in
hazardous areas involving hydrogen, and business operations are maintained in accordance with
our ISO 9001 certification. n
E/One delivers both applications and field
service support, enabling owners to better
respond to today’s challenges. is represented locally by

View our Hydrogen Auxiliaries:
Best Practices for Hydrogen Safety Contact Andrea Deiana, Smart Check Technology (Pty) Ltd, Phone +27 82 495 7843
On-Demand Webinar Series andrea.deiana@smartchecktechnology.org

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