TOSHIBA REVIEW
Vol. 74, No. 3, May 2019

  Special Reports

Toshiba’s Approaches to Expansion of Thermal Power Plant Solution Businesses

Toward Creating New Value in Thermal Power Generation
HOSAKA Hitoshi

Trends in Thermal Power Generation and Toshiba’s Efforts Aimed at Providing Solutions with High Added Value
SHIMADA Hideaki
A recent trend in the thermal power generation business has been the emergence of low-carbon or decarbonized electricity generation as an issue of vital importance accompanying the worldwide momentum toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which are considered to be a cause of global climate change.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been actively contributing to the reduction of impacts on the environment and the stable supply of electric power by developing and supplying equipment for thermal power plants of large capacity and high efficiency. We are also working on improving the operability and reliability of thermal power plants to enable them to rapidly adjust to output power fluctuations occurring as a consequence of the expansion of renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic (PV) and wind power plants. In the service and maintenance field, we have been offering solutions to solve issues and fulfill the requirements of individual customers through digitalization based on Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. By applying cyber-physical systems (CPS) technologies and co-creating value with customers, we are developing new markets and expanding our fields of thermal power generation business.

IoT Solutions Co-Creating New Value for Thermal Power Plants with Customers
OIKAWA Naoki / OTANI Keiko / YAMANE Shotaro
In the electric power generation field, with the rapid progress of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and changes in electricity markets as a result of the expansion of renewable energy systems, a transformation has been taking place in the operations of thermal power plants in recent years. With this as a background, there is an increasing need for solutions to solve the issues and fulfill the requirements of individual customers, including the improvement of performance and efficiency to facilitate operation and maintenance.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been developing and supplying IoT solutions for thermal power plants based on its know-how cultivated through the development of various technologies in order to co-create new value with its customers. These include solutions to improve the operational efficiency of individual thermal power plants including the operating rate and thermal efficiency, as well as solutions to optimize power generation plans through the integrated management of multiple thermal power plants.

Commencement of Commercial Operation of Ishikariwan Shinko Power Station Unit 1 of HEPCO to Ensure Stable Power Supply
TATEISHI Manabu / IWATA Yuta
Ishikariwan Shinko Power Station Unit 1 of Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. (HEPCO) commenced commercial operation in February 2019. This facility, a single-shaft combined-cycle power generation system with a rated power output of 569.4 MW offering high power-generation efficiency and excellent environmental characteristics due to the use of environmentally friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel, has been constructed with the aim of securing a stable electricity supply in Hokkaido through the diversification of fuels and power sources, and as a measure to deal with the aging of existing coal-fired thermal power plants.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, the prime contractor for this project, successfully completed the construction work including the integration of an HA type gas turbine manufactured by General Electric Company and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and steam turbine manufactured by our company. Unit 1 has achieved a high thermal efficiency of approximately 62% (lower heating value basis).

Latest Technologies for Steam Turbine for Takehara Thermal Power Station New Unit 1 of J-POWER
TAKAE Shunsuke
The development of technologies for thermal power generation systems aimed at achieving higher efficiency has recently accelerated toward the realization of a low-carbon society. With this as a background, Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-POWER) has been implementing a plan to replace Units 1 and 2 of the Takehara Thermal Power Station with a single New Unit 1 applying ultra-supercritical technology, in order to improve efficiency and environmental performance. The new facility is scheduled to commence operation in 2020.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been assigned the development of the steam turbine for Takehara Thermal Power Station New Unit 1. In order to improve thermal efficiency in this project, we have developed technologies to raise the reheat steam temperature, as well as to enhance the performance of auxiliary equipment including the steam passages and the boiler feed pump turbine. In the design and development process, we have conducted long-term tests to ensure the operational reliability of the high-chromium (Cr) steel used in our system and applied cooling technologies based on our accumulated experience in the development of turbines, together with the structural optimization of steam turbine. From the results of evaluations, we have confirmed that our system realizes a reheat steam temperature of 630°C while balancing reliability with economic efficiency.

Reliability and Operability Improvement Technologies Enabling Flexible Startup of Aging Thermal Plants
ONO Yasunori / KAWAMURA Masafumi
The introduction of renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic and wind power plants, whose output is greatly affected by weather conditions, has recently been expanding as a measure against global warming. There is consequently an urgent need for conventional power plants, particularly thermal power plants as a representative type of baseload power supply, to have more flexible operability and higher reliability in order to rapidly adjust to such output power fluctuations.
In response to this situation, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been developing the following technologies appropriate for aged thermal power plants to improve their reliability and operability by applying state-of-the-art steam turbine technologies: (1) technologies to achieve flexible startup for steam turbines of aged thermal power plants including increasing the number of starting and stopping operations, shortening startup times, and attaining high load-following capability; and (2) various technologies to improve reliability through the application of snubber blades, titanium-aluminum-nitride (TiAlN) coatings, and other measures. These technologies are contributing to the realization of stable electric power supplies.

