2015 CTOTF Spring Turbine Forum, Issue 3

Updates on water discharge regs, reducing air emissions, complying with NERC CIP
An outstanding feature of CTOTF™ meetings is the organization's environmental and NERC/FERC regulatory coverage. In a single day at each conference, plant and asset management personnel can come up to speed on the laws and regulations impacting equipment operation and maintenance-no shortage of material here. Perhaps the best part of the half-day Environmental Systems and NERC/FERC sessions (a/k/a roundtables) is you can understand what you are being told from the podium. Legalese is not spoken in these forums. more
Wireless expands M&D to more of the plant

Wireless control devices, sensors, and networks are bringing new M&D capabilities to more of the powerplant footprint, just like cellphones and wireless computing devices have changed the way we live. Use of wireless today, in fact, is probably limited only by imagination, budget, and cybersecurity concerns.

     Most anything in M&D that can be hardwired can now be done with wireless, even if plants are not quite ready to give up "the landline." Probably the best way to think about wireless at the plant level is this: You don't have to "make the rounds" to read gages; the gage readings come to you. more 

Joe has retired. Well-trained new hires are critical to plant profitability

The pending retirements of generating-plant personnel, discussed at virtually every industry meeting for at least the last five years, are finally happening. Look at the participants in the next user group meeting you attend. You'll see that the sea of white hair of the recent past is now speckled with black, brown, and blonde, and the overwhelmingly American white male audience is transitioning to one that includes meaningful participation by women, other races, and many nationalities. In effect, your industry is becoming melting pot for talented engineers and technicians from around the globe. more 

The case for rewinding rotors onsite

A generator may require one or more rotor rewinds during its service lifetime, work that's typically done in a shop for all but the largest rotors. However, onsite overhauls can make economic sense for small, medium-size, and larger rotors when there is adequate workspace on or near the turbine deck and a crane is available. Onsite major maintenance of generators is not unusual. more   

WEBINAR: Making Dollars and Sense of Your Turbine Generator Assesment Program

Avoid Forced Outages from Common Failure Modes and Operational Stress   

Presented by Mike Thawley, EthosEnergy Group   

Thursday, May 28 @ 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific

 

Our old friend Ben Franklin once said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Generator fleets are ageing, a large percentage of units currently in service are operating well past life expectancy. Generators are often overlooked during planned outages on the driver. Many failure mechanisms can be mitigated and extend unit life if detected early. Sign up for the webinar today to find out more about generator reliability and potential costs applied to your unit. more 


  
  
 FALL TURBINE FORUM
Sept 20-24, Coeur d'Alene, ID