Cooling tower inspection, maintenance dominate combined-cycle session

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Team CCJ

CTOTFs Combined Cycle Roundtable is charged with keeping users current on equipment and technologies associated with the Rankine cycleheat-recovery steam generators, steam turbines, valves, piping, heat-rejection systems, etc. At the user groups 38th annual Fall Conference, September 8-12, in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, the session chaired by Rick Shackelford, plant manager, Green Country Energy LLC, featured presentations on HEPA solutions for GT inlet air filtration, wet cooling towers, and main and reheat steam valves. These presentations are available to all employees of gas-turbine owner/operators by simply registering online for access to CTOTFs Presentations Library. HEPA filters Tom Kelmartin, PE, W L Gore & Associates Inc, ran through the benefits of HEPA filtersincluding higher GT availability, consistent power output, constant heat rate, elimination of compressor cleaning, etcand offered a couple of case histories. He illustrated the effectiveness of HEPAs compared to conventional filters this way, using a 25-MW gas turbine as the basis for the analysis: Uncaptured pollutants for an F9 filter 29 lb/yr. Uncaptured pollutants for an E10 HEPA, 12.3 lb/yr. Uncaptured pollutants for an E12 HEPA, 0.09 lb/yr. Most of this material had been presented by Kelmartin at the Frame 6 Users Group meeting in Houston last June. But for the CTOTF conference, he added a particularly interesting case study on the HEPA filtration system serving a Solar Turbines Mercury 50 in San Diego. The engine had suffered severe fouling issues, and corrosion attack attributed to the salt-laden ambient air. Replacing the Merc 50s original standard conical/cylindrical pairs with HEPA filters cured the units fouling and power-loss issues. However, the pressure drop across the filters remained high, averaging about 2.5 in. H2O, because of the coalescing wall in the filter house. In addition, intermittent delta-p spikes of 0.5 in. H2O, or more, were experienced. Redesign of the filter house reduced the pressure drop across the air inlet system. Upgrades included installation of pocket-type coalescing pre-filters and opening-up of duct restrictions. Result: Pressure drop

decreased to an average of slightly less than 1.5 in. H2O and has maintained this level of performance since the changes were made in March 2013. For more on Mercury 50s and HEPA filtration, read the Solar Roundtable report in CTOTF ONsite 3. Wet cooling towers

Wet towers were a focal point of the combinedcycle session with an owners case history and a tutorial presented by David Brumbaugh, president, DRB Industries LLC, on how to properly inspect a tower and improve its performance through proactive maintenance. If youd rather listen than read, catch Brumbaughs presentation ondemand at www.ccj-online.com/onscreen. Its particularly well suited for training purposes, offering a step-by-step approach to inspection thats easy to understand, plus several maintenance checklists for plant personnel. The latter include separate modules for basins, nozzles, flow control valves, structural components and casing, fans, gearboxes, motors, fan deck and shrouds, etc. Brumbaughs tutorial was the perfect segue for the user presentation describing damage found during a tower inspection. External factors influencing equipment condition likely included the following: The company that designed and installed the 12-cell tower was not among the top suppliers of utility heat-rejection equipment and was on thin ice financially when the plant was being built: It filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy papers the year after the 3 x 1 combined cycle went commercial in 2003. The plant was developed by an independent third party; ownership was transferred to a major financial services firm shortly after COD. A third-party services provider operated the plant under contract to the owner.

 A major utility leased the plant in 2007. Fast forward to the plants fall 2012 outage, when the cooling tower was inspected by a well-known designer and manufacturer of this equipment. The speaker discussed five aspects of the inspection: heat-transfer fill, structure, supports for the distribution header, separation of laterals from the main header, and fan deck and stacks.

