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SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, NORTH AMERICAN
POWER GENERATION GROUP — Richard Baker Power Engineering is the flagship
(918) 831-9187 richardb@pennwell.com media sponsor for
SALES
1421 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112
Tel: (918) 835-3161 • Fax: (918) 831-9834

FEATURES 121
Email: globalpower@pennwell.com
No.10, October 2017
YEARS
CHIEF EDITOR — Russell Ray
(918) 832-9368 russellr@pennwell.com

8
ONLINE EDITOR — Robert Evatt
(918) 831-9835 roberte@pennwell.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR—Brad Buecker HRSG Design for
(913) 928-7311 beakertoo@aol.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR—Brian Schimmoller
(704) 595-2076 bschimmoller@gmail.com
Next Generation
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR—Robynn Andracsek
(816)-822-3596 randracsek@burnsmcd.com Cycling and
GRAPHIC DESIGNER IV — Deanna Priddy Taylor
(918) 832-9378 deannat@pennwell.com Efficiency
MARKETING MANAGER — Adrienne Adler The need for fast start up and cycling of combined cycle power
(603) 891-9420 aadler@pennwell.com
plants in response to the growth of renewables is well understood
CIRCULATION MANAGER — Linda Thomas
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER I — Jesse Fyler in the power industry. A unique approach for HRSG life assessment
PRODUCTION MANAGER — Katie Noftsger is now available.
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For assistance with marketing strategy or ad creation, Chemistry upsets in a steam generator may cause
please contact PennWell Marketing Solutions
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1710pe_1 1 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 ENERGY MATTERS
NSR Reform:
The Time is Nigh
BY ROBYNN ANDRACSEK, P.E., BURNS & MCDONNELL AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
F
orces are at work to update the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency’s (EPA) archaic and perplexing New
Source Review (NSR) Rules. These rules, more so
than greenhouse gas or mercury regulation, prevent power
plants from making efficiency improvements, which would
reduce emissions on a per megawatt basis.
The lack of a basic definition of “routine” in determining
if a replacement or upgrade requires a new permit with mod-
ern controls leaves utilities fearing change. NSR lookback
lawsuits have forced at least 113 power plants to install new
control devices, pay fines, or shutdown at a cost of more than
$21 billion over the last 17 years.
The main guidance document for NSR remains the draft
1990 New Source Review Workshop Manual, aptly nick-
named the “puzzle book.” Never finalized due to controver-
sy and EPA inertia, this document has been supplemented
over the decades with guidance memos and applicability
determinations. The result is a confusing Frankenstein-like
mess that leaves industry without a clear path to updating
and repairing their infrastructure. This guidance document
was finally updated Sept. 1, 2017, not by the EPA but by the
Air and Waste Management Associate (AWMA), and is avail-
able for purchase. Although not EPA-reviewed or approved,
it does provide clarity on the NSR rules and incorporates the
few 2002 NSR reforms that survived court challenge.
However, outside of AWMA’s repackaging of the 25 years
of guidance documents, there remains a push to alter the
actual regulations. The current administration has called for
a rollback on regulations and the EPA has indicated it plans
to overhaul NSR. Additionally, the Department of Energy
released a report in August 2017 on the “reliability and re-
silience of the electric grid.” The report correctly states, “The
uncertainty stemming from NSR creates an unnecessary
burden that discourages rather than encourages installation
of CO2 emission control equipment and investments in ef-
ficiency because of the additional expenditures and delays
associated with the permitting process.”
• The following are common and sensible suggestions to re-
form NSR into a vehicle that encourages innovation and
pollution reduction instead of inhibiting modernization:
2 www.power-eng.com
1710pe_2 2
• Remove the undefined exemption for “routine main-
tenance” and replace it with a discrete definition for
substantial modifications (such as changing the frame
model of a turbine) that trigger installation of Best
Available Control Technology (BACT) on existing facil-
ities. Simple and common repairs such as boiler tube
replacements or turbine overhauls should not be limit-
ed by regulatory uncertainty and should be considered
“routine maintenance.”
• Provide an exemption for pollution control projects that
will survive court challenge. The 2002 NSR Reform at-
tempted to regulate projects which decreased emissions
of one pollutant at the expense of increasing another
pollutant. For example, installing over-fire air on a boil-
er reduces nitrogen dioxides (NO2) but increases carbon
monoxide (CO). NO2 is arguable more important than
CO since NO2 contributes to ground level ozone and
fine particulate (PM 2.5) formation. However, this reform
was struck down by the courts.
• Regulate emissions on an efficiency basis (pounds per
megawatt-hour) to encourage innovation. Retrofitting
an existing boiler or turbine can be more cost effective
than building a new unit. If the modified unit is more
efficient, its operation should be encouraged versus op-
erating an older, less efficient unit.
• Remove the NSR incentive to pollutant as much as pos-
sible the two years before a facility triggers NSR permit-
ting. Currently, a facility’s post project emissions are
measured against its actual emissions in the five years
preceding the modification on a ton per year basis, not
against the potential or even the permitted emissions. A
project could decrease emissions on a pound per hour
basis but if the boiler subsequently increases its capac-
ity factor, it triggers NSR and control device retrofit. In
contrast, New Source Performance Standard regulations
require a short-term emission increase before triggering
new applicability.
Stable, affordable electricity and clean air are not mutual-
ly exclusive. It is time to reform regulations to permit tech-
nical advances in power generation.
9/25/17 1:27 PM
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1710pe_3 3 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 NUCLEAR REACTIONS
Replace at Your Own Risk
BY BRIAN SCHIMMOLLER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
T
he windshield wipers on that
new car you bought a year ago
are leaving that annoying streak
right across your line of vision when it
rains. No big deal, right? You stop by the
auto parts store and pick up a new pair of
wiper replacements. Are you sure, how-
ever, that those replacement blades will
provide the same or comparable perfor-
mance as the original wipers that came
with the new vehicle?
Procurement decisions like this may
seem unimportant, but wipers can im-
pact the safe operation of your car. They
play a role in protecting your life, those in
the car with you, and those in other cars
on the road with you.
The importance is just as high for a
nuclear plant when it purchases replace-
ment parts. Safety-related nuclear plant
equipment MUST operate successfully
when called upon to safely shut down a
reactor, MUST maintain the reactor in a
safe shutdown condition, and MUST be
able to prevent harmful public exposure
to radiation.
In the United States, the legal and regu-
latory importance of procurement derives
from 10CFR50 Appendix B, which codi-
fies the quality assurance criteria for nu-
clear power plants. Many of the sections
in 10CFR50 Appendix B – from design
control to handling, storage and shipping
– are applicable to procurement decisions
and actions. While regulatory compliance
is a critical and consistent driver for effec-
tive procurement engineering, there are
recent and emerging issues that further
reinforce its relevance today:
• Counterfeit parts: Counterfeit parts
are making their way to the receiving
docks at some nuclear plants. Com-
modity items such as breakers and
relays – which can be produced in
large lots by counterfeiters to max-
imize economic return – are par-
ticularly susceptible. Although the
4 www.power-eng.com
1710pe_4 4
operational impacts have been min-
imal, the potential for counterfeiting
highlights the need for diligence in
procuring replacement parts.
• Obsolete parts: Not a new issue, but
as nuclear plants age and the popula-
tion of nuclear suppliers declines, the
population of obsolete parts keeps
growing. Nuclear procurement engi-
neers, in turn, need to provide assur-
ance that replacement parts perform
their intended design functions.
• New technology: 3D printing and
other additive manufacturing pro-
cesses introduce a new class of re-
placement parts that may require a
fresh look with respect to procure-
ment practices. And as component
suppliers look to modify or replace
hardware with digital devices that
include software, the functional
performance of the part may be the
same, but other differences must be
addressed, such as software valida-
tion or the need for additional RFI/
EMI shielding.
• Employee turnover: Your friendly
procurement engineer is not get-
ting any younger, which means that
transferring knowledge from the
veterans to the newcomers is par-
amount. Incoming engineers will
need access to modern training tools
that can accelerate their transition.
Procurement engineering is a core nu-
clear plant discipline. And despite the
new drivers, the principles that provide
the foundation for effective procurement
engineering remain the same:
• Design and qualification establishes
the suitability of the design. Design
control measures must be in place to
control the original design.
• Supplier quality controls play an im-
portant role in assuring product
quality. Procurement processes must
assure that purchased items conform
to procurement documents, includ-
ing source evaluation and selection,
objective evidence of quality, inspec-
tion at source, and examination of
products upon delivery.
• Technical evaluations translate de-
sign and quality requirements into
procurement requirements that are
communicated to the supplier in
procurement documents. For exam-
ple, the licensee is responsible for en-
suring that regulatory requirements
and the applicable design basis are
correctly reflected in specifications,
drawings, procedures, and instruc-
tions.
• Acceptance answers the questions of
whether the licensee received what
was ordered and whether the item
meets the design requirements.
Licensees must establish measures
to assure that purchased material,
equipment and services conform to
the procurement documents.
• Post acceptance and installation con-
trols provide assurance that the item
meets design requirements and can
perform its intended function. This
element encompasses handling,
storage, inspections, maintenance,
testing, and corrective actions.
Basically, procurement engineers must
be familiar with everything from design-
ing, purchasing and handling…to install-
ing, maintaining, and repairing. Plus,
they need to be cognizant of challenges
posed by counterfeiters, new technology,
and regulators. It’s like having someone
at home who will research the right parts
for your car, make sure they’re not fake,
and then check to make sure they work
as promised.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
9/25/17 1:27 PM
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 INDUSTRY WATCH
Are Ultracapacitors the
Next Big Trend in Backup
Generator Starting?
BY JEFF BRAKLEY, MAXWELL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
A
mong generator starting pro-
fessionals, it is widely accepted
that the most prevalent reason
for generator set (genset) failure-to-start
is issues with the lead-acid battery start-
ing system. Service providers have said
that approximately 80 percent of genset
failures-to-start can be attributed to bat-
tery system failure resulting from poorly
maintained batteries, charger failure,
or cable and terminal corrosion. After
several decades of these challenges, the
genset industry is embarking on a new
trend toward ultracapacitor-based start-
ing systems, which offer advantages over
traditionally used lead-acid battery-based
starting systems.
Ultracapacitors are fast-responding,
power-packed energy storage devices that
have been adopted in a variety of appli-
cations and industries, including com-
mercial truck engine starting. Ultracapac-
itors are successful in starting large truck
engines in the face of problems unique
to the trucking industry, like dead or dis-
charged batteries. Depending on opera-
tion, an ultracapacitor stores energy in a
static electric field, rather than in a chem-
ical reaction like batteries do, which can
slow dramatically in very cold weather.
Because they don’t depend on a chemical
reaction to produce electricity, ultracapac-
itors can operate in much lower and high-
er temperatures than batteries.
When a power outage happens, com-
mercial transaction-based businesses
can be susceptible to exorbitant expenses
related to data loss and customer service
downtime. Power failure in hospitals or
hotels presents a high risk of injury or loss
of life to people in the facility. Ultracapac-
itors installed in emergency or standby
6 www.power-eng.com
1710pe_6 6
backup generator sets can provide a more
reliable way to meet strict starting require-
ments, avoid losses associated with pow-
er failures, and improve building safety.
When used to start backup generators,
ultracapacitors can either completely re-
place lead-acid batteries or operate along-
side them, providing primary or backup
assistance to the battery system. Seamless
transition from ultracapacitors to batter-
ies in a hybrid installation can take place
during cranking, yielding the fastest pos-
sible starts.
Applying ultracapacitors to gensets
also reduces battery maintenance costs.
Ultracapacitor-based genset starting sys-
tems require minimal maintenance due
to their high cycle life and ruggedness
in wider temperature ranges. Depending
on operation and use, ultracapacitors can
achieve 10 or more years without replace-
ment versus much more frequent battery
changes. Batteries for genset starting gen-
erally have to be replaced every two to
three years. Generally speaking, batteries
must be inspected and tested on a weekly
or monthly basis. This involves checking
all cables and connections for corrosion
caused by sulfuric acid fumes, checking
water levels in each battery, and load test-
ing each battery individually to ensure
that its cold cranking amperage (CCA)
rating is still within specification. In addi-
tion to costs of replacing batteries that fail
testing, the cost of technician hours spent
on maintenance is thrown in the mix.
With ultracapacitors, there is no sulfuric
acid to cause corrosion, no water levels to
check and no load test requirements. As a
result, maintenance costs are significantly
less than those of batteries.
Because of their low internal resistance,
ultracapacitors are capable of sourcing
higher current with lower voltage drop
during cranking than batteries. As a re-
sult, cranking revolutions per minute can
be as much as 20 percent higher than with
batteries alone. This results in starting the
genset in a shorter period of time, often in
the range of 10 percent to 20 percent less
cranking time.
Electric utilities are beginning to adopt
ultracapacitors to start large engines that,
in turn, start gas-fired turbines. This ben-
efits utilities because their smaller plants
are in remote locations. The engine and
turbine are started remotely by the grid
manager in response to increased de-
mand. In this case, failure of the lead-ac-
id battery system to start the engine has
significant consequences to the utility be-
cause power to the grid is not supplied on
demand. Alternate arrangements must be
made quickly to obtain power from an-
other source. Most often, personnel need
to make an emergency service call from
the central site to the remote site to diag-
nose and correct the problem.
Lead-acid batteries have been the stan-
dard technology for starting commercial
engines since the 1930s and now, ultra-
capacitors are emerging as an alternative
starting technology for critical applica-
tions like backup generators. Ultracapac-
itors make a strong business case for re-
placing batteries in a genset or specifying
the starting system for a new installation,
leading genset professionals to increas-
ingly rely on the technology. Ultracapac-
itor-based systems for genset starting give
building owners and facility managers
confidence that operations will always
run smoothly – even in periods of power
outages.
9/25/17 1:27 PM
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1710pe_7 7 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Heat Recovery Steam Generators must be designed to

accommodate fast and increased cycling over the life of a
power plant. This should include a design life assessment
that accounts for fatigue caused by cycling and creep from
long term operation at high temperature and pressure.

