Power Plant Construction
Power Plant Construction Holistic Measures to Counteract Quality Deviations in Components
Hans Christian Schröder, Power Station Sector Manager at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service Moscow
Practical experiences show increasing quality deviations in delivered power plant components. Especially for components for the new generation of power plants with steam temperatures of up to 700 degrees, old integrity checks are to be complemented by holistic system considerations.
Globalised, deregulated markets increased competitive and cost pressure in power plant construction. Despite the increasing technical requirements on components, in regards to their resistance to increasing operating pressures and temperatures, they are expected to be as cheap as possible. Many contracts are awarded abroad under special conditions. The manufacturers of components are not always able to meet the requirements agreed upon. Quality deviations in delivered components such as boilers, turbines and generators often occur. In order to maintain a high level of safety for thermal power plants, the tester has to go from being purely an inspector to being an all-out operations analyst.
