2015 7F Users Group: Issue 1

PLAN AHEAD: 7F Users Group 25th anniversary meeting, Orlando, May 9-13, 2016

The world's largest meeting of frame gas-turbine owner/operators is hosted annually by the 7F Users Group. The organization's 2015 conference, held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, May 11-15, was the largest ever, attracting nearly 300 users and more than that number of commercial attendees representing the 122 companies participating in the vendor fair over two evenings. The group formed in November 1991, when there was only one 7F operating in the world. The first meeting attracted 14 users from four generating companies ; there was no vendor fair. more

GE 7FA Engine Inspection

Gas-turbine inspection was the theme of two of the dozen vendor presentations invited by the 7F Users Group steering committee for the organization's annual conference. Kevin McKinley, president of Veracity Technology Solutions, used his podium time to tell attendees about the company's high-resolution VTS 2400 phased-array ultrasonic transducer and the enhanced inspection protocols it developed to augment a CBM program.

Mike Hoogsteden, field service manager for Advanced Turbine Support LLC, focused on what his company believes 7F users should pay particular attention to when developing a scope of work for borescope inspections-recommendations based on the results of thousands of inspections conducted by its technicians. more

Plants powered by 7FAs most successful in CCJ Best Practices Awards program

The 7F Users Group serves owner/operators of the world's most successful F-class engine, in terms of unit sales. In round numbers, about 900 7FAs have been shipped by the OEM for 60-Hz power generation service. So it makes sense that owner/operators of these engines would be highly visible participants in CCJ's Best Practices Awards program. more

Best Practice: Rail and lanyard solution protects against enclosure fall hazards

Safety is Alliant Energy's top priority. Maintaining a safe work environment during outages can be challenging, particularly so when work inside the gas-turbine enclosure is required. It presents fall and trip hazards above the engine, and a concrete floor. Also, as the condition of the gas turbine (GT) and its related equipment is revealed, outage scope can change dramatically, making it difficult to predict what hazards will exist when, and how to mitigate them proactively. more

Best Practice: Training future plant leaders for new and ever-increasing challenges

The changing of the guard has begun at America's powerplants-Green Country Energy (GCE) included. Highly experienced managers who went through extensive technical and leadership training over the past 30 to 40 years have either recently retired or are planning to retire within a few years. more

Best Practice: Sharing knowledge by way of a plant-level mini-conference

Combined-cycle plants certainly have their share of O&M challenges. Technicians are confronted almost daily with technical issues they're facing for the first time. However, the vast majority of these are not new or unique, and most already have been resolved by others. The challenge is knowing whom to reach out to for help-including plant supervisory personnel, manufacturers, consultants, and your network of user-group colleagues. more

Two operators weigh in on pros, cons of robotic inspection

Deciding whether to robotically inspect a generator is a big decision. One reason is cost: It's expensive, typically running more than six figures. Another is accessibility: Only certain types of generators have air gaps large enough to allow robot access. Yet another: You might not get all the information you want. more

Proactive tube sampling program contributes to long-term HRSG reliability

Knowing how to locate and sample boiler tubes that leak or fail, to enable a proper RCA, is critical to the long-term reliability of your HRSG. Periodic tube sampling also is highly recommended by the industry's top chemists and metallurgists, as a preventive measure, to identify early on if damage mechanisms are at work on the steam/water side of your units. These experts can help select the sample locations and perform the analyses to assure meaningful results. more

Late Industry News

AP+M expands its product line and geographic coverage
SPS partners with OSIsoft, MapEx to collect, analyze plant operating data
Emerson's Ovation™ helps SCE manage Catalina Island's microgrid more

GUG registration open

Generator Users Group, recently formed, opens registration for its first annual conference, November 4-5, 2015, at www.genusers.org. NV Energy is hosting the USER ONLY meeting at its Beltway Complex; seating is limited to about 50.

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