When Marshall Municipal Utilities — a municipal electric utility in Marshall, Minnesota — needed to bring an aging GE Frame 5 turbine back online to meet electricity demand, they encountered a very expensive problem. The turbine’s diesel start system was failing, which in turn was causing downtime costing them roughly $70,000 per missed cycle.
Purchasing a new turbine was out of the question, given the cost and extended lead time for delivery. They needed a faster, much more affordable solution. Thankfully, Hydra Service was able to deliver one.
Instead of building another unreliable diesel starter, Hydra Service designed and delivered a custom-built hydraulic start system — complete with a newly engineered clutch — within just 15 weeks. The upgraded turbine has dramatically faster startup times and performs more efficiently than it did when brand new.
The Challenge: An Unreliable Turbine Costing $70,000 per missed cycle
Marshall Municipal Utilities had a problem shared by countless utilities across the country: as electricity demand increased, they needed to bring an aging turbine back online. However, the turbine’s diesel start system was failing and unreliable.
When this turbine failed to start, the municipal utility was forced to buy electricity from other members of their cooperative and pay steep penalties for not generating enough of their own — costing roughly $70,000 per missed cycle. But this was just the beginning of their problems.
The utility first reached out to the Frame 5 OEM to service the turbine. However, GE and several major service companies wrote the turbine and its start system off completely. Their only solution was to purchase a new turbine, a multi-million dollar investment with a years-long waitlist as global demand for turbines outpaced supply.
For Marshall Municipal Utilities, this simply wasn’t feasible. With the turbine’s downtime adding up to be a major operational and financial burden, the pressure was on to find a solution that was not only fast and affordable but also would perform reliably.
The Solution: A Custom Hydraulic Starter
Marshall Municipal Utilities turned to S.T. Cotter, a trusted turbine service provider to spearhead the overhaul. It was clear that a new starter was needed, so S.T. Cotter reached out to Hydra Service based on their new design, recently demoed at the trade show PowerGen.
There were a few reasons why Hydra Service was the obvious choice.
Hydra Service Provided Custom Hydraulic Starters That Are More Reliable
S.T. Cotter knew that fixing or building a new diesel starter would be difficult, as not very many companies make or service them anymore. Another option would be to spec an air start system, but this would likely increase costs. Perhaps most importantly, neither a diesel or air system would be immune to start failures that are especially vulnerable to the cold weather. In Marshall, Minnesota, where winter temperatures can plunge to -20°F, this is an issue.
Hydra Service, on the other hand, builds custom hydraulic turbine starters that are effectively weather agnostic. No matter the temperature, Marshall Municipal Utilities could rely on Hydra Service’s starter to reliably start the turbine. In fact, Hydra Service is currently building out hydraulic turbine starters to be deployed near the Arctic Circle.
Hydra Service Could Deliver Its Solution Quickly
Again, with each passing week, the utility was losing tens of thousands of dollars, so there was no room for delays. Hydra Service technicians worked around the clock, including spending New Year’s on site, to get the turbine starter and clutch system installed as quickly as possible.
This dedication allowed Hydra Service to help deliver a fully operational turbine in just 15 weeks.
The Results: An Upgraded, More Efficient Turbine
According to the utility company, all they wanted was a “good enough” solution, but what they got had exceeded all expectations.
- Since the overhauled turbine went live, even during deep winter cold snaps, the starter has performed consistently and more often than predicted. This is impressive considering it was only scheduled to spin up 5 times that winter for supplemental power, but ended up getting called on nearly 50 times without fail.
- The turbine’s start-up time was cut by more than 20%, dropping from an average of 10 minutes to roughly 8 minutes.
- The performance of the upgraded turbine system outperforms the turbine’s original specifications.
On top of all this, maintenance needs are practically nonexistent, with only basic annual filter changes required. When service is needed, the modular design and standardized components mean parts are always available — no lengthy wait times or custom fabrication required.
Should You Upgrade Your Legacy Turbine?
If you run legacy turbines, you likely have experienced the inconsistency of diesel or air/gas start systems. With these systems becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain or replace, hydraulic starters offer a smarter path forward.
By working with Hydra Service, you can get a custom-built, installed, and tested hydraulic starter for your turbine in as little as 14 weeks — saving you time and money from sourcing a new turbine or fixing an unreliable starter.
To learn more about how Hydra Service can turn your turbine from a risk to an advantage, schedule a discovery call.