Focus on O&M

Grid behavior in today’s power generation environment is a stochastic system that is more variable than in the past. One common issue is the response to economic dispatch, in which formerly baseload thermal

“Personal protective equipment (PPE) is inconvenient and uncomfortable, and this will only take a second. Besides, I’ve done this before, and it’s been fine every time. Will skipping PPE once really

Proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control is one of the most common types of automatic control used in the power industry. A PID controller continuously calculates an error value as the difference between

An inlet air cooling (IAC) system offers one of the most cost-effective ways to improve gas turbine (GT) performance—especially during the peak hours of hot summer months. After all, GT output depends on

Stanwell Power Station, a 1,460-MW coal-fired power plant located in Queensland, Australia, faced a dilemma. The reliability of its fire protection system was questionable. Many of the plant’s multiple jet

Most combined cycle professionals understand that a joint between grade 91 steel and an austenitic stainless steel is considered a dissimilar-metal weld. For that reason, it requires special welding

Today, some F-class operators continue to opt for rotor-out major inspections, which are cumbersome and inefficient. They involve complex lifts and moves of the rotor, as well as the need for substantial space

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 […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

Lakeland Electric, the third-largest public power utility in Florida, reported that it saved $12 million in fiscal year 2015 through the use of a coal treatment at its McIntosh Power Plant Unit 3. The savings

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. […]

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, […]

At 2:45 p.m., Nicholas McClung’s cellphone chirps during a business meeting. He doesn’t bother to look at it; the special chirp says it all. He politely excuses himself from the meeting and rushes to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Advanced Technology for Impoundment Monitoring (ATIM) center in the basement of the company’s Chattanooga headquarters. When […]

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 […]

Broadly put, today’s power plant operations are a mix of automated operations and manual or procedural steps. A plant may have hundreds of control loops, interlocks, permissives, and safety systems. In

Air leaks cost money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), over $5 billion per year is spent on energy to power compressed air systems. The DOE estimates that optimizing these systems could

A new tool that can be used to help ensure the proper positioning of core shroud head bolt assemblies in boiling water reactors (BWRs) was recently invented by Jason Cocke, engineering, tooling, and logistics

When management decided to purchase and install a new, vented lead-acid battery system at the Dogwood power plant, decision-makers also investigated the benefits of adding a continuous battery-monitoring

A great level of risk is present when operating pressurized systems. Over the years, industry safety concerns have increased with the occurence of catastrophic events. To help prevent further loss and damages

Blades are probably the most delicate part of a wind turbine and the most susceptible to accidental damage. Some estimates suggest that greater than 90% of wind turbine blades are damaged to some degree while

Steam turbines have to be warmed slowly to avoid excessive differential expansion of the various components, rotor stress, and potentially reduced service life. For that reason, startup times must be extended

The identification and containment of coal ash has risen to the top of the priority list for plant managers across the U.S. after inadvertent releases of coal ash into unintended areas resulted in adverse

Drax Power Station, a 3,960-MW six-unit facility located in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest power plant in the UK. It was constructed in two stages, with the first three units completed in 1974 and