The Singapore Engineer July 2016

The Magazine Of The Institution Of Engineers, Singapore July 2016 MCI (P) 002/03/2016

Celebrating 50 Years of Engineering Excellence

www.ies.org.sg

THE

SINGAPORE ENGINEER SUSTAINABILITY:

CHAMPIONING THE GREEN BUILDING MOVEMENT

FEATURES:

• Power Generation • Robotics • Chemical Engineering

CONTENTS

Celebrating 50 Years of Engineering Excellence

FEATURES 10 COVER STORY:

Championing the green building movement Developers and building owners are greening substantial numbers of projects within their large portfolios.

17 SUSTAINABILITY:

Five BCA Green Mark Pearl Awards given out this year engagement initiatives.

Green restaurant incorporating holistic design solutions The award-winning project in Malaysia features a combination of passive and active design strategies.

27 SUSTAINABILITY:

Media Consultants Roland Ang roland@iesnet.org.sg Desmond Chander desmond@shamrockcraine.com

Reinventing urban mobility The increasing popularity of sustainable modes of transport will bring significant benefits to cities.

30 POWER GENERATION:

Outline of the 2 x 1,000 MW ultra super critical boiler technology for Malaysia project The plant, which will use sub-bituminous coal, is designed for high performance and reduced CO2 emissions.

40 ROBOTICS:

Undreamt of possibilities In the future, human beings and autonomous machines could be working closely together.

42 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING:

IChemE offers free safety resources to mark Seveso 40 The institution seeks to encourage knowledge transfer and the sharing of best practices.

04 IES UPDATE

CEO Angie Ng angie@iesnet.org.sg

Publications Executive Queek Jiayu jiayu@iesnet.org.sg

21 SUSTAINABILITY:

02 MESSAGE

Chief Editor T Bhaskaran t_b_n8@yahoo.com

Publications Manager Desmond Teo desmond@iesnet.org.sg

Recognition is given to developers, building owners and landlords for tenant

REGULAR SECTIONS

Founded in 1966

Published by The Institution of Engineers, Singapore 70 Bukit Tinggi Road Singapore 289758 Tel: 6469 5000 Fax: 6467 1108 Cover designed by Stephanie Kwan Cover image by Nanyang Technological University The Singapore Engineer is published monthly by The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES). The publication is distributed free-of-charge to IES members and affiliates. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or IES. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine shall be reproduced, mechanically or electronically, without the prior consent of IES. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy of the content at press time, IES will not be liable for any discrepancies. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but their inclusion in the magazine is at the discretion of the Editor.

Design & layout by 2EZ Asia Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore

44 EVENTS 45 INDUSTRY NEWS

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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MESSAGE Message from the IES President In a keynote presentation at the opening of the G20 Energy Ministers Meeting, held in Beijing, China, recently, Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA) underlined the impor tance of international co-operation to ensure a secure and sustainable energy economy.

His speech emphasised that although costs continue to fall, there still has to be rapid global progress in clean energy, in order to meet the climate targets under the Paris Agreement.

Dr Birol’s presentation pointed out that electric vehicles, solar PV and onshore wind are on track to achieve the 2°C scenario, but accelerated improvement is needed in the transportation, industrial, appliances and lighting, energy storage and nuclear sectors, as well as in other forms of renewable energy. At the same time, progress in the areas of more efficient coal-fired power, carbon capture and storage, biofuels, and buildings, are ‘not on track’.

He said that meeting climate goals will require countries to work together to share best practices on security of supply, electricity market regulation, and energy efficiency improvements.

Dr Birol focused on several G20 energy priorities - enhancing energy access, the transition to a cleaner energy future and the energy sector investment challenge.

He noted that a cumulative US$68 trillion will be needed across the entire energy sector to 2040, with two-thirds of that needed within G20 economies. Some degree of this investment will be needed to combat air pollution which is a serious energy-related issue. However, according to IEA’s Special Repor t on Energy and Air Pollution, a mere 7% increase in investment in the energy sector until 2040, towards achieving this objective, could save three million lives.

It is therefore impor tant and urgent that as engineers we need to learn and understand the urgency of adaptation and mitigation measures that need to be implemented hencefor th to ensure we do reach below the 2°C target that all signatories of the COP Paris agreement have agreed to accede to. At 2°C, many island states will be knee deep in water and will have to therefore abandon their homes. At 1.5°C, many will still have dry land to stand on.

To save lives and ensure sustainability of future habitats for our future generations, engineers will be needed to make all urban cities resilient to the effects of the extreme conditions brought on by climate change and we need to develop these engineering skills now.

Er. Edwin TF Khew, PBM IES President

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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

IES Council Members 2016 / 2017 President Er. Edwin Khew Vice Presidents Er. Chan Ewe Jin Mr Mervyn Sirisena Er. Ng Say Cheong Er. Ong See Ho Er. Seow Kang Seng Dr Yeoh Lean Weng Honorary Secretary Dr Boh Jaw Woei Honorary Treasurer Er. Joseph Goh Immediate Past President Er. Chong Kee Sen Past Presidents Prof Chou Siaw Kiang Er. Ho Siong Hin Assistant Honorary Secretary Mr Joseph William Eades Er. Joseph Toh Dr Lim Kok Hwa Assistant Honorary Treasurer Mr Tan Sim Chuan Council Members Prof Chan Eng Soon Dr Chew Soon Hoe Mr Dalson Chung Mr David So Prof Er Meng Joo Mr Goh Yang Miang Ms Jasmine Foo Mr Lee Kwok Weng A/Prof Lee Poh Seng Mr Norman Lee Prof Ramakrishna Seeram Er. Teo Chor Kok Dr Zhou Yi Honorary Council Members Er. Dr Lee Bee Wah Er. Ong Ser Huan Er. Tan Seng Chuan

IES UPDATE

IES caps off 50th anniversary celebrations with Golden Jubilee Gala Dinner PM Lee: Engineers’ contribution to Singapore immense, but more needs to be done to overcome constraints and push the boundaries of excellence

by Queek Jiayu Activities to commemorate IES’ Golden Jubilee this year began in January 2015, in conjunction with Singapore’s 50th bir thday celebrations. Among the initiatives launched were the Engineering Feats @ IESSG50 competition, the Golden Jubilee Scholarship Fund and talks on past, current and future engineering challenges and achievements. These culminated in the Golden Jubilee Gala Dinner, which was held on the evening of 1 July 2016 at The Ritz Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

The evening’s guest-of-honour was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who lauded the Institution for its impor tant role in building up engineering in Singapore and congratulated IES for reaching this milestone.

Also in attendance were Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, and Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, together with more than 1,000 distin-

04

guished guests from all corners of Singapore’s engineering community.

Addressing the invited guests, Mr Lee not only paid tribute to the role of engineers in nationbuilding, but also stressed the continued impor tance of the field to Singapore’s future.

“One can argue that Singapore was built on the backs of engineers … But just as our economy has developed and become more sophisticated, so too has the practice of engineering, and we have to stay abreast of these changes.”

“We have made much progress with engineering, but we still have a long way to go … in many other fields of engineering, even where we have developed competence, we are not at the cutting edge,” he cautioned, citing German deep exper tise in precision and industrial engineering, and the Silicon Valley as examples of excellence that Singapore can look up to, as it builds up engineering talent and capabilities to push the boundaries of the field.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

Following his speech, Mr Lee, together with IES President Er. Edwin Khew and 16 other past IES presidents, gathered on stage to sing a birthday song and cut an IES50 birthday cake.

During the dinner, Mr Lee presented commemorative plaques to the 50 winning projects of the Engineering Feats @ IES-SG50 competition. The projects, from a list of 113 shor tlisted for the competition, received the highest number of votes cast by members of the public from 1 March to 31 May 2016, cementing the significance of their impacts to Singapore’s economic, infrastructural and societal development since 1965.

Comprising 28 public sector and 22 private sector projects, such as the Mass Rapid Transit system, NEWater, BIONIX Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the ThumbDrive and Keppel Singmarine’s icebreakers, the Engineering Feats came from a wide spectrum of disciplines.

The same evening, IES also honoured two veteran engineers for

IES UPDATE

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong interacting with some of the Engineering Feats winners.

their important and eminent contributions to Singapore, as well as advancing the profession.

Professor Cham Tao Soon received the highest honour in engineering in Singapore - the IES Lifetime Engineering Achievement Award - in recognition of his lifetime accomplishments in engineering that

Top: Prof Cham sharing a humorous experience during his acceptance speech, after receiving the Lifetime Engineering Achievement Award.

Above: Mr Masagos receiving the certificate of conferment for IES Honorary Fellow from Er. Khew.

have made profound impact to the industry and community and contributed towards Singapore’s progress.

“The characteristic of an engineer is that he has the ability to apply his domain knowledge to solve more than just engineering problems. I am fortunate that over 50 years of my working career I was able to use the same approach to make my contributions to a wide range of organisations including non-engineering companies like SPH, UOB and Soup Restaurant. Those enriching experiences are the most satisfying,” said Professor Cham.

Mr Masagos was conferred the IES Honorar y Fellow title in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the advancement of

the engineering profession and to the nation at the highest level in the areas of environment and water resources planning.

Demonstrating IES’ commitment towards helping the future generation of engineers pursue their dreams, the IES-SG50 Golden Jubilee Scholarship was given out to 50 financially-needy students from local polytechnics and universities.

As per annual practice, two IESYayasan MENDAKI Scholarships were also awarded to Mr Muhammad Firrian Bin Azman of Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Mr Sheik Mohamed Anees s/o Shiek Abdul Farook of Nanyang Technological University.

The Golden Jubilee and IES-Yayasan

Members of NTU’s DanceSport Academy delivering quite the mesmerising performance during the dinner.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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IES UPDATE MENDAKI scholarships were presented by Mr Chan and Mr Masagos respectively.

When asked about his career aspirations, Mr Lau Sien Cong, one of the Golden Jubilee Scholarship recipients and an NTU Electrical and Electronic Engineering undergraduate, eagerly replied that he wanted to become an electrical engineer, so as to research on power generation

and delivery methods, as well as sustainable energy.

He came to this realisation after studying engineering for several years, and “realised a fundamental factor that affects all modern progression: The ability for a country to provide electrical power.”

On IES reaching its milestone 50th bir thday, Er. Khew commented, “Tonight marks a historic moment

Some of the scholarship recipients taking a wefie with PM Lee at the pre-dinner interaction session.

for IES. Few organisations in Singapore can claim to have grown side by side with our nation, and contributed to its growth over the past 50 years. As Singapore heads into its next 50 years of development, IES will leverage on our enduring legacy as the heart and voice of engineers to address new challenges and unlock new opportunities for growth through engineering.”

“Professor Cham and Mr Masagos are highly deser ving recipients of the topmost accolades in engineering and IES. They are great role models attesting to the differences that engineers can make in various sectors of our economy. We hope that by spotlighting their extraordinar y achievements, the younger generation will be inspired to step for th and become engineers to lead Singapore to an even brighter, engineering-enabled future,” he added. TSE

The night’s proceedings ended with a lucky draw, with the winners drawn electronically by the co-chairman of the Golden Jubilee Gala Dinner Organising Committee, Ms Jasmine Foo (in red), and the prizes presented by its chairman, Er.Teo Chor Kok (centre).

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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

IES UPDATE

As Singapore techs up for Smart Nation, opportunities abound for IP experts

Dr Balakrishnan delivering an impassioned opening speech on the future of technology at Innovfest unBound 2016.

In May this year, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-charge of the Smar t Nation Programme Office Dr Vivian Balakrishnan painted his aspirations for Singapore within the next five years: A nation wired up and connected at ever y turn, with a nationwide operating system capable of suppor ting 100 million objects and devices.

His comments were made during InnovFest unBound 2016, a technology conference which gathers companies, academics, investors and government agencies to generate insights and create business oppor tunities for the second year running.

IES was present at the conference, together with the training arm of IPOS, the IP Academy, to raise public awareness about the Intellectual Property Technology Consultant (IPTC) Registry, as well as potential career and training options.

According to Dr Balakrishnan, the future lies in several fields: Artificial intelligence, robotics, and vir tual and augmented reality systems. Extrapolating these technologies and

integrating them with the idea of the Smart Nation, the potential of such an immense, hyper-connected network seems endless.

With the increasing number of mobile devices, smart cars, CCTVs, motion sensors, and the satellitebased ERP (slated to be operational by 2020), among others, his vision might just become a reality.

Technological developments in these fields, be it theoretical or applied, will bring with them massive momentum for change. At the same time, with the increasingly frenetic pace of life brought about by the Digital Age, companies, big or small, may find themselves blindsided when the ideas they originally came up with end up being monetised by their competitors in the blink of an eye.

This is where the IPTC comes in.

An IPTC is able to advise his or her client on IP creation, protection, and exploitation of technologybased IP assets.

He or she can also assist in providing competitive intelligence through the collection and analysis of IP data on existing or new technologies in Singapore and elsewhere.

Other roles include facilitating and refining strategies and policies concerning IP assets (such as managing invention disclosures), assisting clients with research collaborations or value creation oppor tunities, and raising intra-organisation awareness of IP. A collaboration between IES and the Intellectual Proper ty Office of Singapore (IPOS), the professional cer tification programme for IPTCs also includes professional development programmes to ensure that cer tified members retain their edge.

Acknowledging the impor tance of

A conference visitor trying our virtual reality equipment during the conference as her friends look on.There is burgeoning potential in this area, which can be applied across a broad spectrum of professions and purposes.

Autonomous ‘smart’ vehicles: Changing the way we travel.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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IES UPDATE IP and its relevance to firms that rely on high-tech ideas, Mr Lim Swee Yong, the head of DeClout Limited’s corporate office, said, “Trademarks (and IP) are ver y valuable to us. We recognise that we cannot develop ever ything ourselves – the market does not wait for us to come up with these products and intellectual proper ty.”

As a venture capital firm, DeClout’s main investment focus is on star t-ups that specialise in big data analytics, smar t logistics, cyber security and financial technology.

Mr Lim fur ther revealed that they work very closely with “professionals that are suitable for the (respective) discipline” to protect the IP rights of their acquired ideas.

