In a remarkable achievement, the KMK Cogen facility has reached an impressive milestone, celebrating two years without a forced outage.
Site Manager Tim Harrison said it’s a huge achievement—particularly given the age of the equipment, including a 32-year-old Gas Turbine—marking a major feat and a first-ever for the facility.
Tim shared the exciting news, highlighting the journey of the turbine since its inception.
The Gas Turbine began operation in 1992 with the State Energy Commission (SECWA), later to become Western Power, as Pinjar 6 as part of the electrical generation capacity for WA
It was then relocated to the Kerr McGee Kwinana (KMK) facility in 1998 and commenced commercial operation in 1999.
Once it was coupled with a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), its operation shifted to focus on steam production for the local refineries rather than electricity. This change initially led to frequent trips and forced outages.
The plant was regularly subject to Trips and Forced outages, which caused a loss of Steam production.
Monadelphous acquired the project in 2011 under an Operation and Maintenance contract and developed a comprehensive Asset management plant to improve the plants reliability and increase its annual availability.
Significant upgrades made in 2014 to both the Gas Turbine and HRSG hardware, along with improvements in operating control software, began to turn the tide.
“With significant upgrades to Gas Turbine and HRSG Hardware along with operating control software in 2014, the number of unplanned or Forced outages steadily decreased to around half the yearly average,” Tim said.
By 2018, the plant achieved its first period of more than 12 months without a forced outage.
“In 2018 we achieved 12 months of reliable operation with no forced outages – in fact, we achieved 18 months and 1 day. This was the first time ever the plant had gone more than 12 months without an unplanned or forced outage,” Tim said.
And now, the KMK Cogen facility continues to reach new milestones, counting two years and more!
“I am very pleased to report that the KMK Cogen Facility has been operational for 2 years without a forced outage,” Tim said.
“We really must commend our team for all their hard work, attention to detail and care they have taken to help us reach this incredible milestone.”
The highlights of this achievement include zero safety incidents, a record availability (including planned shutdowns), and no plant trips throughout the year. The reliable supply of steam and electricity has been crucial to the success of our clients and their partners, contributing to record results for all involved.