The COMBINED CYCLE Journal and the steering committees of the industry’s leading gas-turbine users groups—including 7F, 501F, 501G, 7EA, 7/9HA, Western Turbine, Frame 6B, 501G, 501D5-D5A, AOG, and V—collaborate to expand the sharing of best practices and lessons learned among owner/operators of large frame and aeroderivative gas turbines.

Thirty-five plants listed below participated in the 2022 Best Practices Awards program with eight selected by industry experts for Best of the Best honors. Details of the Best Practices submitted will be published in future issues.

CCJ launched the industry-wide Best Practices Awards program in late 2004. Its primary objective, says General Manager Scott Schwieger, is recognition of the valuable contributions made by plant and central-office personnel to improve the safety and performance of generating facilities powered by gas turbines.

Industry focus today on safety, outage management, and performance improvement—including starting reliability, fast starting, thermal performance, emissions reduction, and forced-outage reduction—is reflected in the lineup of proven solutions submitted this year.

2022 Best of the Best GT-based Plants

CPV Towantic Energy Center

Owned by Competitive Power Ventures
Operated by NAES Corp

Significant implementation of insurance recommendations reduces facility risk and annual cost of insurance premium increases
Cost-effective solutions to achieve SPCC certification, minimize spill risk and increase site safety
Custom weather protection for collector house assembly eliminates nuisance trips and moisture damage
Remaining ZLD without the initial infrastructure

C.T. Genelba

Pampa Energía S.A.

Predictive maintenance on SGT5-2000E gas turbine combustion chambers

Empire Generating Co LLC

Owned by Empire Acquisitions LLC
Operated by NAES Corp

Fall protection system continuous improvement project

Fairview Energy Center

Owned by Competitive Power Ventures
Operated by NAES Corp

Selection and optimization of remote monitoring and diagnostics
Enhanced DCS monitoring screens designed to improve starting reliability
Installation of redundant ammonia injection equipment reduces the probability of NOx exceedance

McIntosh Power Plant

Lakeland Electric

HRSG modifications to increase back pressure capability increase MW output
Mitigation efforts to protect 501G combustion turbine rotor through bolts
On-line monitoring and non-destructive testing to monitor the condition of steam turbine blades

St. Charles Energy Center

Owned by Competitive Power Ventures
Operated by Consolidated Asset Management Services

Improving safety and reliability with active wireless high energy piping monitoring

2022 Best Practices GT-based Plants

Amman Levant Power Plant

AES Jordan PSC

- - LFO day tank overflow shutoff valve improvements

Anson and Hamlet Generation Plants

North Carolina Electric Membership

Repair of PWPS FT8-3 dual-fuel nozzles

Athens Generating Plant

Owned by Kelson Energy
Operated by NAES Corp

- - Plant safety improvements
  - Water treatment enhancements

BASF Geismar

BASF Corp

Increased equipment protection using duct burner firing overrides

Central Eléctrica Pesquería

Techgen

Collector brush enhancement upgrade
Improved generator grounding brush system
UF 1500 module valve actuator upgrade
Dewatering pumps retrofit project
Redundant heat exchanger improves ZLD system operations

CPV Valley Energy Center

Owned by Competitive Power Ventures and Diamond Generating Corp
Managed by Competitive Power Ventures
Operated by DGC Operations LLC

Implementation of mobile electronic logging for operations, maintenance, and compliance
Employee-driven lighting enhancements for improved visibility at an indoor plant
Reduced outage time by implementation of steam turbine fast cooldown logic and procedures
Severe winter weather operations

Energía del Valle de México I

Owned by EVM Energia del Valle de Mexico Generador SAPI de CV
Operated by NAES Corp

- - Implementation of system to optimize gas chromatographs reduces consumables and maintenance costs

Essential Power Newington LLC

Owned by Essential Power LLC
Operated by Cogentrix Energy Power Management

Electronic contractor safety orientation program
Auxiliary boiler online instrumentation
Cooling tower chemical injection automation
Overhead door warning lights

Griffith Energy

Owned by Griffith Energy LLC
Operated by Consolidated Asset Management Services

Control-valve trim retrofit project yields significant savings

Kings Mountain Energy Center

Owned by Carolina Power Partners LLC
Managed by CAMS
Operated by NAES Corp

Steam turbine EHC fluid conditioning system
Remote user cybersecurity

Kleen Energy Systems, LLC

Owned by EIF Kleen, LLC
Operated by NAES Corp

Generator breaker moisture intrusion mitigation project

Lawrence County Generating Station

Owned by Hoosier Energy and Wabash Valley Power Assn
Operated by NAES Corp

- - Operator rounds software streamlines site O&M

Liberty Electric

Vistra Corp

Easy SDS file access enhances operator and contractor safety

Magnolia Power Project

Owned by Southern California Public Power Authority
Operated by Burbank Water and Power

Remaining agile in a changing generation landscape

Mid-Georgia Cogen

Owned by Rockland Capital
Operated by IHI Power Services

Combustion turbine fuel gas DP transmitter failure logic
Combustion turbine evaporative cooler supply water modification

Milford Power LLC

Owned by Starwood Energy Group and JERA Co
Operated by NAES Corp

- - Repurposing unused plant equipment for new service

MPC Generating

Owned by Mackinaw Power
Operated by Cogentrix Energy Power Management

Hydrogen cooling system upgrade

Pleasant Valley Station

Great River Energy

- - Fuel oil unloading piping modifications for faster offloading, extended fuel oil run times and increased resiliency during extreme cold weather events

River Road Generating Plant

Owned by Clark Public Utilities
Operated by General Electric

- - Hazard hunt program
  - Benefits of keeping a spare set of gas turbine inlet filters
  - Remote electronics for hotwell level transmitters
  - Ammonia piping upgrade project
  - MOV additions to manual steam valves

Rolling Hills Generating LLC

Owned by Eastern Generation LLC
Operated by Consolidated Asset Management Services

- - Excitation transformer termination cabinet humidity monitoring

Rumford Power LLC

Cogentrix Energy Power Management

- - Providing value through energy efficiencies
  - Hot-start efficiencies providing value

Salem Harbor Station

Owned by Footprint Power Salem Harbor Development, LP
Operated by NAES Corp

- - Winter readiness testing upgrades

Saudi Aramco Power Generation Sites

Saudi Aramco

Benchmarking a large gas turbine fleet to streamline O&M

Sentinel Energy Center

Diamond Generating Corp

Energy control and LOTO

State Line Power Station

Owned by Liberty Utilities and Evergy
Operated by Liberty Utilities

Second life for RO water

Walton County Power