Go further with the Advanced Engineers Leadership Programme The first edition of the Young Engineers Leadership Programme began in October 2014. To date, close to 400 engineers have been trained in areas of technology management and leadership.

Following this, the next step in the Engineers Progression Pathway – the Advanced Engineers Leadership Programme (AELP) – is now open for sign-ups.

In an increasingly globalised and interconnected world, Singapore faces myriad challenges and expectations from both her citizens as well as the global community.

AELP, the newest collaboration be-

With so many business ideas and disruptive technologies coming into play (even more so in engineering), there is an increasing need for exper tise in protecting, managing, and monetising them within the global legal framework.

The role of the IPTC has never been more impor tant. TSE

tween IES and NTUC U Associate, is uniquely positioned compared to other advanced management courses.

This is because it not only focuses on the sharing of successful models and best practices, but also engages par ticipants in simulated challenges, enabling them to be better-equipped and able to manage threats and conver t them to oppor tunities.

The first run of AELP will commence on 10 August 2016, with 6 interactive masterclasses covering technology and leadership management skills, taught by 12 industry experts. There will also be 2 learning journeys, a mini-project, as well as personal, one-to-one mentorship by engineering industry veterans.

For more information, kindly visit www.ELProgramme.com.

The electronic version of TSE will be available from the August issue onwards!

To preview how it will look like, please visit: https://issuu.com/desmond6/docs/ies_magazines_06jun2016_forweb To indicate your preference for the print or e-copy, kindly visit http://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/862U9NmftD7KC4e

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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

COVER STORY

Championing the green building movement Recognition given to developers and building owners with substantial numbers of green buildings, at BCA AWARDS 2016.

The highlight of BCA AWARDS 2016, organised by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) was the top accolades that were given out to honour the industr y’s best.

This included the inaugural BCA Green Mark PlatinumSTAR Champion Award which was conferred on Nanyang Technological University (NTU). This latest categor y was introduced in recognition of outstanding developers and building owners who have 50 or more building projects that have achieved the highest BCA Green Mark Platinum rating.

To-date, NTU has 51 Green Mark Platinum new and existing buildings in its campus grounds, which are projected to generate an estimated 39,000 MWh of energy savings annually. This year, NTU won 37 BCA Green Mark Platinum Awards. Amongst the

winning projects are the Clinical Sciences Building located at the Novena Campus and the upcoming Academic Building Nor th.

Given the increasing awareness and popularity of the BCA Green Mark within the industr y, BCA gave out 304 Green Mark Awards this year, the highest thus far, including four Green Mark Champion Awards - conferred on Genting Singapore PLC, Ministr y of Education, Ministr y of Health, and National Parks Board.

THE BCA GREEN MARK CHAMPION AWARDS

The BCA Green Mark Champion Award was launched at BCA AWARDS 2008. This award recognises developers and building owners with strong commitment towards corporate social responsibility and outstanding achievements in environmental sustainability. It is given to developers

and building owners who achieve a substantial number of Green Mark buildings at Gold level and higher.

There are two categories for the award - the BCA Green Mark Champion Award and the BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion Award (in turn, categorised under the BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion Award and the BCA Green Mark PlatinumSTAR Champion Award).

In 2016, BCA introduced the Green Mark PlatinumSTAR Champion Award in recognition of the effor ts of those who have implemented 50 or more building projects with Green Mark Platinum rating, as mentioned earlier.

Besides demonstrating strong commitment towards corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability, candidates must meet a set of criteria, as tabulated below.

BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion

Total no. of building projects rated

BCA Green Mark Champion

Platinum Champion

PlatinumSTAR Champion

Green Mark Gold & above

At least 10

At least 50

–

Green Mark Gold PLUS & above

At least 6

At least 30

–

Green Mark Platinum

At least 3

At least 15

At least 50

Criteria for the BCA Green Mark Champion Awards

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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

COVER STORY WINNER OF THE BCA GREEN MARK PLATINUMSTAR CHAMPION AWARD 2016 NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Academic Block North

Crescent Hall and Pioneer Hall

Clinical Sciences Building, NTU’s Novena Campus

The Hive

Nanyang Technological University received the BCA Green Mark PlatinumSTAR Champion Award which was introduced in 2016.

Images by Nanyang Technological University.

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 52 BCA Green Mark-certified buildings, of which 51 achieved Green Mark Platinum which is the highest rating.

This year, NTU won 37 BCA Green Mark Platinum awards.

Amongst the winning projects are the Clinical Sciences Building located at the Novena Campus and the upcoming Academic Building Nor th.

The 51 Green Mark Platinum buildings on NTU’s campus are playing an impor tant role in reducing the university’s energy consumption.

Collectively, they can generate an estimated 39,000 MWh of energy savings annually, compared to a non-Green Mark cer tified building.

The Clinical Sciences Building at NTU’s Novena campus is a prime example of green building at its best, with energy efficiency and other green features. The building, which houses state-of-the-art learning spaces and advanced research facilities for medical education and research, has high performance glass windows which maximise daylight and yet mitigate heat gain, energy-ef-

ficient air-conditioning and recycling facilities.

Equipped with similar eco-features, NTU’s upcoming Academic Block Nor th will be the university’s latest icon for sustainability. Besides being fully fitted with LED lighting, it is designed to take advantage of its natural surroundings. Using computer modelling of the sun and wind patterns on-site, the buildings’ designers aim to harness natural winds, so students will enjoy good ventilation and shade, especially around open areas.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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COVER STORY The Academic Block North buildings are also fitted with a demanddriven ventilation system. Depending on the number of people in enclosed spaces, the amount of air flow and airconditioning are tweaked to provide optimal ventilation while maximising energy savings.

Besides green buildings, sustainability is a key focus of NTU’s long-term vision, stretching from research to curriculum. All first-year NTU undergraduates take a compulsory module in environmental sustainability. The university also offers an undergraduate programme ‘Environmental Earth Systems Science’ that is focused on Asia. Its faculty members include experts in energy, biodiversity, engineering, earth sciences and the human dimensions of sustainability.

BCA Green Mark Rating (as of May 2016)

Number of buildings

Platinum

51

Gold

1

Total

52

Categorisation of Green Mark building projects, by rating

NTU also has bold plans to become one of the world’s most environment-friendly university campuses. The university has been on a rapid drive to green all its new buildings and retrofitting existing ones to higher BCA Green Mark standards in recent years.

NTU's effor ts are par t of its EcoCampus initiative to transform the entire 200-hectare varsity campus into a mega test-bed for green tech innovations and reduce energy and water usage by 35%, by 2020.

Pioneer of green construction and technologies The university is already pioneering a variety of green construction techniques and the application of green building technologies.

NTU’s iconic The Hive building, which won the Green Mark Platinum Award in 2013, has a unique ventilation system that is a more sustainable alternative to conventional air-conditioning. No fans are needed for air distribution. In addition, the openings between pods allow for natural ventilation to the atrium, corridors, staircases, and lift lobby.

NTU's upcoming student hostels

at North Hill and Nanyang Crescent are the first public high-rise buildings using Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC), a ground-breaking ecofriendly technology.

PPVC significantly reduces energy usage in construction. Traditionally, the construction site is the point where materials are measured, cut and assembled into the finished building. With prefabricated construction, the site is simply a location for final assembly of major components, which effectively shortens the time needed to construct the building by about four months, and results in 40% savings in on-site manpower.

NTU is also racing to complete its new Spor ts Hall which is the first in Southeast Asia to have a continuous wave-like timber roof arching over 70 m in length. The university is utilising cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber to erect the Spor ts Hall building that is just as strong and fire-resistant as those made from steel and concrete.

Building with engineered wood involves assembling prefabricated par ts, which speeds construction and cuts labour costs.

BCA Awards 2013

2

BCA Awards 2014

5

BCA Awards 2015

7

BCA Awards 2016

37

Categorisation of Green Mark Platinum building projects, by year

New residential buildings

2

New non-residential buildings

7

Existing residential buildings

19

Existing non-residential buildings

23

Categorisation of Green Mark Platinum building projects, by building-type

12

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

COVER STORY WINNERS OF THE BCA GREEN MARK CHAMPION AWARD 2016 GENTING SINGAPORE PLC

Resorts World Sentosa

Genting Hotel Jurong

Universal Studios Singapore

The Maritime Experiential Museum

Genting Singapore PLC is a developer of environment-friendly integrated resort and hospitality facilities. Images by Genting Singapore PLC.

BCA Green Mark Rating (as of May 2016)

Number of buildings

Platinum

3

GoldPLUS

8

Total

11

Categorisation of Green Mark building projects, by rating

As Asia’s leading integrated resor t developer, Genting Singapore PLC (Genting Singapore) is committed to being a responsible corporate

citizen, by giving back and investing in the communities and environment in which it operates. Genting Singapore aims to develop worldclass integrated resor ts that transform destinations, create jobs and reinvest in local economies through sustainable practices and development. It promotes environmental conservation through investments in technologies, implementing green designs in infrastructure and promoting green programmes across its development projects. To enhance accountability in its sustainability effor ts, Genting Singapore

documents its effor ts, in accordance with the ‘G4-Core’ standards of the Global Repor ting Initiative.

Genting Singapore has received three Green Mark Platinum and eight Green Mark GoldPlus Awards from BCA. Its flagship proper ty in Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa, one of Southeast Asia’s largest fully integrated destination resor ts, also received the Solar Pioneer Award from the Economic Development Board and the Energy Market Authority, in 2010, and has been cer tified as one of the pioneering green data centres in Singapore, by the Infocomm Development Authority.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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COVER STORY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SINGAPORE

West Spring Primary School

Beatty Secondary School

Alexandra Primary School

Schools are designed and built, making judicious use of resources and ensuring optimal building performance, thereby enabling them to attain the Green Mark rating.

Images by Ministry of Education.

BCA Green Mark Rating (as of May 2016)

Number of buildings

Platinum

4

GoldPLUS

2

Gold

8

Certified

6

Total

20

Categorisation of Green Mark building projects, by rating

In recognition of the importance of environmental sustainability, the Ministry of Education (MOE) undertakes several initiatives, from educating children on the need for conservation of the environment and involving them in environmental programmes to building sustainable schools that attain the BCA Green Mark rating.

An example is Alexandra Primary

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School which received the BCA Green Mark Platinum rating in 2012.

It is designed with a central void and makes use of the north-south building orientation to reduce solar heat gain and optimise on natural ventilation. Its green roof, green wall and solar panels with interactive panels also provide an authentic and interactive experience for students to learn about the environment and nature.

Through the judicious use of resources and better building performance, West Spring Primary School also received the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award in 2012. The strategies employed in the design include enhanced ETTV, an efficient air-conditioning system, maximisation of daylight, a sustainable construction method, a green wall and composting bins. The building and landscape serve as education tools for students

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

to acquire a greater understanding of environmental sustainability.

Beatty Secondary received the BCA Green Mark GoldPlus award recently.

The school uses effective sun-shading devices, a solar hot water system and energy-efficient equipment to reduce energy consumption. The school also appoints an environment monitor in each class to promote the green movement and cultivate leadership skills.

MOE recognises that schools play a crucial role in preparing students to become educated, responsible and empowered people who will shape the future of the nation and the global environment. Under the ‘Public Sector to Take the Lead in Environmental Sustainability’ initiative, MOE seeks to increase the environmental awareness of staff and students, and achieve a minimum BCA Green Mark Gold rating for all mainstream schools.

COVER STORY MINISTRY OF HEALTH, SINGAPORE

Changi General Hospital Medical Centre

National Centre for Infectious Diseases

Sengkang General Hospital

The Ministry of Health and MOH Holdings Pte Ltd are committed to building more green public healthcare facilities. Images by Ministry of Health.

BCA Green Mark Rating (as of May 2016)

Number of buildings

Platinum

9

GoldPLUS

1

Gold

1

Total

11

Categorisation of Green Mark building projects, by rating

MOH Holdings Pte Ltd (MOHH) suppor ts the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the development of public healthcare facilities, to meet the growing healthcare demands in Singapore. The types of developments under taken by MOHH include general hospitals, community hospitals, specialty centres, polyclinics, nursing homes, and senior care centres.

The ‘Sustainability for Healthcare Infrastructure’ strategy roadmap was developed to guide the design and construction, as well as the opera-

tion and maintenance, of Singapore’s future public healthcare facilities. By incorporating environmental sustainability considerations in the early design stage, greater energy and cost savings can be achieved over a building's entire life cycle. These considerations include enhancing space design for efficient workflows and adopting more energy-conserving designs for building services.

MOH and MOHH are committed to building more green public healthcare facilities in the future.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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COVER STORY NATIONAL PARKS BOARD

Dragonfly Lake at Gardens by the Bay

Coney Island Park

Kranji Marshes

National Parks Board is responsible for the planning, design, development and management of sustainable parks and landscapes. Images by National Parks Board.

BCA Green Mark Rating (as of May 2016)

Number of buildings

Platinum

5

GoldPLUS

1

Gold

9

Total

15

Categorisation of Green Mark building projects, by rating

National Parks Board (NParks) is responsible for providing and enhancing the greener y of the ‘City in a Garden’. Beyond building green infrastructure, NParks 16

actively engages the community to enhance the quality of the living environment. NParks manages over 350 parks and four nature reserves. Added to this is the extensive streetscape, or roadside greenery, that forms the backbone of the City in a Garden. An island-wide ‘park connector network’ is also being developed to link major parks, nature areas and residential estates.

As it continues to design and develop more parks, enrich streetscapes and make greenery more pervasive in Singapore, NParks adopts the best practices in landscape design, construction, management and maintenance, in

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

order to achieve environmental and economic sustainability. NParks adopts the Green Mark as one of the standards to bring about sustainable planning, design, development and management of parks and landscapes.

