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O&M, performance improvements, earn greatest recognition in Best Practices judging
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 Recipients of the CCJ's 10th Annual Best Practices Awards were honored during a special session and luncheon Monday at CTOTF's™ 39th Annual Spring Conference and Trade Show. The meeting at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla, runs through Thursday.
The Best Practices Awards program has as its primary objective recognition of the valuable contributions made by plant staffs-and headquarters engineering and asset-management personnel as well-to improve the safety and performance of generating facilities powered by gas turbines. There are two levels of awards to recognize the achievements at individual plants: Best Practices and The Best of the Best (BOB). more
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2014 'Best of the Best' Project Profiles
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Controlling O&M deficiencies key to higher reliability, profitability
|  In today's competitive powerplant O&M market, maintaining contract availability and high net-capacity percentages poses an increasing challenge for third-party operators-particularly those managing large global fleets. Success hinges on the ability to effectively maintain managed assets in a manner that ensures maximum reliability and profitability. Any deviation from full contract compliance can have significant negative repercussions on business operations. more |
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Shift from base-load to cycling duty calls for mods to protect HRSG, reduce 'standby' costs
|  Essential Power Newington LLC, a 525-MW, 2 x 1 F-class dual-fuel combined cycle was designed to operate base-load-and did for about the first six years of its existence following commercial start in 2002. The plant averaged approximately 7500 hr/yr and 13 starts annually during that time. more |
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Control logic protects against unit trips when exhaust thermocouples fail in service
|  Exhaust thermocouples are high wear items and fail for various reasons on Effingham County Power's two 7FAs. Each of the GE gas turbines incorporated into the plant's 525-MW combined cycle has 27 TCs for combustion control. Common root causes of the failures are high-frequency vibrations, cyclic fatigue, and improper installation. Eroded or disfigured TC tips are typical telltale signs of the first two causes. Improper installation usually reveals itself as wear at the seating ring. more |
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Building a 21st-century workforce begins with education
|  Approximately half the work force in the electric-utility sector will retire in the next 10 years, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. That will leave a shortage of experienced workers in every organizational facet. This shortage has the potential to adversely affect energy reliability and innovation nationwide. more |
| Rethinking the plant water cycle produces big saving at Gila River | |
 Minimizing water consumption is particularly critical at Gila River Power Station because of its desert location. The 2200-MW station with four 2 x 1 F-class combined cycles also is challenged by a permit that prohibits the discharge of process water from the site. The only alternative to reuse or evaporation is a plant shutdown. more
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| NV Energy's Ft Churchill has nation's best safety record | |
March 31 marked 27 years of safe operation without a lost-time accident at NV Energy's Ft Churchill Generating Station-a US record for fossil-fired powerplants, according to the Edison Electric Institute. Ft Churchill is a two unit, 226-MW, gas-fired steam plant and does not qualify for the CCJ's Best Practices Awards program, absent a gas turbine, but certainly deserves industry-wide recognition for its accomplishment. more
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Upcoming CCJ Webinar
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CCJ's Digital Buyer's Guide
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