1. Identification of Performance Deviations: It was identified that the unit's performance deviated from established design. These deviations included lower turbine output, higher turbine heat rate, and lower boiler thermal efficiency. The team also identified deviations in the condenser performance which were low vacuum levels and high cooling water temperatures.
2. Root Cause Analysis: A thorough root cause analysis revealed several issues, including fouling of condenser tubes, air ingress in the HP condenser, and imbalanced gas flow pattern in the boiler. The team also identified potential issues with the main condensate flow, such as incorrect installation of the orifice plate and foreign objects blocking the flow path.
The team provided several recommendations to the client to improve the unit's performance. These recommendations includes: -
1. Cleaning of condenser tubes
2. Air ingress investigation for the HP condenser
3. Gas flow pattern balancing via boiler tunning exercise
4. Inspection of main condensate nozzle
Overall, the recommendations provided by the team were aimed at improving the unit's performance by addressing the root causes of the suboptimal net unit heat rate and condenser performance. These recommendations, if implemented, could improve the unit's performance, reduce operating costs, and increase profitability.
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