WHITE PAPER:

MAKING AGING POWER PLANTS
SMARTER IN A DYNAMIC ANDCOMPETITIVE POWER MARKET
Ratchaburi Power Plant, locatedin Thailand, began operations in2008 and implemented additional
digital technology to increase
plant efficiency and flexibility.

CHALLENGES TO VIABILITYOF AGING POWER PLANTS
Aging power plants, regardless of their technology or fuelsource, face significant challenges to their continuing viability,
deriving from increased competition, tighter regulations anddeclining experience in the workforce.
With increased competition from renewable and distributed
generation, energy storage and newer, more efficient plants
coming online, aging power plants are challenged withdeclining income due to decreased kWh sales, inevitably

leading to lower profitability and extreme pressure on O&M
budgets. At the same time, the inconsistency of renewablegeneration leads to a fluctuating balance between demands
and supply on the grid. This necessitates harsher duty cycles,
including regular cycling, frequent startups and rapid loadchanges. These duty cycles are often far beyond the original
design basis, threatening plant reliability and increasing
O&M costs.
Due to environmental pressures, aging plants are seeing
tougher emissions requirements and increasingly stringent
grid codes, which are essential to maintain the stability and2reliability of a more complex power grid. All while struggling
to sustain decision-making effectiveness in the face of adeclining experience base caused by retiring experts who
had a wealth of plant knowledge.
As challenges for aging power plants continue to grow, thispaper reviews how plants can intelligently use digitalization
to stay competitive in this ever-changing landscape. It
includes examples of how Mitsubishi Power’s suite of digitalsolutions, TOMONI, is already benefiting power plants aroundthe world.

INCREASING DISPATCH
PROBABILITY
Increasing dispatch probability is an important component ofstaying competitive and increasing profitability, and there aremany ways to use digitalization to achieve this. Digitalization
can allow for faster and more reliable starts, improve
operational readiness and increase part-load efficiency,
allowing plants to stay online longer.
The speed and reliability of startups have a significant impact
on the selection of plants to dispatch and are imperative toincrease a plant’s dispatch probability. Intelligent softwareand logic modifications can help combat these challenges byimproving a plant’s position for dispatch and increasing theprobability that it gets online and starts making money when
it is dispatched.
Often safe startup times are limited by the steam turbine, so
a total thermal cycle solution is needed. Plants worldwide
have had increased loading rates and reduced startup holdtimes from implementing several available solutions that
optimize steam turbine startup time.
A plant’s ability to immediately start or restart whencalled upon also impacts where the unit will be on the list
for consideration when there is an immediate need formore online generation or spinning reserve. Therefore, theoperational readiness of the plant is an important component
in increasing dispatch probability. Aging plants can do this byimplementing digital solutions that reduce the offline timerequired before a restart for both short and long shutdown
periods.
Digital control logic and hardware upgrades can reduce theoffline time by shortening the time required before a restart.
This could be as much as a 25 percent reduction in the timerequired before a warm or hot restart. Aging plants can also
experience long shutdown and reserve periods that canlead to delays in their ability to get back online. One digitalsolution that helps is automating the rotor cooling air (RCA)
system corrosion protection, which can reduce the amountof preservation required to protect the equipment fromcorrosion while offline, in turn reducing the time needed
to restart and get online. These types of upgrades allow
aging plants to take advantage of more income-producing
opportunities and increase profitability.
In today’s environment, plants are running less and less atfull load. Most aging plant equipment was not optimized torun at part load for long periods, but digital solutions canimprove the efficiency at part load and flexibility over a
wider load range. This arms plants to better pair with theinconsistency of renewable generation and operate at lower
loads during times of low market demand, in turn improving
dispatchability and profitability.

GT DIGITAL FLAME DETECTION INCREASESDISPATCH PROBABILITY.
Mystic Generating Station implemented the TOMONI GT
Digital Flame Detection after experiencing an increaseof starts and stops, and in one year, had 337 starts withzero startup trips caused by the ignition detection system.
The software-based flame detection system, which
operates in parallel with the physical flame detectors,
utilizes a controls package of software and relay logic
modifications to detect healthy ignition and allows thefaster of either system to indicate successful ignition.
This allows successful and faster startups even if there
are instrumentation or signal strength issues with theflame detectors, so the plant is online and selling kWhfaster and more predictably.