The need for both high efficiency and

cycling puts conflicting requirements on
Heat Recovery Steam Generation (HRSG)
pressure parts. Application of new or
higher-grade materials is an option. How-
ever, considering the long industry expe-
rience and cost of the plant, exploring the
capacity of the existing materials, with
improved design and analysis, is desired
to meet the current challenge. For exist-
ing materials to endure higher pressure
and temperature, thicker components are
needed. The thicker components result
in higher through wall temperatures and
thermal stress, which is further increased
due to faster cycling.
Critical to designing HRSG pressure
parts is a life assessment analysis that

HRSG Design takes into account all aspects of imposed

steady state and transient thermal and
pressure loads along with material and

to Meet Next
geometry of components. Both the EN
and ASME codes provide guidance on life

Generation Cycling
and Efficiency assessment approaches, however
the simplified methods provided

Requirements
can result in either over or anticon-
servative predictions of component
life. GE uses an approach generally
based on EN 12952-3 and 12952-4
for fatigue and creep assessment along
BY DENIS BRUNO, WESLEY BAUVER, HAIYANG QIAN with robust transient modeling to define

T
AND SCOTT HERMAN, GENERAL ELECTRIC
transient operating conditions. This arti-
he need for fast start up and cycling of combined cycle power plants in cle outlines the approach used by GE for
response to the growth of renewables is well understood in the power HRSG life assessment.
industry. Both trends have been widely discussed. This need is support-
ed with the Rapid Response combined cycle system employing the new TRANSIENT ANALYSIS
7HA and 9HA gas turbines and others with hot start times around 30 It is necessary to define the transient
minutes and operational efficiencies as high as 62 percent. operating conditions that the HRSG

8 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_8 8 9/25/17 3:14 PM

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1710pe_9 9 9/25/17 3:14 PM

 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Transient Operating Cycle from Dynamic Model 1

Steam Temperature [degC] Steam Pressure [bar] Mass Flow [kg/s]

Ramp Rate 1 Ramp Rate 2 Ramp Rate 3

Pressure (bar)/Flow (kg/s)

Stress (MPa)/Temp(C)

Time (min) Time (min)

pressure parts must endure. For units that

Local Heat Transfer Coefficients in an HRSG Header 2
are not yet in operation, this requires a dy-
namic model to predict steam/water flow 2.35e+03
pressure and temperature in the pressure 2.24e+03
2.13e+03
parts as a function of time. Additional- 2.01e+03
ly, the heat transfer to the pressure parts 1.89e+03
1.77e+03
must be determined as a function of the 1.65e+03
flow conditions as this defines the ther- 1.54e+03
1.42e+03
mal transient that the component is sub- 1.30e+03
jected to. The primary inputs to the dy- 1.18e+03
1.06e+03
namic model are the gas turbine flow and 9.45e+02
temperature curves as these provide the 8.27e+02
7.09e+02
energy into the HRSG. If the HRSG has 5.90e+02
a duct burner the ramp rate of that heat 4.72e+02
3.54e+02
input must also be included. The dynamic 2.36e+02
model must include the operational log- 1.18e+02
-6.56e-02
ic and constraints for the various control
valves, bypasses and attemperators. Fig-
ure 1 shows typical transients for an op- (shutdown) progress, not a single ramp. the FEA include the local heat transfer co-
erating cycle. As will be discussed later, Finite Element efficients on the component. It is import-
It is noted that a complete transient Analysis (FEA) is required for determi- ant to evaluate these with Computational
should be defined as a combination of nation of component stresses that affect Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and to validate
a ramp up (startup) and ramp down lifetime. The required transient inputs for with field measurements. Figure 2 shows

10 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_10 10 9/25/17 3:14 PM

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For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#6

1710pe_11 11 9/25/17 3:14 PM

 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
Manifold Model for Sample Study
Nozzle, NPS 7”
Main Pipe, NPS 10”
a CFD analysis of local heat transfer co-
efficients inside a superheater manifold.
Use of a simplified calculation on heat
transfer based on uniform conditions can
result in significant under prediction on
local stresses and hence life usage.
COMPONENT SELECTION
EN12952-3, 5.5 provides a method of
screening components for fatigue but this
is based strictly on component material,
dimensions and operating pressure and
does not consider the operational tran-
sient that the component would be sub-
jected to. The operating temperature/pres-
sure and the rates of temperature/pressure
change based on the dynamic model or
operating data must be used to select the
components subjected to the most severe
operating transients. These factors must
be considered as well as the component
design. Typically, it can be assumed that
the final superheater or reheater and the
high pressure drum will be subjected
to fast temperature increases at startup.
Components directly downstream of
attemperators can also be subject to fast
transients. These can occur multiple times
12
1710pe_12 12
3
Tubes, NPS 4”
over a single start stop cycle so the antici-
pated load change scenarios must be con-
sidered as well as the numbers of startups
and shutdowns. In this study, a manifold
of the final stage superheater, as shown
in Figure 3, is selected to show the fatigue
evaluation of cyclic load.
FATIGUE EVALUATION
METHODS
ASME BPVP Code Section I does not
provide specific rules or procedures to
evaluate the fatigue usage of an HRSG.
The general philosophy is stated in the
Forward of ASME BPVP Code Section I,
“to afford reasonable protection of life
and property and to provide a margin
for deterioration in service so as to give
a reasonably long safe period of useful-
ness.” The increasing number of cyclic
operations on HRSGs requires a better
understanding of the fatigue evaluation
methods and the margins associated with
them. The American Boiler Manufactur-
ers Association (ABMA) has discussed
the different methods to calculate fatigue
usage for HRSGs and compared the re-
sults. The ABMA paper also discussed the
strengths and weaknesses of each meth-
od. As EN 12952-3 provides detailed pro-
cedures specifically focused on water tube
boiler fatigue, in this analysis, EN 12952-
3 is chosen to be the calculation method
to show the effect of input parameters of
the fatigue analysis.
EN 12952-3 provides a procedure for
fatigue calculation of boiler pressure parts
of boilers in Section 13 and associated
Annexes, which can be completed by
hand in the form of a table calculation as
shown in the sample problems in Annex
C of EN 12952-3. The code also allows
using more complicated methods such
as FEA to get more exact life predictions
to reduce the conservatism, “Due to the
simplicity of this analysis, the results may
be conservative with respect to life predic-
tion. More complex methods, e.g. finite
element analysis, may be applied to ob-
tain more exact life predictions.” Regard-
less of the methods used in the analysis,
the key inputs include geometry, material
properties and transient load boundary
conditions. The assumptions in selecting
these input parameters can make the re-
sults different even if the calculations are
following the same code methodology.
EFFECT OF RAMP
RATE SELECTION
EN 12952-3 provides two sample cal-
culations in Annex C, illustrating the
fatigue calculation procedure described
in Section 13 (hereinafter referred to as
“sample method”). The samples show the
procedures of calculation of the admissi-
ble number of load cycles and calculation
of the admissible temperature gradient.
Due to the simplicity of the method,
the calculation assumes a constant fluid
(steam or water) temperature ramp rate
for the start-up and shutdown transient.
This constant fluid temperature ramp rate
is used as the metal temperature ramp
rate on the inside surface of the compo-
nent. The effect of heat transfer coefficient
(HTC) is included in the thermal stress
concentration factor (αt) in the sample
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 3:14 PM
 method. The HTC values are also sim-
plified to two constant values for steam
and water. Then the thermal stress is
combined with the stress due to inter-
nal pressure to obtain the stress range.
This simplified method does not re-
flect the nonlinearity and combination
of the internal fluid conditions, e.g.,
fluid temperature ramp rate, pressure
and flow rate.
The determination of the transient
calculated a straight line connecting two
steady states, which is closer to the Ramp
Rate 3 case. It can be seen that the differ-
ence in allowable number of cycles are
two orders of magnitude between Ramp
Rates 1 and 3, in Table 1.
The effect of transient ramp rate selec-
tion might not be as sensitive for long
transients with slow ramp rates. With
safety factors, this simplified sample
method using constant ramp rate can be
presented in EN 12952-3, assuming
one dimensional through-wall heat
transfer with corresponding stress con-
centration factors.
EN 12952-3 suggests the heat-transfer
coefficient (HTC) values as follows:
Heat-transfer coefficient:
1000 W / m2 K for steam
3000 W / m2K for water
h=
3000 W / m2K for water

Sample Method with Default HTC 1 These HTC values reasonably represent
Location Ramp Rate 1 Ramp Rate 2 Ramp Rate 3
860 574 300
Stress Range, MPa Tube nozzle
707 473 249
Allowable Number 808 7,494 183,407
Tube nozzle
of Cycles 2,434 18,168 965,005
temperature ramp rate can be subjective. reasonably conservative. However, the
The Ramp Rates 1, 2 and 3 in Figure 1 design requirement of today’s HRSGs is
illustrate different selections of the sim- for faster response time and more cycles.
plified linear transient steam ramp rates. The selection of transient ramp rates is
Ramp Rate 1 assumes a detailed transient critical in fatigue life assessment. As sug-
analysis has been performed and uses gested in ERPI report, a detailed transient
the actual steam ramp rate of startup analysis is needed for HRSG fatigue life
and shutdown as the constant ramp rate. assessment.
Ramp Rate 2 assumes the transient starts
when the pressure starts to increase, ends EFFECT OF DISCRETE
when the steam temperature reaches the TIME STEPS AND HTC
operating temperature. For the shutdown, To take advantage of the time history
the transient is assumed to start and end of the transient details, one improve-
with the change of the flow and pressure. ment over the sample method can be
Ramp Rate 3 assumes the startup tran- separating the transient by discrete time
sient starts with pressure increase and steps (hereinafter referred to as “dis-
ends when pressure, flow and tempera- crete method”). At each time step, the
ture all reach the operating conditions. through wall temperature difference
The ramp rates can be significantly dif- can be calculated to reflect the condi-
ferent and result in errors of the fatigue tions provided by the advanced tran-
assessment, as shown in Table 1. Ramp sient analysis. The resultant stresses due
Rate 1 considers the most conservative to thermal and internal pressure will be
steam ramp rate only, in the entire start- combined at each time step instead of
up and shutdown transients, resulting in only maximum and minimum values in
a very high stress range and low allowable the sample method. The discrete meth-
number of cycles on fatigue. However, od fully represents the results from tran-
this information is not available unless a sient analysis and better calculates the
detailed transient analysis is performed through-wall temperature distribution.
from a complete dynamic model simula- The stress calculation is still based
tion. In many cases, the ramp rates will be on the equations and parameters
a general average value during a relatively
long transient. However, it does not ful-
ly represent the heat transfer conditions
during the thermal transient. For exam-
ple, if the constant HTC value for steam is
used, then the enhanced thermal transfer
due to condensation will be neglected in
the analysis. The market is requiring fast-
er response and the HRSG start-up period
becomes shorter. A more detailed HTC
estimation is needed with respect to the
associated transient. Correlations such as
Dittus Boelter [5] can be used as the basis
for calculating the convective inside HTC
assuming well-developed turbulent flow.
Direct application of the Dittus Boelter
correlation on HTC considers the effect
the fluid conditions, e.g., temperature,
flow rate, etc. It is a significant improve-
ment on HTC estimation comparing to
a constant average value during the en-
tire transient. However, flow in a typical
HRSG critical component, e.g., a mani-
fold or a header, does not have the same
heat transfer coefficient characteristics as
a well developed flow in a pipe.
Typically, flow enters from a pipe in a
fully developed turbulent state, which is
then decelerated by the expansion into
the cavity or by impinging onto the walls
of the manifold. In addition to the de-
celeration, the flow changes direction to
follow the path required to reach the exit
from the cavity. Then at the exit of the cav-
ity the flow is accelerated through a con-
traction and begins to redevelop a turbu-
lent boundary layer. These flow patterns