NPar ks was involved in the planning, design and development of the following Green Mark Platinum projects: • Gardens by the Bay (Bay South) • Gardens by the Bay (Special Project) • CDL Green Galler y @ SBG Heritage Museum • Coney Island Park • Kranji Marshes

SUSTAINABILITY

Five BCA Green Mark Pearl Awards given out this year

An increasing number of tenants and business outlets are getting their business space certified under the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) occupant-centric Green Mark schemes. This is evident from the 100 tenants and business outlets who received the BCA Green Mark Award this year, which is almost three times the figure for last year.

BCA GREEN MARK AWARD FOR OCCUPANT-CENTRIC SCHEMES

BCA introduced the first occupantcentric BCA Green Mark for Office Interior scheme, in 2009. With studies showing that building users contribute to half of the building energy consumption, BCA expanded its Green Mark scheme in 2011 to encourage more tenants’ and business owners’ involvement in the green building journey.

The other categories of occupantcentric Green Mark schemes cover restaurants, data centres, supermarkets and retail outlets.

In the last few years, BCA also rolled out a slew of initiatives to encourage stronger collaboration between building owners and tenants in their green efforts.

This includes the BCA Green Mark Portfolio Programme, Green Lease Toolkit, and Green Par tnership Initiative.

The Green Mark Portfolio Programme helps to streamline the certification process for multiple tenants in the same building as well as outlets under the same business owner.

There are close to 40 outlets under DBS Limited and NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Limited that received the BCA Green Mark Award this year.

Both DBS and NTUC are amongst the seven companies to have benefitted from the Green Mark Portfolio Programme, under which tenants and business outlets can enjoy a lower cost of certification, through a simplified Green Mark certification process for multiple applications.

120

100

100 80 60

37

40 20 0

4 2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Number of award recipients under BCA Green Mark (occupant-centric) schemes

BCA Green Mark Pearl Prestige Award Year

Project

Developer / Landlord / Owner

2016

7 & 9 Tampines Grande

City Developments Limited and Alpha Investment Partners Limited

BCA Green Mark Pearl Award Year

Project

Developer / Landlord / Owner

2016

11 Tampines Concourse

City Developments Limited

2016

Central Mall (Office Tower)

City Developments Limited and Alpha Investment Partners Limited

2016

Ocean Financial Centre

Keppel Land and Keppel REIT

2016

Jem (Office Tower)

Lendlease Commercial Investments Pte Ltd Winners of BCA Green Mark Pearl Award

WINNERS OF THE BCA GREEN MARK PEARL AWARD 2016

BCA also recognises building owners, developers and landlords who have taken the initiative and effort to bring their tenants on board the green building journey, with the BCA Green Mark Pearl Award.

The BCA Green Mark Pearl Award is given to developers, building owners and landlords who have a substantial number of tenants who are Green Mark certified under the Green Mark occupant-centric schemes within a base building which is rated Green Mark GoldPlus or higher.

There are two tiers of the award –

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SUSTAINABILITY the Green Mark Pearl Prestige Award and the Green Mark Pearl Award.

The awards are given out for the following three building types commercial offices, retail malls and business park developments.

For mixed developments, applicants can choose to split up the application for the award, based on each component, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. The award category for the projects is based on the predominant use of the building.

Five awards were given out at the BCA AWARDS 2016 ceremony.

City Developments Limited (CDL) clinched three BCA Green Mark Pearl Awards, including the top-tier Green Mark Pearl Prestige Award for ‘7 & 9 Tampines Grande’ which is owned by Golden Crest Holdings Pte Ltd, a joint investment entity created by CDL and Alpha Investment Par tners Limited through Alpha Asia Macro Trends Fund II. CDL received a BCA Green Mark Pearl Award for 11 Tampines Concourse and received a BCA Green Mark Pearl Award for Central Mall (Office Tower) which is also owned by Golden Crest Holdings Pte Ltd. Beyond implementing infrastructural enhancements at its buildings, CDL has also focused on the ‘software’ in greening its portfolio. Through the CDL Green Lease Partnership programme, the developer and building owner has encouraged and enabled its commercial tenants to play a more proactive role in Singapore’s sustainable development agenda.

The other two Green Mark Pearl Awards were given to Keppel Land and Keppel REIT, for Ocean Financial Centre, and Lendlease Commercial Investments, for ‘Jem (Office Tower)’.

7 & 9 TAMPINES GRANDE As Asia’s leading eco-developer, CDL has embraced the ethos to ‘Conserve as we Construct’, since 1995, remodelling its operations around a triple-bottom-line strategy focused on financial, environmental, and social performance. From design, 18

construction, procurement, maintenance and even stakeholder engagement, the entire life-cycle of its buildings are aligned with environmental sustainability.

Developed and managed by CDL, 7 & 9 Tampines Grande is a Green Mark Platinum office building and a recipient of the inaugural Green Mark Pearl Award in 2015. This year, the building has received the higher tier Green Mark Pearl Prestige Award, reflecting its success in engaging its building users to adopt eco-friendly practices within their work spaces.

Designed as a new-generation green office complex, 7 & 9 Tampines Grande features the extensive use of solar technology (one of the largest in a Singapore commercial property), photocell sensors for perimeter lights, hybrid car park lots and water-efficient shower facilities, waterless urinals, as well as extensive greenery and a rooftop garden.

Tenant engagement efforts To enable its tenants to monitor and manage their energy consumption, tenants are provided access to a digital monitoring portal that provides real-time half-hourly updates of energy consumption, with rebates offered as an incentive to achieve significant energy savings. Two tenants, NCR Asia Pacific and Aldwych International, also leveraged CDL’s sup-

port to green-fit their premises and attained the Green Mark for Office Interior cer tification this year.

11 TAMPINES CONCOURSE Developed and managed by CDL, 11 Tampines Concourse is a Green Mark GoldPlus building and a recipient of the Green Mark Pearl Award in 2016. Completed in 2009, the 108,000 ft2, three-storey office building is also said to be the first ‘CarbonNeutral’ development in Singapore and Asia Pacific.

Designed and built with environmental sustainability in mind, 11 Tampines Concourse is equipped with green features such as an innovative indoor non-compressor, fresh air cooling system, natural daylighting systems, photocell sensors, water-efficient fittings, waterless urinals, and the use of low VOC paints for internal painting.

Tenant engagement efforts Aside from ‘carbon neutralising’ the construction phase of 11 Tampines Concourse, CDL also offsets the carbon emissions from the building’s ongoing annual operations, including tenants’ emissions. To enable its tenants to monitor and manage their energy consumption, tenants are provided access to a digital monitoring portal that provides real-time half-hourly updates of energy consumption,

7 & 9 Tampines Grande: Rebates are offered to tenants as incentives to achieve significant energy savings.

Image by City Developments Limited.

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SUSTAINABILITY with rebates offered as an incentive to achieve significant energy savings.

This year, four of the building’s tenants - Future Electronics Inc, British Council, Singex Exhibitions and ATPI - obtained the Green Mark for Office Interior certification.

CENTRAL MALL (OFFICE TOWER) Developed and managed by CDL, Central Mall (Office Tower) is a Green Mark Platinum building, and a recipient of the Green Mark Pearl Award in 2016. Located along Magazine Road, the seven-storey office block comprises offices and retail units.

The building’s green features include a high-efficiency chiller plant system, variable speed drives (VSDs) installed for air-handling units (AHUs), efficient light fittings at common areas, CO sensors for the carpark, bicycle bays, motion sensors for stairwells and toilets, and a green roof.

Central Mall (Office Tower) is also a PUB Water Efficient Building.

Tenant engagement efforts To monitor and manage their energy consumption, tenants have access to a digital monitoring portal that provides real-time half-hourly updates of energy consumption, with rebates

11 Tampines Concourse: CDL offsets the carbon emissions from the building’s ongoing annual operations, including tenants’ emissions.Tenants are also offered rebates to achieve significant energy savings. Image by City Developments Limited.

Central Mall (Office Tower): Besides receiving rebates to incentivise energy savings, tenants are also encouraged to implement green practices in the workplace. Image by City Developments Limited.

offered as an incentive to achieve significant energy savings. CDL also encourages its tenants to implement green practices at the workplace.

One such example is the Grey Group which deploys standing fans after working hours, uses green stationery and monitors water usage. Grey Group and F H Bertling have successfully attained the Green Mark for Office Interior certification this year.

OCEAN FINANCIAL CENTRE Ocean Financial Centre was the first office building in Singapore’s Central Business District to receive the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award.

The building features energy-efficient and environment-friendly technologies, including one of Singapore’s largest assembly of solar panels, an energy-efficient hybrid chilled water system and a central paper recycling facility. Ocean Financial Centre also stands out with its green wall which entered the Guinness World Records for being the ‘largest vertical garden’, in September 2013. Comprising close to 57,000 pots of plants, the green wall not only helps to reduce the surface temperature of the building’s carpark located behind the wall, it also acts as a green lung that filters out vehicular emissions and provides visual relief from the dense concrete landscape of the city centre.

In 2016, Ocean Financial Centre was re-certified with the highest Green Mark Platinum Award and has clinched the Green Mark Pearl Award conferred by the BCA. These awards attest to Keppel’s strong commitment towards environmental protection in creating a sustainable future.

Tenant engagement efforts As part of ongoing efforts to promote sustainability among key stakeholders, two guidebooks have been specially produced and distributed to tenants at Ocean Financial Centre - the Green Fit-out Guide and the Green Office Operation Guide. The former outlines possible green initiatives and environment-friendly fixtures

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SUSTAINABILITY that companies can adopt when fitting out or refurbishing their office space, while the latter provides tips on ecofriendly practices in daily operations.

Nine of Keppel REIT’s tenants at Ocean Financial Centre have been awarded the Green Mark certification for Office Interior. These nine tenants have also signed the Keppel REIT Green Pledge towards creating a more sustainable future. The pledge also entails a commitment between the landlord and tenants, to put in place measures to monitor and improve energy and water efficiency, as well as use sustainable materials and implement waste management, through a target-based approach.

Ocean Financial Centre: To promote sustainability among key stakeholders, two guidebooks have been specially produced and distributed to tenants Image by Keppel Corporation Limited.

JEM (OFFICE TOWER) reduce usage of cement and to include use of sustainable materials.

Jem: Retail and office tenants are required to comply with Lendlease’s minimum Sustainability Standards as part of their Green Lease. Image by Lendlease.

Jem is the first mixed-use retail and office development to be awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum Version 4.0 Award, the highest local standard for sustainability, by BCA, in 2012. Jem also won the Best Innovative Green Building (Gold) Award at MIPIM Asia Awards 2012.

Jem’s commitment to sustainability was put forth through various design features in the building.

The development uses an innovative chilled water configuration

20

that results in a reduction of energy for air-conditioning. Extensive landscaping is incorporated to reduce the impact of the afternoon sun on the building while the building design also allows for natural lighting to reduce energy usage.

To achieve water efficiency, besides using efficient water fittings, rainwater is harvested for irrigation and recycled water is used where possible. During construction, extensive measures were taken to

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Tenant engagement efforts Retail and office tenants are required to commit to sustainability by signing the Green Lease. They are required to comply with the minimum Sustainability Standards set

by Lendlease, as part of itheir Green Lease, which include the incorporation of features to ensure energy saving, reduced water consumption and proper disposal of waste.

Each tenant is also assigned a design manager to provide guidance in achieving high levels of sustainability. Design managers help tenants to identify emission sources as well as alternative clean energy and business management strategies with targets set for the reduction of the tenant’s carbon footprint.

The Lendlease integrated model enables Jem to influence sustainability through the entire proper ty chain, from investment management, building and construction, and mall management to getting tenants to embark on committing to sustainability for a truly sustainable outcome.

SUSTAINABILITY

Green restaurant incorporating holistic design solutions

by Martin Lim, Chief Consulting Officer, Metropolitan Green Design and Technology (MGDT), Singapore; Raja Azhar Raja Ahmad, Principal Architect, Azhar Design Consult, Malaysia; and Rose Hamimah Bt Abdul Hamid, Deputy General Manager, Construction & Development, QSR Brands Sdn Bhd, Malaysia Although architects, planners and engineers have attempted to adapt vernacular architecture to include sustainability, by integrating aspects of passive climate control such as shading, natural ventilation and increasing the thermal mass of walls, mechanical and electrical systems within facilities continue to consume energy. This article showcases the innovative sustainability solutions that were conceptualised and deployed in KFC Nilai in Malaysia.

KFC Nilai is a single-storey, stand-alone, drive-through, fast-food outlet with a seating capacity of 128 (indoors) and 46 (outdoors). Image by QSR Brands, Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION The collaboration of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore and MGDT, Singapore, resulted in the launch, in 2011, of the Green Mark criteria for restaurants in tropical environments. The construction of Nilai KFC, located in Kuala Lumpur, is the result of effor ts to design and develop the first fully integrated sustainable restaurant in

Malaysia, by MGDT together with QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd which currently dominates Malaysia’s rapidly expanding retail food industry as a fully integrated F&B operator.

Nilai KFC is a single storey, standalone, drive-through, fast-food outlet. It has a seating capacity of 128 (indoors) and 46 (outdoors) over a gross floor area of 582.55 m2. The outlet was designed using the BCA restaurant cri-

teria as a starting point, in order to incorporate all the energy efficiency and water efficiency ideas so as to achieve a Platinum rating.

Besides winning the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award for restaurants in 2014, Nilai KFC was cer tified Gold under Malaysia’s Green Building Index (GBI) and the US Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED).

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SUSTAINABILITY Restaurants are typically designed with active strategies leveraging mechanical & electrical (M&E) systems, but MGDT applied its experience in integrating passive solutions to the overall active M&E building blueprint.

Improving sustainability of buildings BCA’s Singapore Green Mark scheme was launched in January 2005 and over the past 10 years, BCA has steadily introduced a comprehensive suite of policy levers and initiatives to promote energy efficiency in buildings and encourage the adoption of green building practices. Through its first two Green Building Masterplans, BCA has successfully grown the number of green buildings in Singapore from just 17 in 2005 to more than 2,500 today. This is the equivalent of about 62 million m2 or more than 25% of Singapore’s total gross floor area (GFA).

