Page 288 - Sustainable On-Site CHP Systems Design, Construction, and Operations

Operation and Maintenance Services 261

steam turbine generator (STG) or the sound of the combustion turbine generator (CTG)
to name a few examples. The operator listens to the sounds of the equipment when it is
running properly and can detect those individual signature sounds (e.g., frequencies
and pitch) along with a heightened awareness when those sounds suddenly change as
a precursor of potential problem operating or impending failure conditions. An excep-
tional operator can walk into a plant at the beginning of the shift and hear a different
pitch or frequency within the plant and have cause for further investigation.
There are also vibrations in a plant that can be felt if an operator is focused. The
exceptional operator will feel the vibration of the plant through his or her feet as they
walk or stand in different places and will feel vibrations with their hands as they touch
pieces of equipment. Of course, there are some vibrations that are too small for the
operator to sense and in those cases very sensitive equipment is used to measure vibra-
tion or movement in a millionth of an inch (mils), for example.
The exceptional operator will also use all of their senses and the tools provided
through the computer to determine if the plant is running properly or if there is a very
small and easily correctable problem to be addressed before it becomes a large problem
that requires unscheduled down time or worse, a catastrophic failure of equipment
and/or harm to personnel. At this point, any knowledge gained from this exceptional
operator is only valuable when is shared with the other operators and with manage-
ment. Open communication must be encouraged and cultivated by plant management
to allow an atmosphere where all information for anyone in the organization is accepted
and treated as valued input even though it may not prove out in some situations
following investigation.
Exceptional operators are often promoted to supervisory and management positions
as they acquire leadership skills on top of their learned technical skills. Accordingly, the
plant supervisor or manager to whom the operator reports and who may expect future
promotion should be encouraged to act proactively to provide training, to mentor and
guide new operators in promoting their skill sets, and to be positive reinforcement to
assist in their development into exceptional operators.

Plant Inspection
At the beginning of each shift, the plant operator must be encouraged to take the time
needed to thoroughly inspect the plant. The operator should look at each piece of equip-
ment that is online and make a quick assessment of its current condition. The operator
should also look at the condition or readiness of any equipment that is on standby sta-
tus. This inspection entails, for example, looking at pressure and temperature gages,
flow meters, and level indicators. The operator should check all motor-driven pumps
and fans by placing a hand on motor housings to check bearing temperature and also to
feel for excess vibrations. Cooling towers should also be inspected, looking at water
flow, level and temperatures, and for debris at the air inlets. Lubrication systems must
be inspected to ensure proper pressure and flow and to verify by looking at the sight
glass that the oil is at the proper level and is not contaminated.
After this initial inspection, the operator will usually go to the control room to
verify what he or she observed during the plant walk-through. The plant logs should
also be carefully reviewed to gain a better understanding of what has taken place on the
previous shift and if further follow-up is indicated. The operator should be required to
look at the screen displays on the HMI to document any unusual findings and observa-
tions made before his assigned shift in the plant. Lastly, the operator coming on shift