ACC USERS GROUP 2017 MEETING

Performance improvements
in fans, heat transfer, water
chemistry reflect global effort
By Steven C Stultz, Consulting Editor

T
he Ninth Annual Meeting Looking ahead, planning for the backpressure, steam temperature
of the Air-Cooled Condenser 2018 conference is still in the forma- at the turbine exhaust, condensate
Users Group (ACCUG), held tive stage. The meeting likely will be temperature, extraction temperature,
Oct 3 - 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, held on the East Coast in early fall. steam flow, and ambient temperature
began with a moment of silence and at the weather station. With this infor-
tribute to the host city and its resi- Performance mation, the performance calculation
dents. Las Vegas had just suffered method (a thermal design model) can
senseless violence directed at the annu- measurement calculate turbine backpressure as it
al country musical festival known as Huub Hubregtse, ACC Team should be. When compared with actual
Route 91 Harvest. ACCUG participants (Zierikzee, Netherlands), began by or historical backpressure, differences
arrived the following day to experience explaining that all ACC installations indicate either performance loss or
what quickly became known as Vegas have two distinct performance mea- performance improvement.
Strong—a swift, heroic, and thorough surement procedures—one used dur- Fan performance determination
response by the city and its people. ing commissioning, the other during requires the following data:
ACCUG17 went ahead as planned. operation. His presentation focused n Actual air flow from the fan.
The three-day event featured specif- on the latter. n Static pressure in the plenum.
ics of performance issues and mea- The operator is interested in the n Static pressure at the suction side
surements, equipment challenges details of ACC performance, and from of the fan.
and solutions, system chemistry, and good measurements can decide what n Fan power.
design details that could be discussed, modifications or adjustments might be Air-side performance is evaluated
shared, and taken home for the benefit required. Accurate performance deter- based on the temperature rise of the
of operating plant personnel, owner/ mination depends upon correct online air across the finned heat-exchanger
operators, and researchers. As you measurement of fan performance, air- tubes. The hot air temperature is
read through the summary below, keep side thermal performance, fouling, commonly measured at the outlet of
in mind that details are available in and leak rate. There is an engineering the bundles (50 positions). Air flow
the PowerPoints aggregated at www. requirement to then interpret the data. is measured from the fan bridge in at
acc-usersgroup.org. The plant DCS records turbine least four directions.

1. Eskom’s Medupi Power Station in South Africa, rated 4764 MW, features the world’s largest air-cooled condenser.
Three of the plant’s six coal-fired units were in commercial operation at the time of the 2017 ACC Users Group meeting in
Las Vegas. According to published reports available to the editors, Medupi will achieve full commercial operation in 2020
58 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017
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ACC fouling has two effects. First, air able for measuring precise air flow, and particularly during windy condi-
flow is restricted, resulting in a higher measurements at fan inlet versus out- tions—of the world’s largest ACC at
static pressure than the original design. let (access being a significant factor). Medupi Power Station. Medupi has
Second, the heat-transfer coefficient of six 794-MW coal-fired units; three
the finned tubes is reduced by insula- Performance on were operating at the time of the
tion layers (fouling) on the surface. Thus, meeting (Fig 1).
ACC performance tests should therefore windy days Eskom, which produces about 95%
be made after tube cleaning. At the 2012 ACC Users Group meeting of South Africa’s electricity, operates
Leak rate has an important impact in Gillette, Wyo, Eskom’s Johannes large ACCs at four multi-unit instal-
on performance. If the rate is above the Pretorius gave a detailed presenta- lations. Fans measuring 30 ft in diam-
standard leak rate of 0.3 to 0.5 mbar/ tion on how owner/operators develop eter number between 48 and 64 per
min, ambient air is entering the ACC. and implement specifications for large condenser; platform heights are 145
This can reduce heat transfer, and ACCs in South Africa (SA). He also to 195 ft. Water restrictions dictate
values of 7% to 10% performance loss outlined a realistic ambient-air-tem- use of ACCs.
have been recorded. perature specification process. Augustyn stressed that all ACC
Questions and discussions included Ockert Augustyn, Eskom, Johan- performance requirements are speci-
the impact of steam quality on these nesburg, SA, returned in 2017 to fied by the purchaser; the supplier
calculations, technology options avail- discuss the operating performance— is responsible for compliance and

