SmartAsh™ System shows hopper operating
issues within days of startup.
After initial software and hardware bugs were sorted
out during the first days following installation,
the software began producing useful information, including
the identification of hopper operating problems.
The SmartAsh hopper management system installation
at FirstEnergy’s Lake Shore plant was completed
the week of April 23. A few hopper operating problems
have already been identified, and plant personnel
are working to correct them. Because the plant ESP
is currently underperforming, it is possible to determine
whether the SmartAsh system can provide useful information
for troubleshooting—for example, correlation
of power levels in the fields and ash chemistry to
ash collection by each field (that is, ash quantity
in each hopper). Without SmartAsh, it would be difficult
to determine if such a correlation existed and, therefore,
which fields were underperforming and whether that
was the result of the power supplies, ash chemistry
attributes, or other factors. For more information,
contact Ralph Altman at 423.899.0072 (raltman@epri.com).
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