Fill. The top two inches of fill in the entire tower was worn, brittle, and had been damaged at multiple locations in each cell as a result of water-distribution nozzle failures (Fig 1). Structural support. Inspectors found the existing supports for mechanical equipment under size and not properly designed for the loads they had to bear. Example: A lack of top-level diagonal braces in the areas beneath the supports for mechanical equipment. The underdesigned structure was conducive to movement and vibration when the fans were in operation. This contributed to the loosening up, and release, of bolting, as well as the wallowing out of bolt holes (Fig 2). Excessive vibration also caused problems in the fiberglass fan stacks: hardware loosened up, and went missing in some cases. Inspectors predicted the premature failure of gearboxes and drive shafts unless corrective action was taken. Sagging supportsfor the FRP water distribution header also were noted by inspectors (refer back to Fig 1). In some places the header dropped by as much as 3 in. In the opinion of inspectors the original supports were not designed to handle the combined weight of pipe and water. Specifically, the total load was concentrated in a small area of both the pipe and the support. A saddle-type support generally is recommended for large headers. Another header issue identified was the peeling off of fiberglass wrap at pipe joints (Fig 3). Repair is relatively simple: Grind off the old wrap and re-wrap the joint. Separation of laterals from the main header was a particularly unwelcome finding (Figs 4, 5). The rubber sleeves on the header end

of three laterals appeared to have rolled off the lateral and into the flow stream. Once the rubber sleeve is breeched, the grommets move relative to the lateral and the header and the seal at the connection point is compromised. Water then sprays out between the grommet and the lateral, eventually forcing the lateral pipe from the header. Collateral damage includes major damage to fill (Fig 6). Fan stacks revealed significant wear and tear from vibration created by mechanical equipment and the blade-passing frequency. Inspectors found loose and/or missing seam and anchor bolts on all fan stacks, which were said to have been installed improperly. Example: The stiffener gusset plates were installed on the outside of the stacks (Fig 7); were they on the inside where they belonged, inspectors said, the damage shown in the photo would not have occurred. Cracks also were found in the fan deck (Fig 8).

What about dry cooling? Wet cooling towers are not installed in plants with air-cooled condensers, which directly reject cycle heat from many generating stations in the water-starved West. ACCs have not yet been on the program of the Combined Cycle Roundtable, but owner/operators of this equipment have been served for the last five years by the ACC Users Group, which met this year the week before CTOTF. One of the take-aways from that conference was the availability of guidelines for the operation of steam/water circuits in combined-cycle plantswet- and dry-cooledthrough the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam. Many CTOTF members would benefit from learning more about how this international non-profit association of national organizations can help them extract top performance from their Rankine cycles. Heres a list of IAPWS Technical Guidance Documents that can be downloaded from www.IAPWS.org at no charge; consider reviewing them at your earliest convenience:

 Procedures for the measurement of carryover of boiler water and steam, to help prevent steam turbine damage. Instrumentation for monitoring and control of cycle chemistry for the steam-water circuits of fossil-fired and combined-cycle power plants provides guidance on the minimum level of key instrumentation required for managing water chemistry. Volatile treatments for the steam-water circuits of fossil and combined-cycle/HRSG power plants includes the basis for AVT and OT for all plants. The key recommendation: Only use oxidizing treatments in combined-cycle/HRSG plants. Phosphate and NaOH treatments for the steam-water circuits of fossil and combined-cycle/HRSG power plants includes the basis for selecting the optimum boiler/HRSG evaporator water treatment for all drum plants. Steam purity for turbine operation covers a wide range of failure mechanisms identified with steam turbines. Corrosion product sampling and analysis, to be published in December 2013, covers the optimum procedures for iron and copper sampling and analysis. The foregoing documents represent the consensus opinions of the worlds top chemists. National organizations from 21 countries provide the foundation for IAPWS, which makes its standards on cycle chemistry for fossil-fired steam and combined-cycle plants available to all at no cost. IAPWS, founded in 1929, does much more than develop cycle chemistry standards. It also is the developer of IF-97, which forms the basis for every steam table in the world. Plus, the organization is responsible for all the formulations of water, steam, heavy water, ice, and seawater, as well as all the thermophysical properties of water and steam (density, viscosity, etc). HEP concerns Ed Sundheim, CTOTF vice chair for program development and director of engineering for Essential Power LLC, made a short presentation summarizing common failures in boom-era high-energy piping (HEP) systems. It provided particularly valuable perspective for engineers new to the industry and those whose professional positions focus on the Brayton side of combined cycles. It was not Sundheims intent to provide details, but rather to identify potential problem areas that bear watching. Background and current

