Planning for rotor life management begins with a few questions. In my experience, starting with these four questions are a great way to initiate a dialogue around developing a plan.
One of the most important things we talk to customers about is planning early. Typically, our partnership with operators is the most successful when we start developing the plan three years before reaching the major outage where the rotor solution will be implemented. The first year revolves around understanding the future operational mission of the plant, time frame of the life of the plant, financial imperatives such as asset utilization, depreciation, risk management, then identifying options that most benefit the asset strategy of the plant. The second year is typically spent with customers acquiring various approvals. In the third year GE procures, manufactures, and tests items in preparation for delivery.
Our most forward-looking customers have a maintenance and rotor management plan covering multiple time horizons. For example, sometimes their plan exceeds 10 years and cover many outages cycles. Having a rolling 10-year perspective allows better decision-making throughout the lifecycle of the plant. As the industry changes, the recommended solution may change, too.
It’s not always easy to know where to start with the rotor life planning process, so let’s collaborate to find the optimal solution. Know that even if the future is uncertain or not so well defined, we welcome the challenge.
