Cycling operations can be very damaging to power generation equipment. The challenge for owners of plants required to operate in this way is to fully understand the effects on plant and component life expectancy, and the actual costs, of the cycling operating profiles. The majority of the financial impacts caused by operating baseload designed plants in flexible modes is limited to several damage mechanisms impacting the material integrity of critical components. The severity of the impact of these mechanisms can be partially mitigated through improved plant operation and process controls, however, it is impossible to avoid the reduced life expectancy of critical components caused by the cycling operation.

Add the fact that planned outages are getting further and further apart and budgets are getting tighter and tighter. While these units are in dire need of more frequent maintenance and inspection, they are unfortunately receiving less than ever. It’s because of this that it has never been more important to have a strategic plan to manage the integrity and safety of your critical components in today’s competitive energy market. Join Pamela Hamblin in this brief video to learn about the solutions Thiesch offers to strategically target the high-risk locations for your critical systems in this challenging energy market.

To learn more about Thielsch’s integrity management programs contact Pamela Hamblin at phamblin@thielsh.com.