Green Building Index Sdn Bhd was launched in Malaysia on 21 May 2009 to administer Green Building Index (GBI) accreditation whilst providing training for facilitators and cer tifiers. Jointly conceived and developed by the Institute of Architects (PAM) and the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACEM), it received over 655 applications for GBI certification, out of which 296 projects making up 12,948,560.12 m2 of space have been cer tified (GBI data as at 15 April 2015).

According to statistics from BCA, green buildings demand additional capital expenditure (CAPEX) which, depending on the selected Green Mark score, can range from 0.3% to 8% of the overall construction cost.

On the positive side, the resultant benefit comes from increased energy savings and an average lifecycle savings of 20% for a total savings of 10 times the initial investment.

Before any energy-efficient design commences, it is also practical to design the building envelope appropriately for thermal mass

22

insulation, that results in less CO2 emission from embedded carbon.

Precast concrete uses materials efficiently, reducing construction waste, site disturbance, and noise.

Through studies conducted on thermal conductivity of building facades, MGDT proposed the use of precast aerated lightweight concrete, which is anticipated to contribute significantly towards the social, economic and environmental benefits of the building lifecycle.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CHALLENGES The built environment is directly influenced by the climate-adaptable approach which also considers internal conditions relating to comfort level, including temperature, humidity, light, sound, view, air flow and indoor air quality. Under Singapore Standards SS530, an internal o o temperature of 24 C to 26 C at 30% to 70% humidity is considered acceptable as the starting point for the Green Mark.

Lovell states that comfort is not something defined by a range of temperatures and humidity. The thermal comfort zone is also determined by the type of clothing worn, metabolic rates, activity levels, lighting and visual perception, and health conditions.

Integration of passive design The mantra of designing an energyefficient building is that it is able to do more with less, whilst providing the designed and required internal environment, with minimum energy consumption and wastage. It should also be easy to maintain and remain cost-effective to operate throughout its lifecycle, despite variations in loads and human activities. The premise for energy-efficient design therefore begins at the ‘new construction phase’ where owner and designer should consider green building design incorporating sustainable best practices to optimise total energy consumption and environmental lifecycle impact. The fundamental

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approach is to ‘do it right the first time’, as it is costly and highly unlikely that any building owner will try to undo the wrong done.

Energy-efficient design begins with the strategy for selecting the building fabric which forms the critical interphase between the internal environment and the external environment. In the first place, a building has to be designed to be as air-tight as possible, to guard against heat gain and cooling load losses. The strategic façade design for KFC Nilai focused on the selection of low embedded carbon building fabric materials coupled with passive design strategies to reduce energy consumption over the building’s lifecycle.

ENERGY CONSERVATION The focus on energy consumption was identified as a key component of green building design, as restaurants have ver y high levels of energy intensity due to their relatively small footprint and the significant amount of cooking, ventilation and refrigeration needed to prepare and ser ve food.

In designing the Nilai drivethrough restaurant, QSR took great pains to ensure that lighting designs were energy-efficient. At the conceptual stage, MGDT advised that all lighting be conver ted to LEDs, to maximise energy savings, and additional energy savings strategies included the implementation of perimeter lighting, skylights, photosensors and other daylight harvesting systems, for the dining and kitchen areas.

Going one step fur ther, QSR conducted a preliminar y analysis of the end-use energy consumption, based on the ASHRAE 90.1-2007-compliant model, for KFC Malaysia. The focus was to analyse the impact of envelope upgrades on overall energy usage.

The preliminary energy modelling, performed by a US-based en-

SUSTAINABILITY ergy consultancy, Green Building Services, in compliance with LEED requirements, indicated that kitchen equipment consumption constituted 52% of the total energy consumption, followed by space cooling (20%) and ventilation fans (18%). The energy modelling also confirmed that lighting loads can be reduced further through more energy-efficient LED lighting.

The basis for evaluating energy efficiency is the benchmarking of the annual energy consumption per square metre (kWh/m2/year), or the Energy Efficiency Index (EEI), of typical restaurants across a sample size

of over 100 KFC restaurants located in West Malaysia, in various configurations, ranging from 2,000 ft2 and below to 5,000 ft2 and above.

Using 2013 data as a baseline, it was determined that the EEI ranged from 280 kWh/m2/year to 2,933 kWh/m2/year, which is extremely high, because it includes the consumption from kitchen equipment.

The energy consumption of kitchen equipment, in relation to the total consumption, ranges from 44% to 57%, with an aggregate average value of 50%.

EEI mapping for KFC restaurants across Malaysia indicates that from

0% 7%

Space Cool

20%

0% 0% 3%

Space Heat HP Supplemental Hot Water Vent. Fans

52%

18%

Misc. Equipment Interior Lights Pumps & Auxilliary

Consumption components as analysed using energy modelling software. Image by Green Building Services, USA.

Outdoor dining and playground areas are naturally ventilated. At the same time, mechanical fans have been installed to improve the air-flow quality and air circulation. Image by Martin Lim.

2014 onwards, there has been a drop in EEI, ranging from 137 kWh/m2/year to 1,381 kWh/m2/ year, which is approximately a 10% improvement overall, as compared to 2013 baselines. This is due largely to the aggressive implementation of an energy management project in 2014, initiated by MGDT in par tnership with QSR, to reduce energy consumption.

Natural ventilation One of the key considerations was to ensure that the outdoor dining area, with a seating capacity of 46, and the playground area, which were designed with a single large opening at one end, should be adequately ventilated, to guarantee quality air-circulation throughout the year.

Openings could serve the dual purpose of cooling as well as improving indoor air quality (IAQ), through constant air circulation as fresh air is brought into the areas through convection currents created by wind. The incorporation of natural ventilation, with shading features such as louvres located on the ceiling, provides respite from the afternoon sun and confirmed that balancing the natural environmental conditions with mechanical systems, such as fans, can improve air quality and comfort in the dining environment.

Air-conditioning The restaurant has an air-conditioning system incorporating intelligent thermostats, to maintain a comfor table environment based on scheduled settings. The system uses four Daikin energy-saving VRV II split units with an average Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 4.03 for the compressors.

Based on SS530, for the unitary air-conditioners and condensing units, electrically operated, the COP calculations are as follows: a) For air-cons >19 kW < 40 kW, minimum COP requirement = 3.02 COP at Nilai KFC = 4.27

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SUSTAINABILITY Percentage improvement = 4.27 – 3.02 x 100 = 41.4%

3.02

b) For air-cons >70 kW < 223 kW, minimum COP requirement = 2.70 COP at Nilai KFC = 3.88 Percentage improvement = 3.88 – 2.70 x 100 = 43.7%

2.70

Lighting design The following lighting strategies, which were incorporated into the fenestration design for windows, contributed much to improvement in the envelope design: • Larger size nor th-light windows increased the window wall ratio (WWR) to improve lighting penetration and diffusion within the interior spaces.

• The use of light shelves, prismatic glass, light tubes and anidolic ceilings draws more sunlight into the interior spaces.

The key passive ingredient is harvesting of natural daylight, drawing as much of the quality light as possible, into the interior spaces of the build-

ing, through skylights and side slits located around the ceiling zone.

Where lighting is insufficient, energy-efficient LED lights are used in place of the conventional lighting system. Energy consumption by lighting accounts for some 15% of the building’s total annual energy consumption. LED lighting is the ‘low hanging fruit’ which can easily be ‘plucked’ to achieve energy savings.

Low-e glass windows are used all around, to reduce glare and solar radiation, whilst allowing natural daylight to penetrate into the dining areas. An analysis of the room depth showed that a depth of 8 m is sufficient to meet the lighting requirements although the room would be dark at the back. This was improved with increased window openings and ar tificial lighting.

The glazed windows reduce solar heat gain, thereby contributing to a lower cooling load despite the fact that the restaurant is located in a hot tropical environment. The low-e glass has a U value of 3.90 W/m2K which allows the transmittance of 52% visible light whilst absorbing 71% of solar radiation.

Lighting designed to meet the illumination parameters as stipulated under CP 38 (or equivalent) helps to achieve a good balance between comfort and energy efficiency.The restaurant is also designed with large floorto-ceiling glazed windows and skylights, with low-e value, allowing natural daylight harvesting throughout the day.

Images by Martin Lim.

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A central light well was initially proposed to provide quality lighting to interior spaces more than 3 m from the windows and slits were created above the kitchen area to draw in natural lighting during the day.

Solar PV Malaysia enjoys an average of 2,228 hours of sunlight per year (out of a possible 4,383 hours). On average, sunlight availability is for 6.06 hours per day. Generally, the weather is sunny for 50.8% of the daylight hours and the remaining 49.2% of daylight hours is likely to be punctuated with cloudy skies, shade, hazy weather or low sun intensity.

At midday, the sun is, on average, 75° above the horizon at Kuala Lumpur. Nilai KFC has installed a solar PV system that utilises the abundant sunlight to power nine units of LED lighting, each with a consumption of 11 W, at the ‘Funland’ area.

Solar thermal system The client was open to testing green technologies at restaurant and market levels and then adopting the best practices in new markets. A solar thermal system is used to generate 100% of the hot water required for the kitchen, which amounts to a saving of 78,840 kWh per year, or a reduction of 10.5% of the annual energy consumption.

WATER EFFICIENCY Ever mindful that water usage in restaurants is high, KFC restaurant managers are required to monitor water consumption on a monthly basis.This information is sent to headquarters to be consolidated for further analysis. Basin taps and mixers, flushing cisterns, sink/bib taps and mixers, with three ticks ratings, under the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) of PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, have been installed.

Energy star air-cooled ice makers are one of KFC’s strategic acquisitions in ensuring water conservation in its restaurants, regionally.

SUSTAINABILITY Rainwater harvesting system KBM Konsult, the Civil & Structural Engineering firm, designed an aboveground and below-ground rainwater harvesting and storage solution.

The above-ground storage utilises a tank measuring 2 m (length) by 1 m (width) by 1 m (height), which stores approximately 2,000 litres of rainwater collected from the main trapezoidal roof. From this tank, water is distributed via gravity flow around the building.

For below-ground storage, a reinforced concrete tank was constructed. Measuring 5 m (length) by 2 m (width) by 1 m (height), it stores 4,250 litres, and this is linked with the 750 mm by 750 mm by 131 m long box culvert located below side parking lots and road to store an additional 17,370 litres, making a total of 21,620 litres. Excessive overflow water from the above-ground storage as well as from areas, other than the main trapezoidal roof, are channelled through the rainwater downpipes and diver ted to the box culver t. The stored water is then pumped to the irrigation taps provided around the site boundary.

MONITORING ENERGY AND WATER USAGE To meet energy efficiency goals, sensors are attached to the Build-

ing Management System (BMS) via a data infrastructure, allowing realtime information to pass seamlessly through the integrated system. Electrical sub-meters have been provided, with integration to the BMS, for the following sub-systems where energy consumption is in excess of 100 kVA: • All lighting (internal & external) • Kitchen equipment • ACMV system • Plug loads • Fire protection • Air-conditioning system Integrated Building Management System The Building Management System (BMS) provides the essential instrumentation and control to coordinate, regulate and manage the different building systems including air-conditioning, lighting, water consumption and power. Nilai KFC uses the BMS to automate control over the building sub-systems. With the seamless integration of the BMS, the Operations Manager is able to achieve the following: • Reduce operational and energy costs by connecting the building sub-systems, with the HVAC equipment, lighting, security man-

agement and fire protection working together as a cohesive unit.

• Increase productivity by the seamless integration of equipment from virtually any manufacturer.

• Make fast, accurate decisions on energy strategy, with data collected from sensors.

• Ensure wide connectivity, using the latest wireless technologies linking more devices into every hard-toreach corner of the building.

The BMS utilises the ASIC/2-8540, a configurable unitary controller that has the ability to switch power supply for AC operation, and flash and NVRAM memory for program and data storage. The ASIC/2-8540 is designed for energy management and control of a wide range of building systems including air handlers, chillers, cooling towers, rooftop air-conditioning, pumps, lighting etc, in a networked system. It is a good stand-alone solution for small buildings, such as bank branches, drive-through restaurants, retail stores and utility company sites.

GREEN KITCHEN EXHAUST SYSTEM KFC’s green practices extend to the treatment of dry and wet contaminated air in the kitchen. The contamination is caused by par ticulates

Schematic diagram for above-ground rainwater storage. Image by KBM Konsult.

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SUSTAINABILITY from oil. At the Nilai KFC restaurant, innovative technologies have been installed in the kitchen exhaust system to effectively reduce all odour from the fumes discharged into the environment.

Contaminated air is drawn by motor/blower through the cyclonic air cleaners which has a system of filters to trap par ticles from 10 microns and large dust particles. KVL canopies, incorporating advanced Halton Capture Jet technology, have been installed, to remove contaminated air and excess heat emitted by cooking equipment, thereby helping to provide a comfortable and hygienic environment.

CONCLUSION This case study has helped to validate the fact that cost-effective solutions are attainable in the construction of sustainable restaurants. With this green restaurant, KFC has proven that lessons learnt from experimentation with materials, technologies and construction

methodologies can all lead up to the successful development of a green building DNA that can be replicated in future expansion programmes. Another impor tant lesson was that drive-through restaurants can achieve the highest green rating as they benefit directly from the architectural design, sustainable construction and green technologies, unlike tenanted premises where the landlord or developer determines the entire construction process.

The experience of constructing green restaurants has served to expand the skills and knowledge of KFCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development team and each improvement leads to a reduction in the carbon footprint.

In retrospect, sustainable design could be expanded to include making further improvements in passive design, especially of the building envelope, through the selection of a more thermally insulated façade that reduces heat gain as compared with the typical brick and mortar construction.

More research could be undertaken on the use of double-glazed glass windows with high transmission of light, instead of the low-e glass currently utilised.

PROJECT DATA Gross Floor Area 582.55 m2 Seating Capacity Internal - 128 seats Outdoor - 46 seats EEI 212.16 kWh/m2/yr Lighting Power Budget 6.92 W/m2

PROJECT CREDITS Client KFC (Peninsular Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Architects Azhar Design Consult Aziz Darmawi Architect Civil & Structural Engineer KBM Konsult Mechanical & Electrical Engineer KBM Konsult ESD Consultant Metropolitan Green Design and Technology Landscape Consultant Aminuddin Badawi Landscape Consulltant Quantity Surveyor CIC-QS Services Main Contractor Ngai Thong Plumber & Construction Sdn Bhd

Schematic of the Halton Hood system.

