Altresco G.E. Pittsfield Cogeneration
Client: Altresco Pittsfield, L.P.
Location: Pittsfield, MA, U.S.
Business Segment: Energy Solutions
Industry: Power
Executive Summary
Fluor provided engineering, procurement construction, start-up and performance testing for the 160 MW combined-cycle Altresco cogeneration facility in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The plant features three General Electric Frame 6 gas-turbine generators, one condensing steam-turbine generator and three heat recovery steam generators, with each producing three pressure levels of steam.
Client's Challenge
The facility is on General Electric property and sells steam to the host company. Process steam, which is a controlled extraction from the steam turbine, is exported at a maximum rate of 250,000 pounds per hour.
High-pressure steam is used to throttle the steam turbine, and intermediate-pressure steam supplies injection steam to the gas turbines for NOx control. Electricity generated is sold to the New England grid. The new facility replaced aging boilers, which were operated by GE and burned No. 6 fuel oil.
Fluor's Solution
The project's state-of-the-art emissions system eliminated smoke and 90%, or some 600 tons per year, of the sulfur emissions that would have otherwise been generated by the old boilers.
The facility also featured selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and the first aqueous ammonia injection system of its size in the country.
Conclusion
Due to the nearby elementary school and surrounding residences, the plant could not raise the existing ambient noise level to more than 48 dB. To stay within this limit, we enclosed the plant in six-inch thick, high-density concrete.
The interior surface of the concrete and the roof were lined with sound-insulating fiberglass. When combined with special low-noise equipment designs, the facility was one of the quietest of its type in the country.
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