It’s no secret, many of the electric power industry’s most capable engineers and technicians have retired recently or will do so in the next couple of years. But not Dave Lucier, founder and general manager of PAL Turbine Services LLC, headquartered near GE’s Schenectady works. He recently celebrated 50 years of service to the industry […]
The future is nothing without the past Read More »
Miguel Perez Ghisays, general manager of the privately held Termocandelaria peaking facility near Cartagena, Colombia, and his talented staff, embrace a process of continual improvement in all facets of operation and maintenance. Readers may recall the plant’s success in converting its two W501FC engines from gas-only to dual fuel in only 11 months after contract
Demin water replaces glycol solution in closed cooling system, improves heat transfer Read More »
Reliable operation of dual-fuel gas turbines on oil demands that owner/operators protect against coking of distillate in fuel-system components. Active cooling is one solution available to users for assuring both reliable starts on liquid fuel and reliable fuel transfers from gas to oil. Recall that stagnant fuel in supply lines not protected against heat radiated
Increase intervals between gas-turbine fuel-valve overhauls with water cooling Read More »
HP superheater and reheater drain-system designs and operating practices that do not remove all condensate prior to initiation of steam flow during cold, warm, and hot startups are unable to protect tube-to-header connections, header bores, and nozzle-to-header connections from severe thermal fatigue damage. Such damage has resulted in many premature tube failures and can be
Advanced manufacturing center enables Conval to better serve HRSG users Read More »
Innovations, looks forward, and disclosure of new ideas were hallmarks of the second annual HRSG Forum with Bob Anderson, held earlier this year in Houston. TesTex Inc, Pittsburgh, Pa, was there with a collection of ideas including its proprietary remote field electromagnetic technique (RFET) equipment (Fig 1). For internal tube inspection, TesTex has developed and operates this
NDT innovations showcased at HRSG Forum Read More »
The fifth annual meeting of the European HRSG Forum (EHF2018), held May 15-18, in Bilbao, Spain, attracted 72 participants from 16 countries. Dr Barry Dooley of Structural Integrity Associates Inc, who chaired the meeting as he had done previously, considered the event “highly successful.” EHF is supported by the International Assn for the Properties of
European meeting validates topics under consideration for upcoming HRSG Forum Read More »
Special to CCJ ONSite by Brian Hulse, BDHulse Consulting Services LLC “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Walt Kelly wrote those words for Pogo to speak in his comic strip, marking the first annual observance of Earth Day back in April 1970. He was making the observation that pollution of the planet
Lube-oil cleanliness critical to long bearing life Read More »
Special to CCJ ONSite by Brian Hulse, BDHulse Consulting Services LLC Seems like a simple enough question. It gets asked thousands of times a day in restaurants around the world. But in generating plants powered by gas turbines, it takes on a whole different meaning. These engines are very sensitive to salt, and there are
Would you like a little sea salt on that? Read More »
Special to CCJ ONSite by Brian Hulse, BDHulse Consulting Services LLC If we know one thing about hoses, it’s that they’re expensive. So we always try to extract maximum value from them before they’re replaced. The hoses used on most gas turbines are manufactured with no published shelf-life or working-life limitation. Each hose on the
Inspect, maintain hoses to prevent failures, protect personnel Read More »
Building the better mouse trap Special to CCJ ONsite by Brian Hulse, BDHulse Consulting Services LLC It’s an age-old quest—building the better mouse trap. The US Patent Office has issued over 4400 patents for mouse traps although, paradoxically, only about 20 of them have ever seen any commercial success. This would lead one to think
Clean inlet air at the proper temperature promotes top performance Read More »