2. The Matimba Power Station’s ACC (left) provided valu-

able lessons learned for the nearby Medupi (right)—espe-
cially regarding site layout, fan height, and wind walls
60 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017
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3. The at-grade wind walls at Medupi (photo) were 4. Hail screens were installed at Yellowstone Energy LP’s
extended from Matimba’s 33 ft to 47 ft Billings (Mont) Plant to protect finned heat-transfer surface

design. However, repeating the mes- to be knowledgeable of all potential any direction.
sage from 2012, the supplier can be risks and limitations. n Wind wall height was extended to
at an advantage because performance Operational experience for Eskom the top of the steam duct.
testing is not conducted at high-wind shows significant capacity loss dur- n An 8-ft-wide solid walkway was
conditions. ing adverse weather conditions (high placed around the entire platform
He then outlined the risks for the temperature and high wind speed, in perimeter (for maintenance work, but
purchaser (Eskom). A supplier could particular). At the older Matimba site, also to reduce hot air recirculation).
be reluctant to add safety margins or CODs of its six 665-MW units extended n Wind cross on ground level was 33%
other features that would render their from 1988 to 1993 (Fig 2); 12 vacuum- of fan inlet height.
offering less competitive, and the pur- related unit trips attributed to wind n Performance guarantees were veri-
chaser may not be able to disqualify occurred during the first seven years fied by CFD before construction.
offers or justify higher costs if all sup- of operation. In 2016 alone, there were Also required was an increased gap
pliers meet the specification. More multiple cases of load losses exceeding (165 ft) between the ACC and turbine
important, performance characteristics 1000 MW. building (compare Figs 1 and 2).
in windy conditions are essentially Planning for Medupi drew upon The at-grade wind walls at Medupi
unknown until after commissioning Eskom’s experience at Matimba and were extended from Matimba’s 33 ft
(too late for design changes). other plants: to 47 ft (Fig 3).
Because most suppliers are in com- n Atmospheric conditions were based Augustyn explained: “We went
pliance with specifications, the advan- on 130-ft elevation above grade. with what we knew, then made things
tage is theirs, and the purchaser needs n Design wind speed was 20 mph in stronger and bigger.”
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017 61
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Medupi entered commercial opera- patent-pending system at the Yellow- above the steam distribution duct at 75
tion in October 2015 and has experi- stone Power Plant in Billings, Mont. ft above grade and on the perimeter.
enced no vacuum-related load losses. Yellowstone is a two-unit coke-fired Discussion topics included material
ACC performance comparisons of plant with an ACC commissioned in options, angle of hail attack, cost, and
Medupi and Matimba benefit from 1995 having two streets and 10 cells. opening size versus hail buildup.
proximity of the two plants. Eskom A major hailstorm hit the area on
representatives would return later. May 18, 2014, with hail up to 2.5 in. Dynamic response
diameter. Severe damage occurred to
Hailstorms the finned surface areas. Dented fins Danie Els of South Africa’s Stellen-
restrict air flow and thus reduce heat- bosch University, presented “Dynamic
Moving away from South African heat, exchange capability. response of ACC fans,” describing pre-
Dan Burns, Burns Engineering Ser- The protective material selected cise details of onsite measurements
vices (Minnetonka, Minn) presented was standard SS316L metal wire for blade and shaft loading, labora-
“Protecting an air-cooled condenser screen, tensioned over a support tory analysis of vibration sources, and
from hail damage,” referencing a structure (Fig 4). Screens were placed simulations of fan-system dynamics

Inlet side separation

5. Understanding fan-system dynamics is an important first step in ACC performance optimization. Onsite measurements
at one of South Africa’s six-unit stations were critical to analyses of actual blade and shaft loads. At left, note that the fans
are suspended from a bridge that runs through the ACC. Sketch, right, illustrates the distorted inlet air-flow conditions expe-
rienced by one fan which were caused by winds and other fans, plus the downstream flow obstruction (bridge)
62 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017
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(response versus design).

