Customer Name: Maxim – Milner Station | Location: Grand Cache in Alberta, Canada
Background:
The Maxim site, Milner Station, has a single power plant operating a gas turbine - GE Model 7FA, with a recently added steam generator (HRSG) to the back end in order to increase efficiency and overall output.
The power plant is located next to an operating coal mine. A coal fired power plant used to be located on that site, but today, is no longer in operation. However, coal is still being dug, processed and shipped by rail to either be exported or used elsewhere. The coal operation neighboring the Maxim – Milner Station power plant releases black coal dust into the air at noticeable rates.
Problem:
Maxim was concluding their steam generator edition to the turbine, as well as completing minor maintenance on the inlet – requiring hot work. Although precautionary measures were taken to keep sparks from igniting the filters and evaporative cooler media, some sparks – mixed with the coal dust in the air as well as on the filters – started a fire. The fire caused extreme damage to the entire filter house, forcing the plant to be offline with no ability to create or sell power.
Solution:
The solution was to entirely replace the filter house as soon as possible in order to restore their operation. With time being of the essence, Maxim – Milner Station, began their search for a filter house that was similar to their original and would fit the same footprint. Nederman Pneumafil provided a design similar to their original filter house, a 7FA unit on the same footprint, with a heating coil section added, and an operating intake flow rate of ~770,000 CFM.
Results:
Within eight months’ time, Nederman Pneumafil provided them with a complete new filter house, equipped with 3-stage filters, heating coils, evaporative cooler media, hoods, piping systems, and filters. By the fall of 2023, Maxim – Milner Station, was back in full operation, generating power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.