SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FAST STARTUP OF A COMBINED CYCLE POWER PLANT

Abstract

Provided is a system for controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant that includes a gas turbine that includes a rotor, an HRSG that generates steam, a steam turbine that includes a rotor, and generators that generate electric power using rotation forces, respectively, of the rotor of the gas turbine and the rotor of the steam turbine, the system including; a sensor that measures operating states of components of the combined cycle power plant; and a controller that controls the start-up, based on the operating states, which are acquired from the sensor, in which the controller verifies one or more restrictive conditions that restrict setting of an operational value of an operational parameter for the combined cycle power plant, based on the operating states, which are acquired from the sensor, and, based on a result of the verification, sets the operational value.

Claims

1. A system for controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant that includes a gas turbine and a heat recovery steam generator, the system comprising; one or more sensors configured to respectively measure an operating state of a component of the combined cycle power plant; and a controller configured to control the start-up of the combined cycle power plant based on the operating state of the component of the combined cycle power plant respectively measured by the one or more sensors, wherein the controller is configured to determine one or more restrictive conditions that restrict setting of an operational value of an operational parameter of the combined cycle power plant based on the operating state of the component of the combined cycle power plan respectively measured by the one or more sensors, and the controller is configured to set the operational value of the operational parameter based on a result of the determination.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more restrictive conditions includes at least one of a thermal stress margin of a rotor of a steam turbine of the heat recovery steam generator, an upper limit value of a temperature or a pressure of steam in the heat recovery steam generator, an upper limit value of a temperature of a heater that generates the stream within the heat recovery steam generator, a lower limit value of a water capacity of the heat recovery steam generator, and an upper limit value of a temperature of the rotor of the steam turbine.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more restrictive conditions include a thermal stress margin of a rotor of a steam turbine of the heat recovery steam generator, and the operational parameter includes a rate at which an amount of electric power that is produced by the gas turbine increases.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to a first rate of increase when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is a first value or above, and the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to be a value that is less than the first rate when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is less than the first setting value.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to be a first rate of increase when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is a first value or above, and the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases using a proportional-integral controller based on the thermal stress margin when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is less than the first setting value.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to perform modeling of components of the combined cycle power plant and predict whether or not the thermal stress margin is a first value or above, the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to be a first rate of increase when, as a result of the prediction, the controller determines that the thermal stress margin is the first value or above, and the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to have a value that is less than the first rate when, as a result of the prediction, the controller determines that the thermal stress margin is less than the first value.

7. The system according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to perform modeling of components of the combined cycle power plant and determine whether or not the thermal stress margin is a first value or above, the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to be a first rate of increase when the controller determines that the thermal stress margin is a first value or above, and the controller is configured to set the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to be a rate of increase calculated with a proportional-integral controller based on the thermal stress margin when the controller determined that the thermal stress margin is less than the first value.

8. A method of controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant that includes a gas turbine, a heat recovery steam generator, a steam turbine, and generators, the method comprising: determining an operating state of one or more components of the combined cycle power plant using sensors; determining one or more restrictive conditions that restrict setting of an operational value of an operational parameter of the combined cycle power plant based on the determined operating states of the components of the combined cycle power plant; and setting the operational value of the operational parameter based on a result of the determining the one or more restrictive conditions.

9. The method of controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to claim 8, wherein the one or more restrictive conditions include at least one of a thermal stress margin of a rotor of the steam turbine, an upper limit value of a temperature or a pressure of steam in the heat recovery steam generator, an upper limit value of the temperature of a heater for generating the stream within the heat recovery steam generator, a lower limit value of a water capacity of the heat recovery steam generator, and an upper limit value of a temperature of the rotor of the steam turbine.

10. The method of controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to claim 8, wherein the one or more restrictive conditions include a thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine, and the operational parameter includes a rate at which an amount of electric power that is produced by the gas turbine increases.

11. The method of controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to claim 10, wherein the determining the one or more restrictive conditions includes determining that the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is normal when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine has a first value or above and determining that the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine fails when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is less than the first value, and the setting of the operational value of the operational parameter includes setting a rate at which an amount of electric power increases to be a first rate of increase when it is determined that the thermal stress margin is normal, and setting the rate at which the amount of electric power increases to have a value less than the first rate when it is determined that the thermal stress margin fails.

