HRSG and Boiler Related Services
HRSG Inspections (Off Line Entrance)
ALS performs in-depth inspections of your HRSG units and diagnoses the solution, not just reporting problems. We’ll inspect your crawl spaces, gas path from the floor, boiler drums, and walk down the external casing and penetrations. Afterwards, we’ll summarize our findings on-site and provide a punch list on the most important items to address. A final report will be issued after further analyzing the
inspected HRSG’s, including discussions with prioritized recommendations and photos for clear communication.
We can provide drone inspections of the duct burners or exterior silencers at the roof to give you the details commonly missed or not accessible while eliminating the need for scaffold.
HRSG Inspections (On Line Thermal Imaging)
ALS can conduct an on-line thermal imaging inspection to identify, quantify, prioritize, and provide
coincident digital and thermal photographs of HRSG casing hot spots. We’ll provide on-site advice on
repairs as time and budget allow at the end of the inspection and issue a final report to allow you to
focus your time, planning, and outage inspection dollars.
HRSG Low Load Studies
Will low load operation damage your HRSG? ALS can assess the risk and define ways to mitigate
damage. We do this by checking for differences between current operating and original design
parameters, evaluating areas at risk for less straight forward issues such as circulation. We’ll also
recommend any conceptual HRSG equipment or operational modifications to allow for low load
operation with fewer risks and wear.
HRSG Long Term Maintenance Strategy
We provide a user-friendly Excel-format spreadsheet with a detailed listing of maintenance activities,
along with recommended maintenance frequencies and estimated costs. The tool also includes plant
specific inputs including predicted operating schedules, definitions of resource codes, and labor costs for
the various resources. This allows responsible personnel to plan and budget for yearly outages.
New HRSG Specification, and/or Bid Evaluation
Interested in a new HRSG but want to make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck? ALS can
help you understand the risk and reward for each HRSG vendor. We’ll review your current HRSG
specification, compare our knowledge on major OEM vendors for HRSG differences, and issues based on
extensive inspection and industry experience. We’ll help you estimate the typical Operating and
Maintenance costs for the first 10 years of the specified HRSG and recommend World Class programs to
sustain the integrity of your HRSGs, including High Energy Piping and Flow Assisted Corrosion Programs.
Expert Witness Testimony
ALS has performed this service for EPC Contractors and Power Plant Owners working with a
team of industry experts to ethically, honestly, and legitimately explain design, installation, or
financing issues for arbitrator or judge decisions.
HRSG Performance Evaluation (considering AGP Upgrade?)
Is your HRSG running up to par? We’ll check to see if any major components will be impacted by a
capacity increase, compare your actual performance to OEM predictions. Alternate operating
conditions such as increased exhaust flow (due to a CT upgrade), 2×1, and 1×1 simulations will be ran
through thermal performance models and a final report to detail performance and any recommended
steps for optimization.
HRSG Root Cause Failure Analysis (and solutions)!
Does your too much of your maintenance budget continuously go to certain trouble spots? ALS can
determine what the cause of these failures is and provide the best steps to resolve the problems
economically and prevent any more unwanted downtime. ALS recommends permanent solutions to
nagging issues to eliminate repeat maintenance.
Boiler Water Chemistry Consulting
Chemistry Assessment:
ALS approach to HRSG water chemistry review is to start with where and what chemicals are added to
the steam water system, sampling technique and frequency, sampling and analysis equipment
applicability, and review of written procedures. We’ll conduct a summary meeting to discuss the most
important findings and issue a final report discussing our recommendations with the goal of simplifying
operations in order to maintain chemistry while cycling.
FAC Survey:
We’ll provide a prioritized listing of FAC risk areas, based on ALS experience, pipe size and thickness,
material, geometry, steam/water velocities, steam/water temperatures, and phase. Also available is
focused guidance for NDE personnel to measure the correct and consistent locations recommended
based on analysis. This includes physical markings on the components and pictures for UT testing
according to the prioritized listing.
Owner's Engineer
In this day of lean staffing plant personnel are stretched thin – ALS can come to site focused on a set of
projects with quick thinking engineers to solve your issues in short order. We love engineering and love
helping our clients with objective, calculation supported solutions to nagging issues such as cycling drain
pots, broken hanger restraints, problematic SH and RH drains, blow down issues, and many more.
HRSG Cycling Studies
Do your current startup & shutdown procedures protect your HRSG and minimize cycling related
damages? ALS can find out. Should weak spots be identified, suggestions for improvement will be
made. The intent is to use our experience to ask questions, review procedures, and observe startup and
shutdown characteristics to look for at-risk conditions. This approach can bring considerable benefit
with minimal cost as a first step in a cycling plan.
HRSG Design Upgrades or In-Kind Replacement
Are you unsure about your HRSG’s performance due to upgrades or replacements? ALS offers Thermal
Performance Assessments on HRSG design to review these effects and provide solutions to improve
performance. ALS also represents Chanute Manufacturing and can design retrofits based on the
current conditions of your operation to build you replacement – at wholesale pricing! We eliminate the
OEM and large engineering mark up on simple replacements to provide you the best cost solution.
O&M Expense and Capital Budgeting
ALS has extensive industry experience having worked for a large IPP with budgeting responsibility for
50+ plants worldwide. Amy can take this experience and lay out components and costs to help you on
your way to developing proforma modeling or new start up budgets.
Plant Acquisition Planning and Due Diligence
ALS can review past inspection reports, past maintenance records, and inspect fitness for continued
service for acquisitions of boiler and related equipment to provide acquisition companies with sound
advice.
Cost Effective High Energy Piping (HEP) Inspections, Optimized for You
HEP problems may be caused by a events such as water hammer moving or breaking the supports,
explosions, and weather (earthquake or other natural act); or operational issues such as 9% Chrome
material where the piping or hangers were not heat treated properly, FAC thinning; or design vs.
installation issues such as dissimilar metal welds, transition pieces, or piping relaxation. Whatever the
cause, HEP warrants a high maintenance priority.
Our HEP Inspections are arranged in phases to provide the best economic benefit. We’ll first perform
two walk downs (hot and cold) checking every piping support’s condition as well as setting up the
format for tracking information customized to plant specific details meeting the criteria of B31.1 Section
VII Covered Piping Systems. The second phase focuses on repairs or further examination after the
inspection, consisting of detailed repair advice, piping stress analysis, and non-destructive analysis of
welded joints, seams, or contact points as needed.
and possibly more, just ask!
Contact us today!
ALS represents Chanute Manufacturing of Chanute, Kansas (a division of Optimus) in the aftermarket supply for pressure parts. This includes Tube, Pipe, and Panel or Harp replacement of existing HRSGs. Together we are fully capable of providing owners and operators with design upgrades, material changes, and in-kind replacements of HRSG components. Performance impacts due to material changes (CS to low chrome or duplex stainless); or economizer steaming and buoyancy instability mitigation can be modeled to provide upgraded solutions for clients. For designs that result in supply ALS works directly for Chanute as a commissioned representative at no additional cost to the client, eliminating the cost of OEM and middle engineering. While providing transparency in design, this significantly reduces the project cost to clients. All assembly is done in the USA in the central location of Kansas for client’s to visit and inspect their pressure parts as often as desired during fabrication. See their website at www.chanutemanufacturing.com.
Mission Statement
Cost Effective Solutions
ALS Consulting LLC offers a wide range of consulting services specializing in HRSG Performance Analysis, Cycling Studies, Low Load Studies, Water Chemistry Consulting, On/Off Line Inspections, and Design Upgrades.
