Himeji No.

2 goes commercial
ThenewM501JgasturbinecombinedcycleunitsatHimejiNo.2have
successfullystartedcommercialoperationandaredemonstratingworld
classlevelsofefficiency.

Aerial view of Himeji No.2. The power station is the largest thermal power plant owned by Kansai
Electric.

Five years ago the Kansai Electric Power Company (Kansai Electric) started a largescale project to replace Himeji No.2 Thermal Power Station with what it claimed would
be the worlds most efficient combined cycle plant featuring Mitsubishi Hitachi Power
Systems (MHPS) 501J gas turbines.

The last unit of this environment friendly project, which targeted reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions while securing a competitive power supply for the Kansai area, began
commercial operation earlier this year.

The new combined cycle plant:

Has recorded an electrical efficiency over 60 %
Enables about 30% CO2 and 85% NOx reduction compared with the original plant
Will deliver savings in the order of $520 million per year compared with the old plant.

With the high price of gas in Japan typically being four to five times that in the US
high efficiency has long been a pursuit of Japanese companies. Accordingly, when
Kansai Electric, took the decision to replace the Himeji No.2 Thermal Power Station, it
opted for state-of-the-art technology.

Although Kansai Electric could not foresee future events, the decision to opt for the most
efficient technology proved to be visionary. Since the disaster at Fukushima, which
forced the closure of the countrys entire nuclear fleet, Japan has had to rely on thermal
generation and expensive imported fuel. This had made Himeji 2 an even more
important asset in Kansai Electrics generating portfolio.

MHPS installed the first 501J at its T-Point station, which is its validation plant. MHPS
owns T-Point and sells the power output to Kansai Electric. Prior to Japans nuclear
shutdown, this plant used to predominantly operate in cycling mode, meeting peak
demand for Kansai. Since Fukushima, however, it has been running more continuously
to help ease the tight supply in the region.

Plant configuration
Himeji No.2 power station is the largest thermal power plant owned by Kansai Electric.
The original plant, built in 1963, was composed of six conventional units with a total
output of 2550 MW. These units were originally commissioned and operated with crude

or heavy oil but were later converted to natural gas. Two of the original units are still in
operation.

The new Himeji No.2 Thermal Power Station is a state-of-the-art combined cycle plant
comprised of six single-shaft blocks rated 486.5 MW each (at an ambient of 4C) for a
total capacity of 2919 MW. Each block consists of one M501J gas turbine rigidly
coupled to a SRT-50 single reheat steam turbine.

Because the gas and steam turbine are linked in a single shaft arrangement without a
clutch, the gas turbine and steam turbine are ramped up at the same time.

All six combined cycle blocks have started commercial operation with high reliability
and, according to MHPS, are demonstrating superior performance with a net efficiency
in excess of 60%.

High efficiency GT
The main contributor to this high efficiency is the M501J gas turbine and its high turbine
inlet temperature.

The M501J gas turbine has been designed with a turbine inlet temperature of 1600C
(2912F) by integrating the proven component technologies used in the 1400C F-series
and the 1500C G series turbines. The M501J also benefited from the development of
key technologies for the national 1700C-class gas turbine project.
The turbine has been carefully developed over a number of years. Operating tests of the
first M501J gas turbine started in February 2011 at Machinery Works T-Point
demonstration combined-cycle power plant in Takasago. The tests proceeded as
scheduled with the first spin-up on February 2nd followed by first ignition soon after. The

inlet temperature reached 1600C on the seventh start-up. The unit went commercial on
July 1, 2011.
The design of the M501J gas turbine is based on proven F- and G-series features:
The compressor shaft-end drive connected to the generator reduces the thermal
expansion and eliminates the need for a flexible coupling.
The rotor has a two-bearing structure to support the compressor and turbine ends.
An axial flow exhaust structure is used to optimize the combined-cycle plant layout.
The rotor structure has bolt-connected disks with the torque pin in the compressor
rotor and a disc with curved coupling in the turbine rotor to ensure reliable torque
transmission.
The M501J turbine section is an axial-flow, four-stage, high-load, high-performance
turbine.
Row-1 to row-4 rotating blades and rows 1-3 stationary vanes are air-cooled. Unlike the
row-4 blades in the G-series turbine, which are uncooled, those in the J-series turbine
are cooled to cope with the higher inlet temperature. As with the F- and G-series gas
turbines MGA1400 (Mitsubishi Gas Turbine Alloy) is used for the rotating blades, while
the vanes are made of MGA2400. The rows 1-3 blades are made of DS (directional
solidified) superalloy.