www.power-eng.com 13

1710pe_13 13 9/25/17 3:14 PM

 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
typically increase turbulence levels and
enhance local heat transfer. All of these
flow characteristics need to be accounted
for in the thermal boundary conditions.
It was found that these characteristics
enhance heat transfer to the metal and
therefore simple correlations need a mul-
tiplier to account for the increased heat
transfer. This heater transfer coefficient
correction factor (HTCCF) is determined
by comparing the heat transfer coefficient
determined from CFD to that from the
simple correlation as shown in Figure 2.
The stress ranges and corresponding fa-
tigue allowable number of cycles are pre-
sented in Table 2, using discrete method
with different HTC values and the tran-
sient shown in Figure 1. For the default
constant HTC values from EN 12952-3
assuming the fluid is all steam during the
startup and shutdown process, the stress
range and fatigue allowable number of cy-
cles is in between the ones of Ramp Rate
1 and 3, smaller than the ones of Ramp
Rate 2. Using Dittus Boelter correlation
to calculate HTC, without correction fac-
Discrete Method with Different HTCs
Location Default HTC
410
Stress Range, MPa Tube nozzle
336
Allowable Number 28,651
Tube nozzle
of Cycles 95,630
tors from CFD analysis, the stress range
is smaller and the allowable number of
cycles is higher. Using Dittus Boelter cor-
relation with HTCCF, the stress range is
the highest among the three cases, and the
allowable number of cycles is the lowest.
It can be noted that, comparing the case
of Ramp Rate 2, the 520 Mpa stress range
is lower than 574 MPa, but the allowable
number of cycles are 6235, lower than
the 7494 Ramp Rate 2 allowable number
of cycles. It is because, using the discrete
method, the reference temperature is
14
1710pe_14 14
Stress Range Contour Plot of a Sample Manifold 4
Tube C
Tube A
Tube B
1
4 2
1
4 2
3
calculated using the temperatures at the method are based on the equations and
maximum and minimum stress time parameters presented in EN 12952-3, as-
points, while in the simple method, the suming one dimensional through-wall
reference temperature is calculated from heat transfer with corresponding stress
the maximum and minimum tempera- concentration factors. There are no 3D
effects or interactions between non-iso-
2 lated penetrations considered in the cal-
culation. For example, due to fluid im-
“D-B,w/o “D-B, w pingement, the component can be heated
HTCCF” HTCCF” up much faster on one side and bows to
358 520 create additional bending moment. If the
293 426 penetrations are close to each other, the
46,845 6,235 area around the penetrations can be heat-
72,836 15,235 ed up or cooled down faster, such that a
hot/cold spot is formed and resulting in
additional stresses. This could lead to an
ture of the transient. anticonservative estimation of the stress
Generally, the discrete method pro- and thus an anticonservative fatigue life
vides results closer to Ramp Rate 2 using prediction. The application of 3D finite
the simplified sample method. The re- element analysis (FEA) better represents
sults from discrete methods shows much the actual condition and provides more
smaller difference based on different as- accurate stress and fatigue results.
sumptions of HTC values. It represents Figure 4 plots a color contour of the
more details of the transient and is more stress range distribution over a sample
robust compared to the sample method. manifold in HRSG. The manifold has 3
tube penetrations marked as Tube A, B
APPLICATION OF FEA and C, and a larger nozzle penetration.
EFFECT OF 3D GEOMETRY They are numbered as Position 1, 2, 3
Both the sample method and discrete and 4 at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock position,
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 3:14 PM
 Stress Range Values from Elastic FEA 3 This correction is essentially Neuber’s
rule correction. When plastic strains are
Positions 1 2 3 4 small, it provides a reasonable correction
Tube A, MPa 650 560 660 563 to the results calculated from elastic anal-
Tube B, MPa 652 562 655 558 ysis. For cases with larger plastic strains,
the Neuber’s rule correction will be too
Tube C, MPa 660 575 655 561
conservative or under conservative, de-
Nozzle, MPa 579 536 553 545 pending on the type of loads. EN 12952-3

for each of the penetrations, respective-

ly. Table 4 lists the stress ranges at differ-
ent positions around the penetration for
the tubes and the nozzle. It can be seen
that the stress ranges at the tube loca-
tions are generally higher than the ones
at the nozzle locations. This is consis-
tent with the trend shown in the results
from the sample method and discrete
method. The stress ranges at the nozzle
of all 4 positions and the stress rang-
es at the tube of Positions 2 and 4 are
reasonably close to the stress ranges
calculated from discrete method with
HTCCF. For the nozzle location, the
stress range values do not vary, while
the stress range values at Positions 2
and 4 are significantly higher than the
ones at Positions 1 and 3, for the tube
locations. Due to design limitation,
the tubes are located on one side of the
manifold and heat up or cool down the
breathe easy
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www.power-eng.com
For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#7

1710pe_15 15 9/25/17 3:14 PM

 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
Comparison of Fatigue Calculations Using Discrete
Method, Elastic FEA and Inelastic FEA
Positions Locations
Stress Range, MPa Tube
Allowable Number of Cycles Tube
allows using total strain range to calculate
the virtual stress range as:
2f*a = 2Eεatot, where εatot is the total
strain range (elastic + plastic)
The total strain range can be calcu-
lated using inelastic FEA. After obtain-
ing the virtual stress range, following
the same procedure, the fatigue life can
be calculated.
Table 4 presents the stress ranges and
allowable number of cycles calculated
from discrete method, elastic FEA and in-
elastic FEA.
It can be seen the results from linear
elastic FEA is most conservative, while re-
sults from discrete method and inelastic
FEA are closer. It should be noted that it
does not mean the discrete method al-
ways provides results close to the inelastic
FEA.
The stress range value from discrete
method is lower than elastic FEA is be-
cause it does not consider the interac-
tion between the tube penetrations. The
inelastic FEA leads to lower stress range
and higher allowable than elastic FEA,
because of the redistribution of local high
stress in elastic FEA and the more accurate
strain range.
CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The HRSG design needs to accom-
modate higher efficiency and more
cycling over the life. Higher efficien-
cy requires higher pressures and tem-
peratures, resulting in thicker com-
ponents. Both thicker components
and faster cycling bring challenge to
16
1710pe_16 16
4
D-B, w “FEA, “FEA,
HTCCF Elastic” Inelastic”
520 662 474
6,235 1,697 7,349
the fatigue life of the components.
The results from simplified method-
ology can be over or anticonserva-
tive. An understanding of the true fa-
tigue life of the critical components
is needed. The following are required
to achieve this.
2. Transient analysis is critical to the
fatigue evaluation of cyclic loading,
although it is not required by the
codes. For new designs, this requires
a dynamic model. It provides the
detailed history of fluid conditions,
including pressure, temperature and
flow rate of each of the critical com-
ponents, while the simplified meth-
od generally determines a constant
transient ramp of all the fluid con-
ditions by linearly connecting two
steady states. With the more cycling
and shorter startup time, the results
from the simplified method can be
misleading. The difference between
the predicted fatigue lives can be 1
to 2 orders of magnitudes, depend-
ing on the different assumptions,
as shown in Table 1. The transient
analysis results provide the basis of
the detailed analysis on stress and
fatigue life.
3. Fatigue can be calculated for simple
geometries using the discrete meth-
od taking advantage of the time his-
tory of the fluid conditions, based
on the transient analysis results.
The discrete method is based on the
same equations and stress concen-
tration factors in the sample meth-
od. One factor that can contribute to
the difference in fatigue life predic-
tion is the selection of heat transfer
coefficient. However, the difference
is small compared to the difference
due to more arbitrary ramp rate se-
lection in the sample method. The
Dittus Boelter correlation with cor-
rection factors from CFD is recom-
mended for the discrete method.
4. FEA is strongly recommended es-
pecially for the fatigue assessment
of the critical components. It is a
GE requirement on HRSGs. The
3D FEA model can not only appre-
ciate the detailed fluid conditions
from transient analysis, but also
includes the actual geometry effect,
e.g., non-uniform heat up and the
interaction between the penetra-
tions. Neglecting these effects can
lead to anticonservative fatigue life
prediction in the design stage. For
cases with large strain/stress ranges,
inelastic FEA is recommended to re-
duce the error produced when using
general plastic correction equations.
It should be noted that using FEA is
allowed in most of the design codes
as an option for detailed analysis,
when the code calculation is too
conservative. This study shows that
due to the wide range of possible
assumptions where the codes are
not specifically written, results cal-
culated from code equations are not
always conservative.
5. An online monitoring system
is highly recommended for the
HRSGs.
The life assessment at design stage
can only be based on limited operating
conditions obtained from the dynam-
ic models. The plants can be operated
differently from the analyzed condi-
tions. With a monitoring system, the
life assessment can be done based on
the field measured data. The plant life
management will be improved based
on more information and better anal-
ysis. GE provides “HRSG Life Monitor”
as the online life monitoring tool for
HRSGs.
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 3:14 PM
 For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#8

1710pe_17 17 9/25/17 3:14 PM

 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Protecting Your
Steam Turbine from
Corrosion
M
BY BRAD BUECKER
any power plant per- and also lead to severe economic hard- high cycling duty of most plants, includ-
sonnel are aware that ships for the plant. ing formerly base-loaded units.
chemistry upsets in a However, often overlooked is that even With the aid of some excellent infor-
steam generator may trace levels of some impurities in steam mation presented at the recent 37th Annu-
cause severe corro- can induce severe to catastrophic corro- al Electric Utility Chemistry Workshop,
sion and failure of boiler waterwall tubes sion of turbine blades and rotors under the author will outline several of the most
and other components. certain conditions. important issues with regard to protecting
These failures place the staff at risk, These issues are often magnified by the this most valuable piece of equipment.