Els began by explaining distorted
inlet airflow conditions caused both by
winds and the influence of other fans,
as well as common downstream flow
obstructions (Fig 5).
He followed with blade-loading
measurement details including fan
location within the ACC and spatial
relationship to boiler and generator
hall, followed by wind speed, wind
direction, and vibration frequencies.
Laboratory analysis looked at the
effect of the fan bridge on fan-blade
vibration, using variables of flow rate,
distance between fan rotor and bridge,
and bridge solidity.
Details of shaft bending versus ACC external overview
wind direction followed. Matimba was
used as a reference plant.

Wind screen design by CFD

Cosimo Bianchini, a CFD specialist
at Italy’s Ergon Research had partici-
pated in 2016 by video link from Italy.
He was on location in Las Vegas to
enhance both detail and discussion on
CFD modeling of wind screens.
His presentation “CFD analysis
for optimal wind-screen positioning”
Fans Heat exchangers
began with the basics: powerplant
performance can be affected by wind’s
impact on the ACC, reducing net power 6. Geometric modeling using CFD reproduced the 3D local air field around the
by 10% or more for each 22 mph of wind. ACC with sub-modules for fans and heat exchangers
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017 63
ACC USERS GROUP 2017 MEETING
R5 R4 R3 R2 R1

C1

C2

C3

C4 8. MEA/Anodamine treatment mitigated upper-duct corrosion found during

the 2011 inspection (left). Photo at right was taken in 2016

C5
11 mitigation devices (screen plans) n Use filters and condensate polish-
were tested by combining various ers: Can lower iron transport but
suspended and ground designs. The does not stop FAC.
C6
optimal configuration, a compromise n Add coatings, sleeves, inserts: Insuf-
between performance and cost, was ficient information.
the cruciform fabric screen (30% open n Convert to alternative materials:
C7 area) and suspended vertical screens Rare, no validation.
around the ACC walls (Fig 7). n Change the design: Designs vary,
The conclusions: wind screens can but FAC still occurs.
C8 mitigate wind losses, showing a gain of He also stressed that, even with
up to 14% at 22 mph. This recovery fac- proper chemistry changes, damage
tor starts decreasing at intermediate takes time to repair (using examples
7. Optimal configuration and loca- wind speeds. Actual flow rate depends of 18 and 24 months).
tion of the wind screen reflects a on wind-screen configuration, wind Dooley ended with a complete
compromise between performance speed, and wind direction. review of Technical Guidance Docu-
and simplicity (cost) ments available for fossil-fired steam
Chemistry and corrosion and combined-cycle plants available
Two common sources of wind- free of charge through iapws.org. His
induced ACC losses are fan perfor- Barry Dooley launched the second day final thoughts:
mance degradation and recirculation with an update on cycle chemistry 1. Increasing condensate pH to 9.8
of hot air into downwind fan inlets. and flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) gradually eliminates the FAC dam-
Bianchini outlined the overall mod- damage, offering a world view for all age at the tube entries and iron lev-
eling strategy: ACC designs and all chemistries. Last els will reduce to IAPWS-suggested
n Reproduce the 3D local air field year the presentation highlighted levels of 5 to 10 ppb.
around the ACC using CFD. inspection, and understanding the 2. Damage on cross members is not
n To maintain computational costs resulting data. repaired as quickly by increasing
within reason, do the following: Dooley, a member of the steering pH because the mechanism of metal
• Assume constant wind magnitude committee, again stressed that the loss appears to be different.
and direction. relationship between total iron and
• Assume other plant systems oper- pH is consistent worldwide, and cor- ACC corrosion
ate at nominal conditions. rosion results in elevated iron levels.
