This plant underwent a retrofit to incorporate design changes proposed by Bionetics. The table shows the back pressure reductions and air in-leak test results before and after the retrofit. This demonstrated the improved efficiency of the condenser, which allowed it to handle increased air in-leakage with less effect on the overall operation. In addition to on-going heat rate savings, the improvements could, and did, save the plant from tripping during a high air in-leak event.
| Pre-retrofit | Post-retrofit | |
| Plant parameters: | ||
| Condenser Pressure | – | 1.0″Hg reduction |
| DO | 30 ppb | 15 ppb |
| Average Heat Rate Reduction | – | -77Btu/kWhr |
| Average Gross MW Increase | – | +6.2 MW |
| Air In-leak test summary: | ||
| AIL Testing | *15 + 50 SCFM | *38 + 62 SCFM |
| Condenser Pressure Increase (during tests) | +0.8″ Hg | +0.2 Hg |
| DO Increase (during tests) | +12 ppb | +2 ppb |
| CC Increase (during tests) | 0.05µS/cm | <0.01µS/cm |
*The first numbers are the baseline plant air in-leakage. The second numbers are extra air in-leakage bled into the condenser during testing, with the resulting pressure and DO increases.
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