Power plant products |
Hornsea 3 contract award marks renewables milestone
Balmoral Comtec, a major provider of buoyancy, protection and insulation services to the global offshore energy market, has been awarded a multi-million-pound contract for the supply of 400 cable protection systems by Ørsted for its Hornsea 3 project, located 120 km off the Norfolk coast in the UK. Hornsea 3, with
a capacity of 2.9 GW, will be the world’s single largest offshore wind farm upon completion. The scope of work includes design engineering, which will take place at Balmoral Comtec’s Aberdeen facility, the supply of 400 cable protection systems, and handling and installation training to the awarded marine contractor.
Managing the challenges of over-bending, abrasion and fatigue of underwater cables can be an ongoing challenge for offshore wind developers. Balmoral Comtec’s patented system utilises validated materials designed to improve operational performance and increase fatigue life. The system mechanically locks together, providing strain and stiffness levels that cannot be achieved by traditional designs, and eliminating the reliance on polyurethane (PU) bonding, which is notoriously unpredictable and problematic to validate over field design life. Hornsea 3, which is owned and operated by Ørsted, is expected to be operational by 2027.
Launch of UK’s first non-SF6 ring main unit
Lucy Electric, a UK headquartered power distribution solutions provider, has launched the UK’s first ring main unit (RMU) for medium voltage networks using synthetic air, paving the way for grid operators to reduce the emissions of running infrastructure as a contributor to delivering Net Zero aims.
The new product, EcoTec, is intended to serve a growing package substation market and uses a nitrogen and oxygen blend instead of the SF6 gas (sulphur hexafluoride) currently used to insulate critical electrical network equipment. Although the use of such gases is handled in a highly controlled way, a ban on their use in new and replacement switchgear is expected to be implemented in the UK following an EU ban. Lucy Electric believes it is the first company to bring switchgear to market that meets the specifications of UK network operators, providing companies with the means to install the improved equipment ahead of the ban coming into force. The launch follows years of feasibility and close working with customers to establish the requirements of this part of the medium voltage network. The focus has been on cost effectiveness for long-term network planning and emissions reduction. EcoTec is also designed with ease of installation and cost efficiencies in mind by fitting within the same substation housing space as current switchgear and even aligns with existing
concrete slab fixings, further reducing emissions of replacement.
EcoTec has been designed and developed in the UK for the UK market and comes ahead of the EU F-Gas regulations effective on 1 January 2026 which will ban the use of SF6 for installations up to 24 kV, and will most likely be implemented in the UK. Lucy Electric plans to adapt the technology for deployment to international markets, primarily in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australia.
OEM fuel filtration solution to a demanding deadline
When a leading genset manufacturer needed to source OEM filtration units that were written into a product specification around 10 years before, Cleanova was able to manufacture and deliver the units to meet a very short deadline and keep the project on track. “What seemed like a simple one-off request for an established Vokes brand filter rapidly evolved into a significant filtration requirement with a very short lead-in time,” commented Paul Baker, Cleanova’s sales director for Europe and Africa. “Fortunately, we were able to trace the original filtration design, manufacture the OEM Vokes filters to the quality and quantities required, and overcome some interesting logistical challenges along the way.”
The online enquiry had come from a major genset manufacturer in the US, which was working on delivering the gensets for a major crude oil pipeline in Africa. Transporting crude oil over long distances by pipeline requires reliable power generation at regular intervals. A key feature of the Vokes filtration unit is its Duplex design. A unique transflow valve enables the flow to be switched between filters, which means there is no need to stop the generator to swap out a spent filter and therefore no interruption to the fuel supply through the pipeline.
As their usual vendor was unable to supply the filtration units, the genset manufacturer no longer had a supplier for the filtration units. Meantime, Vokes filtration had become part of Cleanova. Paul Baker again: “We retain the original designs for our filtration products because we know … it can be many years before a replacement is required. In this instance, it enabled us to manufacture multiple original Vokes filtration units that meet the customer’s original specifications precisely.”
The filtration units were shipped in three batches during 2023. They were then installed and tested by the genset manufacturer before the finished items were sent out to Nigeria.
34 | May 2024|
www.modernpowersystems.com
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