12. The method of controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to claim 10, wherein the determining the one or more restrictive conditions includes determining that the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is normal when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine has a first value or above, and determining that the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine fails when the thermal stress margin of the rotor of the steam turbine is less than the first value, and the setting of the operational value of the operational parameter includes setting a rate at which an amount of eclectic power increases to be a first rate of increase when it is determined that the thermal stress margin is normal, and setting the rate at which the amount of eclectic power increases to be a rate of increase, calculated with a proportional-integral controller based on the thermal stress margin when it is determined that the thermal stress margin fails.

13. The method of controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to claim 10, further comprising: performing modeling of the components of the combined cycle power plant, wherein the determining the one or more restrictive conditions includes determining whether or not the thermal stress margin is a first value or above, and the setting of the operational value of the operational parameter includes setting a rate at which an amount of eclectic power increases to be a first rate of increase when it is determined that the thermal stress margin is the first value or above, and setting the rate at which the amount of eclectic power increases to be less than the first value when it is verified that the thermal stress margin is less than the first value.

14. The method of controlling start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to claim 10, further comprising: performing modeling of the components of the combined cycle power plant, wherein the determining of the one or more restrictive conditions includes determining whether or not the thermal stress margin is a first value or above, and the setting of the operational value of the operational parameter includes setting a rate at which an amount of eclectic power increases to be a first rate of increase when it is determined that the thermal stress margin is the first value or above, and setting the rate at which the amount of eclectic power increases to be a rate of increase calculated with a proportional-integral controller based on the thermal stress margin when it is verified that the thermal stress margin is less than the first value.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for fast start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to an embodiment in of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling the combined cycle power plant for the fast start-up according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of setting a rate at which an amount of electric power increases, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary amount of electric power that is produced with a method which is illustrated in FIG. 3;

[0029] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary thermal stress margin associated with the method which is illustrated in FIG. 3;

[0030] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of setting the rate at which the amount of electric power that is generated increases, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which, the rate at which the amount of electric power increases is set, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases is set, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary amount of electric power that is produced with a method which is illustrated in FIG. 7; and

[0034] FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary thermal stress margin associated with the method which is illustrated in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Description will be provided in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms, and is not limited to embodiments that will be described here.

[0036] In the following description, when a certain part is connected to a different part, this includes not only a case where a direct electrical connection is made between them, but also a case where an electrical connection is made between them with an element in between. The terms first, second and third are used for describing various parts, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, but are not limited to these.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for fast start-up of a combined cycle power plant according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] With reference to FIG. 1, a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a combined cycle power plant 100, a sensor 200, and a controller 300.

[0039] The combined cycle power plant 100 includes a compressor 110, a gas turbine 120, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) 130, a steam turbine 140, and generators 150 and 160. The compressor 110 compresses air and transfers the compressed air to the gas turbine 120. The gas turbine 120 includes a rotor that rotates using thermal energy which is included in gas that occurs as a result of combusting air and fuel. The heat recovery steam generator 130 generates steam using high-temperature exhaust gas that is emitted from the gas turbine 120. The steam turbine 140 includes a rotor that rotates using steam which occurs in the heat recovery steam generator 130. The generators 150 and 160 generate electric power using rotation forces, respectively, of the rotor of the gas turbine 120 and the rotor of the steam turbine 140. The two generators are illustrated separately in FIG. 1, but one generator may generate the electric power using the rotation forces that occur in the gas turbine 120 and the steam turbine 140.

[0040] The combined cycle power plant 100 includes multiple valves that adjust the passage of fluid or air. Examples of the valves include a valve that controls air which is introduced in the compressor 110, a valve that controls an amount of fuel that is introduced into the gas turbine 120, a valve that controls the passage of steam within the heat recovery steam generator 130, a valve that controls the passage of steam that flows from the heat recovery steam generator 130 to the steams turbine 140, and the like. These valves may be controlled by the controller 300 that will be described below.

[0041] The sensor 200 is a device that measures operating states of components of the combined cycle power plant 100. The sensors 200 include a thermometer, a barometer, a flowmeter, and the like. Examples of the operating states of the components include pieces of information on a temperature of exhaust gas that is discharged from the gas turbine 120 to the heat recovery a steam generator 130, a temperature or a pressure of steam within the heat recovery a steam generator 130, a temperature of a heater that heats water within the heat recovery a steam generator 130, a temperature of and/or a stress on the rotor of the steam turbine 140, an output electric power of each of the generators 150 and 160, and the like. The sensor transfers the measured operating state of the component to the controller 300.

