Jordan all-electric damper actuation solution

Jordan all-electric damper actuation solution at Littlebrook Power Station is a UK first.

Littlebrook Power Station in the South East of London is the first power station in the UK to install a Jordan SM6000 electric actuator for fully modulating vane control on the boiler plant. The Jordan unit replaces traditional hydraulic equipment and power packs that demand regular maintenance and require continuous electrical power to maintain hydraulic pressure. By comparison, the Jordan actuator only uses electricity when it is operating and has no requirement for routine maintenance. Introduced in 2002, the SM6000 is widely used for continuously modulating duties in ambient temperatures up to 108?C (225?F) in the international steelmaking, papermaking, power generation and oil refining industries.

Littlebrook is an oil fired power station that was first commissioned in 1981. Now owned by RWE npower the station is currently called upon to "top up" the National Grid with up to 1370 megawatts of power at times of peak demand. For this reason it is essential that the station's generating plant is able to respond to National Grid demands with speed and flexibility.

Dave Baylis, Littlebrook's Control & Instrumentation Engineer, was seeking a reliable and cost-effective replacement for the original hydraulic vane control equipment on the boiler gas recirculating plant when he was made aware of the Jordan SM6000 actuator by Exeeco Technical Sales Engineer Simon Finley. Exeeco is the European Service Centre for all Jordan products, and both companies are part of the Rotork valve actuation group. The SM6000 is a rugged self-contained lever arm actuator delivering positional accuracy within one-tenth of 1% throughout a standard stroke of up to 313 degrees, thereby offering all the essential characteristics for this important application at Littlebrook.

Exeeco's comprehensive experience of power station maintenance and modernisation projects enabled the company to propose an upgrade package encompassing the removal of existing plant, actuator installation including a new fabricated pedestal, electrical contracting and commissioning. For added convenience it was possible to use the existing site cabling to power the new actuator and connect to remote control continuous feedback circuits. Commissioning was achieved by means of the actuator's innovative keypad and fluorescent display, enabling the installation to be brought on line with speed and accuracy.