Emerson Process Management to Install Control System at Two South Korean Pumped Storage Power Plants

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Emerson Process Management (EPM), the process wing of Emerson Electric Company (NYSE:EMR) (St. Louis, Missouri), has secured a contract from Korea South-East Power Company (KOSEP), a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) (KEPCO) (Seoul, South Korea), for installation of its proprietary Ovation control system at two pumped storage power plants (PSPPs) in Korea. The contract is a part of KOSEP's initiatives to address the growing need for power in the country.

Under the contract, Emerson will deploy the system at the existing 18-year-old, 600-megawatt (MW) PSPP at Muju, which comprises two units of 300 MW each, to upgrade the control mechanisms at the facility, in addition to a fresh installation at the 800-MW Yecheon PSPP, which comprises two units of 400 MW each. The fast-tracked implementation at the Muju PSPP required equipment delivery within a period of five months in order to upgrade the systems during a scheduled two-month outage, which was due to end November 24, 2009.

Across both facilities, Emersion will be involved in engineering, procurement and installation activities, apart from testing and commissioning the system once it is installed. The scope of the contract also requires Emerson to configure monitoring of partial discharge for high-voltage components, such as generators and motors.

Emerson will install eight workstations and seven controllers at the Muju PSPP. The system at the Muju hydropower plant will be used to control and monitor the functioning of 4,541 Input/Output (I/O) points at the plant. The plant's control-room infrastructure will be upgraded to facilitate remote control and monitoring of the Yecheon plant, which is about 100 miles away, where Emerson will proceed with the installation of eight workstations and six controllers to automate control of 3,720 I/O points. The Yecheon plant, which is being constructed in two phases, is expected to be the largest PSPP in Korea upon completion in 2011, with the first phase slated to be operational by September 2011, and the second phase to be operational three months thereafter. In addition to the standard infrastructure, the facility will be outfitted with Web Closed-Caption Television.

The expert control system is a real-time controller system designed for the power generation and water management sectors. The system can be easily integrated with modern smart devices, and is capable of data acquisition, monitoring and control of up to 32,000 points through the Ovation Network, providing a secure and reliable means of managing critical functions. Installation of the system at the PSPPs will enable the facilities to control electrical I/O sub-networks and hydro turbines, and optimize plant processes. KOSEP hopes to reuse spare parts across these plants, reducing related expenses. The process control system is expected to increase the effectiveness, productivity and eco-friendliness of the power generation facilities, thereby increasing the profitability of these ventures.

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