Generation assets in competitive markets must perform at a high level year in and year out to meet their contractual obligations. Failure to embrace a philosophy of “continual improvement” in plant operations means it’s only a matter of time before the competition will eat your lunch. The focal point of continual-improvement efforts typically is the […]
Keep your plant competitive: Obsolete legacy systems Read More »
Paul Tucker called CCJ’s editorial offices a few weeks back with a generator experience to share with users. Say Whaaat? Tucker is well known to engineers and technicians at power and process plants for his ability to identify the root causes of turbine problems. There isn’t much he hasn’t experienced in his 50 or so
Sometimes it takes a good turbine mechanic to solve a generator problem Read More »
You don’t hear much at industry meetings these days about physical security of power generation and delivery infrastructure and personnel. Cybersecurity topics get most of the attention. But that doesn’t mean work on physical security solutions has stopped. Certainly not. One recent development concerns transformer protection. Six years ago (Apr 16, 2013), you may recall,
Transformer armor helps ensure high availability Read More »
There are numerous instrumentation systems used in attempts to assess the condition of powerplant electrical equipment. The library of papers about them is vast. But papers discussing detection of failing electrical connections inside generators or bus systems are limited in number, Consultants Clyde V Maughan and James E Timperley told the editors. The focus of
Simple EMI test detects failing electrical connections, promotes high plant availability Read More »
New rules on waste-water discharges dictate conversion of Exira Station to ZLD Stricter limits on waste-water discharges imposed as part of the NPDES permit renewal process made it impossible for Exira Station to consistently comply with the new rules as the facility was originally designed and operated. Challenges faced by the owner, Western Minnesota Municipal
2019 Aeroderivative GT Best Practices: Water Management Read More »
Low-cost thermal imaging camera assists Orange Cogen’s operators during rounds Orange Cogeneration, a 2 × 1 LM6000-powered combined cycle owned by Northern Star Generation and operated by Consolidated Asset Management Services LLC (CAMS), exports power to the local utility and sells steam from its condensing/extraction steam turbine to an orange-juice plant and an ethanol plant
2019 Aeroderivative GT Best Practices: O&M Read More »
How Kearny personnel leak-check an operating engine without entering the package Personnel at PSEG Fossil’s Kearny Generating Station, a 10-unit peaking facility in central New Jersey managed by Peter Van Den Houten, strive to continually improve work practices to ensure the safety of plant and contractor personnel. One recent example: An innovative application for GoPro
2019 Aeroderivative GT Best Practices: Safety Read More »
EVM I’s washable pre-filter reduces cost of gas-turbine operation Dust clouds overwhelmed the inlet filters during the dry season at this LM6000PF-powered 3 × 0 peaking site in an agricultural area near Mexico City. Compounding the challenge at Energia del Valle de Mexico (EVM I) was dust from the construction of a new combined-cycle plant
2019 Aeroderivative GT Best Practices: Performance Improvements Read More »
Edgewood Energy uses multiple service providers to reduce the cost of engine repairs The standard approach for handling major gas-turbine repairs is to solicit bids from multiple vendors and select the one offering best value. NAES Corp Area Manager Kenneth Ford and O&M Manager John Lawton wanted to improve upon this process for an upcoming
2019 Aeroderivative GT Best Practices: Outage Management Read More »
The Western Turbine Users and CCJ are working together to expand the sharing of best practices and lessons learned among owner/operators of GE aero engines. WTUI VP Ed Jackson, plant manager of Missouri River Energy Services’ Exira Generating Station in Brayton, Iowa, says the organization’s mission is to help members better operate and maintain their
Best practices shared by aero users benefit frame owner/operators as well Read More »