3

A plant in Bandirma, Turkey,
utilized TOMONI solutions thatearned an average of $650,000
USD of additional income annually.

BOOST INCOME
POSSIBILITIESAs the power market becomes more competitive, plants
must take advantage of every income opportunity. For aging
plants, digital solutions can position power generators to
pursue additional income while the plant is online, enable
lower turndowns, compensate for degradation and reduce
downtime and outages.
Income from grid ancillary services markets is becoming
more significant in many parts of the world. Digital solutions
can empower plants with faster startups, load ramping andfrequency regulation services, increased demonstrated
capacity and more flexible spinning reserve margins.
These solutions are already providing value to plants aroundthe world. For example, a power plant in Bandirma, Turkey,
utilized ramp rate maximization and power augmentation
solutions to give the plant more secondary frequency control
reserve capacity and increased the combined cycle ramp-up
rate, which earned an average of $650,000 USD of additional
income annually.
The opportunity to increase revenue is at its highest during
times of peak power demand. An aging plant armed withdigital solutions can use logic, monitoring and control
algorithms to more precisely control equipment to increase
output during periods of high energy-market prices. As
technology evolves, artificial intelligence (AI) features will
enable digital solutions to make recommendations and,in some cases, decisions on when to pursue peak power
opportunities based on the income value and equipment lifeand health tradeoffs.

Lower turndown is another benefit to digital upgrades suchas the TOMONI Flex Pack, which increases gas turbine
firing temperature in a controlled way. At a U.S. gas turbine
combined cycle (GTCC) plant, turndown was reduced by 22.5
percent utilizing TOMONI IGV Optimization and turndown
reduction solutions.

DIGITAL SOLUTION BRINGS EFFICIENCYAND FLEXIBILITY AT PART LOAD, DELIVERSSAVINGS ACROSS THE WORLD.
Improving efficiency at partial load is increasingly
important in many areas of the world. Two plants,
Saltend Power Station, located in the United Kingdom,
and Ratchaburi Power Company Limited, located in
Thailand, implemented IGV Optimization with great
results. Both were experiencing more part-load operation
due to renewables penetration and challenging market
demands. After installing IGV Optimization, the plants
were more efficient at part load and more flexible toramp up or down based on grid needs. This led to a fuelsavings of as much as $521,000 USD per year at Saltend
and $1.2 million USD per year at Ratchaburi.

4

Digital upgrades can also automatically recapture orcompensate for equipment degradation between outages
and as equipment ages. The TOMONI GT Cooling Air AI
Optimization and other advanced combustion tuning
systems solutions automatically adapt to degradation andenvironmental factors for disc cavity temperature andcombustion dynamics. The solutions not only prevent alarms
but also improve performance, efficiency and availability.
Digital solutions can act as a backup for existing systems
to sustain reliability and reduce outage durations, avoiding
missed opportunities. For example, the TOMONI Electronic
Overspeed Protection replaces older mechanical overspeed
trip systems and is fully independent of the existingoverspeed backup system. It can be verified online throughindividual channel testing without needing to trip and reset
the gas turbine, eliminating the need to repair or reset thatdevice after outages for overspeed testing. This results inshorter outages and increased starting reliability.

Remote Monitoring Centers

Takasago, Japan

Orlando, Florida, USA

MANAGE EQUIPMENT LIFE
CONSUMPTION AND O&M
EXPENDITURES
Aging plants can access the latest fleet knowledge andexperience digitally to better manage equipment life
consumption and O&M expenditures to help minimize thecost of operating the plant. Utilizing data and predictive
analytics, automated equipment assessments, conditionbased and predictive maintenance will save money on themaintenance of the power plant and increase its availability
to be dispatched.
The effectiveness of remote monitoring, which applies
advanced analytics and fleet-wide learning to reduce bothplanned and unplanned downtime, is well proven on GTCC
plants, with documented savings exceeding $1 million USD
annually. In a recent application to a coal-fired plant in Asia,
43 anomalies were detected in the first year, preventing
seven unplanned outages and identifying seven more
opportunities to reduce thermal performance deterioration.
Digitalization can also enable automated equipment lifetime
assessment, condition-based maintenance and predictive
maintenance. AI solutions, fueled by machine learning, plantdata and fleet-wide knowledge, can automatically analyze
complete operating profiles and provide meaningful insights.
They can predict needed maintenance well in advance offailure while extending maintenance cycles from the more
traditional and conservative schedule-based maintenance,
which leads to a reduction in O&M costs.

