Power & Energy Industry
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Clayton Industries Supports the Power & Energy Industry
Steam plays a large role in power generation, and you’ll find Clayton Steam Generators in power plants around the world. Fossil fuel plants, as well as nuclear power plants, use steam to drive generators and produce electricity. In traditional utility boiler plants, auxiliary steam can also be used for heating or to preheat the deaerator or steam system piping.
A unique niche for steam use in a gas turbine plant is for NOx reduction. A small amount of super-heated steam can be injected into the gas turbine, which will reduce the combustion temperature and the formation of NOx. This can be an effective method to reduce emissions of older gas turbine plants that are faced with new more stringent local air pollution regulations.
Another use is in gas turbine, combined cycle power plants, where auxiliary super-heated steam is beneficial to seal the glands of the steam turbine right at start-up. By using auxiliary steam for gland sealing, a combine cycle power plant can synchronize its generators to come fully online 45-60 minutes faster resulting in massive savings at every start.
Clayton Steam Generators producing saturated or super-heated steam can go from a cold start to full output in under 10 minutes, which is a huge advantage for single cycle gas turbine plants that need to reduce emission, or for combined cycle plants that handle peak demand with frequent start-ups. No other boiler can produce super-heated steam as fast as Clayton.
Key Benefits
Low Emissions
Clayton’s Low Emission technology is lower your economical impact, making it ideal for achieving the emission standards set out by the power industry.
Rapid Response
Clayton steam is available when you need it, able to rapidly adapt to the peaks and valleys of the industry without sacrificing steam quality.
Super Heat
Clayton is ready and available to deliver Super Heat steam. Regardless of your application, Clayton has a product and solution perfect for the industry.
Featured Case Study
Portable Steam Supply
Höyrytys Oy’s portable backup energy supply secured Neste’s Naantali oil refinery during a maintenance outage.
Höyrytys Oy is the largest supplier of fast backup energy in the Nordic countries and has a unique service capability in the field of backup energy in Finland. Wheeled trailers enables the company to supply large volumes of steam or heat to clients across Finland and Northern Europe.
It provides various backup energy services on wheels from heavy trailers and steam vehicles to small flexible heat trailers.
Backup steam or heat comes in handy, for example, in the case of industry maintenance outages and district heat distribution failures.. Backup energy may also be utilized for sporadic processing needs and for handling temporary consumption peaks in the thermal network. It will also save the day in the event of sudden equipment failure.
Featured Case Study
Steam for Emile Huchet Power Plant.
Rapid Start High output, Clayton Steam Generators supply auxiliary steam for France’s largest combined cycle power.
Each of the two Clayton Steam Generators at the Endesa, Emile Huchet Power Plant have a maximum net steam production rate of 13,400 kg/h (10MW) and are available as-and-when required to provide gland sealing for the giant steam turbines. The Clayton Steam Generator is of a unique design that gives maximum operational flexibility and can start-up from cold to full output in 10 to 20 minutes in this large size range.
The gas fired, Emile Huchet Power Plant was built by Siemens Power Generation at the existing power station site in Saint Avold, Lorraine which is 20 kilometers from the French-German border.
Frequently Asked Question's
An auxiliary steam boiler supplies steam for supporting plant operations, including startup heating, deaerator heating, steam piping warmup, and turbine gland sealing. It provides steam when the plant’s main steam source is unavailable or has not yet reached the required operating conditions.
Auxiliary steam can supply turbine gland-sealing steam early in the startup sequence, helping the plant prepare its steam turbine before the main steam supply becomes available. The time saved depends on the plant’s design, equipment conditions, and startup procedures.
Yes. Clayton’s Emile Huchet power plant case study describes two steam generators supplying auxiliary steam for turbine gland sealing. Each unit has a maximum net steam production rate of 13,400 kilograms per hour. Required pressure, temperature, and capacity must be matched to the turbine’s specifications.
Saturated steam is at the boiling temperature corresponding to its pressure. Superheated steam has been heated above that temperature at the same pressure. Power plant equipment may require either condition, so boiler selection must specify steam temperature as well as pressure and flow.
Yes, steam injection can reduce combustion temperature and limit NOx formation in gas turbines designed for this method. Suitability depends on the turbine and its combustion system. Steam conditions, injection controls, and operating limits should follow the turbine manufacturer’s requirements.
Startup time depends on the generator’s size, configuration, and required steam conditions. Clayton’s Emile Huchet case study reports cold-start times of 10–20 minutes for its large units. Confirm the startup performance of the proposed model and allow for downstream piping and equipment warmup.
Not always. A fast-start steam generator may allow shutdown between operating periods if its restart time meets the plant’s requirements. Clayton’s Emile Huchet installation demonstrates this approach. The operating strategy should account for how quickly steam must become available and the consequences of an interruption.
Identify the steam flow, pressure, and temperature required by each auxiliary service. Calculate simultaneous demand during startup and other operating modes, then evaluate peak duration, minimum load, distribution losses, and redundancy. Use the required net steam delivery to the plant when comparing boiler capacities.
Yes. Portable steam generators can support planned maintenance, temporary demand peaks, or unexpected equipment failures. Clayton documents a refinery outage supported by nine generators across seven mobile units. A temporary installation needs suitable steam connections, fuel, feedwater, utilities, and operating arrangements.
Compare startup time, load response, net steam capacity, pressure, and any superheat requirements. Also assess fuel availability, feedwater treatment, emissions performance, controls integration, maintenance access, and backup capacity. The selected system should meet both routine auxiliary demand and the plant’s most demanding startup conditions.
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