• Include active CFD sub-modules High concentrations of iron within Bill Stroman, KAAM Group Inc, Carls-
for fans, heat exchangers, and the cycle lead to HRSG deposits (and bad, Calif, followed Dooley with “Chem-
wind screens. expensive chemical cleaning), tube istry options to address FAC-like cor-
The test case presented was an failures (including overheating), and rosion.” The subject was two identical
ACC of five streets (eight fans each) potentially steam-turbine deposits. He ACC-equipped 1 × 1 combined cycles.
partially surrounded by tanks and repeated, “Overall, an ACC controls Because of “the cost of scaffolding,” the
buildings. Fan diameter was 38 ft, unit cycle chemistry.” upper ducts had not been inspected
deck elevation 65 ft. He reviewed the Dooley/Howell since commissioning (11 years).
Geometric modeling (Fig 6) used Air-Cooled Condenser Corrosion Index At present, Unit A operates inter-
an unstructured hybrid grid (total of (DHACI) with specific visual examples. mittently; Unit B is primarily baseload
10,000 cells): (See section on Comanche 3 below.) but beginning to cycle. During a recent
n Tetrahedral elements were used to Dooley stressed the importance of inspection, FAC-like corrosion was
model the free-stream. investigating for “holes in the tubing noted in the upper ducts and transi-
n Prismatic cells were used to better or welding” at tube entries. tion duct.
define the boundary layer. He then offered a list and status of Based on experience with other
n Many solid walls were treated as current solutions for FAC: generating stations, Plant A operators
thin surfaces: n Increase bulk condensate pH up to switched to MEA (monoethanolamine)
• Most ACC walls are solid. 9.8 with ammonia: Effectiveness treatment in 2012, then due to cycling
• Fan and bundle surfaces (fan has been validated. switched to an MEA/Anodamine
model and radiator model). n Increase local pH with neutralizing filming program in 2013 (to improve
• Wind screens and lifting devices amines: Appears effective. offline protection). ACC upper duct
(pressure-jump model). n Add film-forming products: Appears inspection showed improvements
One advantage of modeling is the to work but the science is incom- (Fig 8) after the change. Inlet vanes
ability to test variations. In this case, plete. showed similar improvement. Duct
64 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017
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inspection also showed water beading

(hydrophobicity) from the Anodamine
Comanche 3 hybrid operation in 2010.
System pH has been maintained
treatment (Fig 9). Andy Howell, Electric Power Research between 9.45 and 9.60 with ammonium
Plant B also showed ACC improve- Institute, and chairman, ACC Users hydroxide; iron is less than 0.3 ppb at
ments although it remained with the Group, presented a seven-year status the economizer inlet and 1 to 3 ppb at
ammonia MEA treatment program. report of the ACC in the hybrid wet/ the high-pressure heater drain. Inter-
One significant improvement was the dry cooling system at Xcel’s Comanche nal ACC inspections were conducted
steam turbine expansion joint protec- Station Unit 3. The 750-MW supercriti- at 14, 50, and 81 months.
tive shroud (Fig 10). cal coal-fired unit began commercial The presentation provided a valu-
able backgrounder on the Dooley-How-
ell ACC Corrosion Index rating system
and ACC.01, “Guidelines for internal
inspection of air-cooled condensers”
developed by the ACC Users Group
and available at www.acc-usersgroup.
org/reports.
Conclusions for this presentation
were:
n ACC tube inlet corrosion has been
inconsistent while steam-cycle
chemistry has appeared to be con-
9. Duct inspection showed water beading from the Anodamine treatment at sistent, and
the tube inlet (left) and on the lower-duct metal surface (right) n Options for evaluating tube cor-
rosion, such as thickness testing
and corrosion coupons, have been
implemented at Comanche 3 and
may prove useful.

