Get the Buzz… Boiler Breaks Ahead of Schedule at Seminole!

In October of 2024, APM Boiler traveled to Palatka, Florida for a planned outage at Seminole Combined Cycle Facility. Several calls were held prior to arrival at site to ensure the support team had a full understanding of expectations. The scope included performing warranty claims to include modifications of a gas diverter and floor baffles, replacing 3 valves (2 within code boundaries and an F91 valve with Post Weld Heat Treatment), and oversight of several supporting contractors, for Unit 1, Unit 2, and the Steam Turbine.

The crew for this job was hand-picked to ensure success onsite. During the outage, every morning began with a safety meeting where the day’s tasks and associated hazards were openly discussed. Life Saving Rules were also reviewed throughout the week and posted in the crew’s break area. The team also held a safety stand down to review hand injury prevention, as their project shared exposure to similar materials being handled. You can find the crew’s most heavily referenced Life Saving Rules below.

Although the crew prepared for the task with careful consideration and detail, they encountered a challenge during the process. The initial expectation was to have the crew split between both HRSG Units. However, a Lean Mentality approach was proposed once the crew reached the site, and it was determined that the crew would work more efficiently with full focus on one unit at a time. According to Superintendent, Tommy Tucker, “Lessons learned from the first unit expedited delivery of the second. Delivery of Unit 1 HRSG was seven days ahead of schedule, and Unit 2 HRSG was three days ahead of the original schedule, all delivered with zero safety or quality events”.

We are immensely proud of the Boiler team’s challenging attitude and performance onsite! The 2,200-manhour outage was ultimately completed ten days ahead of schedule with safety and quality at the forefront of their work. Congrats and HUGE kudos to Tommy Tucker and the eleven-craftsperson crew for your success at Seminole!