Power For The Paper

The Lucart Group, an Italian multinational manufacturer of monolucid papers, tissue and airlaid products, has ordered two of the new of new NovaLT12 gas turbines from GE Oil & Gas for cogeneration applications (CHP) at two of its paper mills in the Tuscany region of Italy.   

The new units will replace two existing GE turbines and the scope of supply also includes two fuel gas compressors and a contractual service agreement (CSA) covering 140 000 firing hours for each train. Both units will be in operation by the summer of 2020.

“We have been the first company in the sector to focus on the self-production of electricity and steam with cogeneration turbines to reduce CO2 emissions at our plants and today we continue the process of efficiency of our production plants,” said Massimo Pasquini, CEO of Lucart. “GE Oil & Gas is our historic technology partner since 1988 and thanks to this new investment involving two of our plants in Tuscany we will be able to carry on our business plan.

“This new technology will not only increase our working efficiency, but will reduce NOx and CO2 emissions to help us reduce our carbon footprint. We look forward to working further with GE Oil & Gas in the future and building on our partnership.”

The NovaLT12 recently joined GE Oil & Gas’s family of industrial gas turbines, which includes the NovaLT16 and NovaLT5 units. The standard model of the NovaLT12 turbine can deliver 12.6 MW, while design options will be included for requirements from 10.5 to 13.9 MW. As with the whole NovaLT family, the product features a modular built.

GE Oil & Gas said the NovaLT12 is 12% smaller than the NovaLT16 and can operate at up to 37% efficiency when working at full load. The turbine features HPT end-wall contouring to further increase efficiency and minimizes oil leakage and associated maintenance with integral exhaust casing and LPT bearing housing. The turbine was designed for easy maintenance through simplified engine architecture and features inner and outer baffle redesign for more tuneable dynamic behavior.

GE’s NovaLT family of gas turbines can reach up to 85% in cogeneration applications. As part of the effort to continuously improve operations capabilities, GE Oil & Gas is now running a NovaLT16 in continuous operation on the electrical grid in a dedicated power generation station at its Florence, Italy, facility. Certified by a third party, the targeted completion is 8000 operating hours.

“The installation of our NovaLT12 turbines at Lucart’s plants is another example of our leading power generation capabilities and demonstrates our steadfast commitment to constantly improving our products,” said Michele Stangarone, president & CEO Europe, GE Oil & Gas. “This project builds on our longstanding relationship with Lucart and shows our ongoing dedication to creating efficiencies for our customers.”