An integrated maintenance strategy for the Babcock 10E Coal Mill

Coal-fired power stations around the world have many common features, including similar types of auxiliary plant. One example of such a common area is the coal milling plant. This plant is involved in an inherently wearing process, since the raw coal is an abrasive substance, and the environment is both hostile and demanding. Availability of milling plant is critical to the ability of coal-fired power stations to generate electricity, and repair work can be expensive and time-consuming. It is therefore desirable to prevent in-service failures, improve reliability, and extend the operational life of the plant. This paper describes how an integrated approach to maintenance of the Babcock 10E Coal Mill has been developed at National Power´s Blyth `B´ Station on the North East coast of England. The paper gives details of the types of mechanical problems experienced with the plant, and the various engineering, maintenance, and monitoring strategies which have been integrated into a comprehensive and effective maintenance strategy for this plant. The paper also gives detailed examples of the application of these techniques, the results obtained from them, and goes on to show how this integrated approach has reaped substantial rewards for the station in terms of availability, reliability, and profitability