Planning Shutdowns
Any CHP package will require planned shutdowns for servicing, and the preparation and scheduling of these outages are essential.
The costs of shutdown include not only the labour and materials for carrying out the planned work, but also the additional costs of meeting the site’s heat and power requirements from other sources. These costs are not insignificant and should be given due consideration when deciding on the timing and duration of a shutdown. For example, it is not generally advisable to carry out planned maintenance on a CHP package when electricity costs are high, for instance during midweek daytime periods in winter. It is sometimes more cost-effective to minimise the duration of the shutdown by ensuring that work continues outside ‘normal’ working hours: in some instances, the extra cost of labour may be offset by the reduced costs and duration for providing alternative heat and power supplies.
Because packaged CHP is normally operated and maintained under a contract, it is wise to ensure that service vehicles and equipment have ease of access for when maintenance must take place. Downtimes can be increased, simply because no provision was made for this.
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