WESTERN TURBINE USERS: 2021 Virtual Conference from June 8 – 24

When the Western Turbine Users concluded its 2019 conference, in Las Vegas, Wednesday, March 20, all of the group’s business indicators were pointing upward. Another annual meeting—the organization’s 29^th—with more than a thousand attendees, more than 150 exhibitors, few if any hiccups, plenty of wholesome food, good evening events, and endless coffee.

Plus, Wayne Kawamoto, the conference executive director and an active member of WTUI since before its incorporation in 1990, had signed contracts with venues and hotels for meetings through 2022, and negotiations underway for years beyond that. Plus, plus, there was money in the bank.

Then the roof fell in. Covid-19 reared its ugly head late February/early March 2020 and the governor of California’s attendance restrictions for meetings wiped out the conference scheduled for Long Beach beginning March 29. Western Turbine was the first meeting focused on gas- turbine owner/operators to be canceled. The 501F Users Group was the last organization to hold an in-person conference, in early February (page 6). A brief virtual meeting was held in 2020 to bring Western Turbine members up to date on what the OEM and its licensed authorized service providers (ASPs) were doing.

With Covid-19 and its many variants still raging WTUI will conduct its first virtual meeting modeled after the in-person conferences of yesteryear beginning June 8. A preliminary program follows with all times East Coast. Keep current on updates regarding content and times at www.wtui.com. User registration will be there, too. Vendor participation is being coordinated by Sheila Vashi; contact her at sheila.vashi@sv-events.net.

Week One, users only Tues, June 8, LM6000

• 0900, Top 10 contributors to forced-outage incidents, Strategic Power Systems (SPS) 0930, ASP 1, MTU
• 1015, ASP 2, IHI
• 1100, ASP 3, TCT
• 1200-1300, ASP breakout rooms

Wed, June 9, LMS100 0900, SPS Top 10

• 0930, GE presentations to users
• 1130-1230, GE breakout rooms for controls, simple-cycle operation, repairs and field services

Thurs, June 10, LM2500 0900, SPS Top 10

• 0930, ASP 1, MTU
• 1015, ASP 2, ANZGT
• 1100, ASP 3, TCT
• 1200-1300, ASP breakout rooms

Week Two, users and GE only Tues, June 15, LM6000

• 0900, GE presentations to users
• 1100-1200, GE breakout rooms for controls, combined-cycle operation, simple-cycle operation, repairs and field services

Wed, June 16, LMS100, LM6000, LM2500

These are users-only engine breakout sessions

• 0900-1100, User presentations and roundtable discussion

Thurs, June 17, LM2500

• 0900, GE presentations to users
• 1100-1200, GE breakout rooms for controls, combined-cycle operation, simple-cycle operation, repairs and field services

Week Three, special presentations Tues, June 22, State of the Engines

This session open to all conference participants 0900, President John Hutson’s welcome

• 0930, Gas-turbine business update by Consultants Mark Axford (Axford Turbine Consultants) and Tony Brough (Dora Partners)
• 1030, CAISO presentation
• 1100-1500, Vendor fair with up to 20 company sponsors (TBA)

Wed, June 23, Special technical presentations to users 0900, Vendor presentations, total of six, 30 minutes each (TBA) 1200-1300, Breakout rooms for the day’s presenters

Thurs, June 24, Special technical presentations to users 0900, Vendor presentations, total of six, 30 minutes each (TBA) 1200-1300, Breakout rooms for the day’s presenters.

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