Introduction to pcGAR and pcGAR MT

1
Introduction to pc-GAR and pc-GAR MT

• G. Michael CurleyManager of GADS
  ServicesOctober 30, 2009

2
Data Sources
3
What is pc-GAR?

• Unique software product to allow access to the
  data collected in the GADS database.
• It reports equipment outage information for the
  purpose of improving electric power output.

pc-G.A.R
4
Why pc-GAR?

• Introduced in 1992
• Created to
• Reduce the number of special studies produced
  annually.
• Allow users quick access to GADS information.
• Increase the need to maintain good outage
  records.
• Only one of its kind in the world!
• WEC wants to follow this example

5
With data mining, you take advantage of past
experience you learn from the past to prepare
for the future.
6
Unit Types Available (12 choices)

• Fossil
• Fluidized bed fossil
• Nuclear
• Gas Turbine
• Jet Engine
• Diesel

• Hydro
• Pumped Storage
• Combined Cycle
• Geothermal
• Co-generator
• Multi-boiler/Multi-turbine

7
Units Selections

• All Including Own
• All Except Own
• Own Units
• United States Only
• Canada Only
• 2 Regions required for analysis

8
Two Types of Variables

• Class
• Yes or No types
• Super or sub-critical
• General Electric or other manufacturer
• Balanced or pressurized draft

• Continuous
• Range
• MW size (1-1400 MW)
• Steam Pressure (1-3600 psig)
• EAF (0-100)

9
Three Groups of Criteria Selection

• Physical (class)
• Example of pumps
• Performance (continuous)
• Example of service hours
• Statistics (continuous)
• Example EFOR

10
Help with pc-GAR
11
Help 1 Selecting Fuels

• Two fuel selections
• As designed means what the unit was designed to
  burn.
• Actual fuel burned means what did the unit
  actually burn in the specific year.
• 100 of the actual burned fuels
• 90 of the designed fuels

12
Help 1 Selecting Fuels
Actual Fuel Burned
Design Fuel
13
Help 2 Apply Criteria By

• You can apply the performance/fuel criteria by
  either year or range.
• Year tests the criteria on a year by year
  basis. A unit may pass the test one year but not
  the next. Only the one year where it passed will
  be in the survey.
• Range tests the criteria on the average for the
  period you selected. If you picked a 5-year
  period for an EAF gt 85, then the average EAF for
  the period is tested. If it fails, that unit will
  be removed from the survey.

14
Help 2 Apply Criteria By
15
Help 3 for Years/for Periods

• Events and performance data are divided into
  monthly intervals for retrieving and analyzing
  data by months, years, and multi-year periods.
• When using less than one year, use
• Annual/monthly Unit Summary Report for viewing
  monthly numbers.
• Unit-year Statistical Report for projections of
  how the unit would operate if operated in the
  same manner as the short period.

16
Help 3 for Years/for Periods
17
Help 3 for Years/for Periods
Data pulled for months 01 to 12 for three years.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Jan Feb . Nov Dec Jan Feb . Nov Dec
Jan Feb . Nov Dec
Data pulled for months 11 to 02 for three years.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Jan Feb Nov to Feb
Nov to Feb Nov Dec
18
Help 4 Adding/removing Units

• pc-GAR allows you to add or remove youp own units
  from any selected group (units included in
  report)
• You cannot remove units that NERC considers not
  yours (even if you are a part-owner.) Ownership
  (to NERC) is the organization reporting data to
  GADS.

19
Help 4 Adding/removing Units
All own units
Own units in report.
20
Help 4 Adding/removing Units
First, select one unit at a time to move.
Next, click on the Button to add own units to
report.
21
Help 4 Adding/removing Units
The unit is now added.
22
Help 4 Adding/removing Units
To remove a unit from the report, first
highlight the unit then
click on the remove unit bottom.
23
Help 4 Adding/removing Units
The unit is now back into the own unit list
and out of the report.
24
Help 5 Same Peer Group

• This procedure allows you to use the same group
  of units from one period to the next, assuming
  the same units reported in both periods.
• First, select the group of units using the
  standard procedure for choosing a group.
• Second, in Menu of Reports, choose Report Data
  Range.
• Third, select a new period to analyze.

