Our client, an Australian power station, operates four 350 MW coal-fired boilers with associated steam turbine units. The original installation included Lurgi electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) to manage boiler ash particulate emissions. Each generating unit discharged flue gas through a single ESP, each comprising four parallel passes, with each pass containing six zones.

Australia has many coal-fired power stations that burn high-resistivity coal, requiring intelligent high-voltage controllers and specialised operating modes for optimal ESP performance.

To meet these challenges, the Castlet MCSI / MCSII controller families were enhanced with a special Regupulse Mode, specifically designed for use in ESP systems at this power station.

Initially, the control system included controllers from another brand, Siemens PLCs, and Siemens monitoring computers. In 2002, these systems were upgraded to the Castlet MCSII controller family.

We were commissioned to further upgrade the ESP control system to enable remote operation and integrate control of the existing high-voltage transformer-rectifier units. The client required a seamless solution that integrated with existing systems, minimised operational disruption, and ensured long-term system reliability and efficiency.

In 2024, after 22 years of operation, our client requested an upgrade from the MCSII controllers to our latest version, the MCSIII controllers. The MCSII controller and its associated products now contain several obsolete components that are no longer manufactured, making it increasingly difficult to support and service the system effectively.