Mailing early January 2021
Special Editorial and Advertising Sections
Outstanding opportunity to promote your products and services in special sections targeting owner/operators affiliated with the following organizations:
- 501F Users Group
- 501G Users Group
- Steam Turbine Users Group
- Western Turbine Users
- V Users Group
- Ovation Users Group
- 2020 Best Practices Awards
501F Users Group 2020 conference report
The 501F Users Group was one of only two US-based organizations representing owner/operators of gas turbines that held traditional face-to-face annual meetings this year. Content from this formative event, which will be shared with users worldwide, includes summaries of (1) user presentations and discussion sessions covering the compressor, combustion, turbine, and inlet/exhaust sections of the machine, plus I&C, emissions control, and safety; (2) special closed sessions with technical experts from Ansaldo/PSM, Doosan, General Electric, MHPS, and Siemens; (3) presentations by third-party product/services providers at Vendorama; and (4) best practices.
Companies participating in Vendorama and profiled in the report include AGT Services, ARNOLD Group, Shell Lubricants/ACT, Millennium Power Services, Emerson, Cutsforth, Frenzelit, National Electric Coil, Environex, JASC, Pioneer Motor Bearing, Nord-Lock Group, Hy-Pro Filtration, ORR Protection Systems, Liburdi Turbine Services, Braden Filtration, C C Jensen Oil Maintenance, Donaldson Filtration Solutions, CECO Environmental, Mee Industries, SVI Dynamics, Schock Manufacturing, Durr Universal, Industrial Gas Flow Dynamics, and Rochem Technical Services.
Best practices focusing on safety (confined-space access, etc), outage planning, performance improvement, HRSGs, air-cooled condensers, air ejectors, mitigating thermal shock, etc, are from Lea Power Partners, CPV Valley Energy Center, CCC Tuxpan, Dogwood Energy, and Klamath Energy round out the report.
501G Users Group 2020 conference report
Focus of the report is the recent O&M experience of owner/operators of Siemens 501G engines. The organization’s small size (24 gas turbines at 13 sites in the US and one in Mexico), capable leadership, and collaborative nature allow it to think and act as a unit to resolve problems. It is the rare G meeting that doesn’t have at least one representative from each location. Because first-timers are a rare bird, most attendees know other participants and their plants’ histories, minimizing the need for “reviews” and repetitive discussions. The value proposition: free consulting.
Experience was shared on a steam-turbine major with valves, disc-cavity cooling issue, sticking compressor bleed valves, exhaust issues, AVR upgrade from ECS 2100 to DECS 2100, condenser tube leaks, collector vibration, R1 vane replacement, condenser vacuum issue, NextGen upgrades, major outage safety and security, a modified GT major in conjunction with a generator major and steam-turbine major.
Best practices for the G fleet (Siemens and Mitsubishi machines) submitted by New Athens, New Harquahala, Shepard Energy Centre, and Middletown Energy are included in our coverage. Topics addressed include stack dampers, emergency lighting, confined space rules, ammonia systems for SCRs, inlet-filter icing, cold-weather operation, vacuum pump mods.
Western Turbine Users
This annual report aggregates content from WTUI’s 2019 sessions for LM6000, LM2500, and LMS100 users, the 2020 meeting being canceled because of the pandemic. Best practices submitted in 2020 from 10 aero plants are included in the report. Those sharing their experiences: Hoosier Energy, EVM I, Orange Grove Energy, NCA#1, Orange Cogen, Burlington and Kearny Generating Stations, Pinelawn Power, Exira Station, Worthington Generation, and Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
Safety is a dominant theme in the aero best practices. Other topics include lube-oil sample cooling, lightning warning system, performance improvement, lighting, and better access to accommodate inspections.
Steam Turbine Users Group
The 2019 STUG report is divided into two sections: Users presentations and discussion, and vendor presentations and Q&A. Note that the 2020 meeting will be conducted online beginning November 10. It is a user-only event.
Experience shared among owner/operators includes repair of damage caused by solid particle erosion, main-steam-valve seat delamination, blade liberation, valve sticking, general valve wear and tear, erosion and thermal cycling of main-steam system components. Vendor presentations were dominated by third-party parts suppliers, consultants, and services firms—including ARNOLD Group, Advanced Turbine Support, AGT Services, Pioneer Motor Bearing, Power Service Group, TG Advisers, Independent Turbine Consultants, and MD&A,
Ovation Users Group 2020 virtual conference report
The Ovation Users Group annual meeting is a must-attend event for owner/operators of powerplants equipped with what is, perhaps, the world’s most popular distributed control system serving large generating stations. Presentations and discussions addressed protection and condition monitoring, failure prediction, excitation, simulation, advanced monitoring and diagnostics, data analytics, advanced visualization, and much more.
The report digs into the trend to online training and factory acceptance tests as a necessity to address Covid-19 concerns; advances in machinery health solutions, such as online monitoring of bearing alignment; computerized maintenance management to automate work flow; steam bypass and attemperator control; faster starts; digital twin, etc.
V Users Group 2020 virtual meeting report
The V Users Group’s first ever virtual meeting for owner/operators was fast-moving and highly informative, with a mixture of prepared presentations and ongoing discussion. About 60 users participated. Topics covered include burner cleaning and the resulting benefits, low-pressure water fire suppression, HEPA inlet-air filters, lube-oil systems, wet compression, dehumidifier for turbine layup,
Feature articles in this issue include the following:
- Summaries of recent webinars that help users identify, implement plant-betterment solutions for air-cooled condensers, SCRs, prolonging the productive lifetime of gas turbines, hydrogen leak detection, engine repair planning, outage management, and monitoring and diagnostics to improve availability and reduce costs.
- Testing of variable inlet guide vanes on GE Frame 5s, 6s, and 7B-EAs, plus how to make VIGV repairs without removing the rotor.
- In-situ extraction of a migrating 7EA S-12 shim saves owner more than $400k.
- Plant optimization and reliability upgrades—fuel systems, rewiring, transmitters/switches, controls, HMIs, protection relays, etc—extend the productive lifetimes of ageing assets.