Nagasaki, Japan

Alabang, Philippines

Remote Monitoring Service (RMS) is a wellestablished technology that Mitsubishi Power has
been using to improve the reliability and availabilityof thermal power plants since 1999, combining
advanced analytics with expert support that goes
well beyond traditional remote monitoring.
The massive data acquisition and analysis thattakes place in the Remote Monitoring Centers isused to validate new digital solutions and train
advanced analytics. The technical support can also
provide value to aging power plants where on-site
technical expertise may be declining.

The evolution of wholesale gas markets is increasing
the quantity and diversity of fuel gas available for power
generation in many parts of the world. These new options
open the door for a reduction in fuel costs through sourcing
from multiple suppliers, expanding the diversity of sources.
This will pose a challenge for power generators, as it canincrease the variability of fuel gas characteristics and affectcombustion dynamics.
Automated digital solutions help plants to optimize operation
based on the fuel gas characteristics. Examples include
TOMONI Smart Calorimeter and A-CPFM, which facilitate

5

Easily rampINup
and turn
down with
Flex
INCREASE
OUTPUT
DURING
TIMES
OFPackPEAK POWER SHOWSASUBSTANTIAL RETURN ONMAXINVESTMENT.PEAKMAX
OUTPUTEFFICIENCY

FIRE

Plants in Europe and the U.S. have implemented
the TOMONI Flex Pack or some of its component
OUTPUT
solutions, giving them the ability to increase gas turbine
Realize fuel savings
Deliver more MW
firing temperature, in a controlled way, to get more
Reduce emissions
Boost revenue
megawatts for short periods. Full implementation of thissolution allows for multiple operating modes with pre-programmed optimal settings for normal (maximum efficiency),
maximum and peak fire operation, so operators don’t have to manually change settings and calculate optimal
parameters. In these plants, the peak fire mode increased demonstrated output by as much as eight percent for use
during times of high power-market prices.
EFFICIENCY

autonomous optimization of plant operation to address
combustion pressure and emission fluctuations due to fuelgas composition changes, and TOMONI Boiler AI Combustion
Tuning, which tunes combustion parameters when neededby simply executing optimization digitally through AI. The
TOMONI Boiler AI Combustion Tuning saved a plant in Asia
up to $1 million USD annually through a reduction of boiler
operation costs.

LEVERAGING DATA AND
EXPERT KNOWLEDGE
Power plants require actions based on expert knowledge.
Digital solutions that leverage plant data, like TOMONI, areproviding the bridge from a retiring experienced workforce
to future plant operators. Loss of industry knowledge is a big
challenge for power plants, and retention of this knowledge
is a top priority for the industry, especially for aging plants
looking to stay competitive. AI can help by using prediction
models, based on industry knowledge and machine learning.
Simulators can be used to transfer information from industry
veterans and for training on best practices for the day-to-day
management of a plant.
Digital solutions are already in place using machine learning
and AI to determine changes in operating parameters andboiler operation conditions, including flue-gas emission,
combustion balance, steam temperature and boiler
efficiency. During the learning and modeling phase of thesesolutions, Mitsubishi Power built high-accuracy prediction
models for each of the process values considered in
combustion tuning, such as NOX and unburned carbon. The
AI solutions are built using those prediction models. For
example, TOMONI Boiler AI Combustion Tuning estimatesboiler characteristics according to operating conditions andfinds optimal adjustment parameters. It has demonstrated
the ability to duplicate the effectiveness of an experienced
boiler-tuning engineer.
Mitsubishi Power worked with a plant located in a remotearea in Asia that was challenged in training their operators,
especially entry-level. Through the cloud, the entry-level
operators were trained on normal operation throughsimulated experiences. Also, all operators were able to

AI-DRIVEN ANOMALY DETECTION MAKES
BEIJING PLANT MORE RELIABLE.
An early adopter of technology, Shenhua Guohua (Beijing)
Gas-Fired Cogeneration Co., Ltd. implemented Pre-ACT,a digital solution that provides plant operators withreal-time actionable knowledge on operational issues
that may be in the early stages of development. Using
advanced analytics to monitor data from the plant andadding Mitsubishi Power fleet-wide knowledge and AI,
Pre-ACT detects if an anomaly is imminent and identifies
the possible root cause to avoid an alarm occurrence andunplanned downtime. In the first two years of operation,
Pre-ACT detected more than 15 anomalies at Shenhua
Guohua (Beijing) before an alarm occurrence.

