POWER August 2020 - 42

PLANT DESIGN
Unlocking Big Value for
Utility Piping Systems
Up to 40% of a power plant's piping is above-ground utility piping. Choosing the
right joining method can help maximize efficiencies and have an outsized impact on
overall project economics.
Dan Christian and Chris Iasielo, PE
T
he power generation sector in the
U.S. is evolving rapidly, and companies
building and managing power
plants are changing as well. The number
of gas-powered plants is increasing, and
in a growing percentage of the country's
power plants, renewables such as wind,
solar, and hydro are being coupled with
natural gas as a fuel source.
Today's low feedstock costs have created
a landscape in which multiple fuel
sources now are on a relatively equal
footing, and renewables are gaining
ground. The obvious consequence of this
transition to gas and renewables is that
there are far fewer coal-powered plants
in the U.S. than there used to be. Coal,
which powered approximately 75% of facilities
several years ago, is used in less
than 35% of power plants today.
The construction side of power generation
also has experienced changes,
and these changes have influenced the
way new generation and retrofits are
being executed. Ten years ago, engineer,
procure, and construct (EPC) contracts
were just making an appearance
in the power generation industry. Today,
EPC contracts are very common, and
more companies are offering fixed-price
EPC project delivery in a much more
competitive environment.
Finding ways to reduce jobsite labor
hours and deliver construction efficiencies
have become part of this new normal.
EPC companies are creating turnkey
designs they can " cut and paste " in future
jobs to deliver expedient solutions.
Successful implementation of these
initiatives has resulted in dramatically
shorter project schedules, which has
permanently altered expectations on the
part of asset owners. Today, it is possible
to complete a gas-fired power plant
in two and a half years that only a few
years ago would have taken five years to
build. That means a plant can be producing
power-and generating revenue-in
half the time.
42
From the owner's perspective, the
decision to award a project very often is
based on which company can build the
facility fastest with the best quality to
enable a quick transition to production
and revenue generation. For construction
companies, this ups the ante and
hands a competitive advantage to those
that can meet a tight schedule.
While many things have changed in
the power generation industry, some
very important things have remained
the same. There is a continuing expectation
for construction companies to
deliver safety, efficiency, reliability, and
quality. Irrespective of the project challenges,
owners want construction companies
to produce results on budget and
on time without compromising any of
these critical requirements.
Expanding Power Generation
Power plant owners are making investment
decisions for newbuilds and retrofits,
and many are leaning toward natural
gas-fueled facilities. According to the U.S.
Energy Information Administration, which
collects a range of data on the electric
power industry in the U.S., the average
construction cost for a natural gas power
plant was approximately $920/kW in 2017.
This is slightly more costly than building
a plant powered by petroleum liquids but
much less expensive than building a plant
fueled by renewables.
Above-ground pipe joining has been
synonymous with welding; anyone who
has ever been involved in a project that includes
welding knows that welding poses
challenges. Hot work permits must
be secured before work can begin, and
welding requires skilled workers, who
are not always readily available, especially
in today's tight labor market. Also,
because welding is weather dependent,
inclement conditions can delay progress,
and in dry and windy conditions, welding
often requires a fire watch, which means
additional workers are on-site and potentially
in harm's way.
www.powermag.com
1. Grooved mechanical joints can lead to
significant cost savings and further efficiencies
for above-ground utility piping. Courtesy:
Victaulic
Rather than sticking with what has
been done most often, it could be advantageous
to cast the net wider and
consider using mechanically grooved couplings
instead of welding. For utility piping
utilized in systems such as service water,
cooling water, air systems, glycol, and nitrogen,
which can represent 30% to 40%
of the piping component of the job, using
grooved mechanical couplings (Figure 1)
could lead to significant cost savings.
Grooved mechanical couplings are very
familiar to most EPC and construction
companies. Many have used this technology
for years on fire protection and
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
(HVAC) systems. Contractors have gravitated
to these couplings for speed and
reliability, as well as improved safety. The
couplings install without the use of hot
work or burn permits, so installers are not
exposed to fumes or flames and do not
need to contend with tanks, torches, or
lead lines during installation.
Time Is Money
Managing labor is part and parcel of every
construction project, and everyone
in the construction sector has had to
deal with the shortage of skilled laborers.
Finding the right people with the
required skills has been difficult in North
America, and the lack of workers has
negatively impacted project schedules.
Today, the worker shortage in North
POWER | August 2020
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POWER August 2020

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