Operating experience with a flexible cogeneration plant in Colorado

Much has been written about the interesting gas turbine cogeneration Project in Fort Lupton, Colorado, U.S.A., as created and developed by the Thermo Cogeneration Partnership under the leadership of Paul Steinway, project general manager. The plant is based on five 40 MW-class gas turbine generator modules supplied by Stewart & Stevenson, who is also responsible for operation and maintenance of the plant through its operating arm, Stewart & Stevenson Operations, Inc. The plant, first placed into service in mid-1994 after only 18 months of construction, is of particular interest because it has to function with a wide degree of flexibility in load management, and it also uses one of the latest-design aeroderivative gas turbines, namely the GE LM6000. This article describes the plant design, equipment and operating experience thus far. 6 figs.