Technologies for Turbine Generators of Thermal Power Plants with Capability to Enhance Efficiency and Shorten Startup Times over Wide Load Range
NAGAKURA Ken / UEHARA Tatsumi / ISHIZAKI Shunsuke
In electricity markets, demand has arisen in recent years for thermal power plants to play a new role as electricity sources capable of adjusting to output fluctuations accompanying the widespread dissemination of renewable energy systems and to improve their operability for the reduction of costs, in addition to the ongoing need to achieve higher efficiency for the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been focusing on the development of turbine generators for thermal power plants of various capacities employing an indirectly hydrogen-cooled system that can be operated with high efficiency over a wide load range. We are now developing turbine generators for the construction of new small- and medium-capacity thermal power plants that can enhance the efficiency and shorten the startup times of such plants, as well as technologies for the renewal of existing thermal power plants that can expand their capability to adjust to output fluctuations according to load variations resulting from the introduction of renewable energy systems and contribute to the reduction of plant operation costs.

Latest TOSMAP-DS™/LX Controller for Thermal Power Plants Corresponding to Further Sophistication of Operation and Enhancement of Security
HAYASHI Yusuke / YOSHIKAMI Hideki
Demand has been growing in recent years for thermal power plants with improved operability, availability, and maintainability in order to reduce the operating costs of such plants accompanying the liberalization of electricity markets. Attention has therefore been increasingly focused on the introduction of monitoring and control systems and the provision of services using the latest network technologies.
In response to the needs of the global market, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation released the TOSMAP-DS™/LX controller in 2013. Based on a versatile operating system, this controller integrates core technologies acquired through the development of thermal power plants with general-purpose technologies for the reduction of costs. Since the introduction of the TOSMAP-DS™/LX, its range of applications has been expanding to encompass both the renewal and new construction of monitoring and control systems globally. We have now released a remote monitoring system incorporating the following newly developed technologies: (1) human-machine interface (HMI) equipment including operator stations (OPS) that can simultaneously display the conditions of multiple units for the centralized management of a plant, as well as a mobile terminal to improve work efficiency at sites; and (2) a unidirectional transmission system that makes it possible to construct a highly secure network.

Carbon Dioxide Capture Technology Applicable to Various Emitters of Flue Gas
KITAMURA Hideo
As a countermeasure against global warming, attention has been focused in recent years on carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies that can separate and capture carbon dioxide (CO2) in flue gas emitted from various sources, including not only thermal power plants but also industrial sites, and isolate and store such CO2 underground.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been engaged in the development of a post-combustion capture method using chemical absorption and has been verifying the performance of this method, as well as its usability, operability, and maintainability, at a pilot carbon capture facility constructed at the Mikawa Power Plant of Sigma Power Ariake Co., Ltd. Based on the knowledge accumulated through these efforts, we have installed a carbon capture system capable of stably separating and capturing CO2 from flue gas at a waste incineration plant in Saga City. We are also engaged in the construction of a large-scale carbon capture demonstration facility capable of capturing more than 500 tons of CO2 per day in the flue gas emitted from thermal power generation, aimed at the practical realization of CCS technologies.

Combustion Tests of 50 MWt Combustor for Supercritical CO2 Cycle Demonstration Power Plant with Capability to Capture Almost All CO2 Emissions
IWAI Yasunori / SUZUKI Shinju
In the electric power generation field, thermal power generation through the combustion of fossil fuels is still playing an important role in stably supplying large amounts of electric power as a representative type of baseload power supply, while on the other hand, the amount of electric power generated by renewable energy systems is rising in line with the widespread introduction of such systems to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. There is consequently an increasing need for various technologies to reduce CO2 emissions from thermal power plants, including further improvements in efficiency to reduce fuel consumption and effectively remove CO2 in exhaust gases.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been developing a supercritical CO2 cycle power plant that achieves high efficiency while capturing almost all CO2 emissions in cooperation with the following U.S. companies: NET Power, LLC; Exelon Generation Company, LLC; McDermott International, Inc.; Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC; and 8 Rivers Capital, LLC. In this project, we have been assigned the development of key equipment including a turbine and a combustor. We have now conducted combustion tests of the 50 megawatt thermal (MWt) combustor unit prior to combining it with the turbine for the demonstration power plant, and obtained good results including securing of the desired combustion conditions and operability from ignition to the supercritical state.

