2016 501F Users Group: Issue 2
1950s-vintage plant revamped for today's Ercot market
If country music stars sang about powerplants, the Victoria Power Station, Victoria, Tex, might be a good choice. It's a story about ordinary people doing heroic things in the face of constant adversity. With new owner Rockland Capital ready to invest in another turnaround, a period of stability may be near. Imagine a gray market (though never operated) gas turbine/generator and HRSG landing in a 1950s-vintage central station and then proceeding through several equity owners and third-party operators over the next 10 years. Meanwhile, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot) market is changing radically as a result of burgeoning wind power coming on the system. more
501F, 501G owner/operators share best practices
One of the biggest challenges facing owners and operators of generating assets in deregulated markets is the need to continually improve the performance of their facilities-to increase revenues and decrease expenses. One component of this goal of "continual improvement" is best practices. These are the methods and procedures plants rely on to assure top performance on a predictable and repeatable basis. Here are best practices shared by five CCGT facilities equipped with 501F and 501G engines that were recognized by CCJ's Best Practices Awards program in 2016. more 
Plant knowledge platform emerges from yesterday's DCS
 Based specifically on the information presented at the 29th annual conference of the Ovation Users Group, it is fair to say that the distributed control system (DCS), which later became the digital control system, is becoming a term of nostalgia. It is being replaced by a plant knowledge platform integrating control algorithms, real-time and historical plant data, synchronized simulation, monitoring and diagnostics (M&D) and prognostic capabilities, and immediate decision support for plant staff from the digital platform itself as well as from remote experts monitoring and overseeing plant systems.  more 
Repowering prepares century-old plant for decades more life
Much can happen to a powerplant in 111 years, but perhaps more so in the last decade than the previous 10. Empire District Electric Co's Riverton Power Plant, located in the Southeast corner of Kansas, is one of the oldest continuously operating generating facilities in the country. Its history reflects the broad trends in the industry past and present, but most recently it could be considered "the poster child" for what is happening to coal-based electricity.  more  
Low bidder may not be the optimal choice
One of the eye-opening presentations at the 2016 meeting of the Ovation Users Group, in Pittsburgh, July 25-28, involved a new coal-fired plant which experienced what can only be described as a failure by the original automation system supplier to design, deliver, and service a suitable system. It's a lesson-no matter what type of generating facility-in the need for oversight of the automation platform in a day and age when it is, essentially, the brains of the plant. more 
  

  
 Latest Companies Added To Supplier Database

 



 

CCJ's Digital Buyer's Guide