501 F&G Users Group

USEA 17th State of the Energy Industry Forum With a somber undertone from the recent death of its long-time leader, Barry Worthington, the United States Energy Association (USEA) held its 17th State of the Energy Industry meeting virtually on Jan 28, 2021, less than a week after President Biden was inaugurated. Executives from 22 separate […]

The 501F Users group is well known for its collaborative brand of user roundtable discussions and robust forum. What follows are recaps of user presentations from their 2020 meeting. More details on these and access to both the 2020 and 2021 conference presentations and resources are available at the 501F Users Group website and forum.

Shepard Energy Centre Owned by Enmax and Capital Power Operated by NAES Corp 860-MW, gas-fired, 2 × 1 combined cycle powered by M501G1 gas turbines and located in Calgary, Alta, Canada Plant manager: Terence Dumonceau Challenge. To protect against ice formation on inlet guide vanes (IGVs) and Row 1 compressor blades during cold-weather operation, the plant

Middletown Energy Center Owned by NTE LLC  Operated by NAES Corp  475-MW, gas-fired, 1 × 1 M501GAC-powered combined cycle located in Middletown, Ohio Plant manager: Dino Padilha   Challenge. Middletown Energy Center faced no operational challenges during its first six months in the PJM market, achieving high reliability during that period. However, it faced freeze-protection

New Harquahala Generating Co Owned by Talen Energy  Operated by NAES Corp  1080-MW, gas-fired, three-unit, 1 × 1 combined cycle located in Tonopah, Ariz Plant manager: Jeff Brady Challenge. The confined spaces at New Harquahala Generating Station were identified and numbered a few years ago. It appeared that during the initial project, the numbering and identification

Correcting ammonia permissive reduces emissions on startup Challenge. Several years ago, Athens Generating received a new air permit that placed strict limits on stack emissions during startups. The plant faced significant challenges maintaining the prescribed NOx limits for cold and warm starts. Control logic at the plant dictated that the control valve for the SCR

The 501F Users Group returns to in-person conferencing in 2022 with a year of experience in the virtual meeting world under its belt. The organization’s 22nd annual conference convenes in New Orleans at the Hyatt Regency on Sunday, February 20, and runs through noon on the 24th (Thursday). Sunday is reserved for socializing. There’s a

New purge procedure allows faster start of gas-line maintenance Challenge. CPV Valley Energy Center’s procedure for depressurization and purge of its fuel-gas system for inspection and maintenance required multiple movements of equipment (nitrogen trailers and hook-ups). Plant’s goal was having a procedure that didn’t require the movement of equipment and one conducive to faster purging.

Electronic log enables tighter control of boiler chemistry Challenge. The need for proper control of boiler chemistry is well known. An important part of any operator’s shift involves monitoring of boiler chemistry parameters and taking action to ensure they are maintained within posted specifications. The actions in real time help assure long-term integrity of boiler

Permanent monitoring system cuts time, cost of vibration analysis Background. Klamath Energy’s mechanical-draft counterflow cooling tower was built by Balcke-Dürr in 2000 without vibration probes installed on its gearboxes. The CT is of fiberglass-reinforced polyester (FRP) construction with eight cells, each 48 ft wide × 48 ft long. The tower’s fans are driven by 200-hp,