Among maintenance outage quandaries power plant operators face is whether to send components off site for repair or have the work done on site. In instances where the job can be accomplished either way, some believe the choice is difficult. Even when logic dictates that work can be performed better in a fully equipped shop under a controlled environment, owners often have a "comfort" issue associated with letting an expensive piece of equipment leave their site and worry that a late return might lengthen the outage. West Allis, Wis.-based ReGENco, which services steam turbine and gas turbine/generators, reports that about three-fourths of its business is done in the shop and one-fourth in the field. "If a job is a minor inspection or does not require major disassembly it would typically be performed in the field," says James Folda, generation business segment manager. "Or if a component is very difficult to move out of a powerhouse, such as a generator stator, the work would typically be done in the powerhouse.
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