GE University is a three-day program, starting tomorrow, that daily combines a nominal two hours of presentations/discussions on topics of importance to owner/operators with an additional two hours or so of access to the OEM’s engineers in virtual rooms. Think of the arrangement as typical of a college setting with classroom sessions followed by labs.

The Week 5 program begins each day—Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (July 14-16)—at 1 p.m. EDT and concludes by 5:15.  

Tuesday’s compelling theme is “Transforming a Mature Fleet.” The program has four segments: compressor, turbine, combustion, and rotor.

Wednesday’s fast-moving program focuses on several areas of interest, including the following:

• • Operability—AutoTune evolution, reliability and emissions awareness, combustor operability, and monitoring and diagnostics.

  • Accessories—Gas-fuel system reliability, parts replacement considerations, hazardous-gas system updates, and compressor bleed-valve reliability.

  • Controls: Static starter system, excitation system, protection rationalization, and obsolescence.

Thursday features an update on how GE and Baker Hughes collaborate to provide support to customers for control systems, including upgrades of Legacy systems, repairs (bring good things back to life), and asset management.

The electric power industry’s first virtual user-group conference concludes Thursday at 5:15 p.m. Everyone involved in its production—including the 7F steering committee, SV Events, sponsors, exhibitors, user and vendor presenters—deserves a big “thank you” and a much-deserved break from an activity that took hundreds upon hundreds of person-hours over four months to plan, produce, and execute.

Put a note on your calendar to attend the 7F Users Group’s 30^th Anniversary Meeting, May 24-28, 2021, at the Marriott St. Louis (Mo) Grand, where you’ll again get to visit with attendees face-to-face.