information on each of these topics can be accessed by using the search function in the top right corner of the CCJ ONline home page or by perusing the nearly 500 presentations in the CTOTF library. He focused on three areas: Attemperators, noting poor design, improper location in piping systems, leaking spray valves, thermal fatigue damage, etc. P91 and material issues in pipe runs, valves, fittings, welds, etc, primarily related to deficient quality control during manufacture and installation. Liberation of stellite hard-facing in main and reheat stop and nonreturn valves, and steam turbine stop and control valves as well. The speaker was one of the first users to alert the industry to this insidious problem. Sundheim spoke to what he called a daisy-chain of HEP failures. His professional opinion, based on a 50-year association with powerplant equipment, is that many problems owner/operators face today can be traced to poor initial design, fabrication, and construction. He believes that some designers did not/may still not adequately understand high cycling stresses or the cures. Also, that some contractors did not/may still not fully appreciate the critical nature of P91 welding and heattreatment requirements and the need for tight quality control. Finally, he questioned the origin of some Code documentation owner/operators have been given. High cycling and part-load operation of combined-cycle units designed for base-load service have contributed to the issues noted. Sundheim mentioned the overuse of attemperators and the resulting failures caused by quenching, as well as nightly shutdowns that are conducive to condensation and slugs of water in steam systems and consequent quenching damage. Stellite liberation is an issue Sundheim is following closely and he urged others to do the same. He said it has become a significant industry-wide problem with more than 50 cases already reported. Damage has been associated with the products of most all manufacturers of P91 stop and non-return valves for HEP systems; plus, the major steam-turbine OEMs have acknowledged problems with their valves. At the present time, Sundheim said, theres no foolproof method for attaching stellite to P91based on his research. EPRI is leading a study on the problem but no concrete findings are expected before the middle of 2014, possibly later. In the meantime, at

least one plant owner believes its time to consider alternatives to stellite hardfacing. It is taking a proactive approach in buying replacement valves from a supplier with little experience in the manufacture of steam valves for F-class combined cycles but with positive experience in the use of chromium-carbide-based proprietary material on wear faces. Stay tuned. ALERT! Next, Sundheim alerted attendees to a new problem associated with P91 steam valves: the incompatibility of Type 316 stainless steel seat rings with P91 bodies because of differential expansion issues. In wrapping up, he suggested that users consider starting an HEP health monitoring program, or upgrading the one they have, consistent with new industry findings. Here are his recommendations: Inspect all P91 welds and heat-affected zones for proper hardness. Establish a Code compliance program. Research your HEP Code documents. Establish strict standards for HEP repairs and monitor/inspect work carefully. Vet all HEP suppliers and services providers. Avoid field welding of P91 where possible. Other recommendations: Regarding steam turbines, follow prescribed OEM guideline documentssuch as GEs Technical Information Letter 1629-R1, Combined stop and control valve seat stellite liberation. Monitor and inspect attemperators regularly. Monitor main steam and reheater drains for proper operation. HRSG drains. Sundheim paused here to stress the importance of proper operation and maintenance of drain systems for preventing the formation of condensate and subsequent chill-shocking of valves and attemperators. In recent conversations with other combined-cycle operators he reported hearing this common theme: HRSG drain systems are maintenance hogs because of their (1) location at the bottom of the boiler where they are prone to attack by gas-path condensation /corrosion, (2) parsimonious allowance for thermal expansion, and (3) cycling beyond design assumptions.

At our Newington plant, he added, we have gone through an extensive refit of the HRSG drain systems and have done the following: Added insulation to prevent corrosion to the extent possible. Provided for thermal expansion. Installed redundant stop valves so that one valve throttles and the other only sees full-open/closed service. By eliminating the fears of operators that they might cause a valve or line failure, plant personnel are now less reluctant to operate the drains and we have much better control over condensation/slugs, Sundheim said. Planned to add drain pots in each line when the maintenance budget permits. The drain pots will be equipped with thermocouples so the control-room operator will know when the line is blowing liquid or wasting steam. Final point: Attend Combined Cycle Roundtables at CTOTF meetings for collaborative discussion and updates on these and other issues.