Thanks to the design work of La Ricambi Udinese, the historic Enel Andrea Palladio power station in Fusina (Venice) has become more efficient and sustainable

6 July 2015

Oleo-dynamic filtering elements eliminated and intervention costs drastically reduced.

The Andrea Palladio power station, built in 1964, consists of 4 turbines powered by methane gas in the start-up phase and by coal during normal operation. The turbines work 24/7 to transform the mechanical energy produced by combustion into electricity (alternating current).

It is precisely in this plant that, in 2008, La Ricambi Udinese began its involvement, not only as a supplier of spare parts materials but also as a plant consultant.

The mechanical station line managers turned to Luisa Galluzzo, owner of La Ricambi Udinese - local distributor of Rexroth filters. The task was to assess the sizing of the filters installed as protection on the hydraulic servo valves for turbine speed adjustment command, guaranteeing the first class performance of these components thanks to optimum fluid cleaning. The request was made because of a continuing need to replace the filtering elements, which tended to clog up very quickly needing a weekly substitution.

These frequent cartridge replacements were unsustainable in terms of cost and environmental impact.

After months of analysis, and taking advantage of the experience of Paolo Bortolotti (owner of Fluidotecnica Impianti), La Ricambi Udinese proposed a structural change within the plant modifying the oil flow adjustment to adapt the filtering system to the real plant needs. It makes the circuit easier to service also applying new Rexroth Duplex 40 FLD filters whose characteristics allow them to keep working even during maintenance interventions.

In July 2014, the lubrication system of the first turbine was modified and activated. Since then (and barring the first substitution in the start-up phase), the filtering cartridge has not yet needed to be replaced. As a result, the risk of turbine stoppage has been cut.

Apart from being of great benefit to the environment, the contribution of La Ricambi Udinese has also drastically reduced the stock of spare parts in the warehouse and the need for goods handling. It leads to cost saving thanks also to a lower need of filtering element replacement (from weekly to bimonthly or even less).

The use of Rexroth Duplex filters, suggested by La Ricambi Udinese, shows that these hydraulic filters are perfectly suitable for thermal power stations (mainly characterised by continuous load variations). It represents also an excellent response to the increasing request of hydroelectric valve installations in this market.