Cost of Cycling Analysis
Many fossil power plants have been cycled more extensively than they were originally designed for due to changes in overall system loads and resource constraints. This has led to higher forced outage rates, maintenance costs, and capital replacement costs for these units. Utilities have become concerned that cycling costs and damage have not been well understood and estimated.
Increased cycling of power plants may have several effects which should be quantified:
- Increased costs due to the degree of cycling versus baseloaded operation.
- The current and expected true costs of hot, warm, and cold starts, and various types of load follow cycles (e.g., with different ramp rates and depth of cycles).
- Increased damage to equipment with related higher maintenance, capital costs, and forced outage rates.
- Lower fuel efficiencies beyond those explained by heat rate curves.
- Potential shortened unit life.
Significant costs related to cycling that are not well understood and accounted for will result in inadequate recovery of equipment wear and tear costs. Lack of cost knowledge can force a utility to compete at less than 100% effectiveness. Intertek has developed tools to perform these types of analyses. Some of the types of tools and analyses are listed below:
- COSTCOM®
- Cycling Advisor ™
- Cycling Cost Analysis
- Budget Projections
- Asset Evaluations
- Real Time Cost Analysis
- Cost of Ancillary Services
- Future Capital and Maintenance Costs
- Stranded Costs
- Dispatch for True Low Cost
Intertek has performed cycling estimation projects on gas, oil, and coal-fired steam units; combustion turbines/combined cycle; hydro; and pumped storage. Our database and experience on generation unit damage accumulation rates and costs (and ways to reduce them) are invaluable tools for power generation companies.
Contact us to see how Intertek can help your organization with Cost of Cycling Analysis.