Technical Advisors
We can provide technical advisors to support your boiler project. Are you planning to purchase a new HRSG and want to make sure the latest field experience is incorporated in to the specification? Are you building a combined cycle power plant and need help reviewing and approving the HRSG vendor drawings? Are you planning a major HRSG repair or upgrade? Do you need someone to review a contrator's boiler repair procedures? These are all examples where HRST can provide technical advisors to support your project.
Field Service Technical Advisors
Outage Advisor - Our technical advisors have extensive experience supervising welding, field repair, overseas fabrication, and erection of HRSGs. HRST will provide the hands-on, boiler–specific field expertise necessary to help a client with their maintenance outage. Our aim is to combine our boiler expertise with the contractor’s craft skills for the client’s beneficial outcome. Our experience includes pressure part repairs, liner and insulation repairs, pipe penetration seal repairs, catalyst replacement, HRSG upgrades, and HRSG erection.
HRSG Gas Side Cleaning Advisor - We can analyze your HRSG design and tube fin fouling characteristics. We then develop customized gas side cleaning procedures and tools to remove the fouling in an effective manner. Our on-site advisor will help monitor progress and cleaning quality. Licensed contractors are available in some regions to provide this service as part of their scope of supply.
Vendor Surveillance – We can visit your vendor to assess the progress on your project. This includes monitoring an OEM’s shop fabrication quality, monitoring the production schedule, or directing a subcontractor’s fabrication of components designed by HRST.
Expert Installation Advisors – We offer technical advisor service to help our clients properly install the products we sell. This helps our client’s avoid outage delays and manage unexpected conditions that can occur during retrofit of new products in to existing boilers.
Engineering Technical Advisors
New Boiler Specification and Design Review - Our experience can help you purchase and install a new boiler that includes the benefit of the latest field experience. Problems found during our past inspections can be used to highlight the need for the OEM to implement design improvements for your new HRSG.
Engineered Solutions to Problems - When problems are found, our team can help you with engineering decisions needed to select the proper fix or repair method. We have the boiler experience and engineering capability to help you. Often we have seen your problem before, and understand what repair strategies work and which do not.
PDF Brochures: Expert Field Support; Technical Support
Above: Technical advisors help insure proper installation quality.
Above: HRST Techical Advisors were on site to help the client with these major pressure part retrofits.
Above: HRSG crawl space fun helping an international client jack up tube harps to repair FAC damage.
Client Testimonials
Technical Advisory Service (June 2012)
718 MW Power Plant, Gulf Coast Region, USA
We needed some baffles replaced so I hired HRST to come out and assist me with getting prices and sizes. I requested Rich Miller for this project specifically because Rich is a no nonsense type of guy.
Just as I hoped and expected, Rich came out and gave us the exact information that we needed. I enjoy working with your company because you guys always seem to give me exactly what I need.
Rich is a gem of a guy. His knowledge of our equipment is exceptional and his direct approach of communication puts me at ease.
I will definitely work with your company again and I hope I get to work with Rich Miller again as well. I am definitely comfortable recommending your firm to any other facility with a similar need.
Technical Advisor Service (March 2012)
Refinery Cogen, F-Class Turbines, Texas, USA
We replaced several superheater tube panels in our facility over the last several years. We did one in 2010 and two in 2011. Rob Tretter worked with us to inspect the work completed by HRST and explain how this repair would impact our facility in the future.
It is always reassuring to have an outside expert analyze and double check the work that was completed. Rob was very throrough and took the time to answer all of our questions.
I enjoyed working with Rob Tretter and would certainly work with HRST, Inc. in the future. Rob was professional, courteous and patient. Working with him on this project was quite easy. I am sure we will work on additional projects as they arise in the near and distant future. I would be happty to recommend your company to anyone with a similar need.
HRSG Emergency Repair Technical Advisor Service (February 2011)
125 MW Cogen Facility, Northwest Region, USA
We had an emergency situation on New Year's weekend; I called HRST and they had Rich Miller on a plane and at our site within 17 hours.