18 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_18 18 9/25/17 1:27 PM


Many power plant personnel are aware that chemistry upsets in a steam generator may
cause severe corrosion and failure of boiler waterwall tubes and other components. This arti-
cle outlines the most important issues related to protecting this valuable piece of equipment.
HOW DO IMPURITIES
ENTER STEAM?
Because steam generating pow-
er plants, both conventional units
and heat recovery steam generators
(HRSGs), operate at high temperatures
and pressures, very pure makeup water
is a requirement to prevent corrosion
www.power-eng.com
1710pe_19 19
and scaling. The core treatment process
at many plants for high-purity water
production is, following suitable pre-
treatment methods, two-pass reverse
osmosis with either mixed-bed ion
exchange or electrodeionization pol-
ishing of the RO effluent. Regardless
of the exact makeup system design, it
Author:
Brad Buecker is a senior process special-
ist in the Water Technologies group of
Kiewit Engineering Group Inc.
must produce water with very low part-
per-billion (ppb) impurity concentra-
tions. So, in the absence of condenser
tube leaks or contaminated boiler wa-
ter treatment chemicals, the water en-
tering the steam generator is typically
quite pure, with the normal sodium
concentration less than 2 ppb and cat-
ion conductivity less than 0.2 µS/cm.
More on these measurements appears
shortly.
The issue with drum units is that
impurities “cycle up” in concentration
due to production of steam, which
leaves dissolved solids (typically ana-
lyzed and reported as total dissolved
solids [TDS]) behind in the boiler.
Dissolved and suspended solids are
controlled via boiler blowdown, but
the fact remains that some impurities
can enter steam via any of three meth-
ods, mechanical carryover, vaporous
carryover, or direct introduction from
attemperator sprays. With regard to
the former, virtually all high-pressure
steam drums are equipped with mois-
ture separators to remove entrained
water droplets from the steam. But no
separator is 100 percent efficient, and
some moisture escapes the drum. The
density difference between water and
steam is the primary driving factor in
moisture separation efficiency, and be-
cause this density difference decreases
with increasing pressure, mechanical
carryover becomes more pronounced
in high-pressure steam generators. At
a pressure of say 2,500 psia, moisture
carryover may reach 0.2 percent of the
steam flow. Mechanical carryover is
the typical method by which most im-
purities, and particularly those which
we will most focus upon in this article,
chloride and sulfate, enter steam.
Some elements and compounds,
most notably silica (SiO2), will vapor-
ize on their own and enter steam. As
with mechanical carryover, vaporous
carryover becomes more pronounced
19
9/25/17 1:27 PM
 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
as pressure increases. Consider for ex-
ample the recommended boiler water
silica concentrations designed to limit
the steam concentration to 10 ppb. At
1,000 psia the general boiler water lim-
iting concentration is around 2.3 ppm,
but at 2,500 psi the limit drops to about
0.18 ppm. Silica does not cause turbine
corrosion, but as the steam pressure
decreases during passage through the
intermediate- and low-pressure tur-
bines, the compound will precipitate
and modestly degrade turbine aerody-
namic efficiency.
An element that once was quite
problematic with regard to vaporous
carryover is copper, especially in many
of the coal-fired units from decades
past. A large number of these steam
generators were originally equipped
with copper-alloy feedwater heater
tubes, where corrosion introduced cop-
per and copper oxides to the boiler. At
pressures above 2,000 psi and espe-
cially at 2,400 psi and above, vapor-
ous carryover of copper becomes quite
troublesome. Deposition typically oc-
curs in the HP turbine, and just a few
pounds of copper deposits can cause
the loss of several megawatts. Very few
if any HRSGs have feedwater heaters,
so this is a non-issue in modern com-
bined cycle units. And, of course, oth-
er materials besides copper alloys are
possible for any units that still have
feedwater heaters.
Impurities may also be introduced
to steam in a direct manner, via attem-
perator sprays. This is normally not
an issue unless the feedwater has been
contaminated from a condenser tube
leak, or, less likely, a makeup water sys-
tem upset. Then, harmful compounds
will enter the entire system. This is yet
another example why comprehensive
on-line sampling, including conden-
sate pump discharge and feedwater, is
critical for protecting steam generators.
Current normal steam purity limits
are outlined in the table below. These
20
1710pe_20 20
values may seem very minute, but as
we shall see, even slight impurity in-
gress, especially of chloride, can still
present serious difficulties.
Stress Corrosion Cracking.
HOW IMPURITIES, EVEN
AT TRACE LEVELS, CAN
DAMAGE THE TURBINE
Power-generating steam turbines are
typically divided into three sections,
high-pressure (HP), intermediate pres-
sure (IP), and low-pressure (LP). In
virtually all modern units, HP exhaust
steam returns to the steam generator
for reheating, and then is introduced to
the IP turbine, whose exhaust “crosses
over” to the LP turbine(s). (Often, the
configuration may have two or perhaps
occasionally even three LP turbines per
overall system.) Consider as an exam-
ple of common operating conditions
the following approximate values from
a planned combined cycle project. The
data is based on an average summer
day at the site, with no supplemental
duct firing to the HRSGs.
• HP Inlet Steam: ~2,000 psia,
~1,050o F
• Cold Reheat Steam: ~570 psia,
~700o F
• Hot Reheat Steam to IP Turbine:
~510 psia, ~1,050o F
• LP Inlet Steam: ~60 psia, ~610o F
• LP Exhaust to Condenser: ~1.2
psia, ~110o F
This data clearly illustrates the drop
in steam pressure and temperature
across the turbine sections as the en-
ergy is converted to mechanical work
and electrical output. We have already
noted that silica will precipitate from
the steam as pressure drops in the IP
and LP turbines. But what about the
really bad actors, chloride and, to a
lesser extent sulfate? Most difficulties
with these salts occur in the LP tur-
bine. The entering steam still has a
reasonable amount of superheat, but
as the steam reaches the last few rows
of turbine blades, some of it begins to
condense. This location is known as
the phase transition zone (PTZ), and it
is in the PTZ that chloride and sulfate
salts precipitate on the turbine blades
and rotor. During steady-state opera-
tion, the precipitated salts are neutral,
but in units that cycle on and off reg-
ularly (many plants nowadays) the LP
turbine may be frequently exposed to
humid, outside air. When the salt de-
posits become moist, they can initiate
pitting of blades and rotors. Pitting in
itself is a very serious issue, but other
factors exacerbate the problem. Ro-
tating turbine blades, and particularly
the long blades in LP turbines, develop
stress points during operation. Pitting
is often the precursor to stress corro-
sion cracking (SCC), in which the com-
bination of a corrosive environment
and metal stress can induce severe lo-
calized corrosion.
Another problematic mechanism
is corrosion fatigue (CF), which, as
the name implies, is influenced by re-
peated cycling. A simple example of
basic fatigue is to bend a paperclip at
one spot back and forth several times
until it fails. Cycling duty in a plant
initiates fatigue points at many lo-
cations, including rotating turbine
blades and attachments. If a corrosive
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 1:27 PM
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1710pe_21 21 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
environment exists, the time to fatigue
failure is shortened. Weakening of tur-
bine blades and attachments from SCC
and CF can lead to blade failure while
the turbine is in operation. The only
word that applies to this situation is
“catastrophe.”
INFORMATION FROM
THE ELECTRIC UTILITY
CHEMISTRY WORKSHOP
The corrosion issues outlined in this
article were the subject of an excellent
paper at the most recent Electric Utili-
ty Chemistry Workshop (EUCW). The
lead author outlined in the first half of
the paper that during scheduled out-
ages on two power generating units at
his company, non-destructive testing
(NDT) revealed stress corrosion crack-
ing in blade attachments within the last
three stages of some of the LP turbines.
Prompt blade and blade attachment
repair prevented the problem from be-
coming a serious issue. This work came
in conjunction with upgrades to the
plant’s on-line chemistry monitoring
system. Accurate and reliable mon-
itoring are aspects that seem to often
be overlooked by the plant staff, even
though the cost for instrumentation
and training for plant personnel can
be recovered many times over by pre-
vention of chemistry upsets. Critical
sample points include:
• Makeup water system effluent
• Condensate pump discharge
• Feedwater and economizer inlet
(economizer outlet is also a good
location)
• Boiler / HRSG evaporator water
• Superheat, reheat, and saturated
steam
With regard to steam chemistry,
Table 1 previously illustrated current
steam purity guidelines as established
by the Electric Power Research Institute
(EPRI) and other top organizations
such as the International Association
for the Properties of Water and Steam
22
1710pe_22 22
(IAPWS). But, the author is aware from technique can provide accurate results,
these sources that the values are con- it is expensive and requires trained
sidered to be too high, particularly chemistry personnel (something com-
with regard to chloride and sodium, if bined cycle plants unfortunately don’t
the latter occurs in the form of caustic always have) to keep IC units in prop-
(NaOH) carryover. (Caustic can also er working order. However, changes in
induce stress corro- the ability to monitor
sion cracking.) trace Cl and SO4 are
“Weakening of
For years, the pri- imminent. Another
mary power plant turbine blades paper at the EUCW
steam measurements
and attachments outlined results from
have included some several field tests of
or all of sodium, from SCC and a new trace chloride/
silica, and cation CF can lead to sulfate analyzer.
conductivity (more A key aspect of this
properly known blade failure while technology is that
as conductivity af- the turbine is in the instrument uses
ter cation exchange a process with the
[CACE]). CACE is operation. The only ponderous name of
essentially the elec- word that applies microfluidic capil-
trical measurement lary electrophoresis
of any anions, gen-
to this situation is to separate chloride
erally chloride and ‘catastrophe.’” and sulfate, which
sulfate, after the may then be detect-
cations (in steam generator water pri- ed at concentrations down to 0.1 ppb.
marily ammonium and sodium) have The electrophoresis module is calibrat-
been stripped from the sample. Be- ed at the factory, thus the instrument
cause carbon dioxide (CO2) influenc- can be started up in the field without
es CACE, now being recommended is additional calibration. The field tests
degassed CACE, where the sample is so far have provided excellent results.
routed through a reboiler or perhaps The technology could be expanded to
a nitrogen-sparged compartment to detect other anions that may be in the
remove CO2. For a long time, plant steam samples.
owners, startup personnel, and equip- A notable example is phosphate,
ment manufacturers focused on a cat- which is often a mechanical carryover
ion conductivity limit of 0.2 µS/cm as product in those plants that utilize
a good guideline for steam purity. But, tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) for boiler
CACE is only a surrogate for chloride water chemistry control. Although TSP
and sulfate, and it is now known that is not a corrosive agent in the steam sys-
0.2 µS/cm corresponds to a chloride or tem, carryover and deposition in super-
sulfate concentration greater than 10 heater and reheater U-bends have been
ppb. This is at a time when many con- known to cause overheating failures.
sider 2 ppb of these ions to be exces-
sive. The question has naturally arisen, DON’T FORGET ABOUT
“What about measuring trace chloride SHUTDOWNS AND LAYUPS
and sulfate directly?” Often, plant personnel tend to focus
Heretofore, such measurements have on issues that may occur during normal
been possible with ion chromatogra- operation. But, off-line corrosion is a
phy (IC), but from direct experience very serious issue that must be addressed
the author will attest that although the to ensure good unit reliability.
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 1:27 PM
 For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#10

1710pe_23 23 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 MONITORING SOLUTIONS

NEW
and automatically correlating recorded
PD with operating condition parameters
such as active power and temperatures.

GENERATION
Periodical comparison of data recorded
at the same operating conditions pro-
vides reliable trending to trigger alarms.
Visual maps provide immediate under-

PD for Generators
Continuous, On-Line PD Monitoring standing of PD behaviour with respect
to copper temperature and load. This
comparison enables the machine owner
to manage machine loading and cooling

B
BY SAMUEL CLEMMONS, JAMES HOVIOUS, MARCO TOZZI AND ENRICO SAVORELLI

reakdowns of the electri-

cal insulation system have Example PDE Map 1
been documented to cause 105 38.0
catastrophic failure of crit- HT 36.0
100 SS
ical equipment. Partial 34.0
Discharges (PD) are measured on rotat- 95.0 32.0
ing machines in order to prevent early 30.0
90.0
28.0
failures occurring in stator insulation.
85.0 26.0
Copper temperature (°)

However, only a few electrical generation

24.0
companies have adopted permanent PD 80.0
22.0
continuous monitoring solutions, while

PDE
75.0 MT 20.0
most use only periodic tests. 18.0
70.0
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) 16.0
has engaged periodic on-line PD tests 65.0 14.0
for several years with mixed results re- 60.0 12.0
garding the agency confidence and un- 10.0
55.0 LT
derstanding of PD system results. Spo- 8.00
50.0 6.00
radic acquisition of PD data is one of the
4.00
barriers to widespread deployment of 45.0
0.00 40.0 60.0 60.0 60.0 60.0 60.0 60.0 2.00
permanent monitoring systems, and the
Load (MW) 0.00
clear understanding of results is another
drawback. In particular, TVA recognized
the need for an easy to interpret ‘picture’
that can intuitively show PD results to
Example weekly summary of 2
power-plant operators and asset manag-
PDE with respect to each phase
ers, without the need of an expert in PD
40.0
theory to review and to provide data in-
terpretation. 35.0
Phase A
This article details real case studies 30.0 Phase B
using a new technology, designed specif- 25.0 Phase C
ically for generators, which shows contin- 20.0
uous PD monitoring data in an intuitive
PDE

15.0
and informative format. This informa-
10.0
tion will help the plant to plan corrective
actions, improve operating conditions, 5.0

and defer the need for experts in data 0.0

Start Low Med High Stop
interpretation. These results are achieved
by continuously monitoring PD activity

24 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_24 24 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 Author
Samuel Clemmons is a systems engineer for the Tennessee
Valley Authority. James Hovious is a generator specialist at the
Tennessee Valley Authority. Marco Tozzi is an electrical engi-
neer for Camlin Power Ltd. Enrico Savorelli is product manager
to extend insulation reliability. Additional diagrams provide a for Camlin Power Ltd.
cumulative summary of PD activity at machine start, stop, low,
medium and high load, all of which is of particular interest real operating conditions. However, periodic on-line tests have
when generators operate at peak demand, cycling, or at system limitations since it is difficult to replicate the PD measurement
automatic loads. at the same identical operating and environmental conditions,
Several stator failure mechanisms have reported a close cor- resulting in an uncertain and unreliable comparison. As a mat-
relation with PD activity. Some of the most common defects ter of fact, PD intensity can significantly vary hour after hour in
generating PD are described as follows: normal conditions due to the load and temperature changes.
• Thermal deterioration: chemical ageing process increas-
ing internal gas pressure and decreasing the adhesive PDE map relevant to U6, U7 and U8 3
strength of the epoxy-mica interface, resulting in voids,
a) 65.0
delaminations and PD; 68.0 60.0
• Thermal cycling: thermomechanical stress due to dif- 64.0 55.0
ferent thermal expansion coefficients of the materials 50.0
60.0

