Turnkey Sulzer services for Asian power generation

A world-class independent service provider (ISP) and global pump OEM, Sulzer has provided 24/7 local engineering support to the Asian power generation market for over a quarter of a century. Offering repairs and upgrades for rotating equipment from any brand, as well as specialist turbomachinery services, Sulzer helps operators to maximize equipment uptime and meet industry challenges.

Principal among these challenges is the move towards a low carbon future. Integrating renewables into the wider grid and tightening regulation is forcing power station equipment to adapt to different duty requirements and operating points. All these aims must be achieved without affecting power generation uptime. To reliably meet these demands takes in-depth engineering knowledge and experience – two things Sulzer offers in abundance.

Energizing Asia’s power generation market

Throughout the development of Asia’s energy markets, Sulzer has proved itself as the premier one-stop engineering partner for major utility-scale power plants and independent power producers (IPPs). With over two centuries of power generation engineering heritage, Sulzer’s knowledge of legacy and modern equipment operational across the sector is unrivalled.

Li Jian, Head of Services, APAC, at Sulzer, adds: “We have 19 services centers and an extensive sales network across Asia, offering turnkey engineering support for all types of rotating equipment such as steam and gas turbines, generators, pumps, compressors, motors and more. We’re also one of the few independent service providers that has the capabilities to deliver complex maintenance projects for large turbines with capacity of up to 600MW. We’re committed to the continuous modernization of facilities and service capabilities across the region, and this is especially true for turbomachinery.

“This commitment is recognized by our customers, who entrust us with their critical equipment every day. Our robust service, sales and supply chain network has ensured we have an unmatched track record in Asia’s power sector.”

Dedicated local turbomachinery support

Sulzer’s service centers in Purwarkata, Balikpapan, Nantong, Maitland and Vadodara offer more than 18’000 m2 of turbomachinery focused workshop space, over 500 technical staff and seamless access to the wider Sulzer global network. These facilities are adept at servicing all types and brands of steam and gas turbines.

Sulzer has successfully serviced over 1’500 steam and gas turbines, 400 plus compressors and more than 300 turbo generators in Asia. All in all, Sulzer has supported over 53 GW of turbine capacity with an impressive safety record of over 4-million-manhours.

Securing uptime

Challenging turbomachinery repairs are a Sulzer specialty. Rather bearing the hefty cost and lead time consequences of sourcing new components or equipment, Sulzer offers operators innovative, quality repair techniques and technologies to minimize downtime and add value.

Reverse engineering, material upgrades, parts manufacture, dimensional restoration, testing, and field services combine to ensure a turnkey approach to any turbomachinery repair, regardless of the brand or age of equipment. These services are enabled by state-of-the-art equipment including precision machine tools, 3D laser scanners, CNC vertical lathes, CNC milling machines, 60-tonne capacity cranage, submerged arc welding systems and more. The company can even fast-track the production of complex precision parts such as turbine blades in-house, using the latest additive manufacturing technology to deliver reduced lead times, backed by its robust supply chain.

This means a turnkey approach to any repair, which reduces lead times, as a recent project illustrated. Sulzer Indonesia conducted a swift in-house repair of a 14-tonne steam turbine rotor for a power plant in the Philippines. The team minimized the lead time for the repair by chartering Antonov cargo planes to transport the large rotor to the service center and back. This ensured that the 150 MW generator which supplied 100’000 homes with power was reinstated as quickly as possible.

By harnessing comprehensive servicing capabilities and state-of-the-art equipment, Sulzer helps overcome reliability challenges faster, helping secure power generation uptime for operators in Asia.

Meeting new standards

However, repairs are only half the story. How can operators in Asia meet changing duty requirements and the need to minimize carbon footprint without investing in new equipment? Sulzer has the solution.

Li Jian continues: “We offer a comprehensive suite of technical solutions from anti-fouling coatings, equipment re-rates and even an automatic combustion tuning solution, which enable existing equipment to be cost-effectively enhanced to meet new efficiency and performance standards within the same footprint. Power plant operators will find it a seamless affair by engaging us for all for an energy efficiency audit of all their rotating equipment in their plant and subsequently have Sulzer handle all essential energy efficiency-focused upgrades and repairs. Our one-stop capabilities mean customers are able to save time and costs by working with one vendor instead of many.

Delivering these retrofits demands high level engineering and application knowhow – whether that is for targeted design upgrades or a more novel solution. For example, Sulzer’s proprietary close-loop combustion auto-tuning system (CATS) contributed to a 25 – 30% reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from existing gas turbine unit at a Jiangsu-based power plant in China. The project delivered a combined capital expenditure and maintenance cost saving of more than USD 2 million.

With Sulzer’s engineering capabilities and flexibility, operators can meet changing duty requirements optimally, achieving new efficiencies cost-effectively with existing equipment.

Asia’s power generation expert

As the power generation landscape in Asia continues to evolve, Sulzer provides wide-ranging capabilities to respond to any demand placed on turbomachinery and rotating equipment in energy applications. The company is positioned to adapt to different requirements across the industry, whether that is providing rapid repairs to secure uptime, or carrying out innovative retrofit projects to cost-effectively unlock new efficiencies.

By partnering with an experienced, best-in-class engineering services partner like Sulzer, operators can continue to reliably keep pace with Asia’s energy demands well into the future.

Find out more about how Sulzer can support the Asia energy sector here: https://bit.ly/3Hr8vzW

Sulzer is a global leader in fluid engineering. We specialize in pumping, agitation, mixing, separation and application technologies for fluids of all types. Our customers benefit from our commitment to innovation, performance and quality and from our responsive network of 180 world-class production facilities and service centers across the globe. Sulzer has been headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, since 1834. In 2021, our 13’800 employees delivered revenues of CHF 3.2 billion. Our shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: SUN). The Flow Equipment division specializes in pumping solutions specifically engineered for the processes of our customers. We provide pumps, agitators, compressors, grinders and screens developed through intensive research and development in fluid dynamics and advanced materials. We are a market leader in pumping solutions for water, oil and gas, power, chemicals and most industrial segments.

www.sulzer.com