Preventive maintenance vital to cogen profitability
- Mission Operation and Maintenance Inc. (US)
A power plant's efficiency is the key to its success in generating a profit. While the fuel used and the mechanical efficiency of the plant itself are key design factor, once the plat is on-stream the main factor becomes the plant's time on line. Any downtime detracts from its profitability, especially during peak periods. In the case of a cogeneration facility downtime becomes even more critical, since it has more than one customer to satisfy; and electrical customer and a thermal energy customer. This paper reports that an unscheduled outage has the potential to be very expensive: Costs and revenue losses escalate rapidly from thousands of dollars into millions of dollars, depending on length of downtime and time of year. During off-peak winter months, losses at the Harbor cogeneration plant can be dramatic; peak summer losses can be catastrophic. Not only are generation revenues loss, but bonus revenues, qualifying facility (QF) status, and contractual obligations are at risk. With these prospects looming over the option, management must practice not only preventive maintenance, but predictive and condition based maintenance as well. HCC's key to preventing unscheduled outages is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS).
- OSTI ID:
- 7117265
- Journal Information:
- Power Engineering; (United States), Journal Name: Power Engineering; (United States) Vol. 96:4; ISSN POENA; ISSN 0032-5961
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Comprehensive preventive maintenance planning
Developing a dispatchable cogeneration facility
Related Subjects
200105* -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Heat Utilization
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290800 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Heat Utilization-- (1980-)
291000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Conservation
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320304 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Waste Heat Recovery & Utilization
COGENERATION
DESIGN
DEUS
DUAL-PURPOSE POWER PLANTS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
MAINTENANCE
PLANNING
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
STEAM GENERATION
WASTE HEAT UTILIZATION
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION