Gas-fired power plant materials analysis

Ensuring the long-term reliability of gas-fired power plant components

Laborelec Gas-Fired Power Plant Materials analysis

Power plants must operate as efficiently and reliably as possible. Consequently, each plant component must be failsafe throughout its entire lifetime. Laborelec helps plant operators ensure the integrity of their components. Our specialized services for gas turbine materials, for instance, focus on the long-term reliability and performance of critical components, including applied coatings. We carry out on-site and off-site inspections, conduct analyses, calculate remaining lifetimes, and give advice regarding repairs or replacements.

Supporting gas-fired power plants with material investigations and advice

Laborelec assists power plants during overhauls or incidents with a broad spectrum of material investigations and inspections, especially those concerning critical Hot Gas Path components.

Material Inspections

We help power plants inspect their incoming materials, on-site as well as off-site. We advise on how to organize these inspections and how to verify the manufacturer’s quality assertions.

Material analyses

Investigations are carried out in our own material laboratories, which are fully-equipped for characterization of metallic and non-metallic materials, chemical analyses, and visual and microscopic inspections. Lifetime calculation and extension studies. For economic reasons, it is important that materials and equipment outlive their initially planned lifetime. Laborelec calculates the remaining lifetime of critical power plant components and offers advice to maximize their lifetime.

Root Cause Failure Analysis

In the case of an incident, we deploy a multidisciplinary team to find the true root cause and give advice on the appropriate corrective measures.

Multidisciplinary Root Cause Failure Analysis (pdf)

Material repair and material replacement advice

Based on our inspections or analyses we offer advice on the repairs and/or replacements needed. This advice provides power plants with a neutral, second opinion that can serve as a counterweight to that of the manufacturer. Technical support during discussions with the manufacturer. We support power plants in their discussions with the manufacturers, to ensure that the resulting investment decisions best serve the plant’s goals and strategy.

Research programs

Laborelec experts also participate in many research programs on gas turbine materials in order to continuously improve their knowledge and test methods.