Gearbox design
Chad Brown, engineering manager,
Amarillo Gear Co, Amarillo, Tex, dis-
cussed “Reliability in an ACC gearbox:
from a designer’s perspective.” His
agenda covered standards, applica-
tion considerations, and serviceability.
10. Protective shroud for the steam-turbine expansion joint was found in bet- Brown began with the written stan-
ter condition in 2016 after MEA treatment (right) than it was in 2011 (left) dards, developed in a consensus-based
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017 65
process to clearly describe required
characteristics. Such standards set
an ACC application. It “levels the
playing field,” suggested Brown.
Gearboxes in South Africa
the baselines, promote efficiency and 3. ACC gearboxes face unique chal- Augustyn returned to discuss Eskom’s
quality, and safeguard people and lenges that need to be understood 20 years of gearbox experience in the
equipment. and addressed by the owner/opera- large South African units. Within its
Among the standards discussed tor, plant engineer/constructor, ACC ACC fleet, Eskom has various gearbox
were those endorsed by the American OEM, and gearbox manufacturer to configurations with a wide range of
Gear Manufacturers Assn (AGMA), ensure maximum reliability. problems, remedies, and alternatives.
International Organization for Stan-
dardization (ISO), and German Insti-
tute for Standardization (DIN).
“One key,” stated Brown, “is to
know that there are differences, and
that one standard is not necessarily
better or worse than the other. But it
is important to understand the vari-
ances.” In one example, he listed an
AGMA example as “empirical, based on
experience” and the ISO counterpart
as “theoretical, based on academia.”
He then offered an in-depth look
14 11. A low-profile
into CTI Standard-167, “Gear speed
hoist and associated
reducers for application on air-cooled 12 rigging was needed
condensers,” issued in 2017 by the
Backpressure increase, kPa