[0042] The controller 300 controls parameters for managing the combined cycle power plant 100, based on pieces of information on the operating states of the components of the combined cycle power plant 100 obtained by the sensor 200. These operational parameters include ones for controlling the valves that will be described above. As an example, the extent to which the valve, which is controlled by the controller 300 to control the amount of fuel that is introduced, is opened is selected as one operational parameter.

[0043] The controller 300 performs control in such a manner that the combined cycle power plant 100 is operated safely and optimally. Specifically, regarding a method of starting up the combined cycle power plant 100, there is a need to minimize the starting time.

[0044] In an old-fashioned method, the safety comes first, and thus control is performed in such a manner that the gas turbine operates with a small load being placed on it, in order to limit an impact that is to be applied to the rotor of the steam turbine. More specifically, the controller adjusts the amount of fuel that is introduced into the gas turbine, to maintain a temperature of the exhaust gas that is discharged from the gas turbine to a fixed value or blow. Thus, an amount of steam that is generated in the heat recovery steam generator is also limited, and accordingly, the start-up of the combined cycle power plant i requires a long start-up time.

[0045] According to another embodiment, a method that is based on a model predictive control (MPC) is used. In the method that is based on the model predictive control, a model for the gas turbine, the heat recovery steam generator, and the steam turbine is configured, and, based on this configuration, operational parameters are controlled. At this point, the model for the gas turbine, the heat recovery steam generator, and the steam turbine is a dynamic model that is based on a differential equation. In the method that is based on the model predictive control, data relating to the operating state of the combined cycle power plant is received from the sensor and, based on the received data and the model described above, future states of the gas turbine, the heat recovery steam generator, and a steam turbine are predicted. According to the embodiment, based on the received data relating to the operating state and the model, the temperature of the steam that is introduced into the rotor of the steam turbine is predicted. To do this, in the method that is based on the model predictive control, a control sequence is finished, data relating to the operating state of the combined cycle power plant is then received newly, the model is optimized in real time, and thus operational parameters in the next state are determined. In addition, in the method that is based on the model predictive control, parameters (for example, a coefficient in a differential equation) may be adjusted based on the data relating to the operating state of the combined cycle power plant, which is collected to increase the precision of the prediction of the future state. That is, in the method that is based on the model predictive control, values of operational parameters, at which the combined cycle power plant is operated optimally while a restrictive condition (for example, a condition that steam should be supplied at such a temperature that no impact is applied to the rotor of the steam) that applies to the model is satisfied, have to be calculated. That is, in the method that is based on the mode predictive control, calculation for determining whether or not the restrictive condition is satisfied, and calculation for obtaining a value of the optimized operational parameter. In addition, in a case where a parameter for the model itself is changed, additional calculation for optimizing this parameter has to be performed.

[0046] These complicated calculations are absolutely impossible with DCS in the related art.

[0047] According to the present disclosure, improving an operation of starting up the combined cycle power plant 100 while reducing the calculation that uses the model predictive control is provided.

[0048] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling the combined cycle power plant for the fast start-up according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] The method that is illustrated in FIG. 2 may be performed by the controller 300 with every sampling period.

[0050] With reference to FIG. 2, the controller 300 acquires the data relating to the operating state of the component of the combined cycle power plant 100, which may be every sampling period, using the sensor (S210). At this point, the data relating the operating state may include the temperature of the exhaust gas that is discharged from the gas turbine 120 to the heat recovery steam generator 130, the temperature and the pressure of the steam in the heat recovery steam generator 130, the temperature of the heater that heats water within the heat recovery steam generator 130, and the temperature of and/or the stress on the rotor of the steam turbine 140, the output electric power of each of the generators 150 and 160, and the like.

[0051] Then, the restrictive condition for controlling parameters based on the acquired data relating to the operating state is verified (S520).

[0052] As an example of the restrictive condition, a thermal stress margin of the rotor is used. When heated, an object increases in volume, but contrarily, when cooled, decreases in volume. However, when an object, such as the rotor of the steam turbine 140, is suppressed from expanding and contracting, an internal force resistant to this suppression occurs. This internal force is referred to a thermal stress. An amount of stress increases in proportion to a thermal expansion coefficient that is a physical property specific to the heated object and a temperature. If the load on the gas turbine 120 is caused to increase abruptly when starting up the combined cycle power plant 100, the temperature of the exhaust gas abruptly increases. As a result, when the temperature increases to be out of a range of thermal stress, the rotor of the steam turbine may be damaged. Therefore, the thermal margin that is determined by the temperature of the stream turbine 140 and the temperature of the steam that is introduced into the rotor may be set as a restrictive condition. That is, the thermal stress margin of the rotor is set as a restrictive condition, and it is verified with every sampling period whether or not the thermal stress margin of the rotor is sufficient.

