The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recently honored two AmerenUE employees for their work in applying research and development in new and innovative ways that benefited both their company and the industry.
Larry Dupre, Plant Reliability Optimization Program Lead, UE Power Operations Services, and UE Rush Island Plant Manager David Strubberg received EPRI Technology Transfer Awards, given annually to EPRI members who have led technology transfer efforts on behalf of their companies and the industry at large. The awards were recently presented during meetings of EPRI’s advisors in San Diego.
To improve equivalent availability of its fossil units, Ameren leveraged its membership in EPRI by applying Plant Reliability Optimization (PRO) methodology to cost-effectively improve its maintenance activities. PRO helps achieve the optimum balance of preventive, proactive and condition-directed maintenance activities with limited corrective maintenance.
Dupre and Strubberg were honored for their leadership in PRO implementation projects at UE’s Labadie, Meramec, Rush Island and Sioux plants. As the PRO sponsor, Strubberg provided the strategic guidance to make this effort a success. Dupre, the PRO program lead, coordinated the different roles to make the program work.
Since the initial implementation, UE has maintained the integrity of these processes and has applied continuous improvement methods with its involvement in the EPRI PRO Users Group, for which Dupre serves as chairperson. The PRO Users Group is an EPRI-sponsored forum where member utilities can share best practices, process improvements and opportunities to improve EPRI research.
EPRI presented 2008 Technology Transfer Awards to 27 member companies, representing 17 technologies that were implemented by plant owners/operators worldwide. The awards span a wide array of technology transfer activities, from plant reliability optimization and compressor dependability root cause analysis to biomass repowering methods and cost-effective mercury controls to cycle chemistry improvements that lead the way toward advanced coal generation options.
“AmerenUE’s willingness to apply the maintenance-basis methodology, followed by the company’s commitment to sustaining a living maintenance program is a testament to the company’s industry leadership,” said Dr. Bryan Hannegan, vice president of Generation and Environment at EPRI. “The commitment to technical excellence and collaboration demonstrated by these individuals and teams is what enables the fossil industry to drive continuous performance improvement.”
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From left, Gary Noce, Project Manager of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Mike Howard, EPRI Executive Vice President, Research & Development, Larry Dupre, Plant Reliability Optimization Program Lead, AmerenUE Power Operations Services, and AmerenUE Rush Island Plant Manager David Strubberg.
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