Stator Temperature (°C)

involved weakening and breaking the bond between the 45.0
56.0
copper and insulation, generating delaminations within 40.0
52.0 35.0

PDE
the insulation and PD;
48.0 30.0
• Poor resin impregnation: leaving distributed air bubbles
44.0 25.0
within insulation and generating PD;
20.0
• Loose stator bars: due to the vibrations, the bar moves in 40.0
15.0
the slot, damaging and abrading the slot conductive coat- 36.0
10.0
ing and generating PD (Slot PD); 32.0 5.00
• Semicon coating: generating PD within the space between 0.00 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100 120 140 160 180 200 0.00
the stator and the coil (Slot PD) due to too excessive initial b) 65.0
resistance or poor application of the conductive coating; 68.0 60.0
• Semicon/Stress-grading junction: poor connection be- 64.0 55.0
50.0
tween the stress grading tape and the conductive coating, 60.0
Stator Temperature (°C)

45.0
generating PD between the junction between the two ma- 56.0
40.0
terials; 52.0 35.0

PDE
• Inadequate end-winding spacing: causing insufficient 48.0 30.0
clearance between the bars and generating PD between the 25.0
44.0
bars in the end-winding; 20.0
40.0
• Contamination: causing surface tracking in th e end wind- 15.0
36.0
ing. 10.0
32.0 5.00
It is well known that the analysis of PD trends over the years
establishes an effective method to assess the insulation degra- 0.00 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100 120 140 160 180 200 0.00
c) 65.0
dation rate, since an increase of the defect size (volume of void,
68.0 60.0
gap between coil and stator, surface tracking path, etc.) gener-
64.0 55.0
ally leads to an increase of PD intensity in terms of amplitude 50.0
60.0
Stator Temperature (°C)

and/or number of discharges. Potentially, the trend analysis can 45.0

be obtained by comparing periodic measurements (off-line and 56.0
40.0
on-line) or using a continuous 24/7 monitoring system. 52.0 35.0
PDE

Off-line PD measurements (machine not running, external 48.0 30.0

voltage source applied phase by phase) are generally inadequate 44.0 25.0
to detect loose-bars defects (load is absent during the test), to 20.0
40.0
confirm deterioration of the voltage stress coatings (tempera- 15.0
36.0
10.0
ture and humidity cannot be varied during the test) and to in- 32.0 5.00
vestigate discharges between phases.
0.00 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100 120 140 160 180 200 0.00
On-line measurements represent the most effective method Active Power (MW)
to detect all possible PD sources since the machine is tested at

www.power-eng.com 25

1710pe_25 25 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 MONITORING SOLUTIONS
For example, high discharges can oc-
cur at generator start-up, due to open
gaps in the ground-wall insulation, and
disappear in few hours due to the coil
temperature increase, which causes the
copper to expand and fill the gaps [5-6].
In other cases, high load or high tempera-
ture can result in a sudden increase of slot
discharges which would disappear at cold
temperature or low load. For this reason,
PD trend evaluations must take into ac-
count environmental and operating con-
ditions. The key point is to compare PD
intensity at nearly the same voltage/load/
temperature/humidity conditions.
The use of permanent monitoring
systems, recording diagnostic (PD), op-
erational (voltage, active power, reactive
power, copper temperature, cooling tem-
peratures, H2 pressure) and environmen-
tal (temperature, humidity) parameters
represent the only way to carry out a
meaningful correlation over the time at
the same identical operating condition.
The collected data shall be easily grouped
basing on the chosen parameters to show
a summary of the insulation status at
cold or warm machine, at low or high
load, etc. The importance of making the
recorded data meaningful and easy-to-in-
terpret is fundamental to allowing deci-
sion makers to compare the status of the
generators, manage operational stresses
in time, and devise a real condition-based
maintenance plan.
“As soon as stator
temperature increases,
copper expands and
squeezes the voids
reducing the PD
activity.”
The following paper describes a trial
project, carried out by TVA and Camlin
Power, which equipped four generators
with a continuous PD monitoring sys-
tem. The results from three of the four
26
1710pe_26 26
generators are reported due to two of the
generators showing no PD. These results
highlight the benefits of the applied tech-
nology within the TVA monitoring and
maintenance program.
TVA ROUTINE
MAINTENANCE
AND EXPERIENCE
TVA Kingston Fossil Plant (KIF) has
9 generators, all of which were installed
from 1954-1956. Four of them are rated
175 MW while the others are 200 MW. All
Weekly summary of U6
40.0
35.0 Phase A
Phase B
30.0 Phase C
25.0
PDE
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
Start Low
machines are Hydrogen cooled and have
VPI single-bar insulation, except one
stator that is Resin Rich. A full rotor-out
major outage is carried out every 10 to 12
calendar years. Wedge and endwinding
tightness inspections, as well as routine
electrical tests (winding resistance and
2500 volt megger/10 minute polarization
index) are included in the outage scope.
Minor outages are spaced between the
major inspections and include routine
electrical tests. Over the past decade,
TVA Kingston has invested in partial dis-
charge analysis on the generators. Most of
the nine generators have bus couplers in-
stalled, and the units were tested annual-
ly. However, the data obtained from these
tests did not prove to be useful. While the
plant was supplied with Qm+ and Qm-
levels from a testing vender, there was
no indication of what was acceptable
or unacceptable. In addition, the data
seemed erratic. There would be a higher
magnitude PD level one year, followed be
a lower level the next. A PD expert had
to be contacted to translate the data to
be beneficial for onsite employees. Still,
the information obtained did not contain
operational recommendations that could
be used to lower PD levels. As a result,
partial discharge levels in Kingston gen-
4
Med High Stop
erators were never fully valued and were
only kept for trending purposes.
PD MONITORING SYSTEM
DESCRIPTION
TVA has decided to engage a trial
evaluating a permanent, continuous PD
monitoring solution. The permanent
monitoring system consists of a set of
three capacitive couplers and an acqui-
sition unit. Existing couplers already in-
stalled in the generator can be used, thus
there is no need to replace the hardware
installed in the past. For the TVA KIF tri-
al, existing sets of 80 pF couplers were
used. The acquisition system module
includes an acquisition board, a module
for external inputs, an embedded PC
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 1:27 PM
 PDE Map relevant to U6 showing the benefit of the
5
temperature increase with integrated server, and modem. This
80.0 80.0 module connects to the machine side
78.0 bus couplers and records continuously.
75.0
76.0
70.0
A de-noising logic algorithm uses the si-
74.0
72.0 multaneous signal acquisition from the
65.0
70.0 three phases and automatically rejects
68.0 60.0
what is considered noise. The resulted
66.0 55.0
64.0 data is saved in an embedded database.
Stator Temperature (°C)

50.0
62.0 A summary of the recorded activity is
60.0 45.0 performed every 10 minutes. The output
58.0
40.0

PDE
56.0 data includes the well-known parameters
54.0 35.0 such as Qmax (Volts and pC), Repetition
52.0 30.0 Rate (pulse-per-seconds), Qm+, Qm-,
50.0
48.0 25.0 NqN+ and NqN-. Additionally, Qmax
46.0 20.0 and Repetition Rate are combined into
44.0 a non-dimensional parameter called PD
15.0
42.0
40.0 10.0
Energy (PDE), which is evaluated for
38.0 each phase of the machine. Operational
5.00
60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 and environmental parameters (mega-
Load (MW) 0.00
watts, megavars, stator temperature, etc.

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27

1710pe_27 27 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 MONITORING SOLUTIONS

PRPD pattern relevant to PD activity in phase A in generator U6 6

a) Before temperature change. Power 120 MW, copper temperature 55 °C
0.500

0.400

0.300

0.200

0.100
Amplitude

0.000

-0.100

-0.200

-0.300

-0.400

-0.500
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360
b) After temperature change. Power 120 MW, copper temperature 65 °C
0.500

0.400

0.300

0.200

0.100
Amplitude

0.000

-0.100

-0.200

-0.300

-0.400

-0.500
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360

are recorded simultaneously and contin-
uously with the PD data. A total report is
then produced with the correlated data
(PD and machine parameters).
Using the report data, a 3-D PDE map
is created. A dot is plotted every N min-
utes (N = data sample rate) with X, Y coor-
dinates representing the operating condi-
tions. The user can choose the parameter
to be used in both axes depending on
his needs, experience and parameter
availability. Each dot is coded by color
using a scale from green (low PDE) to red
(high PDE), depending on the PDE level
recorded.
As an example, Fig.1 summarizes 4
months of data from a 300 MW tur-
bo-generator with a sample rate of 10
minutes. The X and Y axis are active
power and copper temperature respec-
tively. The meaning of the shape of the
cluster is straightforward: each PDE dot
corresponds to a certain operating condi-
tion with a certain active power and cop-
per temperature. As a result, four areas
can be easily segmented in the plot:
• SS: Start-Stop region, character-
ized by low power (below mini-
mum-technical)
• LT: low-temperature region, the ma-
chine operates at significantly low
temperature, generally after the start
• MT: mid-temperature region, it

28 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_28 28 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 should represent the “normal” operating condition
PDE map for each phase of unit 7.
• HT: high temperature region, the machine operates at tem-
Phase B is mainly affected by PD 7
peratures not far from the maximum from design
The thresholds for defining the four areas are configurable
at any operating conditions
and is customizable to each machine.
As an example of interpretation, the PDE Map in Fig. 1 shows a) 65.0 50.0
that the monitored machine is load-base (very few dots in the SS 62.5 45.0
60.0
and LT area) with very low PDE activity at the start and low tem- 40.0
57.5

Copper Temperature (°C)

perature conditions (mostly green dots). The machine is mainly 55.0 35.0
operating at medium and high temperatures. The PDE is low 52.5
30.0
in the MT region (still green predominance). However, the HT 50.0

PDE
47.5 25.0
region, especially above 85°C, correlates to a higher PDE (red 45.0
20.0
predominance). 42.5
In this particular example case, the utility previously used pe- 40.0 15.0
37.5 10.0
riodic PD testing (every 6 months). The owner was not aware of
35.0
the correlation between PD and temperature. With the above 32.5 5.00
results provided, the owner took action to increase cooling at 30.0 0.00
0.00 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100 120 140 160 180 200
higher loads. Thus, they were able to bring the machine to op-
erate mainly in the MT area (even at high loads). The result gen-
erated a predominately green PDE map which depicts slower
b) 65.3 50.0
degradation.
62.5 45.0
In terms of trending PD, the monitoring system has the capa-
60.0
bility to extract a weekly summary indicating the PDE level at 57.5 40.0
Copper Temperature (°C)

each of the designated operating temperatures. Figure 2 shows 55.0 35.0

an example of the same machine above, monitored for a cer- 52.5
50.0 30.0
tain week where a few start-ups/shutdowns were also made. The

PDE
47.5 25.0
weekly summary is in agreement with the PDE Map. It confirms 45.0
20.0
that PDE increases with temperature and it is maximum at high 42.5
40.0 15.0
temperature (HT), i.e. above 90 °C. The summary also shows
37.5 10.0
PDE for each phase, highlighting the predominance of PD activ- 35.0
ities in C phase (red). 32.5 5.00