[0053] A result of the verification is represented by PASS or FAIL. PASS means that the restrictive condition that is set is satisfied and FAIL means that the restrictive condition is not satisfied. In the case of the thermal stress margin described above, when the thermal stress margin is sufficient, this is represented by PASS and when the thermal stress margin is not sufficient, this is represented by FAIL.

[0054] At this point, a specific value is set in order to determine whether or not the thermal stress margin is sufficient. Then, in a case where the thermal stress margin has the specific value or above, it is determined that the thermal stress margin is sufficient and in a case where the thermal stress margin has less than the specific value, it is determined that the thermal stress margin is not sufficient. The specific value at this time is set and adjusted based on data over a period of time.

[0055] With another method, the determination is made based on the model predictive control described above. That is, although modeling is performed on components of the combined cycle power plant and based on the resulting model, the load is caused to increase at a high or maximum rate of increase, in a case where it is predicted that the thermal stress margin is maintained to a fixed level or above, it is determined that the thermal stress margin is sufficient. Furthermore, in a case where it is predicted that the thermal stress margin is at the fixed level or falls below the fixed level, it is determined that the thermal stress margin is not sufficient.

[0056] In the example described above, the description is provided with the thermal stress margin as the restrictive condition, but other conditions may be used as the restrictive conditions. As several examples of the restrictive conditions, an upper limit value of the temperature or the pressure of the steam in the heat recovery steam generator 130, an upper limit value of the temperature of the heater that heats water within the heat recovery steam generator 130, a lower limit value of a water capacity of the heat recovery steam generator 130, an upper limit value of the temperature of the rotor of the steam turbine 140, and the like may be used.

[0057] When the verification of the restrictive condition using the technique described is finished, operational parameters are set according to a result of the verification (S530). The operational parameter that is set at this time may be a rate at which an amount of electric power that is produced by the gas turbine 120 increases. That is, the operational parameter may be an amount of load on the gas turbine 120. This amount of load is in proportion to the amount of fuel that is introduced into the gas turbine 120, and thus the controller 300 adjusts the amount of load, that is, the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases, by controlling the valve that controls the amount of fuel.

[0058] As an example, in a case where the result of the verification is PASS, the operational parameter is set in such a manner that the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases is high or maximized. That is, the operational parameter may be set as in Equation 1 that follows.

u(t)=min{u(t1)+rmaxTs,umax}Equation 1

[0059] where u(t) is an operational value of the operational parameter that is determined with a current sampling period, u(t1) is an operational value of the operational parameter that is determined with a previous sampling period, rmax is a maximum rate of increase, and umax is a maximum value that the operational parameter can take.

[0060] In a case where the result of the verification is FAIL, the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases is set to a specific value that is smaller than the high or maximum rate of increase. A specific value at this time is a value at which the thermal stress margin is maintained to a fixed value that is almost closer to 0. That is, when the high or maximum rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases is about 1, a specific value that is smaller than the high or maximum rate may be determined to be 0.2, 0.4, 0.7 and so forth. That is, the operational parameter may be set as in Equation 2 that follows.

u(t)=min{u(t1)+rmaxTs,umax},Equation 2.

[0061] where u(t) is an operational value of the operational parameter that is determined with a current sampling period, u(t1) is an operational value of the operational parameter that is determined with a previous sampling period, is a rate of decrease, that is, a rate for decreasing the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases, of which a value ranges from 0 to 1, rmax is a maximum rate of increase, TGs is a sampling period, and umax is a maximum value that the operational parameter can have.

[0062] With reference to Equation 2, in a case where the result of the verification is FAIL, that is, in a case where the thermal stress margin is not sufficient, the impact that is exerted on the rotor is prevented by decreasing the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases.

[0063] In a case where the result of the verification is FAIL, a proportional-integral controller may be used as another method of determining the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases. That is, the operational value of the operational parameter may be determined using Equation 3 that follows.

u(t)=u(t1)+max{0,min{K(y(t1)),rmax}Ts}Equation 3

[0064] where u(t) is an operational value of the operational parameter that is determined with a current sampling, u(t1) is an operational value of the operational parameter that is determined with a previous sampling period, y(t1) is a thermal stress margin that is acquired with the previous sampling period, constants K and are a gain a setting point, respectively, of the proportional-integral controller, rmax is a maximum rate of increase at which the operational parameter increases, Ts is a sampling, and umax is a maximum value that the operational parameter can take.

