CCUG

The annual Combined Cycle Users Group (CCUG) conference and vendor fair, held in Louisville, Ky, Aug 27-30, 2018, proved once again to be an excellent barometer of what’s on the minds of those charged with making sure gas-fired combined cycles (CCs) start and stop when they are supposed to, make money for their owners, and […]

Turbine Tip No. 3, contributed by PAL Turbine Services’ Owner/GM Dave Lucier, applies to General Electric Frame 5 models K-LA and M-P, early 6Bs, 7Bs, and 7Cs. Gas-turbine auxiliary systems require periodic maintenance to assure that your engines achieve the availability and reliability metrics necessary to satisfy plant and grid operational objectives. Often taken for

Editor’s note: Given the existence of several standards for the classification of gas-turbine inlet filters, which can cause confusion in the minds of at least some owner/operators, Donaldson has developed a user-friendly filter rating system that measures efficiency and two other properties crucial to power output and cost control. The company’s goal is to build

With the power-generation sector shifting its fuel mix to an increased dependence on natural gas, the decreased downstream volume and unreliable gas pressure can wreak havoc on legacy power production facilities. It can be challenging for an ageing plant to remain a relevant, competitive, and reliable resource. “If your gas supply system operates at a

It’s important to have a comprehensive checklist of what to inspect on your HRSG, and how, before conducting a condition assessment of your equipment for plant management and/or due diligence purposes. Your checklist may have scores of items to review but it’s impossible to identify everything to look at—usually because your depth of knowledge and

Stellite liberation from large valves installed in main and hot reheat (HRH) steam systems serving F-class combined cycles, considered a major industry problem 10 years ago, has been eliminated by substituting chrome carbide as the hard-facing material for critical valve parts. The editors first learned of stellite delamination at the 2009 7F Users Group Conference

Independent users groups serving owner/operators at cogeneration and simple- and combined-cycle plants powered by gas turbines are an invaluable resource for station personnel. Almost all have online forums available 24/7/365 to help answer technical questions quickly and get you moving in the right direction with possible solutions. Most colleagues offering their unbiased assistance have deep

Consulting Editor Steve Stultz’s reports on the last HRSG Forum with Bob Anderson and Australasian HRSG Users Group annual meeting discussed ageing issues associated with steam systems installed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As these systems in combined-cycle and cogeneration plants reach half-way in their design life, overheating of all components has become

Turning a profit in the business of electric generation can be challenging given the competitive nature of the industry today. Be prepared to take advantage of revenue opportunities, which can surface quickly, by upgrading equipment capable of improving your balance sheet tomorrow. A case in point concerns fogging systems. Those responsible for gas turbines know

Large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) continue to demonstrate their ability to meet specific functional requirements of grid operations and management under a variety of business models and ambient conditions. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (Ladwp) is the latest to add a BESS, primarily for transmission-line stability. It follows several recent projects with