25
Help 5 Same Peer Group
Some criteria may change from one period to the
next as shown here.
Select criteria and then save.
26
Help 5 Same Peer Group
Select a new period here.
27
Help 5 Same Peer Group
Here you select a new period for analysis
using the same group of units.
28
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report

• For when you want to create a pc-GAR report for
  just one of your own units.
• Normal selection procedure for own units.
• Remove all but the single unit from the Units
  included in Report section.
• Apply criteria as Reapply Criteria

29
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report
30
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report
Select the unit(s) you wanted to analyze. You can
pick more than one if you want for a single group
or show the performance of a plant. Suppose we
want to see the performance of 3 units.
31
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report
32
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report
33
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report
Choose the event option you want (see Trick
7 for details) and click ok.
34
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report
Select Re-apply Criteria option to pull data
for just the 3 units. If you use the other
option, youll be back where you started with all
of your own units.
35
Help 6 Single, Own Unit Report
36
Help 7 Data Making Statistics

• There are three options for choosing the units
  and data for making the statistics in the
  reports
• Units that report both event performance
  records and units reporting performance data
  only.
• Units that report both event and performance data
  only.
• Units that report both event and performance data
  for all years of the period.

37
Help 7 Data Making Statistics
This option includes all units reporting to GADS,
whether they reported events data or not. This
option may show differences in statistics like
EAF, EFOR, EFORd, etc because not all units
reported deratings.
38
Help 7 Data Making Statistics
This option includes all units reporting to GADS
where events are reported during the period being
examined. This option will show accurate
statistics like EAF, EFOR, EFORd, etc because all
units report deratings.
39
Help 7 Data Making Statistics
This option includes all units reporting to GADS
where events were reported during the complete
period being examined. If you were examining 5
years, the unit would have to report events all
5 years. This option will show accurate
statistics like EAF, EFOR, EFORd, etc. because
all units reported deratings.
40
Help 8 Start Fresh or Re-examine?

• When retrieving data, you have the option to
  start fresh each time or re-examine the existing
  data.
• It is faster to start with a big group, add a
  criteria, and then re-examine the group as each
  criteria is added.

41
Help 8 Start Fresh or Re-examine?
Always uses this option when starting a new
retrieval or increasing the population of an
existing retrieval.
42
Help 8 Start Fresh or Re-examine?
Use this option if you are trimming an existing
retrieval. Never use it if you suspect that the
population of the retrieval will increase.
43
Help 9 Inclusion

• In pc-GAR, the software assume you want
  everything unless you specify that you only want
  something special.
• For example, the program will assume you want all
  NERC Regions unless you specify you only want two
  certain Regions.

44
Help 10 Exclusion

• In pc-GAR, you may have to specify you DONT WANT
  something in order to get the condition you
  really want.
• For example, if you wanted units with a single
  reheater in the boiler, you would have to specify
  that the first RH section is 1 to 9999 psig and
  the second RH section is 0 to 0 psig.

45
Help 10 Exclusion
By placing a 0 (zero) in some criteria, you can
focus on special cases of design. Here we locate
single RH units and remove non- and double RH.
46
Question Answer
On to the demo
47
Examples
48
Class Example 100-300 MW Oil Unit

• Example for locating your unit for comparing to
  others
• AF and EAF distributions
• Suppose that your unit is between 100-300 MW and
  burns oil as its primary fuel. How would you
  locate other units in GADS and compare yourself
  to them?

