Taipower uses SurfCleaner units to recover and reuse lubricant oil from cooling water

Taipower installed two SurfCleaner SCO 1000 systems to collect and separate oil from process water used to lubricate and cool gas turbines at their Tung Hsiao Power Plant.

About Taipower

The Taiwan Power Company, also known by the short name Taipower, is a state-owned electric power industry providing electricity to Taiwan with a 99.99% reliability.  Taipower operate thermal, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar and geothermal power plants across Taiwan. The company is a cornerstone of modern life and a driver of economic development for Taiwan’s 23 million people as both traditional and emerging high-tech industries are reliant on electricity. For decades, Taipower has provided sufficient electricity to support both the public’s quality of life and the island’s economic development. The company’s transmission and distribution network can be accessed in every corner of Taiwan.

Tung Hsiao Power Plant

The Tung Hsiao Power Plant (THPP) renewal project which is located southwest of Taipei consist of three 892 MW combined cycle units, totally 2678 MW with a thermal efficiency of 60,7%. The renewal project was completed in end of 2022. Since mid-2023 there are two SCO 1000 devices in operation at the plant.

Why did Taipower need a solution for oil-water separation?

“In our gas turbines, we need to have transmission oil for the moving parts and cooling water. The water is then collected in basins, but oil is present in this cooling loop. The oil is a high-quality mineral oil that is critical for a smooth operation of the gas turbines. All moving and rotating parts need to be well lubricated with this special oil. We need to remove the oil to be able to reuse the oil but also from a sustainable point of view to avoid contamination. In mid-2023 we completed the installation and commissioning of two SCO 1000s at the Tung Hsiao power plant. The SurfCleaner units were surprisingly easy to install and get into operating mode and with the handheld tablet adjustments were easily done.”

Why the final decision to choose SurfCleaner?

“We needed to find a solution that could collect thin sheen and automatically operate without manual labor.
We have found out that collecting the thin sheen is extra difficult and demanding, and no other technologies were found to be sufficient.

It is especially the thin sheen that presents difficulties and as we cannot let this thin sheen to accumulate to thicker layers, we need to address the challenge as early in the process as possible. Having the oil present on the water surface also results in evaporation, thus creating VOC in the surrounding area. And SurfCleaner collects and separates oil layers from 0.1 μm and upwards, continuously keeping the water surface completely free from oil.

Taipower’s expectations and results from technology by SurfCleaner?

“We have had the two SCO 1000 systems in operation since mid-2023 and we are very satisfied with the overall result. The continuous collection, separation and discharge means that we need to spend minimal amount of time and effort on this operation that can be tedious as manual work tend to be complementary if other technologies are used. As the SCO 1000 units operates continuously and can be remotely controlled, we need to spend minimum amount of time around the basins. This means we can focus on other things raising the overall efficiency of the plant even more. SurfCleaner has exceeded our expectations, both in terms of capacity and maintenance.

“Taipower will continue to actively develop renewable energy and remains committed to introducing low carbon clean energy.” – Taipower, Taiwan