Heavy load heads to Charlotte for repairs
Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 3:05pm EDT | Modified: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 6:30pm
In a demonstration of the energy expertise Charlotte is building, two 60-plus-ton rotors from a power plant in Thailand will arrive here Tuesday night for emergency repairs.
A crew loads two 60-plus-ton rotors on a Russian-made transport for delivery to Siemens Energy in Charlotte.
The rotors, severely damaged when their lubrication failed, will be brought to the Siemens Energy turbine plant in southwest Charlotte. Mark Pringle, director of operations for the plant, says his operation was the only one able to perform the repairs with the speed the customer needs.
“The Siemens Charlotte plant has developed a worldwide reputation for innovative methods to repair very large rotating equipment with weld processes as well as heat treatment and stress relief methods,” Pringle says “This, combined with our intimate understanding of the design of this machine, makes us the best choice to get this power plant back in operation in the quickest possible time.”
Siemens expects to finish the repairs in October.
Pringle says Siemens routinely works on equipment as large, or larger.* What is unique about this situation is the neeed for speed and, thus, the use of a special plane for transport. The size of the turbines require the world’s largest fixed-wing aircraft — the Russian-made Antonov An-225 — for transportation. The flight will be routed through Japan and Alaska to Charlotte.
"The power company does not have spare equipment, so they are in a dire situation with the plant out of commission," he says. "Speed is critical to them."
Siemens will not disclose the name of the power company because of customer confidentiality. The rotors come from a combined-cycle, gas-powered plant in the Thai province at the north end of the Gulf of Thailand.
'Unique capability'
The rotors are based on a Westinghouse design that Siemens is very familiar with, Pringle says. "We have a unique capability to repair these large rotors."
The rotors are part of the steam turbines that produce electricity from the heat produced by the gas turbines at the plant.
Siemens has 780 employees in Charlotte. During the last year, it has announced two expansions that are expected to add more than 800 jobs.
Read more: Heavy load heads to Charlotte for repairs - Charlotte Business Journal
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