Biomass Pneumatic Conveying and Feed System Installation
CUSTOMER: Lynemouth Power and their main materials handling and feed contractor Sir Robert McAlpine
LOCATION: Site – Lynemouth Power Station, Northumberland, UK
The Opportunity
As part of the UK’s drive towards a lower carbon power generation future, Lynemouth Power Station’s owners decided to retrofit the existing coal firing boilers to burn biomass largely imported for the Americas. This retrofit has two main work zones, firstly the new fuel intake, storage and feed to the power station and secondly the retrofit of generating assets to generate with the new renewable fuel.
The Solution
Power System Services were awarded the contract by Sir Robert McAlpine to install mechanical handling and pneumatic conveying equipment from the intermediate silos to the mill infeed locations. This included the following key construction items;
- 12 intermediate silo distribution systems each of which included Support Steelwork, 2 Screw Conveyors, 2 hoppers, valves, chutes on bolt on safety and control equipment.
- 15 Blower Compressors complete with pipework feeds to the underside of the dispense system to pick up Biomass and blow it into the power station.
- 12 Pneumatic Conveying Pipelines to transport the product from the intermediate silos to the mill feeds.
- Manufacture and installation of a pipe bridge and trestles to support conveying pipework and pedestrian access from the new fuel intake and handling site up into the Power Station.
- Manufacture and installation of a pipe support bridge inside the Power Station Mill feed building off which the 12 conveying pipes branch off to the mill feeds on all three units.
- Installation of 12 mill feed systems each of which included, steel structure (manufactured by PSS in a separate contract), screw conveyor, two hoppers, valves, filters and bolt-on safety and control equipment.
The breadth of knowledge in-house at Power System Services, a good reference from the equipment OEM and the fact that Power System Services are familiar with both construction sites and power generating facilities was a key consideration in the client`s award criteria, coupled naturally with the competitiveness of our offer.
The Outcome
Power System Services deployed an experienced and well-trained team to site who had a wealth of experience in construction and overhaul. The challenges faced during construction were immense not least because access and logistics to even get equipment to the construction areas with other contractors needing to operate in the vicinity were very difficult.
Nevertheless the works were phased in such a way that our works were executed on time and without too much disruption to others.
