Emerson to digitally automate Pakistan power plant

Emerson Process Management was selected to install a digital plant architecture with expert control system at the Pakistan Engro Qadirpur Energy Power Plant.

Located at east-central Pakistan, the plant is owned by Engro Energy Limited, and is one of the first few projects commissioned as part of a new initiative by the Pakistan government to involve private firms in the country’s power generation industry. When it begins commercial operation later this year, the 240-MW combined-cycle plant will provide electricity to the grid and steam for a nearby fertilizer plant owned by Engro Chemical Pakistan Limited, one of the largest producers of urea fertilizer in Pakistan.

China Tiancheng Engineering Corp., the project’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor, selected Emerson’s PlantWeb architecture with the Ovation expert control system to monitor and control the heat recovery steam generator, supplied by Hangzhou Boiler Group, Harbin steam turbine and balance-of-plant processes. Emerson will also design the burner management system and modulating control system for the heat recovery steam generator. In addition, the Ovation system will interface to the plant’s GE-Mark VI gas turbine controls.

Emerson’s automation solution also includes its AMSSuite predictive maintenance software which will provide operators with data from HART intelligent field devices installed throughout the plant. For new plant construction, AMS Suite streamlines device configuration and commissioning, which contributes to more efficient plant startup. AMS Suite also provides online access to instrument and valve process information, diagnostic status information, and automatic documentation of all field device maintenance information – all contributing to ongoing efficiency of plant operations and maintenance activities.

"We were very comfortable working with Emerson because of their vast experience with combined-cycle power plants," said Shahab Qadir, C&I manager, Pakistan Engro Qadirpur Energy Power Plant. "The project received excellent support from Emerson's team of professionals during the pre-contract stage, as well as through the recent successful completion of the Ovation factory test."

"We are particularly gratified to have been selected for this project because of its significance as one of the first privately owned power generating facilities in Pakistan," said Bob Yeager, president of the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson.