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New gas turbine start-up system for the EnBW power plant in Altbach/Deizisau
How do you get an elephant through a china shop — without breaking a single vase?
June 2026
This was precisely the challenge we faced when modernizing a gas turbine startup system. We had to install a new, high-performance startup system within an existing power plant environment — with minimal space available, narrow transport routes, and a tightly scheduled shutdown window.
For the EnBW power plant in Altbach/Deizisau, we supplied, installed, and commissioned a compact system consisting of a TIBS MCL load commutated inverter (LCI) and a TIBS XD3 excitation system. The SFC/SEE system is used to start up a gas turbine with an 80/95 MVA generator by accelerating the generator via a static frequency converter until the turbine can be ignited. The SFC component must deliver a starting power of approximately 2.7 MVA. However, 5 MVA would also be possible with the same enclosure size.
Technical Necessity Meets Spatial Constraints
The startup system installed in the medium-voltage room of the power plant had reached the end of its service life after decades of operation and therefore needed to be replaced.
The Challenge:
- Severely restricted transport routes due to other plant components in operation
- Insufficient maneuvering space for large-volume transport units
- A tight time window during a scheduled plant shutdown
A conventional approach would have required temporarily taking adjacent plant components offline, dismantling them, and then reinstalling and recommissioning them once the work was complete. This would have entailed additional resources, longer downtime, and significant extra costs.
Engineering Instead of Dismantling: Rethinking the System
During the detailed engineering phase, we fundamentally rethought our approach. The goal was to design the transport units so that they could be moved through the bottlenecks without interfering with existing systems.
A turbine starter with an excitation system typically consists of:
- Start-up converter (SFC)
- SFC controller
- a thyristor input rectifier,
- an intermediate circuit with a choke,
- a thyristor output inverter, and
- Excitation system (SEE)
- one or more redundant SEE controllers
- Thyristor rectifier
The central idea was to redesign the previously single-piece DC link choke into two more compact individual chokes, as well as to optimize the layout of the thyristor module carriages and their airflow paths. This made it possible to create significantly smaller transport units that fit precisely through the existing bottlenecks.
Crucial to the successful implementation was the close collaboration with our long-standing partner, ELHAND Transformatory Sp. o. o., which worked closely with us to coordinate the technical optimization regarding installation space and electrical performance. Several rounds of design iterations ultimately led to a solution that fully met both the mechanical constraints and the electrical specifications.
Measurable Efficiency Gains Through Precise Planning
The chosen solution led to a significant reduction in changeover and installation costs, as it eliminated the need for time-consuming disassembly and reassembly work on adjacent systems.
In addition, our customers benefit from our simulation-based commissioning approach:
- Use of detailed machine models
- Derivation and pre-validation of control algorithms
- Transfer to our drive control units (TIBS SC1200/1250 or TIBS SC1600)
The result is significantly reduced commissioning times and minimized project risk. The net commissioning time for the compact SFC/SEE system was less than five days—an exceptionally short timeframe for a project of this magnitude.
We would like to thank EnBW for the trust they have placed in us and for their collaborative partnership in implementing this challenging power converter project.
Are you facing similar challenges with retrofits, modernizations, or complex installation scenarios in existing facilities?
Let’s work together to explore how intelligent system architecture and precise engineering can push the boundaries of what’s technically possible.
Contact us — we’ll develop the right solution for your facility, too.