HRSG troubleshooter Bob Anderson called CCJ’s editorial offices to say the website supporting his upcoming conference, the first annual HRSG Forum with Bob Anderson (Charlotte, Feb 28-Mar 2, 2017), was up and running, complete with online registration.
The preliminary program reflects a diversity of subject matter, with presenters divided among owner/operators, consultants, and products/services providers. In addition to formal presentations by some of the industry’s leading experts, open floor discussions are sprinkled throughout the program to dig deeper into topics of interest to attendees. Access to vendor/sponsors will be during breaks, receptions, and meals throughout the meeting. Plans call for a limited number of sponsors to maximize interaction between buyers and sellers.
Alan Morris, president of Morris Marketing Inc and the person responsible for the business end of the HRSG Forum, who was in on the call with the editors and Anderson, reported that three sponsors had already signed up: Dekomte, Precision Iceblast Corp, and EPRI.
The presentations are a welcome mixture of new technologies and proven O&M techniques.
Coverage of advanced technologies includes drones for HRSG inspection, PI data dashboard, ultrasonics for reliable automation of drains in superheater and reheater sections, ASME Code issues relating to advanced materials, HRSG design challenges associated with the high temperatures characteristic of H- and J-class gas turbines and high-efficiency cycles.
While a great deal has been communicated via voice, face-to-face, and digital media regarding gas turbines for advanced combined cycles, relatively little is available in the public domain about the challenges of operating and maintaining the behemoth HRSGs designed for the latest H- and J-class plants. Many of those units rely on materials with little operational history in generating-plant applications.
Anderson’s Charlotte meeting is the ideal forum for owner/operators new to advanced Rankine cycles to share information in a true user-group setting. The fallout from these discussions is especially valuable to owners planning new units for the lessons learned in applying certain materials and what works and what doesn’t in mechanical and structural design.
The more mundane presentations cover subject areas and technologies available to improve HRSG reliability and availability. These include optimum control of cycle chemistry, modernizing water/steam sampling systems, revising procedures and upgrading equipment to accommodate flexible operation, replacing failed casing penetration seals, avoiding pressure-part failures, etc.
Reserve your seat today and take advantage of that end-of-year budget surplus.