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SUSTAINABILITY

Reinventing urban mobility

by Elmar Bouma, Executive Director, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), Singapore From the use of electric cars and bike-car hybrids, to cycling and walking, the switch to green mobility is expected to bring about many social, environmental and economic benefits to cities.

Mr Elmar Bouma

Urban transpor t systems around the world are far from perfect, with even top cities such as Hong Kong and Copenhagen having significant potential for improvement, according to a repor t by global management consultancy, Arthur D Little, that ranked Singapore sixth out of 84 cities for urban mobility. As more of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population move to cities and travel habits change, the repor t found that on average, less than half the potential of urban mobility systems has been unleashed.

Hong Kong emerged top in the index, with a score of only 58.2 out of a possible 100. Singapore scored 55.6, trailing behind Stockholm, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Vienna.

Rapid urbanisation has created many problems in the way we travel within our dense cities. Congestion, safety, air pollution, noise emissions and high levels of CO2 are some of the key challenges that our growing cities struggle to cope with. Whilst some cities stagnate in urban mobility, others have taken bold measures to upgrade their infrastructures to promote a higher quality of life for their inhabitants. The biggest boost to sustainable mobility, arguably, is

the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and their associated technologies. Countries like Norway, the UK and Germany offer huge incentives to encourage the extensive adoption of e-mobility - these range from government subsidies for lowemission vehicles to the designation of specific lanes for EVs. The proliferation of electric cars, however, may not be the optimal solution towards existing problems as widespread implementation brings along with it a host of other challenges including lengthy queues for charging stations, as well as living quarters having to install their own charging points and, among countries, the current non-standardisation of charging connectors. Public transpor t and personal mobility devices are incomparably less costly and easily implemented by government-mandated systems. They are currently the cleanest forms of urban transport available.

Primed for e-mobility Within Europe, sustainability has become part of the everyday life, with vehicle-sharing programmes

and electric-run automobiles being options as commonplace as walking, cycling and using the mass transit. The European Energy Union is working on a proposal to decarbonise the transport sector in 2017, with an action plan that includes developing better infrastructure such as refuelling and recharging stations, to help different modes of transpor t switch to using alternative fuels. European cities thus face positive pressure to incorporate wiser energy use into their mobility plans. One of the many merits of the expansion of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emobility footprint is the expected addition of 1 million EV-related jobs in 2030 - surely, a big enough stimulus for governments to invest in the e-mobility market.

Leading the shift towards sustainable transpor t is the Netherlands, a country where expertise and a culture of creativity converge to produce breakthrough solutions to urban challenges. Ranked fifth on the Global Innovation Index, the country plays host to a flourishing test market that allows both busi-

Ramping up infrastructure dedicated to e-mobility, including accessible charging points, will help boost the uptake of EVs in cities.

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SUSTAINABILITY nesses and consumers to share insights, put inventions to trial, and bring bold ideas to life. The attraction of an environment conducive to opportunities has also lured big players in the e-mobility industry, like Tesla and Chinese-owned BYD, to set up their European headquarters in the Netherlands, drawing on the country’s strategic location and quality infrastructure to reach bigger markets and expand on their products and services.

The Netherlands’ proclivity to set the pace for the adoption of cleaner, quieter and smar ter vehicles is in large part, driven by its commitment to create social value and offer motorists and commuters the option of making climate-neutral trips - the inclusion of foreign companies in the sustainability dialogue offers limitless possibilities to discover and expor t new technologies in the urban mobility environment.

Running on hydrogen As far as goals are concerned, the aim to phase out, by 2015, the sale of cars powered by petroleum-based fuels, could be the country’s most ambitious yet. Electric cars currently make up 9.6% of its market, with 43,000 new EVs purchased in 2015 alone. By this time, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment also hopes to have all new buses cer tified as emissions-free.

Representatives of its 12 provinces have agreed to this pledge, supplementing ongoing effor ts of cities like Utrecht and Den Bosch, where electric public buses have already been in service for several years.

The use of smar t technology further boosts operational efficiency as it helps monitor the buses’ performance and optimise their use.

The potential of e-mobility is cer tainly not lost on the different segments of the Dutch community, with innovation and implementation often being highly collaborative endeavours. Recently, VDL Bus & 28

Coach par tnered a team of students at Eindhoven University of Technology to launch formic acid-powered buses into the market. Having discovered a way to efficiently change hydrogen into liquid formic acid and back again into hydrogen, the team had, in the process, conceived a new form of renewable energy carrier. The liquefied electricity ensures easy storage and transport, and acts as a non-emitting fuel that promises vehicles greater range and convenient refuelling at existing gas stations.VDL’s Citea Electric, with its modular design, can be easily adapted to run solely on this substance over the course of 2016. If results prove favourable, formic acid can help extend the range of zero-emission transportation, bringing more of green mobility to both cities and the masses.

Bikes in the fast lane Similarly experiencing an upward trend is the use of bicycles, foremost in urban centres, where unmitigated congestion has pushed commuters to favour this convenient and ecofriendly travelling option. As cycling gains serious traction in Europe, and increasingly in Asia Pacific, e-bicycles, in particular, have emerged as a popular choice of personal transpor t. Technology advances have played a big part in accelerating the market’s growth, and forecasts place worldwide sales at over 40 million in 2023. Europe, with its firmly rooted cycling culture, is easily e-bikes’ biggest spender.

Anticipating more riders to hit the roadways, Dutch company, VanMoof introduced maintenancelight and hassle-free bikes aimed at making cycling as effortless as possible. VanMoof ’s Electrified S comes with its own smartphone app, GPS connectivity and 250-Watt battery. With this, riders can cruise at a maximum speed of 32 km/h in a 120 kilometre range, lock and unlock wirelessly, receive weather notifications during their commute,

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

and also activate anti-theft tracking should the bike get stolen. Though packed with cutting-edge features, the smar t bike remains sleek, as its entire technology is housed within its frame and front-wheel hub.

To-date, over 700 cities worldwide offer bike-sharing programmes, leaving no doubt that cycling, more than just encountering a revival, will figure prominently in the urban mobility landscape. Inspired creations, like the Electrified S, that continually make bicycles lighter, safer and greener could be the very impetus for cities to transition to healthier forms of transpor t.

VanMoof ’s Electrified S is designed to make cycling as fuss-free and convenient as possible.

Exploring alternative rides The less conventional amongst us might even consider the use of velomobiles to make cleaner trips.

These three- or four-wheeled bicycles operate by combining the rider’s pedalling power with ondemand acceleration, made possible with a built-in electric motor.

Designed to overcome the limitations of traditional bicycles in harsh weather, these bikes are equipped with enclosed shells that protect riders from rain, ice, snow and wind.

Recognising the practicality of cycling as both a spor t and a means of beating heavy city traffic, Dutch manufacturers Drymer and Sinner Bikes released an easy-to-use, compact velomobile that can be driven

SUSTAINABILITY on smaller roads. The Sinner Mango promises improved manoeuvrability and security with its easy steering, protective carbon body and typically distinct colour. Ultimately, the ecofriendly transpor t offers features which not only augment cycling as a means of travelling, but also makes it safer and more accessible

to many sectors of the population, including the elderly. The appeal of this car-like vehicle has extended beyond Dutch borders and is currently expor ted to countries like Sweden, France and Canada, and further away in Asia Pacific, including Australia, Japan and South Korea, because of its demand.

The Sinner Mango offers riders cleaner and more comfortable trips, whilst also protecting them from inclement weather.

Increased use of public transport and the proliferation of bike-sharing programmes will help reduce the congestion on the roads in dense cities.

Supercharging Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mobility Asia has much to gain from the e-mobility revolution, but it is not enough to merely extol the benefits of green transpor t - first, ecosystems that can accommodate smar t mobility have to be built and nur tured.

Crowded urban centres like Hong Kong and Singapore hold great potential for e-mobility growth but inadequate suppor t schemes and set-ups would mean that EVs are not as readily compliant with their existing transpor t infrastructure. To make the leap towards smar t mobility and provide remedies to relieve cities of environmental strains, Asia should look to mature mobility systems and replicate measures that have been successfully rolled out.

Netherlands offers expertise As with many global environmental issues, wise investments, sustained partnerships and exchange of knowledge are instrumental to effect genuine change. As a leader in smart mobility and urban planning, the Netherlands is well-positioned to help global cities implement the necessary infrastructure to make them more sustainable, stimulate economic opportunities, and enhance the quality of life for their citizens.

(More information on innovative smart mobility technologies or investment opportunities in the Netherlands can be obtained from Mr Elmar Bouma, Executive Director-SEA, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), Singapore,Tel: +65 6739 1135, Email: bouma@nfia-singapore.com or from Ms Adeline Tan, Country Manager, NFIA, Singapore, Tel: +65 6739 1137, Email: tan@nfia-singapore.com, or by visiting www.investinholland.com.

NFIA is an operational unit of the Dutch Ministr y of Economic Affairs, providing complimentar y consultations to foreign companies planning to establish, expand or diversify their business operations in the Netherlands and Europe).

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

29

POWER GENERATION

Outline of the 2 x 1,000 MW ultra super critical boiler technology for Malaysia project

by Yuta Oka, Shinichi Takano and Kazuhiro Nagamine, IHI Corporation, Japan In recent years, ultra super critical (USC) / super critical (SC) steam technology has become mandatory in ensuring reliable CO2 emission reduction and considerably high economic efficiency in the world. From the viewpoint of energy security and the effective utilisation of coal resources, sub-bituminous coal single fired boilers are in high demand, although sub-bituminous coal has properties that make it harder to handle than bituminous coal, including a lower heating value, higher moisture, higher slagging and fouling properties, and so on.

In 2014, in Malaysia where electricity demand is steadily growing, IHI was contracted to supply a 2 x 1,000 MW USC power plant with sub-bituminous coal single fired boiler, which is expected to start commercial operation in 2019. As the EPC leader for the overall project, IHI is responsible for the supply of the boiler with the coal firing system and boiler plant.

In this article, IHI provides an outline of the 2 x 1,000 MW USC boiler for the Malaysia project, with steam capacity of 3,025 t/h, main/reheat steam temperature of 603°C /612°C and main steam pressure of 27.9 MPa(g). Various kinds of sub-bituminous / bituminous coals imported from Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, and Australia are selected for the boilers as the design coal.

Firstly, we shall introduce the project outline and the features of IHI’s USC boiler with the highest steam condition to reach a high plant efficiency and the background technology including the IHI coal firing system, IHI low NOx wide range burner (IHI-WR burner) and the IHI coal pulveriser (IHI-VS pulveriser). Secondly, the design concept of the IHI USC boiler applied to this project will be introduced by comparing it with IHI’s other referenced sub-bituminous coal single fired USC boilers in the US. Finally, we shall explain the plant performance, plant efficiency, economic performance, and environmental benefits, especially as relating to CO2 emissions.

INTRODUCTION

Coal is an abundant energy source, widely distributed throughout the world, with a considerable amount of recoverable reserves. Fur thermore, its price is also stable when compared with other fossil fuels.

For these reasons, coal-fired power plants will continue to play an impor tant role in power generation worldwide.

On the other hand, since coal emits more CO2 per unit of electricity generated than other sources of energy such as nuclear, renewable energy and other fossil fuels, effor ts are being made to reduce this amount. Also, from an econom-

30

ic viewpoint and considering the supply capability of coal resources, power plants that can make use of low-rank coals are highly desirable.

Under this situation, USC / SC technology is becoming mandator y for new installation or replacement of coal fired power plants in the world, to minimise CO 2 emissions. The sub-bituminous coal single fired boiler is therefore specified for many projects planned all over the world.

IHI has rich experience in designing, fabricating, installing and commissioning USC and SC boilers for the industrial power markets in Japan and around the world. IHI suc-

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

cessfully supplied three sub-bituminous coal single fired boilers in the US, from 2009 to 2013 and they are operating stably after COD (Table 1). IHI’s boilers in the US were recognised for their high reliability and availability by the clients and praised as one of top innovative coal fired plants, by the trade magazine ‘POWER’.

In addition to these achievements, IHI has signed the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contract for the Jimah East Power (JEP) Project, in Malaysia, which has a 2 x 1,000 MW net output, USC steam condition and a sub-bituminous coal single fired boiler.

POWER GENERATION Name

Output (net)

Steam Condition

Boiler Type

COD

A Plant

900 MW

Super Critical

Once Through, Variable Pressure, Reheat Type

2013

B Plant

665 MW

Sub-Critical

Natural Circulation, Variable Pressure, Reheat Type

2010

C Plant

660 MW

Sub-Critical

Natural Circulation, Variable Pressure, Reheat Type

2009

Coal

Sub-bituminous Coal (PRB Coal)

Table 1: IHI’s track record of 100% sub-bituminous coal fired boilers in the US

PROJECT OUTLINE GENERAL The JEP site is located in the Negeri Sembilan State, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula and approximately 50 km south of Kuala Lumpur. The JEP plant is being newly and independently constructed beside the existing 2 x 700 MW Jimah sub-critical coal fired power plant.

The JEP plant’s capacity is 2 x 1,000 MW (net) and the main fuel is sub-bituminous coals. IHI has a lot of experience in the supply and construction of coal fired power plants in Malaysia. Nine units of boiler plants have been installed and a fur ther two units will be added (Table 2).

