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How EtaPRO's Remote Monitoring  & Diagnostic Center Improves Plant Performance and Reliability

Read how early-warning analytics turned scattered plant data into actionable insights, enabled staff to correct potentially catastrophic issues in less than 24 hours, and improved reliability, efficiency, and confidence in day-to-day operations.

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THE CHALLENGE

What Problems Has the RMDC Helped Solve?

Lean engineering teams across multiple plants faced systemic visibility gaps that turned minor issues into major, costly events.

Limited Engineering Resources

Several sites lacked the dedicated staff to provide continuous monitoring and early detection of equipment issues across multiple units.

No Robust Monitoring Tools

Plants lacked performance monitoring capabilities, making it hard to catch subtle degradations before they impacted operations and output.

Undetected Efficiency Losses

Undetected problems led to higher heat rates, capacity losses, and additional auxiliary power consumption - silently eroding profitability.

Complex Interrelated Systems

Tight emissions and operating limits increased cognitive load, making it challenging to prioritize the most critical issues in real time.

Risk of Unplanned Outages

Plants risked costly unplanned outages and equipment damage because emerging issues were not consistently identified in time.

Data Without Actionable Insight

Large volumes of operational data were available, but sites lacked centralized diagnostics to translate data into prioritized, actionable insights.

PROVEN RESULTS

What Has the RMDC Helped Achieve?

Across multiple engagements, the RMDC delivered rapid ROI - from six-figure savings on a single turbine to near-instantaneous issue resolution.

Compressor Efficiency

Identified drop saving $150K per turbine

Bearing Damage Prevented

Avoided emergency shutdown

~ MW

Capacity Impact Simulated

Piping failure post-overhaul

$K/mo

Monthly Savings

From condenser repair

detailed case studies

Real-World Impact, Issue by Issue

Each case below follows the same pattern: the RMDC's analytics detected an anomaly, the team diagnosed the root cause, and the plant acted before it became a crisis.

Compressor Fouling

ISSUE DETECTED

The EtaPRO Monitoring & Diagnostic Center identified a drop in compressor efficiency on two gas turbines at a 2x1 Combined Cycle plant.

Since the drop in compressor efficiency occurred on two separate machines around the same time, the issue was believed to be related to the intake. It was determined that wildfires in the area caused compressor fouling due to particulates in the air.

VALUE DELIVERED

Due to the advanced warning from the EtaPRO Monitoring & Diagnostic Center, the plant was able to schedule compressor cleaning to recover gas turbine performance. An analysis of the gas turbine output and heat rate indicated that the 1.5% reduced compressor efficiency resulted in an additional 200 Btu/kWh heat rate and a capacity loss of 5 MW per gas turbine.

$150KEstimated savings

Steam Turbine Bearing Damage

ISSUE DETECTED

The EtaPRO Monitoring & Diagnostic Center identified an elevated bearing metal temperature which had indicated a 10°F temperature increase following a one week outage.

After inspection, the plant identified the damage to the upper bearing housing.

VALUE DELIVERED

The plant was able to prepare and replace the journal bearing before any major damage occurred to the shaft or other components. This was able to be completed on a planned rather than an emergency shutdown or plant trip.

$150KEstimated savings
from potential damage

Condenser Air In-Leakage (Failed Piping)

ISSUE DETECTED

The EtaPRO Monitoring & Diagnostic Center identified high condenser pressure readings following an overhaul outage at this plant's station. High condenser pressures mainly occurred at low load operation. The RMDC's team evaluated the condenser and determined the cause was due to excessive air in-leakage.

The plant confirmed excessive air in-leakage due to air removal rates on the condenser vacuum pumps. An internal inspection was done and a piping failure was identified in one of the low pressure heaters located in the neck of the condenser. The piping was repaired, and the condenser improved dramatically.

VALUE DELIVERED

The plant was immediately alerted to the high condenser pressure following the unit returning to service. Using the EtaPRO and VirtualPlant performance package, the RMDC was able to run a simulation to quantify the cycle effect of the high condenser pressure, with estimated heat rate penalty near 500 Btu/kWh at lower loads and capacity impacts near 2 MW.

$100K/moEstimated monthly
savings from repair

Cooling Water Inlet Valve Failure

ISSUE DETECTED

Early in the morning, the condenser cooling water outlet temperature CW-1 indicated a 10°F temperature shift. At the same time, the CW pump discharge pressure indicated a pressure increase of 5 psig. The condenser pressure did not show much movement at the time but did rise early in the morning the following day and remained 0.2-0.5 in Hga higher across the load range. The EtaPRO RMDC made the recommendation to check the cooling water side for any obstructions.

After an inspection, the plant identified an issue with the cooling water inlet valve. The key way was slipping off the shaft and not allowing the valve to open all the way. The issue was resolved within 36 hours of the initial alert from APR.

VALUE DELIVERED

The elevated condenser pressure was resulting in a higher heat rate and reduced capacity.

$38K/moEstimated monthly
losses

Hydrogen Temperature Increase

ISSUE DETECTED

The EtaPRO RMDC team identified a hydrogen temperature increase of 5°C on a steam turbine generator. A similar increase was also found on multiple generator stator slot temperatures.

After inspection, the hydrogen cooler was determined to be air bound. The plant burped the hydrogen cooler to remove air in the system and the temperatures returned to normal.

