[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 106 (Thursday, June 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35154-35155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13680]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Routine Maintenance of Electric Generating Stations

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: TVA is announcing the availability of a technical report, 
Routine Maintenance of Electric Generating Stations (February 2000). 
This report describes common practices on the TVA electric power system 
and elsewhere in the electric utility industry that are necessary to 
maintain the efficiency, reliability, and availability of steam 
electric generating units.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this report may be obtained by contacting Jerry L. 
Golden at (423) 751-6779; email address: [email protected]. TVA is 
currently planning on posting this report on TVA's website www.tva.gov.

[[Page 35155]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry L. Golden, Manager Production 
Technology, at (423) 751-6779.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under section 14 of the TVA Act, 16 U.S.C. 831m, TVA is directed to 
collect data and report on practices, methods, facilities, and 
equipment and the economic integration of plants and systems ``best 
suited to promote the public interest, efficiency, and the wider and 
more economical use of electric energy.'' In accordance with this 
directive and authority, TVA reported on its generating unit 
maintenance practices and experiences in a report entitled, TVA's Power 
Plant Maintenance Program, Philosophy and Experience, T. H. Gladney and 
H. S. Fox (April 1972). Today, TVA is announcing the availability of an 
updated report on utility maintenance practices, Routine Maintenance of 
Electric Generating Stations, Jerry L. Golden (February 2000).
    Congress has tasked TVA with the development and conservation of 
the resources of the Tennessee Valley region in order to foster the 
region's economic and social well-being. One component of TVA's 
regional resource development program is the generation, transmission, 
and sale of electric power. TVA's electric power system now serves 
approximately 8 million people in parts of seven southeastern states.
    TVA has more than 65 years of experience in maintaining various 
kinds of power-generating technologies. These technologies include 
hydro-electric units, nuclear units, combustion turbines, a pumped 
storage facility, and 11 coal-fired power plants. TVA's coal-fired 
power plants consist of 59 units with a diverse mix of burner types and 
configurations. The size of units currently being operated ranges from 
125 megawatts to 1,300 megawatts (nameplate capacities). These boiler 
types and sizes are typical for more than 90 percent of the coal-fired 
boiler fleet in the United States. TVA's February 2000 technical report 
describes common utility maintenance practices and philosophies and 
provides case studies of a number of maintenance projects on the TVA 
system and elsewhere.

Other Information and Report Summary

    A steam-electricity generating unit is a complicated machine 
consisting of thousands of separate parts and components that must be 
operated together in an integrated fashion to produce electricity. Like 
any complex mechanical system, a electricity-generating unit may suffer 
impaired performance caused by defects in design or manufacture, 
extreme operating conditions, normal wear of components, or 
catastrophic failure. This impaired mechanical performance affects the 
economic performance of the unit and employee safety. To ensure 
reliable integration of the thousands of different parts and continued 
reliable performance, TVA and other electric power systems must have an 
active generating unit maintenance program.
    Maintaining integrated operation of all components is difficult 
because of the large number of components and the varying stresses on 
components. Failure of a component can affect unit operating 
efficiencies and can even prevent the unit from operating at all. This 
is true regardless of the size of the component. A critical electric 
relay, sensing device, or valve can shut a unit down as easily as the 
failure of a unit component such as an economizer or a reheater.
    The maintenance, repair, and replacement of unit components are 
necessary to achieve reliable and safe operation of a generating unit 
throughout its useful life. To do this, TVA and other electric 
utilities routinely conduct maintenance activities that are proactive, 
reactive, and predictive. Proactive maintenance practices try to 
forestall component failure and degradation. This includes such things 
as lubricating equipment, replacement of fluids, and the regular 
replacement of gaskets. Reactive maintenance practices correct a 
component failure or degradation when it occurs. Such reactive 
maintenance can be limited to specific component elements, include 
surrounding or adjacent elements that may have suffered the same 
stress, or involve the replacement of an entire component. Predictive 
maintenance takes advantage of the most recent advancements in 
assessment and measurement technologies. Through predictive maintenance 
practices, TVA and other utilities try to predict when a component 
element or entire component may fail or suffer unacceptable 
degradation. Utilities then replace elements and components in advance 
of actual failure so that damage to other components is reduced and 
generating units are not suddenly lost.
    It has been routine practice within TVA and the utility industry 
for decades to replace components and systems with state-of-the-art 
equipment and materials to ensure that the most reliable and efficient 
equipment is used rather than original equipment or components that may 
not only be obsolete but no longer even available on the market. TVA's 
1972 maintenance report described the routine use of improved materials 
and designs, and this practice continues throughout the industry today.
    TVA's 2000 maintenance report provides case studies of four typical 
utility maintenance practices: replacement of cyclones, reheaters, 
economizers and forced draft fan systems. Based on a review of data 
from the TVA and other coal-fired utility systems, TVA found that 
replacement of cyclones occurred as early as 10 years after initial 
operation of a unit to as late as 37 years after initial operation. 
Reheaters were replaced from 5 to 44 years after initial operation. 
Economizers were replaced from 6 to 55 years after initial operation. 
The conversion of forced draft fan systems to balanced draft systems 
has occurred at units from 4 to 36 years after initial operation.
    TVA concludes that components are routinely replaced throughout the 
lives of units and can occur very early after initial operation of a 
unit. The many factors that influence equipment or component 
replacement include design or fabrication errors, unanticipated 
operating conditions, operational errors, and technology advancements.

    Dated: May 19, 2000.
Joseph R. Bynum,
Executive Vice President, Fossil Power Group.
[FR Doc. 00-13680 Filed 5-31-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-U