Get the Buzz... Gas Power North Delivers Success with a Heavy Load of Lifting!
In September of 2023, a team from Gas Power North mobilized to conduct a six-week outage. Led by Superintendents Jon Barlow and Jason Reese, the crew underwent a 21,000-hour job which comprised of a Turbine Major, Exhaust Frame Change Out, Shell Alignments, Generator Major with a Field Swap, and 60 critical lifts. Of the 60 lifts, three involved the Generator Field, while six involved the Turbine Rotors.
Safety, communication, and coordination were paramount to the team’s success throughout the outage. This is what Day Shift Superintendent, Jon Barlow, had to say about the job, “There was extremely limited space on site. Due to the lack of space, we had to hopscotch shells across the road with a smaller crane. The same hopscotch process was utilized to return the shells back across the road after the 500T crane was moved out of the way”. While the crew got through most of their lifts swiftly, there was one STOP moment that occurred as they attempted to transport the rotor out of the unit. According to Day Shift Superintendent, Jon Barlow, the crew had to seize work to readjust the trailer supporting the rotor, as it began to lean during the final turn of the gas turbine replacement rotor transport. Once everything was repositioned, the 500T crane unexpectedly shut down. Mechanics from the crane company arrived onsite the next morning and determined that the crane had malfunctioned due to a low oil safety switch. Once repaired, the crew was able to safely finish their lift with safety and success. Everyone’s swift attention and focus on safety kept the job incident-free despite the challenges.
We are extremely proud of the work conducted by the Gas Power team. The 28-person crew finished the outage with ZERO safety or quality issues, earned a 5-star review from the customer, and are “all home safe”! Congrats and huge kudos to Jon Barlow, Jason Reese, Pat Angle, Richie Leighton, Kyle Markovic, Jordan Mancino, and the rest of the crew for your success during this Outage!