VALUE DELIVERED

The issue was identified, diagnosed and resolved in less than 24 hours before temperature elevated to an alarming range. This prevented additional wear from elevated temperatures and potentially avoiding a unit trip had the issue gone unnoticed.

Elevated Atomizer Vibration

ISSUE DETECTED

The EtaPRO RMDC identified high vibrations on an SDA atomizer spindle vibration.

The atomizer was believed to have been plugging up resulting in elevated vibrations (a common issue with SDA atomizers). The initial APR warning came in three weeks before reached the DCS alarm limit.

VALUE DELIVERED

Due to the advanced warning from EtaPRO APR, the plant was able to prepare the spare atomizer for replacement two weeks in advance of the DCS warning. Once the new atomizer was put in place, the monitoring & diagnostic team was able to confirm vibration levels returned to normal.

$5K/moEstimated monthly
savings from repair

Low Flow to Condensate Conductivity Analyzer

ISSUE DETECTED

The EtaPRO RMDC identified abnormal variations on a condensate conductivity reading.

After a few weeks of troubleshooting, the issue was found to be related to low flow to the conductivity analyzer. The flow was increased and the readings returned to normal.

VALUE DELIVERED

The conductivity variation would have been difficult to identify without the pattern recognition models in place, as the indication did not produce any other alarms on local systems. If a chemistry issue did occur, the inaccurate reading may have masked poor water chemistry resulting in avoidable damages.

$5K/moEstimated monthly
savings from repair

Failed Expansion Joint - Gas Path

ISSUE DETECTED

The EtaPRO RMDC identified high valve demand and large fluctuations on ID fan inlet vane signals.

After inspection, the plant found a failed expansion joint near the inlet to the ID fans.

VALUE DELIVERED

The plant was able to quickly identify the issue and plan for repair. Leakage into the gas path results in additional power consumption on the ID fans. In addition, excessive motion can lead to early failure of inlet vanes on the fan.

$12K/moEstimated monthly
savings from repair

HOW IT WORKS

From Data to Decision in Hours, Not Weeks

Every case study above followed the same proven workflow - the RMDC's continuous monitoring pipeline turns raw sensor data into prioritized action.

Step 1

Continuous Monitoring

EtaPRO APR ingests plant sensor data 24/7, running pattern recognition models

Step 2

Anomaly Detection

Advanced algorithms flag deviations from normal behavior - often weeks before DCS alarms

Step 3

Expert Diagnosis

RMDC engineers evaluate alerts, diagnose root cause, and quantify financial impact

Step 4

Actionable Advisory

Plant receives prioritized recommendations with clear next steps

Step 5

Resolution & Verification

RMDC confirms recovery after repairs and continues monitoring

About the RMDC

The Ultimate Technology  for Power Plant Monitoring

The EtaPRO® Remote Monitoring & Diagnostic Center is designed to support power plants - including those without existing performance monitoring capabilities - that have a limited engineering staff.

In today's lean workforce environment, power plant personnel find themselves continually responding to critical events. The RMDC brings dedicated engineering expertise, advanced analytics, and 24/7 monitoring so your team can focus on operations.

EtaPRO's FastStart™ service gets your workforce engaged quickly with monitoring and diagnostic capabilities, ensuring your company maximizes the value EtaPRO provides from day one.

Daily anomaly advisories with prioritized action items

Issue tracking and root cause diagnosis

Performance reporting and heat rate analysis

VirtualPlant™ simulation for impact quantification

FastStart™ onboarding for rapid time-to-value

PLATFORM ECOSYSTEM

Set a New Standard in Plant Performance & Reliability

Learn how EtaPRO's monitoring and diagnostic services can protect your assets, reduce downtime, and deliver measurable savings.

Get Started with the RMDC

How EtaPRO's Remote Monitoring & Diagnostic Center Improves Plant Performance and Reliability

THE CHALLENGE

What Problems Has the RMDC Helped Solve?

Limited Engineering Resources

No Robust Monitoring Tools

Undetected Efficiency Losses

Complex Interrelated Systems

Risk of Unplanned Outages

Data Without Actionable Insight

PROVEN RESULTS

What Has the RMDC Helped Achieve?

Compressor Efficiency

Bearing Damage Prevented

Capacity Impact Simulated

Monthly Savings

detailed case studies

Real-World Impact, Issue by Issue

Compressor Fouling

ISSUE DETECTED

VALUE DELIVERED

HOW IT WORKS

From Data to Decision in Hours, Not Weeks

Step 1

Continuous Monitoring

Step 2

Anomaly Detection

Step 3

Expert Diagnosis

Step 4

Actionable Advisory

Step 5

Resolution & Verification

About the RMDC

The Ultimate Technology for Power Plant Monitoring

Daily anomaly advisories with prioritized action items

Issue tracking and root cause diagnosis

Performance reporting and heat rate analysis

VirtualPlant™ simulation for impact quantification

FastStart™ onboarding for rapid time-to-value

PLATFORM ECOSYSTEM

Set a New Standard in Plant Performance & Reliability

EtaPRO® Platform

Industry Solutions

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How EtaPRO's Remote Monitoring  & Diagnostic Center Improves Plant Performance and Reliability

The Ultimate Technology  for Power Plant Monitoring