Supporting maintenance strategies at power plant

Integrated asset management helps ensure efficient work practices and inform business decisions

EDF Energy has selected Emerson Process Management’s AMS Suite predictive maintenance software to help optimise maintenance practices at its new Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station at West Burton in Britain. AMS Suite will help the plant's managers quickly access integrated asset health information from multiple data sources, view real-time analyses and reports, and develop management strategies to improve plant performance.

The West Burton plant places significant focus on compliance with governmental regulations and the safety of plant personnel and assets such as instruments and process equipment. “AMS Suite supports our programmes to meet safety requirements,” said Jason Bryant, Control and Instrumentation Team Leader. “With real-time analytics and reporting, we will have new levels of insight into asset performance to enable regulatory compliance as we drive continuous improvement.”

With AMS Suite: Asset Performance Management, based on Meridium’s APM software, EDF maintenance and reliability managers will receive integrated, real-time information to ensure maintenance resources are focused on the most critical areas for the greatest business return. Integration of asset data with the plant’s SAP system will also show the impact of asset health on the facility’s profitability.

“The combination of the EDF Energy Asset Management Specialists and Emerson service experts working together to develop detailed work processes for streamlined maintenance practices, and the use of real time data and plant diagnostics, will move West Burton CCGT towards world class maintenance practices,” said Darren Ramshaw, Engineering and Maintenance Manager. “In addition, overall key performance indicators will track maintenance efficiency, safety and performance goals.”

“AMS Suite APM will enable EDF Energy to reduce the information complexity faced by management, enabling proactive, strategic, and more holistic asset management,” said Ron Martin, Vice President and General Manager of Emerson’s Asset Optimization business. “EDF is another example of how Emerson’s asset management technologies and services are helping companies drive plant reliability and performance.”

Comprising three 430MW CCGT units, the new 1300MW plant will stand next to EDF Energy's existing 2000MW coal-fired power station. Emerson’s PlantWeb™ digital plant architecture, including the Ovation™ expert control system and intelligent field devices, will monitor and control the heat-recovery steam generators and balance-of-plant processes. The Ovation system will also interface to the turbine control system and perform data acquisition, including sequences of events. Once completed, the CCGT unit will supply enough power for around 1.5 million homes. The power station will be ready for commercial operation later this year.