CLIP: a system to increase the efficiency of production lines

CLIP is an on-line efficiency monitoring system for determining of shifts or drifts of an electrical power plant. The approach is based on the comparison of measured performance index and expected performance index according to associated uncertainties. CLIP includes a specific test instrumentation (around 100 sensors), a data acquisition system and a processing unit, which computes the current heat-rate efficiency ratio of the plant. It then computes an expected heat-rate ratio by use of a thermodynamical model of the plant (this model is fed with highly accurate data and performance parameters computed from earlier plant acceptance tests). It finally compares these two estimations of the efficiency ratio. Any discrepancy between them, outside the uncertainty, is diagnosed and probable causes are proposed. CLIP system is used after outage for the fast reconfiguration of the optimal plant parameters or during normal operation for gaining information about specific components. A demonstration system has been implemented at Flamanville plant (1300 MW) and tested in industrial operating conditions (1991-1992). The monitoring system has been optimized with feedback experience and developed for 900 MW and 1300 MW plants. Now 54 units use CLIP, leading to recovering of 0.2 - 1% of electrical power output