Figure 1: Site location and images (taken in December 2014)

Name

Type

Output

Fuel

COD

S.S.A.A Power Station Phase 2

Natural Circulation, Single Drum, Reheat Type

2 x 300MW (Gross)

Coal, Oil, Gas

1988, 1989

S.S.A.A Power Station Phase 3

Ditto

2 x 500MW (Gross)

Coal, Gas

2001

Tanjung Bin

Ditto

3 x 700MW (Net)

Coal

2006, 2007

Jimah

Ditto

2 x 700MW (Net)

Coal

2009

Jimah East Power

Ultra Super Critical, Once Through, Variable Pressure, Reheat Type

2 x 1,000MW (Net)

Coal

2019 Table 2: IHI boilers in Malaysia

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

31

POWER GENERATION PROJECT ORGANISATION The project owner is Jimah East Power Sdn Bhd which is a Special Purpose Company for this project. The EPC Contractor is IHITOSHIBA-HYUNDAI Consor tium and IHI is the commercial and technical leader of that EPC consor tium. The scope of the consortium is full turnkey deliver y including marine & civil works, and IHI is providing the USC boiler and its auxiliaries, including construction and commissioning work.

The project organisation char t is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Project organisation

PROJECT SCHEDULE The project schedule is shown in Figure 3. The boiler construction work period up to the COD is 29 months.

CODs of Unit 1 / Unit 2 are set to the middle of 2019 and the end of 2019, respectively. Currently, reclamation work is proceeding at the site.

Figure 3: Project schedule

Item

Unit

Specification

Output (BMCR)

MW

Gross 1,096MW

Boiler Type

—

Ultra Super Critical (USC) Condition, Stationary Once Through Variable Pressure Reheat (SOVR) Type Pulverized Coal Boiler, Outdoor Service

SH Outlet

t/h

3,025

RH Outlet

t/h

2,427

SH Outlet

°C

603

RH Outlet

°C

612

SH Outlet

MPa(g)

27.9

RH Outlet

MPa(g)

4.7

ECO inlet

°C

303

Firing Type

—

Opposed Firing (Wall Firing)

Draft Type

—

Balanced Draft

Minimum Operating Load (Coal Firing)

%

30

Main Fuel

—

Coal (Sub-bituminous and Bituminous)

Steam Flow

Steam Condition (BMCR)

Steam Temp.

Steam Press.

Feed Water Temp.

Table 3: Boiler specification for JEP

32

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

POWER GENERATION INTRODUCTION OF IHI USC BOILER GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS The specification of the USC boiler for JEP is shown in Table 3. Figures 4 and 5 show the general arrangement of the boiler. The main steam flow at the BMCR (Boiler Maximum Continuous Ratio) condition is 3,025 t/h. The steam condition is 27.9 MPa(g), 603°C for the main steam and 612°C for the reheat steam at the boiler outlet. It is designed to utilise 100% sub-bituminous coal.

USC BOILER TECHNOLOGY We have applied our proven USC boiler technology to JEP, based on our many years of experience in Japan and worldwide. The features of our USC boiler are as follows: Wall firing system The wall firing (opposed firing) system has been applied. It has the

advantages of high combustion efficiency, good distribution of the flue gas flow and temperature at furnace outlet, and good flame stability.

Helical tube furnace wall For the boiler furnace (wall panels), IHI applied the helical wound tube furnace wall to ensure sufficient steam/water mass flow, in order to avoid overheating of the tubes and to provide even heat absorption on each tube path. The difference in heat absorption between tubes is greatly reduced compared to a ver tical tube furnace wall arrangement. The helical tube furnace wall does not require inlet orifices, unlike a vertical tube furnace wall, to adjust the steam/water flow at each tube path. Also, the smooth tube is applied to the furnace wall, whereas the rifled tube has to be applied to the vertical tube furnace wall.

Parallel pass design IHI has applied the parallel pass design to the heat recovery area (HRA) of the boiler. The gas pass is separated into the superheater pass and the reheater pass. The reheater temperature is controlled by the control damper located at the parallel pass outlet, controlling the flue gas amount in the superheater pass and the reheater pass. The reheat steam temperature can be controlled without both reheater spray and gas recirculation fan. It contributes to enhancing the cycle efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.

Material selection for pressure parts To provide stable and reliable operation under the high steam temperatures above 600°C, we have applied ASME Code Case 2328 (Super304) and SA213MT91 to the high temperature heating par ts of

Heating Parts

Designed Material (Typical)

Furnace Wall

SA213MT12

Primary Superheater

SA213MT12

Secondary Superheater

SA213MT91 / Code Case 2328

Final Superheater

Code Case 2328

Primary Reheater

SA213MT22 / SA213MT91

Secondary (Final) Reheater

Code Case 2328 Table 4: Major applied materials for heating parts

Figure 4: General arrangement of the boiler

Figure 5: 3D model of the boiler plant

Figure 6:Typical material selection for IHI SC boiler

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

33

POWER GENERATION the superheater and the reheater tubes. For the furnace wall, we have applied SA213MT12, as shown in Table 4. Through a lot of past experience in other projects, IHI has designed and selected well-proven materials to enhance the reliability of the plant operation. Figure 6 shows the typical material selections for IHI’s SC boilers.

COAL FIRING SYSTEM Coal pulverisers and burners are designed and fabricated by IHI. Six sets of IHI-VS 25 coal pulverisers are installed per unit. One set is for stand-by as 100% load can be achieved by five sets of pulverisers. The pulveriser is of the ver tical spindle type, as shown in Figure 7, and selected to be able to pulverise the complete range of design coals.

A total of 36 sets of IHI low NOx wide range dual flow burners (IHIWR burners) are installed per unit.

The boiler has six rows of burners (three rows on the front side and three rows on the rear side), and six sets of burners are arranged per row. This IHI-WR burner has a

unique concept jointly developed

by Shikoku Electric Power Co Inc, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry and IHI, to realise both low NOx and wide unit load range operation with stable combustion. As shown in Figure 8, the burner has a ring in the outer sleeve, for adjusting the concentration distribution of pulverised coal. This ensures stable combustion in stable flame even at low-load operation.

DESIGN CONCEPT FOR THE SUB-BITUMINOUS COAL FIRING DESIGN COAL PROPERTIES The range of design coal proper ties is shown in Table 5. The boiler is

designed to ensure both single coal firing and blended coal firing within this range. Table 6 shows the proper ties of the performance coal.

Figure 9 is the plot of the design coal in the ASTM coal rank char t.

The design coals are widely distributed within the bituminous coal and sub-bituminous coal range. The performance coal is defined as ‘subbituminous coal B’. We also confirmed that the ‘low rank’ side coals are distributed in almost the same range as IHI’s ‘experienced’ coals in the US projects.

IHI can then design the boiler to realise highly stable and reliable operation through firing these coals,

Unit

Max

Min

Gross Calorific Value

kcal/kg (a.r.)

5,700

4,375

Total Moisture

% (a.r.)

38

-

Ash

% (a.r.)

25

-

Total Sulfur

% (a.r.)

1.5

-

Volatile Matter

% (a.r.)

-

22

HGI

-

-

38

Ash Fusion Temp. (IDT)

Reducing, °C

-

1,000 Table 5: Properties of the design coal

Proximate Analysis

Figure 7: IHI-VS pulveriser

Ultimate Analysis

Gross Calorific Value Figure 8: IHI-WR burner

34

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

Unit

Value

Total Moisture

% (a.r.)

26.00

Inherent Moisture

% (a.d.b.)

14.50

Fixed Carbon

% (a.d.b.)

41.00

Volatile Matter

% (a.d.b.)

43.00

Ash

% (a.d.b.)

1.50

Carbon

% (a.r.)

53.65

Hydrogen

% (a.r.)

3.56

Nitrogen

% (a.r.)

0.65

Sulfur

% (a.r.)

0.07

Oxygen

% (a.r.)

14.76

Total Moisture

% (a.r.)

26.00

Ash

% (a.r.)

1.30

kcal/kg (a.r.)

5,000

Table 6: Properties of the performance coal

POWER GENERATION by comparison with the reference boilers in the US. In the next section, the design concept for sub-bituminous coal firing is explained.

DESIGN OF EQUIPMENT FOR FIRING SUBBITUMINOUS COAL Characteristics of sub-bituminous coal Generally speaking, sub-bituminous coals have the characteristics shown in Table 7. To prevent any problems caused by such characteristics of sub-bituminous coal, the boiler and auxiliaries have to be designed and operated properly.

Because of high volatility, the coal firing system has to be operated properly to eliminate coal accumulation inside of the pulveriser or other parts, to avoid it catching fire.

And, because of the characteristics of low calorific value and high moisture content, larger capacity pulveriser and regenerative gas air heater have to be designed, compared to the bituminous coal firing boiler.

Figure 9: Plot of the ASTM coal rank

Characteristics

Major Concern

Countermeasure

High Volatility

- Pulverizer explosion

- Proper operation sequence to eliminate coal accumulation such as clearing and purge operation at the time of Pulverizer trip

- Fire around coal firing system such as burner, pulverizer and coal bunkers

- Proper arrangement of protection system such as inert and detection system

Low Calorific Value

- Capacity of coal firing system

- Selection of adequate size pulverizer and regenerative gas air heater

High Moisture

- Capacity of hot air system to dry out coal

High Slagging Potential

- Severe slagging at furnace wall and heating element inside furnace

- Larger boiler furnace sizing - Lowering furnace exit gas temperature - Burner throat design to minimize the ash deposition - Optimum sootblower for furnace - Wider tube pitch of heating element

High Fouling Potential

- Severe fouling at heating element in heat recovery area

- Wider tube pitch of heating element - Optimum sootblower arrangement at the heat recovery area - Applying bare-type economizer

Table 7: Characteristics of sub-bituminous coal and required design/operation considerations

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

35

POWER GENERATION High slagging and fouling potential, resulting from the ash characteristics of sub-bituminous coal, is the biggest area of concern when designing the sub-bituminous coal firing boiler. Serious slagging and/ or fouling will cause reduced heat absorption in the furnace and the HRA portion of the boiler. The design consideration against high slagging/ fouling potential of sub-bituminous coal is also described in Table 7.

Design considerations to prevent high slagging/fouling We have to design the boiler to prevent severe slagging and fouling, and also have counter-measures to remove slagging and fouling. In the interest of preventing severe slagging and fouling, the furnace heat release rate and furnace exit gas temperature and heating tube arrangement are taken into consideration when comparing with the reference boilers firing sub-bituminous coals. For the removal of slagging and fouling ash, the installation of optimal soot blowers and their adequate arrangement must be carefully considered and designed.

The following shows the design of the JEP boiler, with our experi-

ence of sub-bituminous coal single firing boilers in the US (Table 8).

Furnace sizing (heat release ratio)

The furnace size is designed to obtain an appropriate furnace heat release rate. In general, the furnace for sub-bituminous coal single firing shall be designed 10%~15% larger than that for bituminous coal firing, to prevent slagging (Figure 10).

Based on the properties of the JEP design coal, the larger furnace size has been applied to realise a lower furnace heat release rate and it has been fed back from our experience in the

US projects, as shown in Figure 11.

Furnace sizing (furnace exit gas temperature)

Considering the lowest ash fusion temperature among the design coals, the furnace size and the arrangement of the secondary SH and the final SH at the upper par t of the furnace have been determined to realise a furnace exit gas temperature (FEGT, at the location of Figure 4), lower than the limit. The limit of FEGT has been set in consideration of the 20°C margin from the ash fusion temperature.

Figure 10: Coal type and furnace size

JEP

A Plant

B Plant

C Plant

Bituminous Coal Firing Boiler (Typical)

Coal Type

Sub-bituminous

Sub-bituminous

Sub-bituminous

Sub-bituminous

Bituminous

Furnace Sizing

Large

Large

Large

Large

Base

Type of Furnace Sootblower

Water Sootblower

Water Sootblower

Water Sootblower

Water Sootblower

Wall Deslagger

Type of Burner Throat

Less Castable Type

Normal Type

Normal Type

Normal Type

Normal Type

Tube Pitch (Panel Pitch)

Wide

Wide

Wide

Wide

Base

Number of Sootblower

42 sets (More than base)

More than base

More than base

More than base

Base

Economizer Tube

Bare Type

Bare Type

Bare Type

Bare Type

Finned Type

Economizer Sootblower

Applied

Applied

Applied

Applied

NOT applied

Table 8: Comparison of boiler design

36

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

POWER GENERATION Soot blower for furnace

The water soot blower has been incorporated in the JEP (based on the experience with the US boilers) whereas a steam wall deslagger is applied to lower the slagging potential. The cleaning area and the

timing of the water soot blower are controlled, based on the heat flux value monitored by the sensors on the furnace wall.

Less castable burner throat

The burner throat is one of the trigger points for ash deposition.

IHI has developed the less castable type burner throat, well bending the furnace wall tubes with a less castable arrangement. This type of burner throat has been fully applied to the JEP boiler (Figure 12).

Tube panel pitch of superheater and reheater

To prevent slag bridging between heating panels and ash accumulation onto the horizontal tubes at the heat recovery area, a wider tube pitch is designed (Table 9).

Soot blower arrangement

Figure 11: Furnace plan area / volume heat release rate

To remove the accumulated ash on the heating elements, an appropriate number of soot blowers arranged at proper locations is required. JEP has 42 sets of soot blowers (excluding economiser soot blowers) (Figure 13) and it is more than in the US projects. Two rows (double) of soot blowers are arranged at the primary reheater and primary superheater areas.

Figure 12: Comparison of burner throat

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

37

POWER GENERATION

Table 9: Comparison of tube pitch (panel pitch) (mm)

Economiser

The bare tube type economiser has been applied to the sub-bituminous coal firing boiler to prevent the ash piling and/or accumulation on it.

Economiser soot blowers are also arranged around the economiser.

PERFORMANCE OF THE PLANT PLANT EFFICIENCY By applying the USC steam condition, the plant heat rate has been drastically improved, compared with the sub-critical coal fired power plants which are commonly operated in Malaysia. The guaranteed net plant heat rate for JEP is improved more than 6% relative to the subcritical coal fired power plant in Malaysia (reference plant) as shown in Figure 14. This improvement corresponds to the reduction of more than 10 million tons of coal consumption for two units (considering 25 years operation) and approxi-

38

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

Figure 13: Arrangement of soot blowers

POWER GENERATION mately 700 million USD of fuel cost (based on 70 USD/t).

FLUE GAS EMISSION Flue gas emissions comply with the regulations of Malaysia, as shown in Table 10. The value of NOx can be achieved without a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. CO2 emission is approximately 0.84 t CO2/ MWh (at 100% load, performance coal). CO2 emission has been reduced and the plant net heat rate improved.

