GAS-TURBINE AND COGENERATION INSTALLATIONS OF COMPLEX CONSTRUCTION - THE UEM POWER-PLANT CASE

Long before the term cogeneration was coined (around 1978), UEM's Chambiere power plant - which dates back to the turn of the century - was already supplying the city of Metz, in eastern France, with combined heat and power. In 1992, the Chambiere plant experienced a major turning point in its history with the installation of a new unit based on a model MS 6001 B (or Frame 6) heavy duty gas turbine. This model, which is rated 38 MWe-ISO and burns natural gas, has become the core of a new cogeneration unit with outstanding performance characteristics : efficiency higher than 80 % (LHV) providing a 20 % energy saving in comparison to a conventional plant (boiler and steam turbine); low pollutant emissions (NOx, CO, UHC) and low contribution to the greenhouse effect (CO2). The gas turbine has been equipped with two steam injection devices, for NOx reduction and power increase. After describing the power plant and giving its main achievements in the fields of energy and the environment, the paper briefly presents several improvements intended to protect the environment.