Advanced boiler/turbogenerator control in the sugar industry

In 2022 WH Heck and Sons Pty Ltd purchased outright the 30 MW Cogeneration plant that was originally installed by Stanwell at Rocky Point Sugar Mill in 2001. During the life of the plant, several attempts have been made to improve the automation and control of the boiler and generator operations. Over time the systems were not well maintained, and the boiler was mostly run manually by the operators, which significantly increased the risk of operator errors that could have resulted in serious boiler failure. In 2023 the existing boiler controls were reviewed and improvements to the control system were proposed and undertaken. The implementation of the new controls is described, specifically a section of the work that is defined as the coordinated control strategy. That has provided very tight control of the boiler steam pressure with the ability to change generator load without causing a large disturbance in boiler steam pressure.