The values shown in Fig. 2 are then generated weekly. These 30.0 0.00
0.00 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100 120 140 160 180 202
reports create meaningful trends at similar operating condi-
tions. Three different alarms can be sent to the owners/opera-
tors - one for each operating range (LT, MT, and HT). In addition
c) 65.0 50.0
to the three temperature ranges, the correlated PDE and opera-
62.5 45.0
tional data can separate start-up and shutdown periods. These
60.0
operational conditions provide the potential for two addition- 57.5 40.0
Copper Temperature (°C)

al alarms (start and stop). This feature is important for cycling 55.0 35.0
52.5
units, which sometimes show higher PD levels during these 30.0
50.0
periods due to voids and delaminations. Typically, these time 47.5 25.0
PDE

periods go unmonitored when using the conventional periodic 45.0

20.0
PD testing techniques. 42.5
40.0 15.0
37.5 10.0
TVA TRIAL 35.0
32.5 5.00
The trial has taken place at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant.
30.0 0.00
Four generators where monitored for several months each. Table 0.00 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100 120 140 160 180 200
1 shows the characteristics of the generators. Active Power (MW)
Figure 3 below shows PDE maps collected from Units 6, 7,
and 8. Using the same PDE color scale (max PDE=90) and the

www.power-eng.com 29

1710pe_29 29 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 MONITORING SOLUTIONS
same operational parameters on the X and Y axis, the maps
are comparable between all three sister units. The comparison
reveals that all three insulation systems are in different condi-
tions. This fact alone stresses the importance of knowing which
factors (temperature, loading, voltage, etc.) of PD are contrib-
uting to the resultant PDE levels. From these initial maps, each
unit was analysed deeper.
Headline: PRPD pattern for PD activity in phase B
2.0000
1.5000
1.0000
0.5000
Amplitude
0.0000
-0.5000
-1.0000
-1.5000
-2.0000
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
UNIT 6
The PDE map shows that this unit is mainly affected by PD
at low temperatures. When temperatures exceed 60 °C, PDE
levels are significantly attenuated. Note that when the ma-
chine operates at maximum power and temperature, PDs are
not active (predominance of green dots). This could be due to
presence of voids in the insulation when the copper is not fully
expanded, producing PD when gaps are still present. As soon
as stator temperature increases, copper expands and squeezes
the voids reducing the PD activity. The analysis is confirmed
by the weekly data aggregation for trending purposes shown
in Fig. 4 (LT=55°C, HT=60 °C) which emphasises the PD
decrease with temperature increase. This is an opposite be-
haviour with respect to the machine shown in the example
in Fig. 1. - again stressing the importance of the correlation
between PD and temperature.
After having noted this relationship, TVA took an action
by raising hydrogen temperature from 90°F to 95°F which, in
turn, raised the stator temperature of about 5 to 10 °C depend-
ing on the power. The mitigation effect on the PD activity was
observed immediately. Figure 5 shows the PDE Map of about
3 weeks of data before and after the new “temperature setup”.
30
1710pe_30 30
As highlighted in the picture above, there is a clear ben-
efit of the temperature change when looking at the PDE at
around 120 MW. Before the change, the temperature was
ranging between 52 and 58°C with the color of the PDE dots
mainly red. By increasing the temperature in the stator to
60-67°C at the same load, the PD activity is significantly
reduced (predominately green dots). To confirm the re-
8
160 180 200 220 240 260 280 300 320 340 360
sults, Phase Resolved Partial Discharge (PRPD) patterns (for
Phase A) are provided in Figure 6. Note that PD activity is
considerably reduced; in turn, the degradation process will
be lessened. At the same time, an increase from 58 to 67°C
in the stator does not lead to any detrimental consequence
since the machine is still operated at a relatively low tem-
perature with respect to its insulation class.
UNIT 7
Unit 7 shows red dots more or less in every operating con-
dition, thus with no evident separation between low or high
load and temperature. In this case the PDE Map is further
analysed for each phase (depicted below in Figure 7). This
figure allows the user to easily identify that there is just one
phase particularly affected - phase B.
The Phase Resolved Partial Discharge (PRPD) pattern was
analysed in this case, for phase B. The pattern, shown in Fig.
8, shows a predominant stress-grading activity [11] which
suggests a visual inspection of the end-windings, in partic-
ular the corona protection tapes. A preliminary boroscope
and bushing box inspection has been scheduled to identify
potential issues in this area.
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 1:27 PM
 UNIT 8
Unit 8 shows small PD activity. All of
the PDE dots are green in each operating
condition. This information allows TVA
to defer any planned projects or inspec-
tions relative to the insulation condition
of this machine. Also, this PDE map can
serve as a baseline for weekly alarms. The
recorded operational conditions will as-
sist in troubleshooting and analysis if a
step change in PDE should occur.
CONCLUSION
The results on Unit 6 have demonstrat-
ed that mitigation actions can be taken
if meaningful information is provided
to decision makers. Delivering periodic
reports from on-line or off-line measure-
ments, indicating just PD magnitude
with no correlation to load or tempera-
ture, is insufficient to adequately describe
and assess the insulation condition.
www.power-eng.com
1710pe_31 31
The system installed in TVA is the first
monitoring equipment able to automat-
ically perform an easy-to-interpret cor-
relation with operating conditions. It can
be used to suggest how to change operat-
ing conditions to mitigate PD effects and
what offline tests can be planned or de-
ferred. Data points are automatically ag-
gregated at the same operating condition
at the end of each week allowing reliable
warnings and alarms to be set.
The PDE Map represents a powerful
tool for O&M and Asset Managers to
easily compare the condition of all gen-
erators by using just one image. It is sim-
ple to setup the same full-scale for the
PDE level for each machine in order to
quickly highlight overall condition. Use-
ful, but complicated, tools such as PRPD
patterns are still available. However,
they are no longer used as a “first” level
of information. Rather, they are used as
For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#13
an investigative mean only in case a par-
ticular PD behaviour is observed. A PD
expert is no longer needed to determine
that a machine is PD free, which frees up
asset owners’ capital to invest in other ar-
eas of need. Not only can maintenance
outages now reflect actual machine con-
dition needs (as reflected in Unit 8), but
asset owners can also avoid PD testing
technician expenses and scheduling
conflicts with a permanent continuous
monitoring system.
Ultimately, a continuous PD mon-
itoring system puts useful data in the
hands of asset owners and helps identify
corrective actions and maintenance rec-
ommendations. All asset owners look
to extend material life and get the most
payback from every maintenance in-
vestment. The system described in this
report serves as an essential tool to ac-
complish these goals for generators.
FUEL | AIR | GAS | ASH
processbarron.com/power
205-663-5330
31
9/25/17 1:27 PM
 POLICY & REGULATION

The Low Carbon

Landscape: Flowers
or Weeds?
BY SHILPA KOKATE

Editor’s Note: This article is based profitability of certain nuclear power coal units as well as shutting down of
on a paper presented at POW- plants due to lower natural gas prices. uneconomic coal-fired plants. Renew-
ER-GEN International on Dec. 14, Figure 1 shows capacity additions able resources started leveraging the fed-

T
2016. by fuel type in gigawatts from 2000 to eral tax credits and state level mandates
he United States electric 2020 while Figure 2 lists the retirement starting 2008, with occasional spikes in
energy sector that in- of power generating facilities during the construction activity following the ex-
cludes utilities, indepen- same time period. The first five years tension of federal tax credits, and con-
dent power producers, starting year 2000 saw the emergence tinue to grow at a steady pace. Nuclear
public power authorities, of merchant power facilities across the facilities, while currently facing losses
renewable developers etc. has been tra- nation followed by a period of high nat- in certain market areas in the country,
ditionally considered a relatively safe ural gas prices. While new coal facilities the Southeast is experiencing growth
and defensive investment due to its po- were being proposed around the 2009- for second generation nuclear facilities
tential for providing a steady stream of 2012 time frame, stricter environmental by 2020.
dividend income. regulations forced cancelation of new The current electric energy landscape,
The electric energy sector’s vulnera-
bility to shifting market conditions has Capacity Additions 1
become more evident in recent years
due to environmental regulations, a 70
Rise of the merchant PTC/ITC certainty
sustained push for higher penetration 60
of renewables and continued volatility PTC renewed 2nd
50 generation
in fuel prices. While part of the problem State RPS nuclear
40 High natural mandates
facing renewable developers includes gas prices New
a heavy debt burden and an inflexible 30 coal
market structure that is not necessar- 20
ily aligned with the changing mix of
10
resources, the conundrum that other
market participants are facing include 0
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
the relentless pressure on coal market
participants due to various environ- Coal Gas Renew&Hydro Nuclear
mental regulations1 and lower natural
gas prices and the adverse impact on the Source: ABB EPM Advisors

32 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_32 32 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 Author
Shilpa Kokate is an advisory consultant
for ABB Enterprise Software Inc.

Capacity Retirement (GW) 2 The Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah,
about 190 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada.
20 Low natural gas prices
18 Mats & CSAPR regulations
Coordinating Council (WECC) or ar-
16
eas covering California, the Northwest
14
Power Pool, Rocky Mountain Power
12
10 Area etc., under the ABB Base Case as
8 forecasted by ABB EPM Advisors2.
6 The ABB Base Case is a forecast of fu-
4 ture conditions based on fundamentals
2 of demand or load forecast and supply
0
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 or fossil-fired and renewable resources
as well as fuel prices (natural gas, oil,
Coal Gas Renew&Hydro Oil&Other Nuclear uranium, coal), non-power demand
curves, energy efficiency, demand re-
Source: ABB EPM Advisors
sponse, distributed generation, power
while promoting fuel diversity through into account the potential and limita- market, emission, and renewables rules,
the use of fossil-fired power plants run- tions of various regions in the country. transmission topology etc. Markets
ning on coal, natural gas, oil etc. along Figure 3 lists the resource mix, in per- covered include the Electric Reliabili-
with plants running on energy generat- centage for three representative years ty Council of Texas market or ERCOT,
ed from the sun, wind, nuclear fuel, hy- (i.e. 2005, 2016 and 2040) across five the MW region that includes the PJM
dro, biomass, geothermal, landfill gas, regions that include ERCOT or Tex- Regional Transmission Organization
fuel cell etc., also attempts to maintain a as, MW (Midwest), NE (Northeast), SE (RTO) covering 13 states and District
diversified set of resources while taking (Southeast) and Western Electricity of Columbia, the MISO RTO covering

www.power-eng.com 33

1710pe_33 33 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 POLICY & REGULATION

ABB Base Case – Resource Mix (%) 3

15 U.S. states and the Canadian Prov-
100
ince of Manitoba, the Southwest Power
90
Pool (SPP), Saskatchewan region, the Oil+Other
80
Northeast region that includes the New Renewable
70 Hydro
York ISO, the New England ISO and the
60 Gas
Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec
50 Coal
and Ontario, the Southeast region of
40 Nuclear
United States and the WECC region that
30
includes the California ISO, the North-
20
west Power Pool, Rocky Mountain Pow-
10
er Area, the Desert Southwest etc.
0
The resource mix graph listed above ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40
shows the decline in coal from 19 per- ERCOT MW NE SE WECC
cent in 2005 to 15 percent by 2040 in
Source: ABB EPM Advisors
ERCOT, from 43 percent in 2005 to 22
percent by 2040 in the Midwest, from 36
percent in 2005 to 17 percent by 2040 in
U.S. Power Sector CO2 Emissions (millions of tons) 4
the Southeast, from 9 percent in 2005
to 1 percent by 2040 in the Northeast 70
region and from 19 percent in 2005 to 60
8 percent by 2040 in the WECC region. 50
As indicated earlier, these coal retire-
40
ments (i.e. announced, age-based and Business as Usual
economic3) are driven not just by envi- 30 High Renewable Penetration
ronmental regulations but also by lower 20 Nuclear Life Extension
natural gas prices in the ABB Base Case. 2005 CO2 Emissions
10
In order to maintain reserve margins
0
across the five regions and to meet fu- 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032 2036 2040
ture forecasted load growth, new power
Source: ABB EPM Advisors
plants, typically natural gas-fired, are
added to the resource mix and by 2040, state policies4 and declining cost of so- in the Southeast region. The decline in
they account for 57 percent in ERCOT, lar and wind assets. By 2040, the share nuclear power capacity by 2040 is driv-
56 percent in the Midwest, 64 percent in of renewables increases to 24 percent en by lower natural gas prices as well as
the Southeast, 61 percent in the North- in ERCOT, 14 percent in the Midwest, expiration of their operational licenses.
east and 36 percent in the WECC region. 5 percent in the Southeast, 16 percent
Lower natural gas prices and the in the Northeast and 36 percent in the CARBON EMISSIONS
ability of natural gas-fired units (i.e. WECC region. In sharp contrast, the IN THE POWER SECTOR
Combined Cycle Gas Turbine) to run corresponding 2005 share of renew- (UNITED STATES)
as baseload units are an obvious driver ables in ERCOT is 2 percent, 1 percent What does the forecasted change in
for resource additions in the ABB Base in the Midwest and Southeast regions, resource mix between 2005 and 2040
Case but it is also important to note the 3 percent in the Northeast region and 4 mean for carbon emissions? Figure 4
level of uncertainty associated with the percent in the WECC region. The share lists the impact on CO2 emissions5
natural gas market. Examples include of nuclear resources in 2005 that range under three scenarios6 that include the
the price spikes related to hurricane Ka- from 6 percent in ERCOT and WECC re- ABB Base Case, the High Renewable
trina in 2005, the polar vortex of 2014 gions, 11-12 percent in the Midwest and Penetration and Nuclear Life Extension
as well as the 2016 methane leak at a Southeast regions to 13 percent in the scenarios. Carbon emissions in 2005
Southern California natural gas stor- Northeast region is reduced to 4 percent were at 2,500 millions of tons but the
age facility. But the share of renewable in ERCOT and the Midwest regions, 5 forecasted capacity additions and re-
resources increases by 2040 across all percent in the Northeast region, 3 per- tirements in the ABB Base Case result
the regions due to favorable federal and cent in the WECC region and 8 percent in lower carbon emissions throughout

34 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_34 34 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 the forecast horizon of 2016 to 2040. through the forecast period as driven But renewable resources such as solar
CO2 emissions peak at 22 percent be- by lower natural gas prices and en- and wind, while effective at lowering
low 2005 levels by 2019 and decline to vironmental regulations. In order to carbon emissions, are also weather de-
6 percent below 2005 levels by the end meet load growth and reserve margin pendent, may end up being curtailed
of forecast period in the ABB Base Case. requirements, the resource mix is sup- during periods of over-production and
While CO2 emissions are also lower plemented by new natural gas-fired re- have lower capacity factors necessitat-
in the High Renewable Penetration and sources and a large number of renewable ing dependence on flexible natural-gas
the Nuclear Life Extension scenarios7, resources during the forecast horizon. fired resources as a backup resource.
the option of choosing a particular type
of resource mix becomes clearer under
these scenarios. There is no denying the
fact that higher penetration of renew-
ables is inevitable given their declining
cost (i.e. solar and wind) and favorable
renewable policies in the country but if
United States is to cost effectively meet
its carbon emission reduction targets
while preserving fuel diversity, perhaps
a rethinking of our expectation for the
future resource mix is warranted?

