ESI Inspection Supports Coal Silo Maintenance at Korean Power Plant
One of our most prestigious projects was the delivery of eight coal silos and a FGD gypsum silo at the new Komipo power plant in Shin SeoCheon, South Korea. The commissioning and transfer to the end-user took place in 2021. Four years later, Supervisors Frank Bloemendaal and Max de Bie returned for extensive inspection and training sessions. Covering nine silos in 16 days with over a hundred checkpoints per silo was intense, but it was vital to identify current and future issues and set clear maintenance goals for the coming years.
Indispensable collaboration
The project at the state-of-the-art thermal power plant is the result of close collaboration with Daeyang Rollent, ESI-Eurosilo’s agent for South Korea and a leading conveyor idler producer. As far as Frank Bloemendaal is concerned, a partner who can communicate technical information in the local language and who understands both company and country culture is indispensable: “During our stay, we were accompanied by the committed team from Daeyang Rollent. They also presented our final list of maintenance topics during the closing meeting of our inspection tour.”
Safety first
Entering enclosed coal silos at a fully operational power plant is impossible without the authorization and assistance of the PTW officer. Frank explains: “Because the coal silos are a confined space, a PTW (Permit-to-Work) officer needs to be present. The PTW officer holds the key to the silo and is accompanied by the process operators on duty to measure O2, CO, and CH4 levels inside the silo. If the levels are okay, we can enter. You also need operators to make the silo mechanisms move back and forth in order to perform tests. Given the number of people involved, clear planning and good communication are crucial. Again, the assistance of the team from Daeyang Rollent was indispensable!”
Improving maintenance and uptime
With eight connected coal silos, the storage system is an important link in the process of the power plant. After four years of operation ESI was invited for an extensive inspection and updated training for the maintenance team. Based on the inspections, Frank and Max could share their findings and offer a custom training, tailored to the actual situation. The hands-on approach was highly appreciated. Frank Bloemendaal: “The crew was eager to learn and happy with the eye-openers we provided. Together we performed any necessary repairs, and they immediately started to order new spare parts. With our final report and recommendations they can further improve the maintenance to achieve optimal uptime of the complete storage system.”
More about maintenance
Are you done with poor performance, interrupted availability, increasing costs and effort to keep your silos up and running? ESI offers a suitable approach for each situation: Inspections | Services | Eurosilo.
Read more about the project at Seo ShinCheon:
https://eurosilo.com/news/eight-coal-silos-for-new-thermal-power-plant-in-south-korea/