CONCLUSION

This ar ticle is an outline of the JEP Project and the features of IHI’s USC boiler. The design concept and the expected performance of the subbituminous coal single firing boiler plant have also been introduced.

The boiler plant is well-designed to achieve both the USC steam condition and stable operation, firing subbituminous coal.

The project is ongoing and the plant will star t commercial opera-

Figure 14: Net heat rate of the plant

tion in 2019. IHI is providing a stateof-the-ar t and highly reliable coal fired power plant. It will contribute to stable electrical power supply and further economic growth in Malaysia, and also address the global energy issue.

(This article is based on a paper authored by by Yuta Oka, Shinichi Takano and Kazuhiro Nagamine, IHI Corporation, Japan, and presented at POWER-GEN Asia 2015.

POWER-GEN Asia 2015, Renewable Energy World Asia 2015, and POWER-GEN Asia Financial Forum 2015 were held at the IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand, from 1 to 3 September 2015, as part of the ASEAN Power Week 2015.

POWER-GEN Asia is the region’s premier conference and exhibition for the power generation, transmission and distribution industries.

Renewable Energy World Asia is a leading conference and exhibition for the Asian renewable and alternative energy industry.

POWER-GEN Asia Financial Forum is a conference devoted to all aspects of financing of all types of power infrastructure in the ASEAN region.

ASEAN Power Week is organised

by PennWell Corporation).

Unit

Limitation of Emission Level

Total particles emission at ESP outlet

mg/Nm3

50

SO2 emission at stack outlet

mg/Nm3

500

NOx emission at stack outlet

mg/Nm3

500

CO emission at stack outlet

mg/Nm3

200

Mecury at stack outlet

mg/Nm3

0.03

ng TEQ/Nm3

0.1

HCI at stack outlet

mg/Nm3

100

HF at stack outlet

mg/Nm3

15

PCDD/ PCDF at stack outlet

Table 10: Flue gas emission (6% O2 dry, 0°C and 1 atm)

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

39

ROBOTICS

Undreamt of possibilities

by Arthur Pease, Executive Editor, Pictures of the Future, Siemens Siemens’ research laboratories are sprouting spiders that can work together, hands that move like those of humans, and arms that can, without programming, independently determine how to pick up a given object. What these projects have in common, and what we portend for the future, may well turn out to be the most fundamental change ever witnessed in industry - the birth of autonomous machines.

Unlike automated systems, which are characterised by the repetition of painstakingly pre-programmed sequences of motions, autonomous systems - be they industrial or service robots, cars or drones - are those that, according to Roland Siegwar t, Founding Co-Director of the Wyss-Zurich Translational Center and Professor for Autonomous Mobile Robots at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich, “have some freedom to make decisions based on their ability to sense and process information in a changing environment”.

Such environments will include tomorrow’s factories where, as most production exper ts foresee, humans and robots will work collaboratively on a wide variety of assignments, thus requiring robots to make decisions based on uncer tainties regarding what their human associates will do next and how to respond in the most productive way possible.

Although achieving this kind of seamless collaboration may take years, the first step in this direction is now being taken at Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) in Munich. There, researchers are testing a new technology that will make it possible for a robot to automatically generate its own detailed behaviour from a generalised task description.

“What we want to be able to do”, says Georg von Wicher t, who heads the Robotics, Autonomous Systems and Control Research Group at CT, “is to tell a robot what it is supposed to do, but not how to do it.

40

In shor t, we want it autonomously to decide what it needs to do to perform an assignment”.

Exper ts calculate that such a technology could save roughly 50% of the cost of setting up new robotic manufacturing cells.

Indeed, given the rapidly growing size of the robotics market, the economic significance of the advent of autonomous systems could be immense. In 2005, worldwide spending on robotic systems was US$11 billion. By 2025, it is expected to reach US$67 billion. The flexibility of autonomous machines is widely expected to reduce installation and energy costs, shor ten the time it takes to launch new products on the market, and thus lower costs in general as compared to previously used automation systems.

Mimicking human hands A key par t of most assignments for semi-autonomous robots will be the ability to grasp objects. In this connection, a team of CT researchers in Beijing has developed a pro-

A Siemens researcher tests a human-like robotic hand.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

totype data glove that can be used to capture the movements, gestures and pressure levels of human hands, and thus describe complex commands and the safe handling of a wide variety of objects to robots.

Based on a combination of sensory inputs, the gestures of such a glove - including the movements of individual fingers - have been fused and transferred to a ‘trainee’ robotic arm and hand, to perform specific tasks in real-time.

“As this technology evolves,” says Dr Yue Zhuo, who heads CT’s Beijing robotics lab, “machine learning will be used to train robots to recognise increasingly complex commands expressed by gestures, assign high level tasks, and teach robots new skills”.

Meanwhile, approaching robotic hands from a hardware point of view, another group of CT researchers has developed a technology that brings what until now have been called ‘grippers’ closer than ever before to achieving humanlike sensitivity and flexibility. Key to this is a new wire-based linear actuator system that has made it possible to develop a robotic hand that has four fingers, a wrist, and 20° of freedom, which collectively mimic all of the grasping motions of the human hand.

Retrieving books and building ships Tomorrow’s robots will come in all shapes and sizes, and their duties will be as different from one another as retrieving rarely ordered books from the outer reaches of lo-

ROBOTICS gistics warehouses to collaboratively building the hulls of ships using additive manufacturing. For instance, the spider-like bots now being developed at CT in Princeton, New Jersey, are essentially fully autonomous additive manufacturing devices with legs. Using onboard cameras and a laser scanner to interpret its immediate environment, each robot autonomously works out which par t of an area it can cover, while other robots use the same technique to cover adjacent areas, thus ensuring that no areas are missed Invisible robots Generally, when most of us think of autonomous systems, we tend to think of robots. But then again, what is a robot? As ETH Zurich’s Prof Siegwar t points out, “At some point we will be surrounded by robots but will not realise that that is what they are”.

Autonomous cars will be the ultimate example of this. But many other systems will qualify, including the machines that build our infrastructures, not to mention the buildings, campuses and cities that will autonomously optimise countless energy management, traffic, and securityrelated functions in real-time.

Limitless individuality Looking fur ther ahead, given the game-changing economic potential offered by autonomous systems, the appearance of our homes and cities may be transformed. The drab sameness that characterises everything from today’s furniture and vehicles to our homes and office buildings could give way to a world of limitless individuality.

“One of the big trends that autonomous systems will usher in”, says Siegwart, “and this links with 3D printing and flexible manufac-

Siemens’ spider-like bots are essentially fully autonomous additive manufacturing devices with legs.

turing, is the ability to economically introduce individuality to all sor ts of things. Today, that is just not done because robots have to be painstakingly reprogrammed for each and every task. But as robots become more flexible, we will be able to use them for a greater variety of tasks”.

All of this is, of course, not to say that automation will become so powerful that people will be driven off construction sites and out of factories any time soon. As Siemens’ electronics factory in Amberg, Germany, illustrates, steady modernisation has not resulted in any workforce reductions - even as the plant’s production volume has increased eight-fold and its error rate has remained at record low levels. Instead, what exper ts foresee is the evolution of environments in which humans and robots will work ever more closely together.

But the ultimate game-changer will be intelligence and the ability of machines to learn from experience. Human beings can intuitively solve many complex problems that have a seemingly endless number of possible solutions. If such problemsolving techniques could be turned into algorithms - as scientists from Siemens and the University of Klagenfur t in Austria are now attempting to do, ar tificial intelligence would rise to a new level and open up undreamt of possibilities.

Two-armed robots will be capable of much more complex assignments than their one-armed counterparts. Researchers at Siemens are working closely with an associated team at the Technical University of Munich to explore what is expected to be one of the biggest future trends in manufacturing - human-robot collaboration.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

IChemE offers free safety resources to mark Seveso 40 The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Seveso disaster by offering free safety resources to members and non-members. The industrial accident occurred in northern Italy on 10 July 1976. Significant changes to the regulation of sites presenting major accident hazards in Europe were initiated as a result.

Process safety is a major par t of the study and practice of Chemical Engineering. To encourage knowledge transfer and the sharing of good practice, IChemE has made several resources freely available.

These include a download of the second Trevor Kletz lecture.

The lecture was delivered by the Honourable Mr Justice HaddonCave at Hazards 26, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 24 to 26 May 2016. Staged annually by IChemE, in association with the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Centre, Hazards is Europe’s leading process safety conference.

The lecture examined ‘Lessons from the Nimrod Review’. The RAF Nimrod crash in 2006 caused the biggest loss of life of British service personnel in one incident, since the Falklands War. Mr Justice HaddonCave, a British High Cour t Judge, led the inquiry that folllowed. In his talk, he described the technical and human errors that occurred in the lead-up to the crash, and their relevance to the process industries.

The lecture was described as ‘outstanding’ by conference delegates.

Other free resources on offer include safety guidance from the IChemE Safety Centre (ISC). Two publications are available - 'Process Safety Competency - A Model' and 'Lead Process Safety Metrics - selecting, tracking and learning'.

Both documents were written

by ISC member companies, including ExxonMobil. Rio Tinto, Shell and Worley Parsons.

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The competency guidance provides fur ther detail to established work in the area, defining different levels of competency for different roles within an organisation. The metrics guidance focuses on the operational phase of an organisation, helping to develop consistency in process safety metrics to allow for effective bench-marking.

IChemE is also promoting the Remembering Bhopal edition of its Loss Prevention Bulletin (LPB), first published in 2014, to commemorate 30 years since the Bhopal gas tragedy.

The issue is provided in advance of LPB’s next free anniversary edition, due for publication in October.

The 2016 anniversary issue will reflect on the 100 years since the Faversham explosion (UK), 50 years

since the Feyzin disaster (France), 40 years since Seveso (Italy), and 30 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (Ukraine) and the Sandoz spill (Switzerland). These incidents all had an impact on process safety thinking and the free publication will reflect on lessons learnt and what is still to be done in the process safety space.

The Trevor Kletz lecture, delivered by the Honorable Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, can be obtained from: www.icheme.org/haddoncave.

The Remembering Bhopal edition of the LPB can be accessed by visiting: www.icheme.org/lpb Free process safety guidance from IChemE’s Safety Centre can be obtained from the website: www.ichemesafetycentre.org

Tackling memory distortion to improve process safety Hindsight bias, when the outcome of an incident is known before examining the decisions leading up to it, is a common phenomenon that is preventing engineers from learning valuable lessons about process safety.

A new training offer, launched by the IChemE Safety Centre (ISC), has been designed to tackle the problem of hindsight bias. Using interactive video footage, the trainee is presented with various decisions as a process safety incident unfolds, without prior knowledge of the outcome.

Traditional process safety training typically involves the study of an incident, such as Fukushima or Buncefield, and then works backwards to see where mistakes were made. This makes it easy to make assumptions on the decisions leading up to an event and causes hindsight bias, which also

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

prevents learning. IChemE’s new training format will provide users with a rare opportunity to make crucial safety decisions in a realtime setting, and see how those decisions impact on the outcome of the incident.

ISC launched three case studies at Hazards 26 - Coal Mine, Gas Plant and Tank Farm.The Coal Mine case study focuses on simulating design, construction and commissioning decisions, while the others replicate operational decision-making scenarios which would typically occur while on shift at these facilities. The case studies include a detailed explanation of how these facilities work, so no pre-knowledge is necessary.

Those interested in finding out more about the case studies and how to purchase them, may visit: www.ichemesafetycentre.org/isccase-studies.

EVENTS

BEX Asia 2016 and concurrent events to be held from 7 to 9 September 2016 Build Eco Xpo Asia 2016 (BEX Asia 2016), the ninth edition of Southeast Asia's premier business event for the green building and construction industry, will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 7 to 9 September 2016.

Aimed at inspiring green building leaders around the region, BEX Asia 2016 will be held alongside Mostra Convegno Expocomfort Asia 2016 (MCE Asia 2016), the second edition of the trade exhibition dedicated to energy-efficient solutions in HVAC-R, plumbing technology, sanitary accessories, and renewable energy.

Organised by Reed Exhibitions, the two exhibitions will feature more than 450 exhibiting companies and could attract over 12,000 trade visitors. More than 300 business meetings are also expected to take place.

Along with the International Green Building Conference 2016 (IGBC 2016) organised by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA), BEX Asia 2016 and MCE Asia 2016 will be held during Singapore Green Building Week 2016 (SGBW 2016).

BEX Asia 2016 Exhibitors at BEX Asia 2016 will display products and solutions that will take the industry beyond the existing levels of sustainability. Further, the exhibition will feature dedicated pavilions from China, Taiwan and Singapore.

Speakers at the BEX Asia 2016 seminar will address a range of topics relating to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, including materials necessary for green architecture, smar t communities and energy-efficiency.

To complement these discussions, the organisers have also enhanced the business matching programme.

Visitors can expect one-to-one busi44

ness matching, as well as key networking with regional delegations from several countries.

MCE Asia 2016 MCE Asia 2016 is targeted at specialised building professionals within the residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and hospitality sectors.

Visitors to MCE Asia 2016 can view a range of product offerings from several countries including Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea.

The diverse mix of international and regional exhibitors will showcase

various advanced technologies and solutions around four main themes - Cooling, Water, Renewable Energy and Heating.

Also, a rich line-up of industry experts will be sharing their insights and findings on a range of topics pertinent to the advancement of industry practices and new technologies at Mostra Xchange. Visitors can attend seminars on harnessing data to increase efficiency in buildings, green-financing solar models and the impor tance of circadian lighting in maintaining an individual’s health and well-being.

Asia Power Week 2016 announces preliminary conference programme PennWell Corporation, organisers of Asia Power Week 2016, has released the preliminary conference programme for the energy industry gathering taking place in Seoul, South Korea, from 20 to 22 September 2016.

The conference will address the theme ‘Exchanging Knowledge - Generating Solutions’. Invited speakers for the Asia Power Week 2016 Opening Keynote on 20 September 2016 include highlevel representatives from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), South Korea and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), South Korea as well as Younghoon David Kim, Co-chair, World Energy Council (WEC), South Korea.

