MMUA Holds 2022 Generation School

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MMUA Holds 2022 Generation School

April 22, 2022

MMUA held its 2022 Generation School from April 19-21 in Hutchinson, Delano, and Glencoe. Personnel from sixteen member utilities participated, as well as attendees from SMPPA and three nonmember utilities.

Day one at the Hutchinson Event Center featured welcome speeches from Mike Willetts and Paul Helling of MMUA. Brian King and Mike Wolverton from Fairbanks Morse were in attendance as trainers, with Brian King giving an interesting talk about trends in engine operations and maintenance.

Wolverton said,  “Fairbanks Morse is increasing its emphasis on its role as a military contractor, so its military commitments are leading to a contractual expansion of its training activities, such as at their operation in Beloit, Wisconsin."

Activities then moved to the Hutchinson Diesel Plant for a tour of their facilities. Hutchinson has two Worthingtons that have been decommissioned, as well as a newer Wartsila and two 10 MW Caterpillars that were installed in 2018, among others.

After an evening reception, day two focused on hands-on training in Delano and Glencoe. Thomas Tramel from Cyprus Engine Accessories presented on a Fairbanks Morse and its injection timing and crank timing, among other topics. The Delano crew also gave a tour of the operations, including two newer Caterpillars with computerized controls that can be started and synced at the same time.

In Glencoe, Brian King and Mike Wolverton presented on a Fairbanks Morse, while Larry Wheeler of Wheeler World, Inc. shared his knowledge of Cooper Engines by going over a variety of topics related to maintenance, fuel injector testing, and dual fuel operations. King showed that many things can throw off the timing on the Fairbanks Morse, including lower cranks, cams, tappets, and pumps. Glencoe Light & Power staff ran the Cooper and Fairbanks Morse engines and gave a tour of the control room.

Day three wrapped up at the Hutchinson Event Center, where Randy Goeke of ALP Utilities spoke about a mechanical failure and what they learned from the event. Dave Wells of L&S Electric then gave a presentation on Generator Testing and Maintenance. Generation School concluded with an important discussion of takeaways for the future led by Paul Helling.

As always, generation school was a great place for hands-on learning, meeting colleagues from other municipal utilities, and talking to industry experts. There was a lot of knowledge and equipment on display, and MMUA thanks all the participants and presenters that helped make generation school a success.

 

 

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