If you didn’t know Steve Bates, who died suddenly November 30 (2022), at age 57, while on vacation with family, be assured it was a privilege. The plant manager of Vistra Corp’s Wise County 2 × 1 G-class combined cycle in Poolville, Tex, and chairman of the 501G Users Group, Steve was a technically competent, […]
Remembering Steve Bates Read More »
February 19–23, 501F Users Group Annual Meeting, Reno, Nev, Peppermill Resort & Spa. Details/registration at www.501fusers.org as they become available. Chairman: Ivan Kush, Cogentrix Energy Power Management. Contact: Jacki Bennis, jacki@somp.co. February 19-23, 501G Users Group Annual Meeting, Reno, Nev, Peppermill Resort & Spa. Meeting is co-located with the 501F Users Group conference. Details/registration at
Maximum allowable duct pressure for the HRSG in Lakeland (Fla) Electric’s (LE) McIntosh Power Plant (MPP) Unit 5 combined cycle was 28 in. of water column (in. H₂O). After 20 years of operation, pluggage of the LP economizer in the Nooter Eriksen boiler caused high backpressure on the gas turbine/generator and limited its ability to
McIntosh: HRSG mod allows an increase in backpressure to boost power output Read More »
McIntosh Power Plant is home to the first W501G gas turbine to experience a turbine-rotor through-bolt failure. The utility worked closely with OEM Siemens to complete an investigation to determine the failure mechanism. While this lengthy process unfolded, the utility invested in several mitigation efforts to minimize the potential for future through-bolt failures. This best
A challenge plant staff faced was how to monitor the steam turbine/generator to determine proactively if repairs are needed. To ensure the Unit 5 steam turbine is available when the combined cycle must operate, Lakeland Electric (LE) personnel focus on preventive-maintenance activities to avoid a failure. The steamer is monitored continuously for backpressure on the
Use online monitoring, NDE to monitor the condition of steam-turbine blades at McIntosh Read More »
With outage season in full swing, Greg McAuley, CTO of TRS Services and lead consultant at sister company GMW Consulting, shares his decades of industry experience below in the post-outage checklist he developed for owner/operators of gas and steam turbine/generators. Post-outage reviews and records are particularly important, McAuley says, because you already paid for the
What do you do when your gas turbine experiences a forced outage (FO), or as Sulzer’s Jim Neurohr and Michael Andrepont put it, a “bump in the night”? Hopefully, your plant already has a plan in place for such emergencies, and they hope you’ll call Sulzer and let them put their full-service shop in LaPorte,
Who ya gonna call the day after a ‘bump in the night’? Read More »
Exhaust systems are a presentation and/or discussion topic at most gas-turbine user-group meetings, particularly those supporting F-class and the more advanced frames. Cracking of components, broken struts, material distress, and leaks at joints are almost sure to occur in virtually any system handling a 1000 lb/sec or more of turbine exhaust at 1000F or higher
501F exhaust-system repairs never ending? Replace to eliminate the problem Read More »
The first five years of HRSG operation are critical for building the foundation necessary to assure a reliable and satisfactory service life, said engineers from HRST Inc participating in an editorial roundtable with CCJ staff. In the early years, they continued, control and organization of supplier documentation will benefit current and future decision-making. Plus, timely
At European Technology Development Ltd’s International Conference on Power Plant Operation and Flexibility, held in London in July 2018, ETD’s Dr Ahmed Shibli, the conference organizer, and David Robertson tag-teamed an in-depth presentation on life-prediction concerns for aberrant P91 components often found in electric generating stations worldwide. They are usually the product of not understanding
