Griffith Energy operates a 653 MW gas-fired combined cycle generation facility situated near the California and Nevada border in Mohave County, supplying wholesale electricity to the growing Desert Southwest power market.
Prior to engaging with IMI, Griffith Energy faced annual expenditures exceeding USD 100,000 to refurbish its boiler feedwater control valves to address operational wear and uphold high levels of availability and reliability.
Despite receiving proposals to replace the original control valves with IMI DRAG® variants over time, such an upgrade necessitated board approval for capital expenditure. This included additional requirements such as welding, non-destructive examination, pipe cleaning, new spare parts inventory, and updates to drawings and manuals. Consequently, Griffith Energy’s management refrained from pursuing the installation of new valves due to concerns regarding project scope and cost, potentially involving at least 16 control valves at the plant.
However, the plant’s engineers recognized the advantages of DRAG® technology, particularly in crucial areas like HP and hot-reheat steam bypass, spray attemperator, and desuperheater valves. This prompted management to explore alternative solutions that could offer a discernible return on investment.
In recent years, advancements in additive manufacturing processes, commonly referred to as 3D printing, have become increasingly cost-effective. Leveraging this progress, IMI engineers developed lower stack DRAG® valve trim tailored to fit existing valve bodies utilized by Griffith Energy.
By adopting IMI’s Retrofit3D solution, Griffith Energy could seamlessly integrate the new valve trim and update part numbers in its computerized maintenance management system, circumventing the need for capital expenditure. IMI also supplied new valve tags containing pertinent information such as names, trim characteristics, and part numbers.
