O&M

There have been numerous pronouncements recently about the upcoming demise of the bulk power grid as consumers are projected to move toward decentralized green energy sources. We don’t believe that the end

Society is highly reliant on the safety and stability of critical infrastructure. From boiling a kettle to maintaining national security, an interruption in the electricity supply can cause serious damage to

Cooling towers serve the vital role of cooling water for power plant heat exchange equipment. Sustaining excellent system performance is important because a one-degree increase in water temperature can cause a 2% increase in energy usage. Proper maintenance and a few upgrades could improve a cooling tower’s efficiency, while also saving water in the process. […]

Meeting the requirements of the Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) means careful consideration of the various options. Both biological treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) approaches have their place, but ZLD may offer more flexibility for the future. On September 30, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the final effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs) rule for […]

Eddy current testing is a well-established method of nondestructive testing that is used to examine nonferrous/nonmagnetic materials such as condenser and heat exchanger tubes in power generation plants. Eddy current testing reveals discontinuities in tubing, provides plant engineers with an accurate assessment of a unit’s condition, and is a tool for predicting the remaining useful […]

Pipes, valves, turbines, pumps, condensers, and other mechanical components in the radiologically controlled area (RCA, or hot side) of a nuclear power generation facility require routine inspection, testing, maintenance, and, eventually, replacement or repair. When technicians need to work at height, erecting a scaffold often provides the safest and most effective method of access. This […]

When it comes to running a power plant, it’s easy to take the little things for granted. Yet it’s the little things that often have the greatest impact on plant managers’ ability to deliver reliable service for their customers. Take power, for instance. Plant managers are focused on bringing power to their customers. But are […]

An incident at J.M. Stuart Station—a 2,318-MW coal and diesel generating facility operated by Dayton Power and Light Co. (DP&L)—resulted in six people being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Several media outlets referred to the event as an explosion, citing nearby residents’ accounts of the incident. At least a few people said they heard and felt […]

Background burner control is critical for power and industrial plants because it affects emissions, energy costs, and process efficiencies. For natural gas burners, variations in gas composition can have a

An email written by the team leader of an ongoing Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection being conducted at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant suggested that the facility’s staff were “overwhelmed by just trying to run the station.” The wide-ranging NRC inspection began on Nov. 28. It is the third and largest inspection conducted as part […]

Increasing plant efficiency and reducing maintenance costs is important for economic power plant operation. One part of the task involves keeping the boiler heating surfaces as clean as possible, which increases heat transfer, reduces maintenance, and avoids unplanned standstills of the plant. Shock pulse generators (SPGs) are an innovative and efficient way to manage boiler […]

Many coal power stations have recently been operating at historically low capacity factors or have even undergone extended economic shutdowns. This can result in coal stockpiles that are exposed to the elements for much longer times than anticipated, resulting in a loss of usable coal energy by several mechanisms. This article explores the severity of […]

A magnetic level gage may be an excellent addition to a power plant boiler’s drum-level instrumentation. However, before any changes are made, owners must first understand the specific minimum requirements for water level instrumentation defined by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. The code requires a functional water gage […]

The International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS) is an international nonprofit association of national organizations concerned with the properties of water and steam, particularly

Owner/operator: Exelon Generation and PSEG Nuclear/Exelon Generation When decision-makers choose to increase the maximum output of a nuclear power plant through an uprate, it sets in motion a process that can take many years and countless man-hours to complete. The success of Peach Bottom station’s extended power uprate project shows that all the long hours […]

To power generation professionals, the word “cavitation” typically has negative connotations, but a new process offers a way to control this normally destructive effect and deploy it as a cost-effective life-extension technique. As operators of commercial nuclear energy facilities consider subsequent license renewals and life extensions, finding new ways to safely maintain reactor components remains […]

The world’s first wind farms are reaching the end of their expected lifetimes. As they become outdated, or just inefficient, many developers are considering repowering. Here’s a look at where repowering activity is happening the most and why. Since the world’s first wind turbine used to convert wind energy into electricity was built by Professor […]

Like so many other power plant functions these days, regulatory and standards compliance can be automated. Know what you want an automated system to do before you make a vendor decision. As North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) enforcement deadlines and audit dates loom—notably, CIP-003-6 in April 2017, which addresses the […]

High-speed turbine rotor balancing was once rare because of the costs and logistical challenges involved in doing it during an outage. That’s begun to change as economic options emerge, and experience is showing that high-speed balancing can pay big dividends in reliability and maintenance costs. To a maintenance engineer or fleet manager, unwanted vibration in […]

When a gas turbine goes down, recovery can be an expensive, time-consuming process. Knowing what can go wrong and how to anticipate turbine failures can help you avoid a difficult unplanned outage. Gas-fired power is hot and getting hotter. The Energy Information Administration estimates that 2016 will be the first year ever that the U.S. […]

Security is taken very seriously at most power plants. Fences and other barriers are usually installed before construction of a plant even begins to keep curious busy-bodies, thieves, protestors, and—at the far end of the spectrum—saboteurs and terrorists out of sensitive locations. Some plants have dedicated security staff patrolling areas both inside and outside of […]

Asset data is crucial in the power generation industry. Without it, utilities are forced to speculate about how long their assets will last, when they will need repair, and which strategies will maximize plant efficiency. With it, plant owners have the tools to drive down operational and maintenance costs while ensuring highly reliable power delivery. […]

As combined cycle gas turbine plants are called upon to play a larger and more flexible role in the generation mix, it’s important to schedule a comprehensive assessment of major components at key intervals to ensure reliable operation. Just like humans, power plants can benefit from regularly scheduled condition assessments, which are sometimes called “health […]

Industrial gas turbines are increasing in size. As a result of this, repair facilities that overhaul and repair these machines must keep pace. One of the key tools is a large lathe. As one of the leading industrial gas turbine and rotor repair providers in the world, Sulzer has recently upgraded its service center in

Lubricant additive technology is a complicated business because it involves several different chemistries. Often, one additive can adversely interact with another additive as they both compete for the same area on substrate surfaces. This kind of interaction can lead to the canceling of the additives’ desired properties. Conversely, the use of different additive chemistries can, […]

Sulzer is the leading worldwide, independent service provider for the repair and maintenance of large rotating machines including turbomachinery, pumps and electro-mechanical equipment. With a global network of technically advanced remanufacturing and test facilities, Sulzer offers a collaborative advantage that delivers high-quality, cost-effective, customized and turnkey solutions, providing its customers with the peace-of-mind to focus

Many operators are perfectly happy with their trusty red and green HMIs and can’t imagine why they should give them up for a dull greyscale display. When they take a closer look, they usually find out that grey is beautiful.

Eskom operates 23 power stations in South Africa with a total capacity of more than 42 GW. It supplies about 95% of all the electricity used in the country. One of its coal-fired power stations was experiencing frequent boiler tube fatigue failures in the hopper section—the bottom part of the boiler—of all six units. The […]

When gas-fired plants are required to cycle more than they were designed for, added stress on plant components isn’t the only consequence. You also need to pay closer attention to turbine catalyst systems. Traditionally, many combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant units were designed and permitted for a baseload or similar operating profile. Startups […]

The first operational rules finalized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for routine commercial use of drones could have major implications for utilities and power companies, which are increasingly using them for operations and maintenance. The new rules (Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations) that apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)—or drones—weighing less than […]