[0065] The constants K and that provide characteristics of the proportional-integral controller at this time are adjusted for the particular machine. At this time, a technique of reducing or preventing windup of the proportional-integral controller is added. That is, in a case where a control value that is calculated with the proportional-integral controller is greater than a value that is actually set to be an operational parameter and thus saturation with the operational parameters takes place, integrated values are accumulated into a great value. Thus, when an output value is actually approached, a great control value continues to be output, instead of the control value being decreased. Because of this, in some cases, it takes a long time for the system to reach the setting value. This phenomenon is referred to the windup. In order to reduce or prevent the windup, a suitable technique of reducing or preventing the windup is used, thereby complementing the proportional-integral controller. According to the present disclosure, with reference to Equation 3, a maximum value of the control value that the proportional-integral controller can take is limited to rmax, thereby reducing or preventing the windup.

[0066] Several embodiments relating to a control method that is performed by the controller 300 when starting up the combined cycle power plant 100 based on the description above will now be discussed in more detail.

[0067] In the following embodiments, the thermal stress margin is set to be the restrictive condition, the operational parameter is used to control the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases. However, it will be apprecaited that a method which is proposed according to the present embodiment is applied in a similar manner under various restrictive conditions to various operational parameters that include a rate of increase in the temperature of the exhaust gas, an amount of steam that is generated in the heat recovery steam generator 130, and the like.

First Embodiment

[0068] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which, when the thermal stress margin has a setting value or above, the rate at which the amount of electric power increases is set to be a high or maximum and in which, when the thermal stress margin has less than the setting value, that rate is set to be half of the high or maximum rate of increase, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] With reference to FIG. 3, the controller 300 acquires the temperature of the rotor of the steam turbine and the temperature of the steam that is introduced into the steam turbine (S610), using the sensor, and based on the acquired data, calculates the thermal stress margin (S620). The controller 300 compares the thermal stress margin with a setting value (S630), and when the thermal stress margin is greater than the setting value, causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase at the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase (S640). When the thermal stress margin is smaller than the setting value, the controller 300 causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase at half of the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase (S650). According to the present embodiment, in a case where the thermal stress margin is smaller than the setting value, the amount of electric power that is produced is set to be caused to increase at half of the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase. However, the rate of increase at which the amount of electric power that is produced is caused to increase may be set to a value that is selected for the particular machine.

[0070] FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating the amount of electric power that is produced with the method which is illustrated in FIG. 3, and the thermal stress margin is illustrated in FIG. 4B.

[0071] In FIG. 4, the X axis represents time, and the Y axis represents a relative amount of electric power that results when the high or maximum amount of electric power that is produced is set to 1 and a relative thermal stress margin that results when a high or maximum thermal stress margin is set to 1.

[0072] With reference to FIG. 4, when the thermal stress margin is greater than the setting value (which is 8 percent of the high or maximum thermal stress margin in FIG. 4), the amount of electric power that is produced is caused to increase. When the thermal stress margin is smaller than the setting value approximately 24 minutes after starting up the combined cycle power plant 100 (660), the amount of electric power that is produced is caused to increase at a rate of increase that is lower than the high or maximum rate of increase. When the high or maximum amount of electric power that can be produced is reached, it can be said that a high or maximum capacity state is attained. From an example in FIG. 2, it is understood that the high or maximum capacity state is attained 52 minutes after starting up the combined cycle power plant 100.

Second Embodiment

[0073] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which it is verified whether or not the thermal stress margin is sufficient, based on the model predictive control, and based on a result of the verification, the rate at which the amount of electric power that is generated increases is set, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] With reference to FIG. 5, the controller 300 performs the modeling of the components, and based on a result of the modeling, configures the model predictive control (S710). The controller 300 acquires the temperature of the rotor of the steam turbine and the temperature of the steam that is introduced into the steam turbine, using the sensor (S720), and based on the acquired data and the model predictive control, verifies whether or not the thermal stress margin is sufficient (S73). At this point, although the load is caused to increase abruptly based on the model, in a case where, with the model predictive control, it is predicted that the thermal stress margin is maintained to a fixed level or above, the controller 300 determines that the thermal stress margin is sufficient. Furthermore, in a case where, with the model predictive control, it is predicted that the thermal stress margin is at a fixed level or falls below the fixed level, the controller 300 determines that the thermal stress margin is not sufficient. When it is verified that the thermal stress margin is sufficient, the controller 300 causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase at the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase (S740), and when it is verified that the thermal stress margin is not sufficient, the controller 300 causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase at half of the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase. According to the present embodiment, in a case where the thermal stress margin is small, the amount of electric power that is produced is caused to increase to half of the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase. However, the rate of increase at which the amount of electric power is caused to increase may be set to a value that is selected for a particular machine.