6
Netmation Protect Pack
Security Patch Management
Incident • Log Management
Intrusion Detection
System Backup/Restore
Malware Protection

simulate potential
problems and learn
best practices, as they
did not experience
many actual problems
that required operator
intervention since
they have newer, morereliable equipment
deployed at the plant.

Account Management

The plant estimateda potential savings ofover $130,000 USD per day of unplanned downtime if future
operator errors related to infrequent or once-in-a-lifetime
events could be avoided.

SUMMARYIntelligent application of digitalization can make a significant
impact on the profitability of aging plants trying to compete
in the changing power landscape. It can improve dispatch
probability, increase income opportunities, facilitate
equipment life consumption management, reduce O&M
expenditures and overcome knowledge retention concerns.
Mitsubishi Power continues to develop digital solutions,the building blocks of the smart power plant of the future,with ongoing validation at the new T-Point 2 Demonstration
Facility at the Takasago Machinery Works in Japan. In
addition to its ongoing role of validating new rotating
equipment and digital solutions, T-Point 2 is poised to
become the world’s first autonomous combined cycle power
plant. This will catapult power generation into a future where
digital technologies are fully integrated into plant operations,allowing plant owners to leverage data to optimize
performance, enable predictive maintenance, selectively
automate O&M decision-making and reduce risk. The resultsof this ongoing R&D effort will be available for application toincrease the profitability of future new plants and existing,aging thermal power plants.
FLEXIBLE
O&M
OPTIMIZATIONOPERATIONSSOLUTIONSCYBERSECURITYPERFORMANCEIMPROVEMENTIMPROVEMENTSOLUTIONSFLEXIBLE
OPERATIONSOPERATIONSSOLUTIONSDATAFOUNDATIONFOUNDATION& ENABLERS& ENABLERS

As plants become more digital, they must remain secure.
Mitsubishi Power continues to stay at the forefrontof cybersecurity through the latest Windows upgrades,
virtualized Netmation® controls and its digital solution,
Netmation Protect Pack, which enhances the securityof a plant’s control systems inaccordance with the latest North
American Electric Reliability Corporation
Mitsubishi Power is(NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection
continuing to advancethe beneﬁts available(CIP), National Institute of Standards
from digitalization of
and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity
thermal power plants at
Framework, ISA/IEC 62443
T-Point 2, the full-scale
Cybersecurity Certification and other
GTCC validation power
national and international complianceplant in Takasago, Japan.
standards.
This plant entered service
in early 2020, next to theControl system software upgrades andoriginal T-Point 1 plant thatapplication of the latest security patches
contributed so much to theare just as important for aging power
reliability of the Mitsubishi
plants as they are for new plants. They
Power advanced-class gas
turbines over the years.
provide the needed protection against
DATA FOUNDATION& ENABLERS

O&M
OPTIMIZATIONPERFORMANCEPERFORMANCEIMPROVEMENTIMPROVEMENTSOLUTIONSFLEXIBLE
FLEXIBLE
OPERATIONSOPERATIONSSOLUTIONS threats that could affect plant reliability
and can add significant operator
productivity enhancements.

TOMONI® is a suite of intelligent solutions that accelerates decarbonization with power plant design, O&M and system knowledge, together withstrong customer and partner collaborations. TOMONI leverages advanced controls, artiﬁcial intelligence and machine learning with multi-layered
cybersecurity to make energy systems smarter, more proﬁtable and ultimately more autonomous on the road to a sustainable future.

O&M
OPTIMIZATION© Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. All rights reserved. TOMONI® is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Mitsubishi Power is a power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Data Foundation & Enablers
O&M Optimization
Performance Improvement
Flexible Operations
METP-11DS33E2-A