A Midwest power utility customer was experiencing increased vibration after a refurbished Condensate pump was reinstalled on-site. They reached out to Hydro Reliability Services to help troubleshoot the vibration issue and determine if it was a problem inherent to the equipment or the result of the refurbishment. Continue reading
Case Studies
Field Testing Assesses Risk of Reducing Minimum Unit Load
With changes in the energy landscape, many older plants need to adapt to more flexible operation to fluctuating needs of the grid and remain economically viable. This flexibility often includes operation outside of the original design of the plant and its equipment.
A Midwest coal-fired power plant recently found themselves in this position. The plant had been designed for a minimum commercial load of 350MW, but they were considering reducing the load to 300MW. Plant engineering wanted to understand what risk operation at this low capacity posed to equipment reliability operation and life. The power producer contacted Hydro Reliability Services to develop an on-site test plan for their condensate, boiler feed booster, and boiler feed pumps to better understand how this operation would impact these critical pumps. Continue reading
Troubleshooting Axial Shuttling through Field Testing & Analysis
A nuclear utility had been observing axial shuttling on their three single stage, double suction Condensate Booster pumps. To better understand the circumstances driving this phenomenon, they asked Hydro Reliability Services to provide in-depth field testing of the equipment at different operating loads. Continue reading
Centaur Condition Monitoring Early Detection Saves Over $200,000
As part of Hydro’s support of a Midwest steel mill’s descaling pumps, the Centaur condition monitoring service has been installed on five of their pumps machine trains. Using wireless sensors, Hydro has been continuously collecting real-time vibration and surface temperature levels on the pump, gearbox, and motor. The goal of this monitoring service is to work directly with the end-user to improve rotating equipment maintenance strategies through better, more frequent data collection and Hydro’s subject matter expertise in rotating equipment.
What Happens When Things Go Bump in the Night?
What happens when an alarm is signaled from our Condition Monitoring System? Is the software customizable to customers’ needs? Glad you asked.
It all starts in the home of our Centaur engineers – the Monitoring and Diagnostic Center, where dedicated personnel are checking the status of monitored equipment 24/7. These vibration and pump subject matter experts keep an eye on concerning trends and use the digital twin interface to identify areas of concern. Continue reading