We had an explosion in one of our transition ducts. Our fear was that we had structural damage as a result of the situation. Rich came out and did a thorough inspection. It turns out we got lucky and had no issues.
Rich was great. He hit the ground running and wound up being correct about everything. It is a good feeling to be able to rely on a company like HRST, Inc. when our backs are against the wall.
I would certainly recommend HRST, Inc. and Rich Miller to any utility with a similar need. Rich did a fantastic job for us.
Tube Plugging Procedure Technical Advisor (October 2010)
Combined Cycle Cogen, Florida, USA
Bryan Craig provided engineering advice, direction and support for a tube plugging procedure in one of our facilities. We needed a reliable expert to provide us insight into the problem we were having and give us the confidence we needed to solve the problem the right way. Bryan was fantastic in this capacity; we were very pleased with his contribution.
Bryan's communication style was direct and right on the money. He has worked on several projects for us int he past and we were familiar with his approach. Thanks to Bryan's efforts, we were able to resolve this problem quickly and effectively.
I am happy to recommend Bryan Craig and HRST, Inc. to any facility with a similar need. We certainly plan on working with Bryan Craig and HRST, Inc. in the near future.
Boiler Outage Project Specification Service (January 2010)
F-Class Combined Cycle Power Plant, Iowa, USA
Victor Ferris recently helped us with two separate bid documents. The first was for NDE [non-destructive examination] on our HP system and the second was for NDE on reheat piping. We used these documents to assist us in sourcing vendors for these projects.
Victor is extremely knowledgeable and I have an excellent rapport with him. Victor delivered these documents to us in a very timely fashion.
I appreciate working with companies like HRST, Inc. because they have always provided us with excellent service and they have engineers that we can speak with and relate to both personally and professionally.
I am comfortable recommending HRST, Inc. to any other company with similar needs and I certainly plan on working with Victor and HRST, Inc. in the near future.
Boiler On-Site Technical Advisor Testimonial (April 2009)
Refinery Power Plant, California, USA
HRST, Inc. and Rob Tretter were very helpful in working with us on a project that was midstream for us. The original owner of the facility left several welds in the tube ties that were insufficient and the overall design of the entire system opened up the possibility for additional rubbing. Rob inspected the tube ties and helped us formulate a game plan that solved the problem for us. Rob was straight forward and I felt that the communication was excellent. What I liked most about Rob was that I felt like we were always on the same page. I did not have to ride Rob’s tail and that made it even easier. Rob was very helpful and even offered us some additional advice regarding our boiler that we will put to good use. I had a great experience with HRST, Inc. and Rob Tretter and would certainly do business with them in the future.
Boiler Specification and Design Review Service (November 2007)
F-Class Combined Cycle Power Plant, Ontario, Canada
Below is an excerpt from a 2007 article in Combined Cycle Journal. As experienced powerplant developers and operators, Northland’s engineers also knew you never were going to get all the features/enhancements you’d like on any project. Not having direct F-class HRSG experience, Gliosca and his team called in HRST Inc, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to review the boiler proposals and to help the IPP decide on upgrades worth paying for. HRST, which was familiar with the designs submitted by all vendors bidding, specializes in developing solutions for HRSGs that don’t behave the way the owners would like. After reviewing HRST’s vendor evaluations and reflecting on Northland’s experience, Gliosca, Lennox, Kaminski, and others in the organization recommended the following enhancements, among others:
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FAC. In sections of the boiler most susceptible to this type of attack, reduce velocities to the degree possible and replace “standard materials” with P11. The company also is developing operating procedures that maintain water chemistry specs under tight control to minimize the opportunity for FAC initiation.
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Add borescope ports in headers to enable visual inspection of areas prone to FAC attack.
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Increase the size of drain piping for the superheater and reheater.
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Add thermocouples at critical locations in tube bundles to more closely monitor thermal transients and guide operating procedures.
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Beef-up tube restraints to reduce the probability of tube failures during transients.
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Upgrade materials for the stack damper (located in the stack) to maximize life.