STUG

The nearly 300 users attending the Week 4 sessions benefited from six presentations that they considered of high value, judging from the onslaught of questions that carried over into the virtual vendor fair staffed by each of the participating vendors. Quick access to summaries of user and vendor presentations made last Tuesday and Wednesday is […]

One of the unique aspects of the 7F Users Group’s 2020 Digital Conference is the opportunity to interact online with the OEM and nearly 50 third-party solutions providers. Ten companies in the latter group were selected by the steering committee to conduct live technical presentations of one or two hours during Weeks Two, Three, and Four of the five-week

If the coronavirus pandemic has taught us one thing, having the ability to access the expert information needed to perform O&M tasks at the highest level without leaving the plant (or home) is vital. With good internet connections generally available at most powerplants, the challenge might be finding the information required. You likely have several

“Steam Turbine Repair Planning and Execution,” Bryan Grant, Advanced Turbine Support LLC. Whether you inspect/repair your plant’s steam turbine or contract out those services, Bryan Grant’s presentation is a valuable reference for O&M personnel, one possibly worthwhile reviewing ahead of your ST inspection/maintenance outages. It’s available on the Power Users website 24/7. Grant offers tips

The speaker making the first technical presentation at the 2019 meeting discussed damage to the first three stages (blades and diaphragms) of his steamer caused by what he termed “magnetite throw”—a way of describing solid-particle erosion. An attendee mentioned that strainers were added to bypass valves at his plant to protect the turbine against such

When you’re sick, or something seems “off,” what do you do? Many people search the web, often arriving at a WebMD, Mayo, or equivalent site, for some initial information. If symptoms persist, you go to your primary-care physician. The doc may tell you to see a specialist or even a surgeon. Thankfully, when your steam

Matt Foreman, platform leader, Combined-Cycle Steam-Turbine Services, opened the GE Day program at the 2020 virtual meeting of the Steam Turbine Users Group (STUG) with an overview of the topics to be discussed, including: fleet updates, valve and turbine-casing cracking, valve upgrade experience, D11 rotor bow, assessments to improve operability and reduce O&M spend, and

EPRI led a research effort from 2013 to 2015 to identify contributing factors to the large number of hardfacing failures—a/k/a delamination or disbonding events—experienced industry-wide. The project purposely engaged stakeholders in the valve supply chain with both users and valve manufacturers sponsoring the effort. Content summaries of the three technical update documents issued in 2015

Liberation of cobalt-based hardfacing (oft-used Stellite™ being one of these materials) from large Grade 91 valves installed in combined-cycle main and hot-reheat (HRH) steam systems, and in steam turbines, was a hot topic in the industry about a decade ago. With the need for an evidence-based solution, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) assembled a

A combination of ultrasonic energy, AM radio-frequency waves, and sun shades managed to tame severe algae growth in the cooling tower at River Road Generating Station, according to Operations Manager Justin Hartsoch, GE Gas Power O&M. He told participants in the 2021 conference of the Combined Cycle Users Group (virtual) that algae blooms became a