Conventional power plants are being disrupted by an increasing demand for renewable energy. The priority in providing energy to the grid associated with the intermittent intrinsic nature of the renewable energy output is creating a shift from base-load power down to cycling in traditional plants and causing failures.
The demand for renewables is only expected to grow over the next few decades, leaving conventional plant operators to adapt and upgrade their facilities, or suffer failures and their ramifications.
Valves play a major role in plant uptime in conventional plants. Valves manufactured 10 to 15 years ago, however, were not specified to carry the intermittent or low-loads duty of today’s operations, resulting in hardfacing wear. Thus, one of the most impactful steps in minimizing failures is evaluating the plant’s critical valves to identify potential delamination issues.
I suggest that operators should consider three key questions when assessing the risks of premature failure. Firstly, what was the original design specification for the installed valve? Secondly, what was the original valve manufacturer’s practice for hardfacing? And finally, is repairing these valves a definitive solution, or should they be replaced?
Signs of delamination in critical valves requires a complete redesign of the hardfacing process to help reinforce the base material of the valve and ensure it can withstand the new operating conditions. Operators should follow these steps for a successful hardfacing redesign: Continue Reading ▶