Exterior view of the new plant. The power station is a state-of-the-art combined cycle plant
composed of six single-shaft blocks each rated at 486.5 MW.

The cooling structure was improved for the F-series and again for the G-series turbine,
and the J-series uses high-performance film cooling and advanced thermal barrier

coating (TBC) developed in the national project, aimed at developing a 1700C

machine.

The M501J compressor is designed as an axial flow type with a pressure ratio of 23:1; it
was based on the technology used in the H-series compressor, which has a pressure
ratio of 25:1. Three-dimensional (3D) advanced design techniques were used to
improve the performance and reduce the shockwave loss in the initial stages and
frictional loss in the intermediate and final stages.

In addition, bleeding was used in the low-, middle-, and high-pressure stages during
compressor start-up to suppress rotating stall on start-up, and the partial-load
performance of the combined cycle was improved, by controlling the inlet guide vane
(IGV) and three-stage variable stator vanes.

M501J cross-sectional view. The turbine section is an axial-flow, four-stage, high-load, highperformance turbine. The compressor is designed as an axial flow type with a pressure ratio of 23:1.

The M501J combustor is based on the proven steam cooling system used in G-series
gas turbines. MHPS implemented steam cooling mainly to enable operation at high
temperatures with reasonable NOx emissions.

While other manufacturers have largely abandoned steam cooling, MHPSs has
extensive, positive experience with the technology. The company has millions of
operating hours on the largest steam cooled fleet in the market with very good reliability.

Third parties have validated MHPSs availability and reliability figures. Operational data
from the M501G, which also uses steam cooling, has been collected by Strategic Power
Systems Inc (SPS) since 2009 and reported through the Operational Reliability Analysis
Program (ORAP) for verification. According to the data, the M501G fleet has
demonstrated a five-year reliability average of 98.8 per cent.

MHPSs steam cooling technology is different to other OEMs, where the GT is started up
using air cooling and transferred to steam cooling under part-load conditions. In order to
prevent the associated thermal shock, MHPS steam cooling is applied prior to firing the
engine and the completion of a warm-up sequence is a requirement for start-up.

M501J single-shaft configuration. Each block consists of one M501J gas turbine rigidly coupled to
a SRT-50 single reheat steam turbine. Because the gas and steam turbine are in a single shaft
arrangement without a clutch, the gas turbine and steam turbine are ramped up at the same time.

This warm-up sequence is common with steam turbines to prevent condensate water
ingestion. The warm-up sequence starts automatically and the plant can be started
once all the condensate is removed from the line and the steam is
superheated.

Although this means it takes longer to start the gas turbine, there is less thermal shock,
which improves reliability. While some argue the requirement for an auxiliary boiler
MHPS does not see this as an issue, as an auxiliary boiler is usually needed in the
steam turbine seals of modern plants to start quickly.

Compared with conventional air-cooling, this start-up sequence will add perhaps five
minutes to start-up (time to gas turbine ignition) from a hot-start condition and around 30
minutes from a warm start. If the machine is cold, it would add about 40 minutes.
Although the turbine inlet temperature is increased from 1500C in the G-series to
1600C in the J-series, the subsequent rise in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are
limited through the use of low-NOx technologies by improving the combustion nozzle for
more homogeneous mixing of fuel and air and reducing the local flame temperature in
the combustion area.

Bottoming cycle
While the efficiency of the gas turbine is important, it is also essential to optimize the
bottoming cycle to achieve the high combined cycle efficiency that has been recorded at
Himeji No.2.