Other speakers include Heung-Gweon Park, Executive Vice President & CEO, Turbine/ Generator Business Group, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd, South Korea; Willi Meixner, CEO, Power and Gas Division, Siemens AG, Germany; and Steve Bolze, President

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

and CEO, GE Power, USA. Asia Power Week 2016, comprising POWER-GEN Asia 2016, Renewable Energy World Asia 2016 and the POWER-GEN Asia Financial Forum 2016 will feature the presentations of more than 150 international experts, across seven conference tracks. The speakers will present and discuss important topics in the power generation industry, focusing on strategic and technical power issues and challenges.

Asia Power Week 2016 includes an exhibition where over 250 international organisations will showcase their latest products, services, technologies and innovations.

The event, which will also provide multiple networking, learning and business opportunities, is expected to attract more than 8,000 attendees from over 85 countries across the world.

Further information on the conference programme can be found in the Asia Power Week 2016 Preliminary Event Guide, available at www.asiapowerweek.com.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Infor EAM to help BBP to implement energy efficiency services Homegrown energy efficiency technology company Barghest Building Performance Pte Ltd (BBP) recently announced that it has implemented an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solution developed by Infor, that will be deployed across its Singapore and Malaysia businesses to fur ther optimise its services relating to building systems and equipment.

Infor’s solution enables BBP to provide clients with a centralised heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) control system that gathers data and in real-time calculates and controls equipment to deliver cooling, at maximum output and minimum energy cost.

BBP works with several clients in

Singapore to reduce energy usage and achieve the Building and Construction Authoriy’s Green Mark certification for their buildings. A significant portion of building operation costs can be attributed to the inefficient operation of HVAC systems. BBP adds a layer of intelligence over existing HVAC systems at no upfront cost, and is paid a portion of the dollar savings achieved by clients.

“Our business model of shared savings requires the ability to tag, track, maintain and troubleshoot equipment installed across a number of clients, which is why finding the right EAM partner is critical to our business”, said Mr Poyan Rajamand, CEO of BBP.

Available in industry-specific editions, Infor EAM is a configurable enterprise-grade asset management solution, improving capital asset management in ways that increase reliability, enhance predictive maintenance, ensure regulatory compliance, reduce energy usage, and suppor t sustainability initiatives.

"With Infor EAM, Barghest Building Performance is providing even greater suppor t to their clients, enabling them to meet their asset management and energy-use objectives, which in turn helps in achieving an enhanced ROI and a long-term competitive edge”, said Ms Helen Masters, Vice President, Infor ASEAN.

IPEx facilitates partnership for smart LED street lighting projects IPEx Cleantech Asia (IPEx) has facilitated a partnership between Surbana Jurong Private Limited of Singapore (Surbana) and Ostan Group (Ostan), an Italy-based provider of smart LED lighting solutions, to implement smart LED street lighting projects in Singapore and other countries globally.

Surbana and Ostan signed an MoU recently in Singapore under which both the companies agreed to collaborate on projects via consor tium and other business models. The MoU was signed at a meeting attended by Dr Ivan Ostan, President, Ostan Group; Mr David Lim, VP, Par tner Alliance, Surbana Jurong; and Mr Deepak Wadhwa, Business Development Director, IPEx Cleantech Asia.

Under the MoU, Ostan will be responsible for the technical solution (hardware and software for smart LED street lighting projects),

From left, Dr Ivan Ostan, President, Ostan Group; Mr Deepak Wadhwa, Business Development Director, IPEx Cleantech Asia; and Mr David Lim, VP, Partner Alliance, Surbana Jurong.

while Surbana’s responsibility will include providing local assistance in execution of the projects as well the subsequent operational and maintenance (O&M) services in partnership with Ostan.The partnership will be valid for one year and may be extended by mutual consent.

This is an important milestone both for Surbana and Ostan in

their steadily growing business relationship, with IPEx playing a key advisor’s role. Ostan’s smart LED lighting solution will complement and form part of Surbana Jurong’s Smart City in a Box solutions platform, covering Efficiency, Sustainability, Security and Community.

IPEx had earlier helped the Ostan Group secure pilot projects for demonstration of its smart lighting solution in Indonesia and India.

IPEx Cleantech Asia Established in 2014, in Singapore, IPEx provides services to accelerate the deployment of commercialised clean technologies in emerging Asian countries. It is an Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported consortium between ReEx Capital Asia, a Singapore-based clean energy investment bank, and the Clean Technology Centre of DNV GL, a global provider of testing, inspection, and verification services.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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INDUSTRY NEWS

BCA introduces measures to tighten lift maintenance and enhance lift safety The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has introduced a series of measures to enhance lift reliability and safety, starting with the tightening of the maintenance regime which took effect from July 2016.

There are a total of about 59,000 passenger lifts in Singapore. Lifts, like most mechanical devices, require regular and proper maintenance to ensure safety and reliability of use.

The current regulatory regime requires passenger lifts to be maintained at least once a month, and to be subjected to an examination, inspection and testing, once a year.

All passenger lifts for public use are required to be maintained at least once a month under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management (Lift and Building Maintenance) Regulations. Lift owners are required to engage a lift contractor who is registered with BCA to maintain and test their lifts in accordance with the Singapore Standard 550 (SS 550).

BCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regular audit checks indicate that most lifts in Singapore are in good condition and safe to operate.

However, BCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investigations into recent lift incidents revealed that the overall standard of maintenance by lift contractors can be fur ther improved. There are currently about 100 BCA-registered lift contractors.

It is critical to uphold high standards of maintenance as the lifts get older and are subjected to more wear and tear, over time.

The measures to enhance lift reliability and safety will include a tighter maintenance regime with stricter enforcement by BCA and a more robust Permit-to-Operate System.

Tighter outcome-based maintenance Specific maintenance standards tied to key outcomes will be imposed on top of the current regulatory regime for maintenance of lifts. For example, having brakes that are well maintained will help to minimise the risks of incidents like uncontrolled movements of the lift cars. Lift owners and lift contractors have to ensure that the maintenance carried out on the lifts is done thoroughly and achieves these specified outcomes.

Current Requirements for Maintenance under Singapore Standard 550 (SS550)

Lift equipment including settings and adjustments should be inspected and should function properly

Strict enforcement BCA will carry out audit checks on lifts to ensure that lift contractors achieve the maintenance outcomes.

Penalties will be imposed on lift contractors for any non-compliance detected. This will ensure that lift contractors exercise greater vigilance and care when carrying out lift maintenance, to ensure that lift reliability and safety are not compromised.

Introduction of a Permit-toOperate System Currently, all lift owners are required to engage an Authorised Examiner (AE) to conduct a full commissioning inspection and tests to ensure compliance with the Singapore Standard 550 (SS 550).

SS 550 is the Code of Practice for Installation, Operation and Maintenance of electric passenger and goods lifts, and contains the general scope of works for lift maintenance and the typical items of the lift equipment to be maintained. As every lift make and model is different, those responsible for lift maintenance should adhere to the list of

New Requirements on Outcome-based Maintenance Lift car doors and lift landing doors must be operational at all times and reopen upon activation of door protective devices Emergency power supply for lift car lighting and ventilation fan must remain functioning when normal power supply to lift car is disrupted

Brakes or lift parts should not contain any oil or grease contamination Lift equipment must be lubricated and cleaned Sufficient oil in buffer - in accordance with manufacturer's recommendation, as indicated by oil level gauge Some examples of specified outcomes

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THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER July 2016

INDUSTRY NEWS components and items, as recommended by the lift manufacturer.

A Cer tificate of Lift Maintenance and Testing will be issued by the AE to the lift owners and it is valid for a period of one year. BCA will replace this scheme with a new Permit to Operate (PTO) system.

Under the PTO system, in addition to the current checks and cer tifications done by AEs, every lift will require a permit to be issued by BCA before it can be operated. Audit checks will be carried out by BCA. The permit has to be renewed an-

nually, with cer tification done by an independent AE. This measure will strengthen oversight of lifts.

BCA will also require owners to display the permit in the lift, indicating the Lift Contractor responsible for maintenance and the name of the Authorised Examiner who inspected and cer tified the lift. This specific measure will be introduced in the second half of 2017.

Building up capabilities To suppor t the enhancements to the regulatory regime, BCA will also

look into building up industry capability throughout the entire supply chain from lift technicians who are involved in maintenance, to Professional Engineers who test and commission lifts. This will ensure that the lift industry has the necessary capacity and resources to meet the new regulatory requirements and carry out its duties competently and effectively. More details of the new measures, including training programmes and the building up of qualified lift personnel, will be announced when they are ready.

Stronger drive to green buildings in Singapore To spur building owners on their green journey, BCA has announced initiatives including an enhancement to the Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Building Premises (GMIS-EPB), an extension of the Building Retrofit Energy Efficiency Financing (BREEF) scheme and the new SGBC-BCA Zero Capital Par tnership Scheme.

Sustainability standard for existing buildings With the national target to green at least 80% of Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s building stock by 2030, a phased approach was adopted to require existing buildings to meet the minimum sustainability standard when they are retrofitted. The initial phase took effect from January 2014, targeting commercial buildings with a Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 15,000 m2 or more. The next phase, which will take effect in early 2017, requires medium-sized buildings, with GFA greater than 5,000 m2, to meet minimum standards equivalent to the BCA Green Mark Certified level when they undergo retrofitting to install or replace the cooling systems within their buildings.

Enhancement to GMIS-EBP The S$50 million Green Mark In-

centive Scheme for Existing Buildings and Premises (GMIS-EBP), which was introduced in September 2014, will be enhanced to provide stronger suppor t for building owners and tenants to jointly under take energy improvement works within their buildings. Building owners with at least 10% of tenants that are Small & Medium Enterprises will be eligible to tap on the scheme which provides a cash incentive amounting to up to 50% of the cost incurred solely for the purchase and installation of energy-efficient equipment within the building.

Besides relieving the high capital cost of replacing the air-conditioning system, the scheme will also cover the cost of building optimisation to help improve energy efficiency. This scheme is also applicable to office and retail buildings in business parks, as well as to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and religious organisations. The new enhancement to the GMIS-EBP (Building Owner) will apply to applications received on or after 30 June 2016.

Extension of the BREEF scheme Another scheme that helps build-

ing owners secure upfront capital to enhance their buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy efficiency is the Building Retrofit Energy Efficiency Financing (BREEF) scheme which was introduced in 2011. Under the scheme, BCA par tners selected Financial Institution (FIs) in Singapore to facilitate loans to building owners, with BCA sharing the risk of any loan default with the par ticipating FIs. The scheme has been extended by two more years, till end-March 2018.

New SGBC-BCA Zero Capital Partnership Scheme A new initiative that BCA is rolling out in par tnership with the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC), is the SGBC-BCA Zero Capital Par tnership Scheme (ZCPS), aimed at helping building owners carry out building retrofits.

Building owners who require capital and technical assistance in building retrofits can now find suppor t from Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) firms accredited by SGBC. These EPC firms will conduct energy audits and propose the necessary retrofits as well as provide financing, and/or facilitate the application for suitable financing and incentive schemes for building owners.

July 2016 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Singaporean to head World Green Building Council The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has announced the appointment of Mr Tai Lee Siang of Singapore as its new Chairman. Mr Tai is the first Asian Chairman to helm this international body, since its founding in 2002.

Mr Tai is currently Mr Tai Lee Siang Honorary Advisor to the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC), having been its President from 2009 to 2011. He is also a Past President of the Singapore Institute of Architects.

Transforming cities As the first Asian Chairman of WorldGBC, Mr Tai has ambitious plans for WorldGBC, to transform Asian cities.

He said, “Asia presents a unique case in sustainability; being home to almost two-thirds of the world’s population on one-third of the world’s land mass. This makes it one of the most densely populated regions. Coupled with the rapid urbanisation, our pressing need for sustainable buildings and cities has naturally spawned many green solutions. Together with the Asia Pacific Network GBCs, I hope to fur ther advance the transformation

WorldGBC Board The following Directors have been appointed to the WorldGBC Board: • Tai Lee Siang, Singapore GBC (Chair) • Cristina Gamboa, Colombia GBC (Vice Chair) • Peter Templeton, USGBC • Sunderesan Raghupathy, India GBC • Tanya Cox, Australia GBC • Christine LeMaitre, German GBC • Bruno Sauer, GBC Espana The new Directors will join the following existing Board Members: • Bruce Kerswill, GBCSA • Mohammad Asfour, Jordan GBC • Saeed Al Abbar, Emirates GBC • John Alker, UK-GBC • Lisa Bate, Canada GBC • Sebastian Danino Beck, Peru GBC • Rudolf Pienaar, GBCSA • Bengt Wånggren, Sweden GBC

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of Asian cities towards more sustainable and liveable models which can be replicated in other global cities”.

Growing membership One of Mr Tai’s key missions for WorldGBC is to grow its membership and its corporate network. He also intends to lend more suppor t to existing Green Building Councils (GBCs) in individual countries to empower them and increase their influence. At the same time, he will encourage the formation of new GBCs in countries, to strengthen sustainability effor ts in those regions.

Expanding outreach In addition to focusing on the building industry, Mr Tai intends to adopt a more holistic approach to encompass all levels of sustainability in cities and urban lifestyles.

He said, “As part of my manifesto for the WorldGBC, we should develop stronger channels to give voice and platforms to individuals and organisations and to honour and encourage all those who contribute towards our mission. We also want to expand and intensify our outreach programme to grow ‘Green Champions’. Our outreach should not only be focused on our members, but should also include all par ties that our GBCs do business with. Therefore, I would urge the WorldGBC to pay attention to the needs of cities, governments and end-users".

“The WorldGBC must be engaged at the highest level of governance. We can only do our job better if the end-users understand the benefits of green buildings.

Therefore, our projects must deliver outcomes that matter to our eventual customers through effective communication, publicity and education”, Mr Tai added.

World Green Building Council Formed in 2002, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is a network of national green building councils in more than 100 countries.

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