Case Study: Talin Power Plant, Taiwan

Summary

The Talin Power Plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is a 1,250-megawatt ultra-supercritical thermal power plant operating on fuel oil and natural gas. Running at pressures of 4,640 psi and temperatures exceeding 1,100°C, it is one of the most advanced power generation facilities in the region — producing generating efficiency of up to 43.3%.

KSM Phoenix was tasked with designing and fabricating four industrial noise silencers for the plant's expansion — completed in partnership with engineers from Australia and Japan, with tight deadlines and zero margin for error.

The Challenge

Operating equipment at this scale — fans, pumps, and compressors running at ultra-high pressures and temperatures — generates extreme noise levels. Without effective control measures, this noise posed irreversible health risks to plant workers and noise pollution to the surrounding environment.

The silencers required were large-format: 7,000mm × 5,000mm × 4,000mm (excluding flanges). Fabricating four units to manufacturing tolerances of 2mm, ensuring flanges remained perfectly straight, and shipping them internationally within one and a half months was an extraordinary logistical and engineering challenge.

The Strategy

Our in-house software enabled rapid, accurate noise calculations that were demonstrated and approved by the Japanese client engineer before fabrication commenced.

Our experienced welders controlled welding speed precisely to minimise material deformation. Every flange was clamped straight during cooling. Any flange found out of tolerance was immediately re-processed. A dye penetration test was conducted on all welded parts, with simultaneous third-party MPI testing and a final joint inspection by SGS on behalf of the Japanese client.

Due to the size of the silencers, we shipped them disassembled across 7 containers — two units per shipment — with every individual component meticulously labelled for accurate site re-assembly by workers with no prior product knowledge.

The Results

All four noise silencers fulfilled the critical requirements and were delivered on time — despite the extremely short lead time. Noise levels at the plant were effectively reduced to safe and acceptable levels. The Japanese client's team of four auditors, who had pre-audited our fabrication facility before work commenced, were present in person every fortnight to witness progress — a testament to the confidence we had earned through our standards and transparency.

References

1. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/great-tunnels-2016/index.html

2. https://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/smart/