Supply of complete power distribution system to PMB Silicon

SMS group has installed and commissioned two submerged arc furnaces (SAF) at PMB Silicon. Additionally, SMS group supplied the complete power distribution system for the works, drawing on its strong international group network. Thanks to the effective, partnership-based cooperation between the SMS group companies in Germany, India and China, and the right choice of subcontractors, this project is a highly successful technologically reference.

The range of supplies for the PMB Silicon manufacturing facilities located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Borneo, comprised the mechanical equipment for the two SAFs and the associated electrical and automation systems. Additionally, PMB Silicon had ordered from SMS group the power distribution systems for the works. These systems had to be designed for capacities large enough to serve a second expansion stage in the future.

The customer’s specifications, in particular the local mains operator’s requirements on the containment of grid disturbances resulting from the operation of the SAFs, were very exacting. Reactive-power extraction from the grid and harmonic current emissions into the grid had to be kept within very low limits - requirements which SMS group, in cooperation with its subcontractors, has fulfilled 100-percent. Also the metering solution for billing provided by SMS group and the design of the high-voltage substation fully meet the customer’s expectations. Additionally, SMS group experts supported PMB Silicon as advisors in meetings with the local electricity provider and in the preparation of technical documents for the approval process.

The contract was executed by the Electrical and Automation Systems Business Unit on a direct business basis. The teams from Germany played a key role in the technical implementation of the power distribution systems, building on longstanding experience in the engineering of highly complex distribution networks for separate facilities and works complexes as encompassing as iron and steelworks. The integrated solution supplied to PMB Silicon is the result of perfectly tailored packages provided by manufacturers and subcontractors SMS group has been working with successfully in the past.

The high-voltage substation, for example, is an E&A product made by SMS India Pvt. Ltd., using subcontractors based in India. SMS group India has been marketing this class of substations successfully in the Indian market. The step-down transformers, on the other hand, were supplied by SMS group China. Thanks to the international SMS group companies, who played a key role in this project, and the successful sourcing of equipment in the respective local markets, the complete system could be supplied at conditions customary in the Malaysian market. In this project, the German team took on the role of the system integrator. They planned and designed the works power supply system based on grid calculations made using CAE tools and Single-Line Engineering methods. The medium-voltage substation, the static VAR compensators (SVCs) - which dynamically compensate changes in the system voltage - and the control system for the substation were procured from a proven subsupplier. Meanwhile, the Electrical and Automation Systems Business Unit of SMS group is able to supply the control system as a proprietary product, enabled by coupling the protective systems via IEC61850 protocol. This is a manufacturer-independent and Ethernet-based protocol that communicates between the power distribution and the process automation systems.

Main engineering services provided:

• Support and advice of the customer in technical meetings with the local electricity provider
• Design of the basic substation layout
• Basic CAE-supported calculations for the grid design, including load-flow calculations, short-circuit calculations, calculation of current and voltage harmonics, calculations of reactive-power demand (for the SVC design), cable engineering (choice of cross-sections and cable types), coordination of protective circuit breakers
• Single-line diagram
• Determination of the method of neutral-point connection
• Determination of space requirements
• Specifications for tender documents
• Sourcing of components
• System integration of all trades
• Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) and factory acceptance
• Supervision of installation and commissioning

Main E&A components supplied: 

• 132-kV high-voltage outdoor substation; bridge-connected
• Two step-down transformers of 132/33kV, 150 MVA
• 33-kV medium-voltage indoor substation
• SVC with three-step filter, for dynamic compensation of changes in the system voltage
• Substation control system for operation, monitoring and troubleshooting
• RC filter as surge voltage protector for the electrical system of the furnace
• Back-up accumulator systems for the substations