Case Studies/Projects

GE F7FA and F7EA Component Inspection and Repair Training

As competitive pressures act upon owners/operators of gas turbine (GT) simple and combined cycle power plants, resources can get stretched thin. Plant personnel must wear many different hats, and as a result, intimate in-house knowledge of all contracted maintenance activities is a rarity. Refurbishment of GT capital parts is a significant budget item, and maximizing the life of these expensive assets is a requirement for healthy plant economics. Knowledge of contracted shop inspection and repair activities is a plant management necessity, and Eta Technologies LLC (Eta Tech) can transfer this “know-how” through tailored training programs.

Recently, a large client with GT simple and combined cycle power plants requested Eta Tech to develop a training program for their “gas plant” managers. Luckily, this client employs a commonality of equipment, in this case Frame 7EA and 7FA prime movers. Eta Tech provided a training course focusing on initial shop inspection processes for rigorous component condition assessment, thus allowing independent parts life management as well as determination of reparability and appropriate repair workscopes. Course material also covered recommended vendor “hold points,” in-process and final inspection steps, and a breakdown of critical features and concerns on a part-by-part basis.

The course spanned two (2) days of classroom training, with presentation materials provided for future reference. Attendees walked away with a substantially greater understanding of what actually happens (or should happen) to their parts when off at a shop, what requirements need to be imposed on their vendors and the oversight necessary to manage this aspect of their gas turbine maintenance!