A planned NDE inspection of the turbine bearing housing and exhaust cylinder revealed cracks in 3 out of 12 Static Seal Segment plates, spanning multiple bolt holes. With the next outage opportunity months away, CAMS APM was alerted to monitor the condition closely while the customer continued operating the unit.

CAMS APM established automatic email alerts to notify the customer immediately of any changes in the condition. CAMS APM detected a drop in temperature in Disc Cavity #5, prompting the customer to complete an outage, during which 2 of the 3 cracked Static Seal segments were removed.

CAMS APM retrained its models to monitor the units until the next planned inspection window. During this inspection, the remaining cracked segment was found to have a self-arrested crack that had not worsened. Operational data showed no performance changes despite running with 2 removed static seals. The station opted to continue operations with a mitigation plan in place, using APM models for ongoing monitoring until the next outage.

CAMS APM identified an anomaly in the SCR Differential Pressure (DP) values and notified the customer. Following a planned outage, it was observed that the differential pressure gradually increased from approximately 1.4 in.H2O to 3.0 in.H2O over a one-week period. This deviation prompted the site to raise a work order to inspect the equipment during the next outage, focusing on potential fouling and its source.

During the subsequent outage, the site conducted thorough cleaning procedures to address fouling in the SCR. The cleaning targeted potential contaminants contributing to the increased pressure. Afterward, CAMS APM monitored the system with additional run time to confirm the effectiveness of the cleaning efforts.

Post-cleaning, the runtime data indicated a favorable trend, confirming the efficacy of the maintenance actions. CAMS APM then updated the monitoring system with the new baseline values, ensuring accurate detection of any future deviations in SCR DP readings. The issue was officially resolved within one outage cycle with improved system performance, minimizing operational disruption.

CAMS APM detected a ~10°F increase in the thrust bearing temperature of steam turbine #1 compared to the calculated estimate. In response, they adjusted the high-high alert to 230°F and set the upper bound slightly above the highest recorded reading of 224°F. With continued monitoring, a sudden increase in oil drain temperature was revealed, prompting an immediate notification to the site.

During a planned outage, the site replaced the thrust bearing. Although the root cause analysis (RCA) on the bearing has not been completed, there is a possibility that the issue could recur. CAMS APM retrained the model with the new thrust bearing to closely monitor any further changes.

CAMS APM has successfully retrained the model with the new thrust bearing and will continue to monitor for any deviations. The proactive detection and timely notification allowed the customer to address the thrust bearing failure before it could lead to more severe operational issues.

Shortly after CAMS APM began monitoring a site, an alert was issued due to irregular vibration behaviors in the Aux Cooling Tower Fan Motor. For approximately 11 months, the vibration readings had been erratic, spiking to 0.62 mils compared to a historical trend of around 0.3 mils. Despite these fluctuations, the anomaly had not yet affected the Non-Drive End of the assembly, indicating a potential gearbox issue.

In response to the APM notification, the station initiated a work order to inspect the cooling tower fan, suspecting a gearbox problem. To mitigate further risk, the fan was placed in emergency-use-only status until the next scheduled outage, during which the gearbox is planned to be replaced. In the meantime, the gearbox was designated for emergency-use only to prevent further damage and operational failures.

The site is prepared to replace the auxiliary cooling tower gearbox during the upcoming outage. Post-replacement, CAMS APM will monitor the fan’s performance and refine the model as new data is collected. By designating the gearbox for emergency use and planning the replacement, the site successfully mitigated operational risks, reduced potential repair costs, and ensured that repairs were conducted in a controlled, planned manner rather than through reactive responses.

After assuming control of a customer’s battery energy storage system site, CAMS operations staff noticed that runoff was leading to soil erosion in a native vegetation area. This situation posed a threat to local ecosystems and also created an opportunity for construction materials to contaminate the area. Additionally, the erosion undermined the support for the site’s perimeter fencing and gate, creating security issues.

CAMS operations team executed a solution that involved replacing the washed-away material, implementing a regular monitoring program, and evaluating the need for a retention wall. Our review highlighted the importance of considering rain runoff paths when placing concrete pads and fence post foundations.

The team ensures reliable, safe management of the client’s facilities and constant diligence in the area of environmental stewardship. Similar incidents may now be prevented by applying the lessons learned.

A small business client required specialized air permitting and compliance services for its unique mineral products manufacturing facility.

eSPARC performed multiple air permitting services for numerous years. Services included preparing Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) emissions inventories, a Title V Federal Operation Permit renewal application, Title V deviation reports, and a New Source Review permit renewal application. eSPARC also provided support for a Compliance Assurance Monitoring Plan and for litigation related to a force majeure incident that impacted operations.

eSPARC’s tailored air quality support services allowed the facility owner to cost-effectively and efficiently manage its environmental compliance obligations.

A client needed a New Source Review (NSR) air permit application filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for a new copper tube production facility in southeast Texas

The facility featured Chinese furnace technology that was new to the United States and required substantial work to support the Best Available Control Technology analysis. Additionally, the client’s engineers were all located in China. eSPARC’s Project Manager was fluent in Mandarin and gathered all the technical information and reviewed engineering calculations with the client via conference calls.

The NSR permit was successfully negotiated and timely issued through the TCEQ’s expedited air permit application process, allowing construction to start according to schedule.

eSPARC was contracted to perform an environmental fatal flaw diligence review for a midstream oil and gas acquisition. The potential owner was not able to attend the site walkthroughs in person and needed eSPARC to identify red flag environmental liabilities associated with the purchase.

During the fatal flaw analysis of available environmental public data, eSPARC discovered that a compressor had recently caught fire and damaged the compressor building itself. This compressor fire was not disclosed to our client and incident details were not provided in the data room.

By immediately alerting our client about the equipment destruction, our client was able to cover the $1.5 million in damages via the final negotiated purchase price of the asset.

CAMS was tasked with supporting the acquisition of LINN Energy’s Wyoming-operated properties in the Green River Basin. The buyer did not have documented accounting and finance related procedures or established field processes and systems. The seller was undergoing a corporate restructuring which prohibited their ability to provide basic transition support. Additionally, the buyer’s management team had a history of non-op management, and were thus less familiar with the requirements for operators

CAMS created two new companies and transitioned executive and field employees to new entities. This included onboarding, interviewing, and training on the new companies’ goals. We designed and implemented back office and field systems, including accounting, production accounting, land, SCADA, and regulatory reporting. CAMS also hired and provided ongoing, outsourced finance, accounting, production accounting, regulatory, and human resources services to the new companies.

CAMS designed and implemented the new company structures and safely transitioned assets in 60 days. This was 30 days ahead of the 90-day TSA. We designed and implemented over $600K of accounting, geology, operations, and field measuring systems and infrastructure, including all data transfer activities. CAMS also staffed and transitioned all finance and accounting responsibilities to the internal CAMS team and produced timely and accurate monthly financial reports to the management team.

A renewable energy startup needed to establish a new office, procure new computer hardware and software, and provide collaboration tools for employees.

CAMS consulted low voltage wiring and implemented wireless access and networking equipment during office construction. We procured new hardware, provided a completely hosted environment in our data centers, and provided voice and video capabilities.

A complete, end-to-end turnkey network was implemented in two weeks to establish a solid foundation for collaboration, voice and video.