G-3 Steam Turbine Major Inspection

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We recently executed a Major Inspection on a GE G-3 Steam Turbine rated over 750 MW for a major Utility company in the U.S.  This type of project is long and detail-oriented. The attention to safety each and every day must be at the forefront of every project, but especially one of this magnitude. There are a lot of moving parts on the schedule throughout the outage, so continuous updates and excellent communication and documentation is required to keep the project on-schedule through completion. For this project we had an excellent project management team on-site, including the Technical Field Advisors, Project Coordinator, Turbine Mechanic Foreman, and Turbine Mechanics. The experience of the team on-site can make or break the success of an outage. We are fortunate to have great outage teams, and they did an excellent job completing this project safely, with high-quality, on-schedule, and on-budget. Nice job PSG team!

Turbine Valve Seat Replacement

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We recently completed a Control Valve Seat Replacement on a GE Steam Turbine.  In some cases the existing seat can be pulled, in the case shown below it was required to machine out the previous seat.  We also machined out the existing pins, manufactured new pins and seat, and installed the new components during the execution of this project.  We perform many turbine valve seat replacements in the field, and can manufacture the components required at our Gainesville, Georgia Steam Turbine Valve facility.  This type of job requires specialty equipment, as well as highly skilled technicians.  It is a great example of the high quality craftsmanship that our customers have come to expect from all of our valve machining and component manufacturing services.

Thermal Imaging of the Power Island

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Thermography is a condition-based maintenance technique that is used to monitor the condition of plant machinery, structures, systems, and media (i.e. steam, oil, water, etc.).  By detecting thermal anomalies (i.e. areas that are hotter or colder than they should be), an experienced Thermal Imaging Specialist can locate and define incipient problems within the Power System.  Thermography is just one of the dynamic-state, running-condition assessment tools that can and will detect the presence of issues that may very well disappear during static-state preventive maintenance.  We highly recommend each plant conduct regular thermal imaging assessments of their equipment as part of their standard maintenance practices.

 

 

 

Has your steam turbine outage been postponed?

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Many turbine outages this spring have been postponed, and we have a solution to provide peace of mind and mitigate the risk of postponed maintenance.

Your turbine may now be at the point where damage to the internal components could accelerate during this extra runtime. Or perhaps the turbine is operating optimally and the postponed outage was intended to satisfy time-based maintenance requirements. Regardless of how your turbine was operating prior to the postponed inspection, a Running Condition Assessment can provide you (or your insurance company) with the peace of mind that the unit is not nearing a failure point, and provide you with the information needed to properly re-schedule your future outage date.

A Running Condition Assessment allows you to assess the health of your turbine generator while the unit is in operation.

This assessment typically includes one specialized technician and equipment at your facility for 3 – 5 days, minimizing the people and time on-site as compared to a standard turbine inspection.

After completion of the Running Condition Assessment you will receive a detailed report on the current condition of your turbine, providing you with vital information for future decision-making.

To learn more about our Running Condition Assessment program, CLICK HERE.

To request a quote and check availability for a Running Condition Assessment, CLICK HERE.

Steam Turbine Valve Inspections

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We recently performed work for a U.S. utility on one of their Main Stop Valves for a GE Steam Turbine.  We can perform valve inspections on-site or in our dedicated steam turbine valve facility in Gainesville, Georgia.  If the valves are inspected at our Gainesville facility we have the ability to make any necessary repairs, reverse engineer and manufacture components, as well as offer material upgrades for longer service life.  We also have an in-house nitriding furnace that allows to control the schedule and provide quick turnarounds on any parts that require a nitrided surface.   We have full capabilities to provide our customers with a turnkey valve service and help extend the life of your steam turbine valves.

Collector Ring Machining

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During any turbine generator outage season we often receive an influx of calls to perform collector ring machining on various makes and models of generators.  It is critical to maintain as much brush to collector ring contact as possible, and machining the rings can make sure the surface is free from defects that may inhibit brush to ring contact.  The need for this machining is typically determined after the generator has been disassembled and inspected, making this service an emergent repair that needs to be performed within a time-sensitive window.  When these requests are received we typically request basic dimensional data and then provide a quick quotation for services.  Once approved, we immediately dispatch our qualified technicians to site along with specialized machining equipment.  This work is typically completed in 1-2 shifts, and the customer is able to continue forward without this service having any impact on the overall schedule.

 

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Gas Turbine Compressor Inspections

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We recently completed the inspection of a Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Compressor Section.  This inspection can be performed standalone, or is typically performed as part of a Major Inspection.  It is imperative that the compressor section is free from defects and has proper clearances to allow air to flow toward the combustion section as smoothly as possible as pressure increases.  Executing the proper inspection procedures and techniques is imperative to any good Compressor Section inspection.  Our technicians have been trained on inspection and repair techniques for most major industrial combustion turbine compressor types from various OEM makes and models.  The expertise of the technicians performing the inspection is critical to successful future operation of the equipment.

Crane Safety

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When PSG begins planning for an outage, we ask the customer for a Crane Safety Report complying with OSHA Regulation 29 CFR 1910.179. This is an OSHA compliance issue that PSG feels is well warranted. First, we have a commitment to our employees to keep them safe from harm.   A crane malfunction can easily injure, maim or even kill. Second, we have a commitment to our customers to do quality work in the time frame allotted per their work scope.  That means the overhead crane needs to be in perfect operational condition in order for PSG to perform the outage safely.  A crane malfunction can damage customer property and/or delay operations during repairs.

Crane safety reports fall into two categories: Frequent and Periodic. Frequent inspections are for cranes that have been idle for a period of 1 month or more, but less than 6 months. This usage pattern necessitates conformance with a minimum set of OSHA requirements. Periodic inspections are for cranes that have been idle for a period of over 6 months. These cranes must be inspected according to more stringent OSHA requirements. Note that the less often the crane is used, the more vital the inspection.

One critical inspection for all cranes is a test of the upper limit switch. This switch is designed to prevent the hook block assembly from contacting the drum assembly.  If the block contacts the drum, the hook and block will fall from the maximum height of the crane, dropping whatever load is on that hook. That is a very scary prospect.

To minimize this prospect, the crane operator should keep the block well clear of the limit switch in normal operation. It is a safety device NOT an operational device. And it is just one of the necessary safety requirements which must be verified with the Crane Safety Report.

Alstom STF Steam Turbines

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We perform all types of inspections on the legacy Alstom STF Steam Turbine Fleet.  Below is a photo of the IP Inner Casing being moved during a C Inspection.   We can perform A, B, and C inspections on the STF fleet, and many of our team members are former Alstom personnel that have the knowledge required to successfully execute these projects.  Please contact us for all of your STF steam turbine outage planning and execution needs.

Bearing Saddle Machining

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We were recently called into a power plant to machine out damage present in a bearing saddle.  This required the use of specialized machining equipment (photo of equipment being set up shown below), as well as highly skilled Field Machinists to operate the equipment, and maintain extremely critical tolerances in final machining.  Very nice job by our Field Machinists, and another example of our critical machining capabilities.