Shin Nippon Steam Turbine for Ghana

Ghana SW Energy SolutionsDuring 2009, S&W Energy Solutions, Inc., of Houston, Texas, was awarded an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contract to build a 132 MW combined cycle power station near the Port of Takoradi, Republic of Ghana, West Africa.

The plant will utilize four gas turbine generators manufactured by Zorya-Mashproekt of the Ukraine and a single Shin Nippon steam turbine generator set nominally rated at 40 MW.  All five electric generators are manufactured by Brush Turbogenerators of the United Kingdom.

By using a modular approach to plant design, the power station can operate at any load between 30 -132 MW and still maintain high efficiency.  The Shin Nippon steam turbine utilizes impulse blading designed to allow turndown to ten percent (10%) of rated load while maintaining acceptable efficiency.

The steam turbine is directly coupled to the generator at 3000 rpm to avoid the additional cost and efficiency loss associated with a gearbox.  In addition, Shin Nippon axial exhaust design enables the steam turbine generator to use a simple horizontal layout thus eliminating the need for a two-level mezzanine.  This reduced the cost of the foundation and building by about thirty percent (30%).

The Takoradi combined cycle power plant is scheduled to be placed into service during late 2011.  Axford Turbine Consultants, LLC, assisted Shin Nippon Machinery Co., Ltd., with the sale of the steam turbine generator set and KSB, Inc., with the sale of the boiler feed water and circulating water pumps to S&W Energy Solutions, Inc.