Projecto de arranque da Central Termoelétrica de Maputo em modo blackstart

Abstract

The production of electrical energy in Mozambique is mainly characterized by the use of hydroelectric and thermal processes. As a country with a high water potential, however, it is quite complex due to the volatile nature of hydrological influences, taking into account the limited quantities, i.e. reservoir storage capacity, and the interdependence of uses. Thus, the need to develop electrical energy production with hydrothermal coordination arose, thus creating thermoelectric power plants. Thermoelectric power plants are responsible for the production of electrical energy from the conversion of heat from the burning of different fuels. As Mozambique is a country with greater resources of these fuels (coal and natural gas), there are more thermoelectric power plant projects in order to reuse natural gas, taking into account the level of pollution. It is in this context that this project is presented, which focuses on the development of an operating mode for the Maputo Thermoelectric Power Plant (blackstart) that allows it to operate even in the absence of the public grid as a reference voltage, since in the absence of the public grid, the plant does not have an auxiliary source for start-up. The project foresees the introduction of Gas Turbine No. 3 (GTG 3) as an auxiliary source for starting the plant whenever the public grid does not exist, and this new source will also serve as a power source for auxiliary services in the absence of the public grid, since the plant has a generator set to ensure auxiliary services, but which is currently undersized. In summary, it is important to note that gas turbine No. 3 (GTG.3) with a nominal generation capacity of 22.6 MW has recently been reconditioned and is intended to serve as an emergency generator set for the entire plant to mitigate the lack of blackstart start-up of the plant and definitively resolve this non-compliance. It is important to note that the project follows the current trend in modern industry, which involves remote supervision of plants through HMIs; these not only offer intuitive interfaces to operators, but also collect data, provide alarms and vital information for maintenance planning.