to install new gear-

Cooling Technology Institute. 10 boxes at NV Energy’s
Brown was not promoting his com-
Frank A Tracy Gener-
pany; he was promoting quality and 8 ating Station (above)
standards. His conclusions: Standard fan
1. Understand the hierarchy of stan- 6 12. Fan design
dards to your advantage when Redesigned fan improvements pro-
designing and selecting a gear- 4 vided by a global
box for air-cooled condenser use. consortium for
Remember: Different standards 2 Eskom dramatically
yield different results. reduced ACC back-
0
2. CTI STD-167 should be used to 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 pressure on windy
provide the highest reliability in Wind speed, m/s days (left)
66 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017
 The utility operates nine differ- 15% to 25% (2011 to 2017). transfer surfaces included the fol-
ent types of gearboxes from three Moving forward, 20 new 750-hp lowing:
manufacturers. Its gearbox population gearboxes will be installed. This will n Don’t use manual high-pressure
exceeds 1200. require larger hoists (3 tons versus 2) spray equipment: It’s easy to bend
Casing types are both mono and and low-profile hoist/rigging to lift the fins when the spray head is not per-
split. Lubrication is both splash and new boxes over the motors (Fig 11). pendicular to the tube surface.
force-feed. Oil is both mineral and As an aid to not only maintenance n Avoid sandblasting. Risks include
synthetic. Fan bridge layouts differ. time but to employees, a rack-and pin- fin damage and removal of any tube
An interesting note was a plan to ion-elevator has been installed. Another coating—aluminum, for example.
leave grating open space (around the site innovation is online oil filtering n Say “no” to use of a bicarbonate
gearbox) for maintenance. His point: of gearbox sumps using a hand-held, solution for cleaning. Risk is the
“If you are 190 ft above grade, it’s operator-friendly system. electrolysis effect between alumi-
115F ambient, and you ask someone num and NaHCO3
to temporarily remove some grating, Tube cleaning A case study was presented on a
it probably won’t be put back.” 29-MW waste-to-energy plant in the
Eskom is also considering direct- Romain Pennel, a director at AX Sys- UK, commissioned in 2014 with two
drive gearboxes (the industry’s first is tems, Bailleul, France, presented on a A-frame ACCs. Power had dropped to
now operational at Dry Fork Station cleaning system created in France in 26 MW and vacuum to 0.7 bar, suggest-
in Wyoming). 2008 by Miroslaw Glusko. ing the need for cleaning. Post-cleaning
Pennel began with an overview results showed vacuum at 0.9 bar and
Gearboxes at Tracy of fouling mechanisms, showing power at 28.29 MW.
how they create an isolation film
Sean Berryman, maintenance man- and limit air flow through the fins, Tube-cleaning document
ager, followed with a review of gearbox thereby reducing heat transfer. This
experience at NV Energy’s Frank A includes fouling from the natural Andy Howell followed with a status
Tracy Generating Station. The plant’s environment (such as pollen or sand) on the planned ACC Users Group
2 × 1 F-class combined cycle is a 541- and from industrial sources (fiber, document ACC.02, “Finned tube heat
MW load-following unit operating at dust, and oil). The result: Reductions exchanger tube cleaning.” The current
96% equivalent availability and provid- in vacuum, turbine steam flow, and outline for the document is below:
ing 35% of Northern Nevada’s energy power generation. n Operational factors limiting ACC
needs. This includes an ACC with 30 ACC configurations covered in the efficiency.
fans arranged in six streets. Fans are presenter’s discussion of cleaning • Ambient temperature.
rated at 250 hp, and gearboxes at 500 systems and challenges included flat, • External tube fouling.
hp. All fans are required during sum- A-frame and V-frame. n Foulant removal.
mer operation. Examples of what not to do with • Water.
Historical gearbox failure has been regard to external cleaning of heat- • Air.
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017 67
 • Carbon dioxide (dry ice) pellets.
n Frequency of finned-tube cleaning.
n Implementing the cleaning process.
n Tubing structural/operational inef-
ficiency issues.
n Safety and environmental.
n Conclusions.
n References.
All participants (and CCJ subscrib-
ers) are invited and encouraged to
13. Solar-powered steam generators at Ivanpah, the world’s largest concen- participate with suggestions, reviews,
trated solar thermal facility rely on ACCs and comments.