49
Class Example 100-300 MW Oil Unit

• STEP
• Double Click on pc-GAR icon
• Click on New Report Wizard
• Input Study Description
• Input Author
• Click on pull down menu for Unit Type
• Click on desired Unit Type (fossil-steam)
• Click on pull down menu for Units
• Click on All Units Including Own
• Click on Next
• Enter 1993 through 1997 in Years window

50
Class Example 100-300 MW Oil Unit

• STEP
• Click on Add a Criteria Button
• Select Window for 1st Criteria Category
  (Physical, Performance or All)
• Enter Select Criteria
• Click on Add a Criteria Button
• Select Window for 2nd Criteria Category
• Enter Select Criteria
• Click on Apply Criteria
• Click on OK
• Note number of Units Selected
• Click on Next

51
Class Example 100-300 MW Oil Unit

• STEP
• Click on Next
• Click on Save (after adding Title 1,2 or
  comments if desired)
• Highlight desired study
• Click on Print Report
• Click on Unit Statistics Distributions
• Check AF EAF
• Click on OK
• Check Print Unit Names on Cover Page
• Check on Print
• Observe Page 1 of report results

52
Class Example 100-300 MW Oil Unit

• STEP
• Click on Page down
• Observe statistics for mean median values for
  AF Distributions
• Write down 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles
  and Mean Median values of AF
• Repeat steps 31-33 for EAF
• If you have time, try another technology (Hydro,
  GT, CC, or another type fossil steam on your own

53
Question Answer
54
What is pc-GAR MT?
55
What is pc-GAR MT?

• Software product to provide a distribution of
  times to repair (TTR) and times between failures
  (TBF)
• Software product to provide Mean TTR and Mean TBF
  for modeling and analysis programs
• Software product that allows YOU control of the
  units in the data set.

56
Events as Reported to GADS

• Most events are shown as one, continuous activity
  per year
• However, there are some where the single event is
  divided into parts by
• Months for internal utility reporting
• Years as part of the GADS cut off

57
Need for New Software

• Combine monthly events into one
• Combine year-ending year starting events into
  one
• Ability to isolate events by event types
• Ability to isolate events by cause codes or
  groups of cause codes

58
The pc-GAR MT Plan
Goal one event, no matter its start or end!
59
The Programming
60
Why pc-GAR MT?

• Determine more accurately the times between
  failures for modeling
• Determine more accurately the repair times for
  shorter down time
• Manage inspections to equipment to prevent forced
  outages
• Evaluate operating/maintenance practices

61
Whats in common between pc-GARs?

• Same design retrievals
• Same performance retrievals
• Same ability to use range or year option
• Same years of resource
• Same wizard for selecting units
• Different output reports

62
Whats in common between pc-GARs?
63
pc-GAR MT Main Screen
Once the criteria is chosen, you start the MT
retrieval with this button.
64
pc-GAR MT Cause Code Selection
65
pc-GAR MT Event Type Selection
66
pc-GAR MT Output
Example of pc-GAR MT output. Lots of information!
67
FD or ID Fan Problems

• Fossil units, 400-499 MW during 1993-1997
• Problems with more than 1 hour of full forced
  outage.
• 24 out of 146 events were less than 1 hour!

68
Question Answer
Contact Mike Curley Manager of GADS
Services mike.curley_at_nerc.net 801.756.0972
69
Versions of pc-GAR and pc-GAR MT

• pc-GAR
• Annual update normally in the fall of the next
  year
• 14 month subscription
• pc-GARPlus
• Monthly update with all new data passing the GADS
  edit programs
• 12 months subscription
• pc-GAR MT
• Annual update normally in the fall of the next
  year
• 14 month subscription

70
Versions of pc-GAR

• Power Generator Version
• Assess to manufacturer-specific data
• Assess to own unit data
• Manufacturers Version
• Assess to own manufacturer equipment and units
• All competitors are grouped as own manufacturer
• All others
• No assess to manufacturer or unit-specific data
• Rule 3 utilities and 7 units for any reports