CCJ’s 4Q 2012 Issue – Combined Cycle Journal

PLANT REPORTS - ECOELECTRICA LP

Leadership, skill, attitude, community key to vital plant’s success in delicate ecosystem

EcoElectrica LP, located on the southern coast of Puerto Rico in Punta Guayanilla a few miles west of Ponce, is critical to the economic health of the Commonwealth. One of the cleanest generating stations in the world and a staunch protector of the local environment, EcoElectrica’s 507-MW 2 x 1 F-class combined cycle burns liquefied natural gas (LNG) to produce 16% of Puerto Rico’s electricity. It also receives 30% of the fuel burned on the
island for electric generation through its terminal. more

JOHN SEVIER COMBINED CYCLE PLANT

Gas-fired facility reflects TVA’s transition to the new era

If you were searching for a powerplant where the industry issues you keep reading about have converged, you probably couldn’t do better than Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) John Sevier Combined Cycle Plant. On a site where four 1950s-vintage unscrubbed coal-fired units no longer run, a state-of-the-art 3 x 1 natural-gas-fired combined cycle now operates at high capacity factor because of the favorable price of fuel. more

FEATURES

PERSPECTIVE

Cybersecurity: Compliance is not protection
by Jason Makansi, Pearl Street Inc

Last August, 30,000 disc drives, representing 75% of the workstations of the petrochemical giant, Saudi Aramco, were hacked with a malicious virus called Shamoon. An image of a burning American flag replaced critical data on these machines. In the fall, according to a Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) report, control systems at two power stations were infected by malware delivered through USB drives. One of the plants was down for three weeks before it could restart. more

GAS TURBINE COMPRESSORS

Minimize the risk of catastrophic failure from contaminated inlet air
by John Molloy, PE, M&M Engineering Associates Inc

A typical F-class compressor ingests nearly 1000 lb/sec of air containing a spectrum of minerals, salts, and volatile organic compounds present in the ambient atmosphere. Locally high concentrations of corrosive compounds also may exist because of surrounding industries—or even from the powerplant itself, such as cooling-tower drift or water treatment effluent. more

WATER MANAGEMENT

Ensure a reliable sufficient supply of quality water to support generation assets
by By David Addison and Judy Weir, Thermal Chemistry Ltd

The purpose of any water treatment plant (WTP) for this industry is to produce a reliable and sufficient supply of product at the quality required by the host plant to support generation operations. Organizations such as EPRI and the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam have long advocated the need to maintain strict quality limits for both makeup and the steam/water cycle to avoid issues such as boiler tube failures and steam-turbine deposition and corrosion. more