Performance and Operational Issues at the Boardman Coal Plant

The keys to reliable and efficient coal fired power plant operations are combustion and performance monitoring. For this to occur it is necessary for the plant staff to have adequate tools that will enable them to make intelligent decisions. Success in this endeavor is insured with proper instrumentation, vigilant operations and a real time performance monitor. This paper will cite efforts made toward combustion improvements through the use of pulverizer coal flow enhancements, coal flow monitoring instrumentation and simple coal analysis trending. This paper will also provide examples of the value of a real time performance monitor as a tool for monitoring, identifying and addressing plant efficiency. Examples of the unique capability of tube leak identification using the plant’s performance monitor will be presented.