Aim of this joint research project is to develop an auxilliary firing system based on dried lignite and capable for continuous operation. This includes the design and construction of a prototype, which will be integrated in an existing lignite power plant, to enable functionality testing under realistic loading fluctuations. Overall aim of the project is to increase the load flexibility of existing power plants and to optimise their operation.

Part-load operation means that some components within the power plant must operate outside their normal operating range. To ensure unhindered operation of the boiler unit under reduced part-load conditions and to identify possible operating problems, the Institute of Energy Systems will perform extensive simulations. Various components will be modelled with numerical simulation tools and the whole power plant process will be energetically and technically assessed in detail, before performing a thorough optimisation of the overall process. After simulating the as-is state of the unit and concluding the model validation in collaboration with the industrial partner, the models developed will be extended and adjusted in view of the new operating conditions resulting from the reduction in minimal technical load.

The thus developed whole process model will allow investigations of the influence of a reduced plant loading on the operation and performance of the lignite unit in the Jänschwalde power plant, under mono- and duo-configuration. This analysis, which will take place before the prototype system is installed, will highlight early enough any potential problems and suggest eventually necessary adjustments for the plant design and operation.