Tampa Electric Company - Big Bend Station, The First Complete Station Titanium-Tubed Modular Condenser Changeout - Units 1–4: A Case Study

Tampa Electric Company, (a TECO Energy Company) Big Bend Power Station is located on the east shore of Tampa Bay, in Hillsborough County, Florida. The station operates four (4) coal-fired units as described in Table 1A. The condensers for these units are cooled with sea water taken from Tampa Bay. In 2005, as part of a management sanctioned effort to restore plant capacity, and improve long-term plant reliability and availability, it was concluded that, among other plant upgrade considerations, titanium-tubed modular condensers should replace all four existing units. In support of this effort, our case study will highlight and present salient issues relating to this specific project conception, evaluation and implementation. Ancillary issues including integration of existing ball cleaning systems, constraints on circulating water pump flow, environmentally-driven limitations on temperature discharge, localized MIC attack, material selection considerations and installation logistics and constraints will also be discussed. The paper will present a rigorous evaluation covering the long-term benefits when comparing a modular changeout vs. the direct condenser retube option. Since unit performance prior to the revamping was well documented in advance of workscope completion, the newly installed system could be directly compared against historical norms. As a result, expanded coverage of the successful Unit 1 & 2 results of this unique comparison capability will be identified. In terms of industry precedence, the documented success of this project demonstrates that this first-of-a-kind sequential modular condenser installation at a multiple-unit, coal-fired power station has satisfied management expectations providing the Big Bend Stations with sustainable power generation reliability for the future, restored unit capacity and created an innovative and cooperative interconnectivity between the utility and vendor alike.