TABLE OF CONTENTS Testing undertaken on a steam power cycle can have several objectives.
When the unit is new or has just been installed, tests are conducted to establish the efficiency or heat rate to ensure guarantee levels have been reached. These tests may be undertaken at various loads conditions depending upon the guarantee at different steam conditions.
As the unit ages and deterioration occurs, the unit may be tested to determine both the extent of deterioration and to identify areas where this deterioration has occurred so that corrective action can be planned.
These performance tests should be run in strict accordance with the test code to minimize test errors to the greatest extent possible.
A major consideration with inefficient operation is identifying and quantifying the source of losses. Output tests can help establish the magnitude of such losses, but the determination of their source and individual magnitudes is often difficult and a detailed steam path audit is required to quantify and assist plant staff in maintenance decisions. Once the losses have been identified and their magnitude quantified, a financial penalty can be assigned to them. It then becomes easier to make replacement/repair/accept-as-is decisions based on fuel costs, predicted load factors, and other characteristics of the unit operation. There are also considerations related to the availability of replacement parts, special tools, and skills that may be necessary to implement the corrective actions. Each of these must be fully evaluated by operators in determining the most cost-effective approach for correction and return to...