HIGH RENEWABLE
PENETRATION SCENARIO
The High Renewable Penetration
scenario that reflects the same assump-
tions as those in the ABB Base Case ex-
cept for an additional 173 gigawatts of
renewable resources results in carbon
emissions that is 11 percent below
2005 levels. In contrast to the High Re-
newable Penetration scenario, carbon
emissions under the Nuclear Life Ex-
tension scenario are 13 percent below
2005 levels. The Nuclear Life Extension
scenario has the same assumptions as
the ABB Base Case except for the as-
sumption that all nuclear units receive
approval for life extension beyond their
current license period thus resulting in
the availability of approximately 100
gigawatts of nuclear capacity through
2040. Key takeaways from these sce-
narios is not the just the potential for
reductions in carbon emissions8, but
also the level of investment involved
and the cost-to-benefit impact.
Figure 5 that displays the resource
mix under the High Renewable Pene-
tration scenario9 depicts the expected
decline in nuclear and coal resources
For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#14
www.power-eng.com For info. http://powereng.hotims.com RS#14

1710pe_35 35 9/25/17 1:27 PM

 POLICY & REGULATION

Resource Mix (%) – High Renewable 5

NUCLEAR LIFE Penetration Scenario
EXTENSION SCENARIO
Extending the life of nuclear resourc- 100
es, on the other hand, not only reduc- 90
Oil+Other
es the investment flows related to new 80
Renewable
natural gas-fired resources that are 70 Hydro
added during the forecast period but 60 Gas
also ensures compliance with the 2012 50 Coal
carbon emissions target at a more sus- 40 Nuclear
tainable pace in comparison to the ABB 30
Base Case. Figure 6 lists the resource 20
mix under the Nuclear Life Extension 10
scenario10. In comparison to the ABB 0
’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40
Base Case, this scenario results in a de- ERCOT MW NE SE WECC
cline in new natural gas-fired resource
Source: ABB EPM Advisors
additions through the forecast period
due to the availability of additional
baseload power from nuclear resourc- Resource Mix (%) – Nuclear Life Extension Scenario 6
es that run at relatively higher capacity
100
factors.
90
Despite the advantages that nuclear Oil+Other
80
resources appear to display in compari- Renewable
70 Hydro
son to other types of resources, wheth-
60 Gas
er renewable resources or fossil-fired
50 Coal
plants, a number of nuclear power
40 Nuclear
plants today are in a near crisis state.
30
Nuclear power plants in New York, Cal-
20
ifornia, and Illinois11 are some prime
10
examples and the plant owners and
0
operators blame lower natural gas pric- ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40 ’05 ’16 ’40
es, lack of price for carbon, and higher ERCOT MW NE SE WECC
cost of operating the power plants for
Source: ABB EPM Advisors
the looming crisis. Higher investment
and financing costs, waste disposal of 200 gigawatts of nuclear capacity ad- liquid metal cooled fast reactors, gas
costs, lingering safety issues especially ditions by mid-century in its June 2016 fast reactors and molten salt cooled
after the Fukushima accident regard- Vision & Strategy report for advanced reactors to further enhance its testing
ing radioactive contamination risks reactors. The DOE has called for at capabilities and support the timely de-
and longer lead times for new nuclear least two advanced reactor concepts ployment of advanced reactors.
power plants are cited as constraints to be developed, and to have reached In New York, the Public Service
for new nuclear facilities. Despite these technical maturity and completed li- Commission (NYPSC) Staff proposed
concerns, it is important to note that censing reviews, by 2030. It has also and the Governor of the state recent-
there are some nuclear plants that are announced $82 million in funding to ly approved, a nuclear tier12 under its
well located in certain markets, are support advanced nuclear energy re- Clean Energy Standard (CES) to ex-
profitable and therefore not facing the search, with 93 projects in 28 states tend a lifeline to the struggling upstate
threat of closure. receiving awards. The federal agency nuclear power plants and to provide a
Does this mean that it is a doom- has also indicated that it would sup- ‘bridge’ until renewable resources are
and-gloom scenario for nuclear facili- port cost-shared, industry-led research developed on a large scale. Under the
ties across the country? Not if you take and development for concept-level de- state’s nuclear tier, the nuclear opera-
into consideration the United States velopment and conduct research into tors are eligible to earn Zero Emission
Department of Energy’s (DOE) target high-temperature reactor concepts, Credits (ZECs) although the maximum

36 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_36 36 9/25/17 1:28 PM

 Wind and Solar Experience Curves 7

Onshore Wind Levelised Cost ($/MWh) Solar PV Module Cost ($/W)

1,024 100
Wind Costs 1976
1985 Solar PV Module Cost ($/W)
Have Fallen
512 Module Costs have Fallen
50% Since 2009
1985 99% Since 1976
80% Since 2008
256 H2 2015 10
2009 Thailand 2003 2008
128 1999
2025
2014
64 1 Learning rate
Germany
Learning rate 24.3% Current
32 19% US Brazil 2015 price

16 0.1
100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000
Cumulative capacity (MW) Cumulative capacity (MW)
Note: Pricing data has been inflation corrected to 2014. Note: Prices are in real (2015) USD. ‘Current price’ is $0.61/W
We assume the debt rate 70%, cost of debt (bps to LIBOR) Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Maycock
of 175, cost of equity of 8%
Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance (2016)

price for the ZEC would be adminis- All the same, the Low Carbon or a transferred to a partner that can use the
tratively set by the NYPSC. Also like Carbon-free grid outlooks will need to credits to offset taxable earnings, or that
RECs, ZECs will be tradable, but the take into consideration challenges such can package those credits and sell them
two types of products would not be in- as vast dollar outflows to other parties with
terchangeable under the CES. related to strengthen- “Both wind and a tax appetite. When
ing of the transmis- the after tax rate of re-
LOW CARBON AND/OR sion infrastructure to
solar powered turn is achieved, usu-
CARBON-FREE OUTLOOK deliver power from re- facilities can ally timed with the
While there are undeniable bene- mote locations to con- 10-year expiration of
fits under a Low Carbon13 or a Car- sumption markets,
look forward to the PTC, the partner-
bon-free14 outlook in terms of lower financing difficul- lower capital ship structure flips,
carbon emissions for the future electric- ties, existing market
costs over the with the developer
ity grid, there are numerous challenges designs16, variable taking 99 percent
that need to be addressed. Both wind generation, rate struc- next decade of the equity in the
and solar powered facilities can look tures etc. or more.” project. The dearth in
forward to lower capital costs over the One of the many these types of innova-
next decade or more. Figure 7 displays challenges to highlight would be the tive mechanisms post expiration of the
the wind and solar experience curves15 lack of tax equity capacity posing a tax credits will continue to pose a chal-
which represents the percent decrease in strong impediment for further growth lenge.
prices with the doubling of worldwide in the renewables market. The Produc- Another potential area to re-evaluate
installed capacity. For onshore wind, tion Tax Credit (PTC), a key driver for is reconciliation of policies that require
the percent decrease in prices is 19 per- wind projects has allowed developers economic competitiveness as well as
cent with four doubling of capacity in to monetize tax credits17. The mon- cost effectiveness for consumers at the
the past 15 years and for solar PV mod- etization involves a ‘partnership flip’ same time. As an example, let’s look at
ules, the percent decrease in prices is 24 structure that removes the tax credits the potential conflict arising from the
percent with 7 doubling of capacity in and delivers them to an equity owner re-design of the Regional Greenhouse
the past 15 years. The extension of fed- in a partnership. The project developer Gas Initiative (RGGI) market versus
eral tax credits also bodes well for the thus holds a minimum level of equi- state of Maryland’s objectives. In 2014,
renewables sector. ty with about 90 percent of the equity CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

www.power-eng.com 37

1710pe_37 37 9/25/17 1:28 PM

 PGI PREVIEW

POWER-GEN
International 2017:
Convergence and
Collaboration
BY RUSSELL RAY, CHAIRMAN, POWER-GEN INTERNATIONAL,

T
CHIEF EDITOR, POWER ENGINEERING

he power sector is on the

cusp of unprecedented
transformation, which is
being driven by techno-
logical forces outside the
power sector.  It’s not surprising, consid-
ering the convergence of digital solutions,
power plant technologies and technical
advancements in automation.
Expect both great collaboration and
intense competition between these brash
newcomers and the industry’s established
players. These new drivers of change are
creating new possibilities for power pro-
ducers and consumers. The established
players and these new drivers of change
will be gathering Dec. 5-7 in Las Vegas,
Nevada, for POWER-GEN International
2017.
POWER-GEN is where the greatest
minds in power generation gather once
a year for the world’s largest forum for
power professionals. It’s where the best
and brightest in power generation have
been meeting for 29 years to discuss the
mechanics, chemistry, operation and reg-
ulation of power generation.
About 20,000 power professionals from
around the world are expected to attend
the three-day event to discuss the most
innovative and cost-effective solutions for
maintaining, operating and building new
power projects. In addition, about 1,400
exhibiting companies from every sector
of the industry will be showcasing their
products and services on the exhibit floor.
The exhibition opens at 11:30 a.m. Tues-
day Dec. 5 following the keynote session.
POWER-GEN International offers a
wealth of networking opportunities with
leading professionals and key decision
makers. About 280 speakers will share
their thoughts on trends, technology and
project development in 60 conference
sessions. A wide range of topics, from
data analytics to gas turbine design, will
be discussed by high-ranking regula-
tors, developers, power producers and
Attendees of POWER-GEN International can
also choose from 18 pre-conference work-
shops on Sunday Dec. 3 and Monday Dec. 4.
All workshop attendees receive a certificate
of completion. Certificates of completion may
be submitted to your professional organiza-
tion for Professional Development Hours.
manufacturers.
“You can attend some great technical
sessions. You can walk the exhibit floor
and learn about hundreds of compa-
nies,” said Tom Ghesquiere, chairman of
POWER-GEN’s Gas Turbine Technologies
Track. “If you want to expand your expe-
rience beyond that, you could attend the
pre-conference workshops or the power
plant tours.”
The keynote session on Dec. 5 will fea-
ture five high-ranking executives, includ-
ing J. Patrick Kennedy, founder and chief