Ultra-efficient fan design

Participants returned again to the
Matimba ACC in South Africa. At the
time of construction, this unit was the
largest ACC in operation anywhere in
the world (3690 MW in 2001). Eskom
has firmly established itself as a “world
leader in dry-cooling technology.”
The plant has also suffered historic
losses, specifically in windy months.
But it is not economically feasible to
reduce load losses entirely. Typical
annual production is 24,000 GWh.
Vacuum-related losses in 2016 were
350,000 MWh, or less than 1.5% of
total production. “Economics make it
14. Walter M Higgins Generating Station has contributed significantly to difficult to find a solution that justifies
industry knowledge on the behavior, operation, and maintenance of air-cooled the capital expenditure without the
condensers. Owner NV Energy was the driving force behind the formation of guarantee of total load-loss reduction,”
the ACC Users Group and held the organization’s first meeting at its headquar- explained Augustyn.
ters building. Solar array in background adds to the site’s generating capability Eskom conducted a thorough review
68 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017
of previous CFD work, including place- condensate temperature, and loss of
ment of wind screens. This led to a ACC vacuum. This was followed by a
detailed review of fan performance. list of common air in-leakage sources
Aerodynamic design was reviewed including missing hardware, penetra-
with CFD, keeping the same duty point. tions, welds, turbine shaft seals, expan-
Static efficiency was set at 60%, and a sion joints, pump seals, manways, and
steep curve was established to protect valves. Thermal imaging was recom-
against wind. Stellenbosch Univ became mended, looking for black spots.
involved. A consortium was established IAPWS is reviewing the subject
to design, manufacture, install and com- of air in-leakage for a new Technical
mission a 30-ft-diam fan. Consortium Guidance Document planned for 2018.
members included Kelvion (Germany),
Enexio (Germany), ECILIMP Termoso- Ivanpah and Higgins
lar (Spain), Soltigua™ (Italy), IRESEN
(Morocco), Waterleau Group NV (Neth- On the final day, participants were
erlands), and Notus Fan Engineering offered tours of two facilities: the Ivan-
(South Africa). pah Solar Thermal Plant and the 2 ×
A unique manufacturing process 1 combined cycle Walter M Higgins
offered consistent weight distribution Generating Station.
and a repeatable infusion process. Kristen Pogozelski, who is lead-
When eight blades were weight-tested, ing optimization efforts for Ivanpah’s
there was only a 500-g difference (less liquid ring vacuum pumps (LRVPs),
than 1%). There also was a 50% weight addressed the participants on Day
reduction with the new design. One.
Blade angle settings achieved Each of the three solar thermal
increased volume flow and reduced steam generators at Ivanpah (Fig 13)
fan power consumption. has a three-street ACC with five fans
A striking benefit was improvement per street. The facility was commis-
in turbine backpressure vs. wind speed sioned in 2013.
(Fig 12). Units have been showing reduced
Aerodynamic improvements: vacuum, impacting megawatt produc-
n New fan consumes 15% to 20% less tion. Helium testing found leaks in
power for similar flow displace- the main boiler feed pumps, turbine
ment. bearing gland, steam supply line, and
n Volume flow rates can be increased at several areas in the vacuum pump
by 10% to 20%. skids. The main target became the
n Cells have greater protection liquid ring vacuum pumps.
against wind effects. Laura Sterk, NRG Energy, gave an
Structural improvements: overview of Ivanpah to orient attend-
n Blades are not resonating (vibra- ees for the plant tour.
tional loads on gearbox greatly At Higgins (Fig 14), the summer
reduced). peak is about 530 MW. Operational
n Fan blade weight is reduced by 50%. since 2004, the plant has continually
n Blade shape and structure are con- performed in the top 10% of combined-
sistent (interchangeable blades). cycle plants in the US with a 99%
Funding was provided by the Euro- availability, according to NV Energy’s
pean Union through its Horizon 2020 Dave Rettke, NV Energy, a member
Research and Innovation Program. of the ACCUG steering committee.
Rettke conducted the tour.
Air in-leakage Dry cooling enables Higgins to
make the same amount of electricity
Oscar Hernandez, InterGen, a mem- with only 7% of the water used by a
ber of the steering committee, offered comparable conventional water-cooled
details on air in-leakage at three ACCs facility. The plant’s ACC has eight
in Mexico and two in the UK. streets, each with five 30-ft-diam fans.
At one plant in Mexico, accurate Inspection and maintenance are
online instrumentation detected a keys to success at Higgins. The site
change in dissolved oxygen concen- conducts thorough weekly walkdowns
tration leading to repair of a spray of all equipment, recording all observa-
nozzle. In another, dissolved oxygen tions. As Rettke explained, “It’s impor-
again triggered an investigation tant to see an ACC as a live structure
leading to a steam-turbine gland under the influences of wind, vibration,
seal out of position. For both, credit and thermal changes.”
was given to accurate online instru- Many unique procedures and tools
mentation and continuous chemistry have been developed by Higgins per-
monitoring. sonnel. Ongoing vigilant observation
A lengthy list of key indicators by site personnel has allowed the plant
beyond chemical parameters was to maintain high availability, even
reviewed, highlighting such items as while it has moved from base-load to
increase in backpressure, decrease in cycling operation. ccj
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Number 55, Fourth Quarter 2017 69