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GENERATION & WHOLESALE MARKETS
February/March 2014 • www.esb.ie/em
Asset Management Conference
In December, the G&WM Asset Management team held its yearly conference, which was organised and led by Drla Newman, Asset Management Specialist.
HOSTED BY Tim Keane, Asset Performance Manager, the day-long event covered several presentations followed by a workshop on changes to the Lifetime Asset Planning Process (LTAP).
Paddy Hayes, Executive Director, opened the conference, emphasizing that it is absolutely fundamental to have strong asset management in place - not just for safety and environmental reasons but also for commercial ones. Brendan Mc-Cullagh, ESB's Insurance Manager, presented on Insuring Generation Risks.
ESB's corporate insurance strategy aims to preserve Group assets and earnings through identifying and assessing risk exposures and the economic transfer of the consequences of catastrophic risk to the Insurance Market. Costs are on the increase, due to market conditions and claims, but we anticipate that the achievement of PAS 55 will impact positively on premiums.
Eddie Dempsey, Project Manager for the recent major overhaul of Moneypoint Unit 3, highlighted the significant challenges his team faced. Managed in-house by the Overhaul Group, the project was also supported by Asset Assurance & Engineering and ESBI.
Mick Rocke, Risk Manager, covered the project to update Technical Standards across Generation. These standards provide direction on operating and maintaining power-generating equipment, ensuring we have systems in place to avoid/ mitigate serious risks to personnel, the ‘environment and plants.
In the afternoon, Tom Browne and Orla Newman led the LTAP workshop. There have been many challenges and changes in the Asset Management area during 2013 and, as a result, the LTAP process is evolving. This workshop created an opportunity to discuss and clarify these impending changes. A main issue identified is the clarification of the roles and responsibilities as well as integrating the former IG plants into the Asset Management processes. Other key challenges and changes involve optimising non-recurring expenditure, changes to the LTAP timeline and greater integration of the LTAP process with the budget cycle. Overall, the workshop was very productive and the output will help optimise and improve our Asset Management process in 2014.
Martin Stronge, Manager Process & Performance, presented on the changing electricity market, resulting from new technologies and the increasing penetration of Renewables. This changing market impacts on opportunities for conventional generators to make profit and so a project team, headed by Ruairi Costello with support from Trading, Finance, Operations and Asset Performance, is looking at ways to maximise profits from existing assets. Initial results are planned for March 2014.
Fisheries defibrillator
EARLIER IN 2013 ESB Fisheries purchased a defibrillator and it was agreed that it would serve both ESB Staff at Belmont base in Offaly and the local community. The defibrillator has been erected on the front of the Fisheries Building to ensure accessibility for both staff and to the local community.
ESB CHEMISTS SHARE RECENT FINDINGS
TWO CONFERENCES took place recently - one external and one internal to ESB - both focusing on advances in power plant chemistry.
First up, G&WM chemists presented two papers at the recent IAPWS conference held last September at the University of Greenwich, London. IAPWS is the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam and provides technical guidance on water and steam chemistry for power plants.
Fiona Spellissy of Aghada presented the first paper, describing an analysis of the water/steam purity in Aghada CCGT (AD 2) during unit start-ups. The paper determined that the steam in AD 2 meets its purity requirements earlier than expected, meaning the unit could be on load quicker. Previously, the unit start-up was delayed by 40 minutes while waiting for the steam purity to come within specification. As a result of this work, this wait time has been eliminated. Liz Stack, Liam Hickey (both Aghada) and Fionn Griffin (HO) co-authored the paper.
Tom Walsh of Lough Ree Power (LRP) and Chris Bell from Ovivo collaborated on the second paper presented at IAPWS - called “Ammonium Form Condensate Polishing at Lough Ree Power Station”. Chris presented the data, describing how ammonium form operation of condensate polishers contributes to ultra-pure feed water for the power plant.
Secondly, G&WM hosted an internal chemistry conference in November, focusing on cycle chemistry continuous improvement. Attendees included chemists from G&WM stations (Amorebieta and Corby), ESBI's Kulim Plant, Malaysia and Head Office. Each location made a presentation on recent cycle chemistry improvements they've been working on. Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) featured many times at the event, with a number of CCGTs implementing FAC management programmes through cycle chemistry modifications. These FAC programmes prolong the asset lifetime by minimising boiler tube failures.
A day in the life
EAMON BYRNE, an undergraduate electrical engineer from Queen's University Belfast and recipient of the Electric Ireland Sponsored Bursary Programme, is currently on work placement in G&WM. The bursary helps support and creates opportunities for some of Northern Ireland's top electrical engineering students providing them with financial support, ongoing mentoring and practical experience through summer and corporate placements within ESB.
The fleet is currently made up of 17 wind farms with wind turbines supplied by seven different OEMs, each with their own SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system. Renewables O&M are consolidating all these SCADA systems into one for a more efficient control of plant and performance analysis of the fleet. The consolidated SCADA system is live, however the report element is still in commissioning phase and Eamon has taken a lead role under the guidance of the professional engineers in the group. “My days are busy and varied with tasks such as validating turbine data on the new SCADA, attending project meetings and drafting and delivering progress reports.”
“I also get to deal with performance related issues and do calculations and data analysis on Wind Farm performance and availability. From this I have learnt much about the commercial aspects of O&M and the importance of Wind Farm availability and performance for ESB.”
The fleet is currently made up of 17 Wind Farms with wind turbines supplied by seven different OEMs, each with their own SCADA...
The experience gained in ESB has helped Eamon link the theoretical side of University to the day-to-day practical functions of the Engineering world. Eamon has found ESB a vibrant place to work and the guidance and support received from his colleagues has helped in his own professional and personal development.
“I have been very fortunate for this great opportunity from ESB, which has provided me a platform to launch my career into the Power Industry. I am very optimistic for what the future holds when I graduate in 2015.”
Eamon has completed three years of his studies in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and after completing his work placement will have another year left before he obtains his Masters degree. Eamon has already gained vast experience and exposure through his summer placements in ESBI, the first in Substation Design, the second in Power System Studies. He is now six months into a one-year placement with the Renewables O&M team who are responsible for the operation and surveillance of ESB's 389MW wind portfolio which is managed centrally from the Wind Farm Control Room in ESB Head Office.
CER visits Ardnacrusha
Win a break in the Ballsbridge Hotel
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