If the vacuum in the condenser is not efficient or the exhaust ducts from the gas turbine
to the HRSG are not optimized etc., the end result is a relatively low combined cycle
efficiency.

Notably, the steam turbine is a big contributor to the overall combined cycle efficiency.
The state-of-the-art SRT 50 steam turbine was designed to operate with a condenser
vacuum of 96.3 kPa and features 50-inch last stage steel blades that result in large
annular area for high efficiency and large capacity.

This new large-capacity, single-casing reheat turbine features other advanced

technologies such as high-efficiency reaction blade, welded rotor, advanced seals and
high performance bearings developed to achieve higher efficiency, and more compact
design.

Single-casing steam turbine. The steam turbine is a big contributor to the overall combined cycle
efficiency. The 50-inch last stage steel blades result in large annular area for high efficiency and
large capacity

Construction
The optimized bottoming cycle and high efficiency gas turbine has led to a plant that has
the highest efficiency in Kansai Electrics fleet. Since startup, the units have recorded
over 60% efficiency at ambient conditions, thus easing the tight energy situation.

In order to help mitigate the current energy shortage, the construction and
commissioning schedule of the new Himeji No.2 plant was carefully modified to expedite
the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of each unit from its original schedule.
The Table (see page 17) shows the contractual and actual COD dates of the first four
and the subsequent two.

First gas turbine shipment to Himeji No.2. The accumulated operating hours of Unit No.1 is over
16 000 hours as of June 2015.

The original plan contemplated the decommissioning of the existing Units 5 and 6 prior
to the installation of the new Units 4 to 6. However, due to the critical electricity supply
caused by the earthquake, the removal of the existing Units 5 and 6 was postponed.

The new units were constructed in the area made available by the removal of Units 1
through 3. This simultaneous removal and construction combined with the large-scale of

the project in a fairly congested industrial area involved very complex planning and
execution.

Existing facilities, notably the water intake/discharge infrastructure, were used by both
the existing and the newly erected units.

Close communication and cooperation of several teams involving mechanical, electrical,

I&C, and other departments prevented unintended interference connecting piping and
many other major activities in the existing and new units. Careful attention was paid to
avoid impacting on the operation of the existing units.

The Himeji No.2 Power Station was conceived prior to the earthquake and tsunami that
hit Japan in March 2011. In an effort to alleviate the difficult power supply situation in the
Kansai area, Kansai Electric and its suppliers initiated an aggressive acceleration
program that accelerated the COD of the first four units by two to four months and eight
months for the last two remaining blocks. This was especially important to meet the high
demand for electricity during the summer/winter peaks.
The newly installed units have operated continuously at base load (approximately 486.5
MW at site condition) with very good reliability since startup. The accumulated operating
hours of Unit No.1 is over 16 000 hours as of June 2015.

Internal view of the turbine hall. The newly installed combined cycle units have operated
continuously at base load (approximately 486.5 MW at site conditions).

Environment and economics

The plants high efficiency has enabled about 30% CO2 and 85% NOx reduction
compared with the original plant. In addition, the amount of warm water discharged is
about 40% lower, thus reducing the ecological impact of the plant on the bay ecosystem.

The vastly improved cycle efficiency results in substantial fuel cost savings. The new
high efficiency combined cycle plant translates into savings in the order of $520 million
per year compared with the old plant (42% efficiency).

Even when compared with current technology, the savings are significant. Compared to
combined cycle plants based on F-Class (54% efficiency) and assuming the same
power output, the estimated saving is $253 million per year.

Looking forward
MHPS has sold 38 M501J turbines with 17 already in operation.
In addition to those in Japan, it is operating units in Korea. The company has sold six in
North America, with the first unit in Oklahoma scheduled to begin commercial operation
in 2017.

MHPS is confident of the M501Js performance and its place in the market based on the
ability of T-Point plant to detect and correct typical prototype issues before a new
machine goes to a client. The ability to do this is a big contributor to the high reliability of
the fleet.