Application of ASME Performance

Test Codes to Geothermal Plant

Performance Testing
Dr. Thomas Keith Kirkpatrick
Dave Wesley Price

GRC 2010 Annual Meeting

October 24-27, 2010
Sacramento, CA

The Geothermal Potential

Significant role in the worlds electricity needs
Japans National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and
Technology (AIST) estimates capacity at 30 million kilowatts
(kW)2
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates the potential capacity
to produce between 8,000-73,000 MW (mean of 33,000 MW)
across 13 western states3
The U.S. already has more geothermal capacity than any other
country1
3,000 MW in 9 states alone!!!1

The Geothermal Potential

(cont.)
One of the few renewable energy technologies that can
supply continuous, baseload power on a level that is desired
by the current power market
Costs for electricity from geothermal facilities are declining to
a level that is competitive with new conventional fossil fuelfired power plants4
Now the

BIG question

What can we do to help geothermal

electricity take its rightful place in
the power market and be
considered a key element of the
U.S. energy infrastructure???
Geothermal energy must be established in all
areas as with traditional forms of energy.
One of those areas is:
The ASME Performance Test Codes (PTCs)

ASME Performance Test Codes

ASME - American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASMEs mission:
To promote and enhance the technical competency and
professional well-being of our members, and through
quality programs and activities in mechanical engineering,
better enable its practitioners to contribute to the wellbeing of humankind

ASME Performance Test Codes

(cont.)
Codes and Standards mission:
Develop the preeminent, universal acceptable codes,
standards, conformity assessment programs, and related
products and services for the benefit of humanity. Involve
the best and brightest people from around the world to
develop, maintain, promote and employ ASME products
and services globally.

ASME PTCs Purpose

Provide uniform rules and procedures to the power industry for planning,
preparing, and executing performance tests and reporting the results.
What is a performance test?
An engineering evaluation where measurements are taken on key
parameters to feed calculations, whose results indicate how well the
performance of the specified equipment compares to an established
design criteria.
PTCs serve as standards for parties entering into commercial agreements
on the purchase of power equipment or plants so that each party has a
solid foundation on which to make sure that the commercial obligation
surrounding the expected performance is met.

ASME PTCs Why are they so

doggone important?!
Power industry benefits by having a set of standards to
help evaluate equipment and overall plant performance
by setting all technologies associated on an equal basis

Uses of ASME PTCs

Who, What, When, Where, and Why
WHO uses ASME PTCs

Equipment Suppliers
Equipment Owners
Architect/Engineering Companies
Engineering Personnel

WHAT are the uses of ASME PTCs

Determination if equipment meets design or expected performance criteria
Incorporation by reference into contracts to serve as a means to determine fulfillment of
guarantees
Evaluation of equipment performance following modification, change in operating
conditions, or any suspected change in performance for which such investigation is required.
Studies to help determine the value of possible upgrades or modifications to equipment
Benchmarking of equipment performance, sometimes to help determine necessity for
specific preventative maintenance or possible upgrade or modification
Validation of results from online or continuous performance monitoring systems, which are
usually less accurate than results conducted in accordance with PTCs5

Uses of ASME PTCs, contd

WHEN to use ASME PTCs
Acquiring new equipment
Modifying existing equipment
Benchmarking existing equipment

WHERE to use ASME PTCs

Power Plants New and Existing

Refineries
Other industrial facilities (using process steam etc.)
Manufacturing

WHY use ASME PTCs

Evaluate equipment
Target high priority maintenance or capital items
Evaluate the economic dispatch of a unit
Optimize operation
Understand design margin and the impacts of manufacturing tolerances on performance

Where to begin?

Codes that can be applied to

Geothermal Power Plants

EQUIPMENT CODES
PTC 6, Steam Turbines
PTC 8.2, Centrifugal Pumps
PTC 12.2, Steam Surface Condensers
PTC 12.4, Moisture Separator Reheaters
PTC 12.5, Single Phase Heat Exchangers
PTC 19.11, Steam and Water Sampling,
Conditioning, and Analysis in the Power Cycle
PTC 19.23, Model Testing
PTC 23, Atmospheric Water Cooling Equipment
PTC 24, Ejectors
PTC 25, Pressure Relief Devices
PTC 29, Speed-Governing Systems for Hydraulic
Turbine Generator Units
PTC 30, Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers
PTC 39, Steam Traps
PTC 46, Overall Plant Performance
PTC PM, Performance Monitoring Guidelines for
Steam Power Plants

GENERAL DOCUMENTS
PTC 1, General Instructions
PTC 2, Definitions and Values
PTC 19.1, Test Uncertainty
PTC 19.2, Pressure Measurement
PTC 19.22, Digital Systems Techniques
PTC 19.25, Transient Measurement Uncertainty
PTC 19.3, Temperature Measurement
PTC 19.5, Flow Measurement
PTC 19.6, Electrical Power Measurement
PTC 19.7, Measurement of Shaft Power
PTC 36, Measurement of Industrial Sound
PTC 60, Validation and Verification of
Computational Solid Mechanics
PTC 61, Validation and Verification of
Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer

ASME PTC 46
Start using it now!
Can be applied to any type of power plant even though there
are not specific examples for all types.
Use PTC 46 as a guideline for overall plant testing. Identifying
test boundaries, measurement locations, and calculation
methodology.

ASME PTC 6
Uses a correction for HP Steam Pressure. Geothermal power
plant correction needs to be for HP Steam Flow.
PTC 6.2 (Steam Turbines in Combined Cycles) has a correction
methodology that uses HP Steam Flow.
Current implementation for the correction method used in
Geothermal Steam Turbines can be a combination of the 6
and 6.2 Performance Test Codes.

Geothermal Industry Benefit from

ASME PTCs
Increase in reliable geothermal technologies.
Standardize the industries measurements, calculations, and reporting
practices for Geothermal Power Plant Performance Testing.
Standardize manufacturing and construction.
Dry and Flash steam geothermal plants can be covered under the specified
PTCs within this presentation with minor to no modifications.
Binary cycle geothermal technology is not covered well if at all by the
current ASME PTCs. This is where a specific PTC for Geothermal would
make a huge impact to the industry.
Manufacturing practices will have to adhere to strict guidelines in order to
fulfill performance requirements of the PTCs.
Contracts will have a firm foundation on how obligations therein can be
demonstrated.

ASME PTC 52

The Solar Industry is a renewable power source that has already begun its
involvement with the ASME PTCs
A committee is in place working on the ASME PTC 52 code for
Concentrating Solar Power Plants

Conclusions

WIN Geothermal Industry will gain standardization

WIN Owners will gain a means to consistently evaluate assets
WIN Financial organizations will have a means to gauge risk
WIN ASME PTCs will provide new technological knowledge to the
industry with regards to proper testing techniques associated with
Geothermal Power Plants

With standardization, knowledge, and experience will come reliability,

repeatability, and accountability in all areas of the Geothermal Industry.
And with those, we will have a viable source of renewable energy that can
be used for dependable power generation.

QUESTIONS ?
Thank you very much for your time.