   

  Feature Articles

Technique to Swiftly Obtain Information on Luminaire Locations after Introduction of Wireless Lighting Control Systems
YONEZAWA Yuki / SAKAMOTO Takafumi / ISHIDA Yukio
With the increasing number of luminaires installed in office and commercial buildings, there has been growing demand for wireless lighting control systems using luminaires with a wireless communication function in order to enhance usability. In these wireless systems, it is essential to correctly grasp the position and identity of each luminaire in order to control them individually according to the installation conditions. However, the time required to obtain such information on luminaire locations including their positions and identities is a significant issue due to the increase in the number of devices.
To address this issue, the Toshiba Group has developed a technique that makes it possible to swiftly obtain information on luminaire locations after the introduction of a wireless lighting control system. This technique provides workers with the results of an evaluation of groups of luminaires installed in the same wireless area and adjacent luminaires using both the radio signal strength measured by a general-purpose radio system and the luminaire layout. From the results of experiments and simulations, we have confirmed that this technique can reduce the working time by approximately 80% in the case of a wireless lighting control system consisting of 600 luminaires compared with the conventional technique.

Method to Identify Cause of Operational Errors in Electronic Products Using Machine Learning
MARUCHI Kohei / SOGA Yukiteru
As an outcome of the reduced cost of sensors and memories in recent years, the collection of log data from various electronic products in operation has become easier. Effective utilization of these collected data, including the operating status of internal devices and the situation of parts, makes it possible to improve the efficiency of product maintenance work. The application of this method to residential fuel cell systems is therefore expected to reduce the time required for repair services in the event of a problem, through rapid and accurate identification of the cause of operational errors.
With the aim of facilitating the efficient maintenance of residential fuel cell systems, the Toshiba Group has developed a novel method that can automatically identify the cause of operational errors by applying the random forests machine learning method to a classification model in order to learn collected data. We have conducted evaluation experiments using actual operational data and confirmed the effectiveness of this method through the results obtained, which show that it achieves a cause identification accuracy rate of approximately 85%.

Toshiba’s Manufacturing IoT Solution Activities for Improvement of Productivity Based on Accumulated Manufacturing Know-How
YAMADA Wataru / NISHIMURA Keisuke
The collection and visualization of various data at manufacturing sites have recently become easier as a result of the technological innovations that have taken place in Internet of Things (IoT) and data management systems. However, it is difficult for such systems to be effectively utilized for the improvement of productivity due to the lack of sufficient processes for investigating their overall effect prior to their introduction.
In order to rectify this situation, the Toshiba Group has been internally and externally promoting its manufacturing IoT solution activities, which realize optimal production management systems to improve productivity, by integrating its accumulated manufacturing know-how and IoT. These activities are contributing to improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of investigation processes aimed at plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycles by applying methods to identify problems related to manufacturing operations in conjunction with advanced management technologies using IoT.

20 Ah and 5 Ah SCiB™ Lithium-Ion Battery Cells Offering Both High Energy Density and High Input-Output Power Characteristics for High-Performance Hybrid Vehicles
WATANABE Yuki / NAKA Tomomichi / YAMAMOTO Dai
Further improvement of fuel consumption is required in the automotive field, in line with the recent worldwide trend toward the enforcement of regulations to reduce automobile emissions as typified by the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission regulations that will be implemented in Europe in 2021. Automobile manufacturers are making efforts to enhance the performance of 48 V mild hybrid vehicles (HVs) and high-voltage full HVs in order to further enhance their fuel efficiency compared with 12 V micro HVs.
Toshiba Corporation has been supplying 2.9 Ah and 10 Ah high input-output power type SCiB lithium-ion battery cells for idling stop system (ISS) vehicles as well as for 12 V micro HVs using a dual battery system. To address the needs of these high-performance HVs, we have newly developed 20 Ah and 5 Ah SCiB™ cells having both high energy density and high input-output power characteristics. By changing the cathode active material and tuning the design parameters related to power characteristics, we have achieved an increase in energy density of about 1.9 times in these cells while maintaining the conventional input-output power characteristics.

   

  Frontiers of Research & Development

Vehicle Trajectory Prediction Technique Based on Velocity Model Taking Intersection Configurations into Consideration
 
Method for Both High-Speed Oxidative Decomposition of Organic Film and Suppression of Oxidation on Metal Film Using Water Vapor Plasma

* Company, product, and service names appearing in each paper include those that are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.