Third Embodiment

[0075] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which, when the thermal stress margin has a setting value or above, the rate at which the amount of electric power increases is set to be high or maximum and in which, when the thermal stress margin has less than the setting value, the rate at which the amount of electric power increases is set based on the thermal stress margin, using the proportional-integral controller, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] With reference to FIG. 6, the controller 300 acquires the temperature of the rotor of the steam turbine and the temperature of the steam that is introduced into the steam turbine, using the sensor (S810), and based on the acquired data, calculates the thermal stress margin (S820). The controller 300 compares the thermal stress margin with a setting value (S830), and when the thermal stress margin is greater than the setting value, causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase at the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase (S840). When the thermal stress margin is smaller than the setting value, the controller 300 causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase based on the thermal stress margin, using the proportional-integral controller (S850). The constants K and that provide the characteristics of the proportional-integral controller at this time are selected for a particular machine.

Fourth Embodiment

[0077] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example in which it is verified whether or not the thermal stress margin is sufficient, based on the model predictive control and, based on a result of the verification, the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases is set, but in which, in a case where the thermal stress margin is not sufficient, the rate at which the amount of electric power that is produced increases is calculated based on the thermal stress margin, using the proportional-integral controller, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0078] With reference to FIG. 7, the controller 300 performs the modeling of the components and based on a result of the modeling, configures the model predictive control (S910). The controller 300 acquires the temperature of the rotor of the steam turbine and the temperature of the steam that is introduced into the steam turbine, using the sensor (S920, and based on the acquired data and the model predictive control, verifies whether or not the thermal stress margin is sufficient (S930). When it is verified that the thermal stress margin is sufficient, the controller 300 causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase at the high or maximum rate (rmax) of increase (S940). When it verified that the thermal stress margin is not sufficient, the controller causes the amount (u(t)) of electric power that is produced to increase, based on the thermal margin, using the proportional-integral controller (S950). The constants K and that provide the characteristics of the proportional-integral controller at this time are selected for a particular machine.

[0079] FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating the amount of electric power that is produced with the method which is illustrated in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B illustrates the thermal stress margin.

[0080] In FIG. 8, the X axis represents time, and the Y axis represents a relative amount of electric power that results when the high or maximum amount of electric power that is produced is set to 1 and a relative thermal stress margin that results when a high or maximum thermal stress margin is set to 1.

[0081] With reference with FIG. 8, when it is determined that the thermal stress margin which is predicted with the model predictive control is sufficient (it is determined in FIG. 8 that, when greater than 6 percent of the high or maximum thermal stress margin, the predicted thermal stress margin is sufficient), the amount of electric power that is produced is caused to increase at the high or maximum rate of increase. Furthermore, when it is determined that the thermal stress margin which is predicted with the model predictive control approximately 26 minutes (960) after starting up the combined cycle power plant 100, the amount of electric power that is produced is caused to increase at a rate of increase that is calculated with the proportional-integral controller. When the high or maximum amount of electric power that is produced is reached, it can be said that the high or maximum capacity state is attained. From an example in FIG. 8, it is understood that the high or maximum capacity state is attained 55 minutes (970) after starting up the combined cycle power plant 100.

[0082] With reference to FIG. 8, it is illustrated that, after it is determined that the thermal stress margin is not sufficient, the rate of increase that is calculated with the proportional-integral controller stays 0 for some time. This is due to the constant that is retained by the proportional-integral controller. That is, with , the rate of increase that is calculated with the proportional-integral controller is smaller than 0 for a fixed time. In other words, a length of time for which the rate of increase stays 0 is determined according to a value of .

[0083] With the control method that is performed when starting up the integrated thermal power generation plant, the efficiency is increased in comparison with the old-fashioned method, and further higher efficiency may be achieved while an amount of calculation is remarkably reduced, in comparison with a model predictive control scheme that has recently been proposed.

[0084] Although the preferred embodiments have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the accompanying claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, the above advantages and features are provided in described embodiments, but shall not limit the application of such issued claims to processes and structures accomplishing any or all of the above advantages.