N E W S R E L E A S E from INTERNATIONAL
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In-situ machining keeps refurbishment on schedule for largest hydro power station
Specialist on-site machining capability from Furmanite, the speciality services company geared to maximising asset uptime, is enabling the Half Life Refurbishment Programme to be achieved for Meridian Energy at its Manapouri power station in New Zealand, helping to keep the station’s rolling refurbishment programme on schedule and avoiding the need for costly investment in capital machining equipment.
As part of the refurbishment project on the seven hydro-electric turbine generator units at the station, Furmanite New Zealand, following a successful tender to prime contractor Transfield Services E&T New Zealand, was awarded a three year contract. This was in part due to its strong reputation for successful high tolerance machining of diameters in excess of six metres, in-situ, to workshop tolerances.
At a minimum, machining is required to the bottom discharge ring and park shelf of the each of the units, removing minimal amounts of material across a 3.2 metre diameter stepped face with, among other things, a run out tolerance of +/- 0.5mm. This is a challenging task and Furmanite is believed to be the only New Zealand-based organisation with the machinery and trained personnel capable of completing it. Moreover, the work on each unit must be completed within a very tight timescale in order to keep the refurbishment programme schedule, at times requiring 24 hour shift work.
Machining of the first generator was completed at the end of last year and Furmanite was able to meet the requirements successfully, using highly sophisticated circular self-levelling milling (CSLM) technology, capable of machining circular structures up to 24 metres diameter and achieving exceptional levels of accuracy and overall flatness. The equipment utilises a laser scanning interface to an electronically controlled hydraulic levelling system.
The 10,000 kg of equipment was transported to the underground site and the machine was assembled concentric to the existing ring and levelled precisely to the surfaces to be machined. Experienced Furmanite CSLM machinists were employed to undertake the work.
The second unit was successfully completed in May 2005, and work on the next unit is scheduled for October 2005, with the remaining units to be worked on in a rolling programme completing in June 2007.
Furmanite New Zealand business manager Mark Reason commented: “This is typical of the service we are able to offer our customers, helping them to minimise downtime by keeping outages on-schedule with our on-site services, and keep assets earning. We pride ourselves in being the premier New Zealand organisation for on-site machining, as well as leak sealing, composite repairs, Pressurised Systems Integrity (PSI) Management, and other specialised engineering capabilities.”
Meridian Energy is the largest electricity generator in New Zealand, and its Manapouri plant is the country’s largest hydro power station. The Half Life Refurbishment Programme is a series of projects which will improve the efficiency of Manapouri power station generation and extend the life of the generating plant for a further 30 years.
Further information on Furmanite’s on-site machining and wide range of other services geared to maximising asset uptime and creating significant time and cost savings is available on www.furmanite.com.
For further press information contact:
Sarah Manwaring-White
Keep in Touch Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1451 844 488
Email: sarah_mw@keepintouch.co.uk