38 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_38 38 9/25/17 1:28 PM


executive officer of OSIsoft; Stefan Bird,
president and CEO of Pacific Power; Stan
Connally Jr., chairman, president and
CEO of Gulf Power; Blake Moret, presi-
dent and CEO of Rockwell Automation;
and Paul Browning, president and CEO of
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Amer-
icas.
Conference sessions will be held under
14 tracks or topics: Emissions Control;
Flexible Generation and On-Site Power;
Plant Performance; Gas Turbine Technol-
ogies; Energy Storage; Business Trends
and Regulatory Issues; The Digital Power
Plant; Power Project Financing; Material
Handling; Utility-Scale Renewable Pow-
er; Distributed Renewable Power; Clean
Coal Technologies; and Gas-Fired Power
Plants; and Nuclear Power.
“We’ll be doing a deeper dive into areas
such as performance and efficiency gains
and other trends and developments,”
Ghesquiere said. “I’m really looking for-
ward to some excellent sessions through-
out the Gas Turbine Technologies Track.”
Here’s a sample of some of the sessions
www.power-eng.com
1710pe_39 39
More than 20,000 power professionals are expected to
attend POWER-GEN International 2017, Dec. 5-7 at the Las
Vegas Convention Center.
that will be offered at POWER-GEN:
“Smart Analytics to Improve Plant Per-
formance;” “Cybersecurity: Avoiding the
Dark Side;” “Energy Storage Project De-
ployment Around the World;” “Integrat-
ed Energy Storage;” “Combined Cycle
O&M Considerations in Today’s Dispatch
Market;” “Technology Solutions for Fast
Starting Natural Gas Fired Plants;” “Gas
Turbine Maintenance, Upgrades and Field
Experiences;” “Gas Turbine Fuel Flexibili-
ty;” “Making CHP Work for You;” “Materi-
al Handling and Maintenance Upgrades;”
and “Financing Trends in Grid-of-the-Fu-
ture Power Projects.”
Six mega-sessions are also scheduled:
“Large Frame Combustion Turbine Tech-
nology Update;” “Remote Monitoring
and Diagnostics: Opportunities for Ana-
lytics to Improve Plant Performance and
Reliability;” “North America is Long on
Natural Gas: Will Power Generators Be
Able to Get It;” “Can Carbon Capture
Save Us?”
POWER-GEN International attendees
will see or hear about new technologies
that promise to change the way the indus-
try generates power. Several sessions will
center on the promise of energy storage,
an emerging market driven by new man-
dates and demands for cleaner, more reli-
able power.
“We are going to cover some of the most
recent advancements in Energy Storage,
including new projects installed over the
last year,” said Vibhu Kaushik, principal
manager of Asset Management & Gen-
eration Strategy for Southern California
Edison and chairman of POWER-GEN’s
Energy Storage Track.
THREE TECHNICAL TOURS
Technical tours of two power genera-
tion facilities will be offered to attendees
on Monday, Dec. 4:
HOOVER DAM
Just a short drive from the glitter and
glamour of Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam
is a testimony to America’s ability to con-
struct monolithic projects amid adverse
conditions. Built during the Great Depres-
sion between 1931 and 1935, thousands
of men and their families came to Black
Canyon to tame the Colorado River. It
took less than 5 years to build the largest
dam of its time.
Now, 82 years later, Hoover Dam still
stands as a world-renowned structure.
Hoover Dam is a National Historic Land-
mark and has been called one of the Sev-
en Engineering Wonders of the Modern
World. This engineering project not only
enabled the industrial development of
the Pacific Southwest, but it also forms
Lake Mead, the largest man-made reser-
voir in the Western Hemisphere.
Before your guided tour of Hoover
Dam, you will have a short presentation
on how the west was won with. Next,
your guide will take you over 500’ down
one of our enormous elevators to the Ne-
vada wing of the power plant, where you
overlook the massive 7-story tall genera-
tors. From there you will go on your own
39
9/25/17 1:28 PM
 PGI PREVIEW
out to the Observation Deck on top of the
Tour Center, where you can view the river
flow, the lake and the massive expansive
of the Hoover Dam.
WALTER M. HIGGINS
GENERATING STATION
The Walter M. Higgins Generating Sta-
tion is a clean-burning natural gas-fueled
power plant located in Southern Nevada
near the California border. The plant uti-
lizes two highly efficient Siemens-West-
inghouse 501FD2 combustion turbines
to produce electricity. Additionally, the
exhaust from the two turbines is recycled
to produce steam for an Alstom STF30C
steam turbine to make additional electric-
ity for NV Energy customers.
The plant went into service in 2004.
Unlike conventional power plants that
use substantial amounts of water for cool-
ing, the Higgins Station uses a six-story-
high dry cooling system. Similar to a car
radiator, 40 massive fans (34 feet in diam-
eter) are used to condense the steam and
cool plant equipment.
GOODSPRINGS ENERGY
RECOVERY STATION
The Goodsprings Energy Recovery Sta-
tion achieved commercial operation in
2010 and uses hot exhaust from a neigh-
boring natural gas compressor station
to generate electricity. The hot exhaust
heats a thermal oil transfer fluid at the
40
1710pe_40 40
During POWER-GEN, about 280 speakers will share their thoughts on trends, technology and project de-
velopment in 60 conference sessions. A wide range of topics, from data analytics to gas turbine design,
will be discussed by high-ranking regulators, developers, power producers and manufacturers.
compressor station, which is then circu-
lated to the Goodsprings power plant
equipment and is utilized to vaporize
an organic working fluid into a gas. The
expansion force of this gas drives a small
turbine generator to make electricity.
This creative renewable energy ap-
proach to making use of such waste heat
is the first in Nevada.  In the normal oper-
ation of the Kern River Gas Transmission
Co. compressor station – which primarily
is used to move natural gas through Ne-
vada to California – some waste heat is
released to the atmosphere. This thermal
energy is captured and converted to elec-
tricity in much the same way that some
geothermal energy power plants cap-
ture heat from hot water deep below the
earth’s surface.  POWER-GEN speakers will be explor-
PRE-CONFERENCE
WORKSHOPS AND
CEU CREDITS
Attendees of POWER-GEN Interna-
tional can also choose from 18 pre-con-
ference workshops on Sunday Dec. 3 and
Monday Dec. 4. All workshop attendees
receive a certificate of completion. Certif-
icates of completion may be submitted to
your professional organization for Profes-
sional Development Hours.
Some of the workshop topics include:
“Effective Project management for the
Power Project professional,” “Secrets to
Executing a Successful Turbine-Generator
Outage,” “Energy and Electricity Storage:
Grid and Distributed Storage with a Dis-
cussion of Variables Related to Storage
Options,” “Cycle Chemistry for the Pow-
er Industry: A Practical Course on Best
Practices,” “Machine Learning for Power
Plant Managers,” “HRSG Fundamentals:
Operations, Inspections, Trouble Shoot-
ing and Maintenance of Combined Cycle
HRSGs.”
For a complete list of pre-conference
workshops, go to http://www.pow-
er-gen.com/conference.html.
Several sessions at POWER-GEN will
be devoted to the industry’s transition
to power fueled with natural gas and
renewable resources. This trend will
continue, which means gas-fired plants
must be faster and more flexible to ef-
fectively offset the inherent fluctua-
tions of renewable power.
In addition to speed and flexibility,
ing new methods and strategies for
maximizing net fuel efficiency. Air
quality control system upgrades for ex-
isting coal-fired plants and operation
and maintenance practices for nuclear
plants will continue to be chief staples
of our conference program in 2017.
What’s more, we will be taking a clos-
er look at the technologies driving the
digital transformation of power gener-
ation.
To attend POWER-GEN, to www.
power-gen.com to register. See you in
Las Vegas!
www.power-eng.com
9/25/17 1:28 PM
 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37
RGGI set an emissions cap of 91 mil-
lion tons that declines by 2.5 percent
annually to 78.2 million tons by 2020.
Environmental advocates and Massa-
chusetts state officials have called for
doubling the rate of decrease to 5 per-
cent annually but that could potentially
create problems for Maryland. Power
plants in this state operate and sell into
the PJM markets and compete against
generators in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West
Virginia and Kentucky states that aren’t
impacted by the same restrictions. Un-
der the proposed RGGI market re-de-
sign, the proposed emissions cuts could
price power producers in Maryland out
of the market. Therefore, the state of
Maryland has requested a consideration
of economic competitiveness and the
cost of energy to local ratepayers in the
re-design of RGGI market.
Does the current market structure
create sufficient incentives to meet the
objectives under the Low Carbon or
Carbon-free grid Outlooks? Rate design
challenges is another area that will need
to be looked at under the Low Carbon or
Carbon-free grid Outlook. A large por-
tion of a typical utility’s costs are fixed
but a major portion of their revenues is
variable. The typical utility rate design
consisting of a small monthly fixed
charge and a volumetric energy charge
does not help in recovering the utility’s
fixed costs. The expectation of a higher
penetration of renewables and load
dampening through demand response
and energy efficiency will slow down
the already anemic growth in sales and
therefore the typical utility rate design
will not be able to assist in recovering
the utility’s required revenues.
Another aspect to consider is the level
of technological and market structure
related changes that will be required to
achieve carbon emission reductions un-
der the Low Carbon or the Carbon-free
grid Outlooks. The magnitude of tech-
nological and market structure related
changes to achieve, for example, the
2030 carbon emission reductions, may
be very different from what will be re-
quired to get to the next frontier in car-
bon emission reductions (i.e. 2040 and/
or 2050 carbon emission reductions).
The future as envisaged under the
Low Carbon or Carbon-free grid Out-
looks may appear daunting but remains
feasible provided policies and imple-
mentation mechanisms, whether tech-
nological and/or regulatory, are allowed
to develop and evolve. This will require
bringing about changes in rate struc-
tures, market design, regulatory policy,
operating procedures etc. in addition to
innovative technical solutions.

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1710pe_43 43 9/25/17 1:28 PM

 INDEX
RS# COMPANY PG# RS# COMPANY PG# SALES OFFICE

4 Ametek 7 POWER-GEN International 1421 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112

www.ametekpi.com DIGITAL EDITION- Phone: 918-835-3161, Fax: 918-831-9834

Brandenburg Industrial C4 ANNOUNCEMENT SPONSOR e-mail: globalpower@pennwell.com

www.power-gen.com
Service Company Sr. Vice President North
American Power Group Richard Baker
www.brandenburg.com 13 Process Barron 31
www.processbarron.com/ ______________________________________________
5 Charah 9 power
www.charah.com Reprints Foster Printing Servive
9 ProEnergy Services 21 4295 Ohio Street, Michigan City, IN 46360
11 Clearspan Fabric 27 www.proenergyservices.com Phone: 866-879-9144
Structures e-mail: pennwellreprint@fosterprinting.com
www.clearspan.com Rentech Boiler Systems ______________________________________________
DIGITAL EDITION-COVER Western U.S. : AK, AZ, CA, NV, OK, OR, TX, WA
12 Control Concepts 27 www.rentechboilers.com Victoria Williams
www.AirSweepSystems.com Phone: 918-831-9718
15 ROXUL C3 e-mail: victoriaw@pennwell.com
14 GAI-Tronics 35 www.roxul-rti.com ______________________________________________
www.gai-tronics.com
1 Volvo Penta C2 Central U.S.: CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO,
8 GE 17 www.volvopenta.com/ MT, ND, NE, SD, WI, WY
www.youtube.com/ge industrial Shaun Jameson
Phone: 918-832-9291
10 GE 23 2 WSP USA 3 e-mail: shaunj@pennwell.com
www.youtube.com/ge www.wsp.com/usa ______________________________________________

3 Harbison-Walker 5 Northeast U.S.: MA, ME, NH, NY, OH, PA, VT

Ben Stauss
Refractories Co Advertisers and advertising agen-
Phone: 513-295-2155
www.thinkhwi.com cies assume liability for all con- e-mail: bstauss@pennwell.com
6 Indeck Power 11 tents (including text representation ______________________________________________
Equipment and illustrations) of advertise- Central and South America, Southeast U.S.:
www.Indeck.com AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, RI, SC,
ments printed, and also assume TN, VA, WV
7 Martin Engineering 15 responsibility for any claims aris- Joanna Shatwell
www.martin-eng.com ing therefrom made against the Phone: 918-831-9884
e-mail: joannas@pennwell.com
POWER-GEN International publisher. It is the advertiser’s or ______________________________________________
BROWSER EDITION- agency’s responsibility to obtain Canada and Florida
LEADERBOARD appropriate releases on any items Lizzie Cohlmia
www.power-gen.com Phone: 918-832-9298
or individuals pictured in the adver-
email: lizziec@pennwell.com
POWER-GEN International tisement. ______________________________________________
DIGITAL EDITION-BELLY
BAND Asia, Africa, Australia, Middle East,
Austria, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands,
www.power-gen.com
Switzerland, UK
Roy Morris
Phone: +44 1992 656 613
e-mail: rmorris@pennwell.com

Europe, Korea, Japan

Tom Marler
Phone: +44 1992 656 608
email: tomm@pennwell.com
______________________________________________

Classified Ads/Supplier’s Showcase

Jenna Hall
Phone: 918-832-9249
email: jennah@pennwell.com

44 www.power-eng.com

1710pe_44 44 9/25/17 1:28 PM

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