One of the largest power plants in the United States experienced issues with two out of three recirculating pumps, which are critical for generating power. Despite regular monthly vibration route data collection, the pumps were running louder than normal, indicating a potential problem. To avoid a complete failure that would halt power generation, the plant implemented continuous monitoring using Sensoteq’s KAPPA X wireless vibration sensor from LUDECA on one of the recirculation pumps.
CHALLENGES
- Criticality: The recirculating pumps are essential for generating power by providing DeIonized Water (DI Water) to produce steam for the steam turbines. A pump failure would result in a complete power outage.
- Cost and Lead Time: Replacing a pump was estimated to cost $120,000 and would take approximately 16 weeks, causing significant financial and operational setbacks for the power plant. The ZLD area at which the pump operates is also critical to clean up the pond water to ensure the site also maintains zero liquid discharge from the facility, thus recycling all water and ensuring maximum sustainability of the most precious resource at any power plant, especially in the desert, that being water.
Click here to continue reading this case study and find out what steps were taken to get the project started and the results achieved after implementing continuous monitoring using the KAPPA X wireless vibration sensor!
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Condition Monitoring, Vibration Analysis by Alex Nino CRL