Understanding Failure Modes and Their Impact on the Energy Transition

The global energy landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, transitioning from fossil fuel-dominated power generation to cleaner, more sustainable alternatives. This energy transition is not just about adopting new technologies; it's about understanding the potential pitfalls along the way. Failure modes, the different ways in which systems and processes can break down, play a critical role in shaping the trajectory of this transition.

In this blog, we'll delve into the significance of failure modes and explore their impact on both traditional power generation, renewables, and emissions, as well as how Asset Performance Management leverages failure modes to exceed operational KPIs.

Failure modes are essentially the Achilles' heels of any system. They encompass a range of scenarios where components fail to perform as intended, resulting in system malfunctions, downtime, or worse. Identifying and addressing failure modes is crucial for ensuring the reliability, safety, and resilience of energy systems as we transition to cleaner sources.

Here's why they matter:

Reliability and Resilience: Traditional power plants, such as those that use natural gas-fired turbines, have long been the backbone of our energy systems. However, they are not immune to failure. Mechanical breakdowns, fuel supply disruptions, and equipment failures can lead to unexpected power outages. Recognizing these failure modes helps engineers design backup systems and redundancy measures to ensure a stable energy supply.

Safety: Failure modes can also have safety implications. In the case of refineries, leaks or equipment failures can result in hazardous situations, endangering workers and nearby communities. By understanding potential failure modes, operators can implement preventative measures and safety protocols to mitigate risks.

Economic Considerations: Failure modes can lead to costly repairs, maintenance, and downtime. This is especially pertinent for power generators where operational interruptions can have economic ramifications on already slim operating margins. By anticipating failure modes, operators can optimize maintenance schedules and reduce the economic impact of failures. These economic considerations also crossover into pure production revenue. Properly identified failure modes can ensure that assets are producing with safety in mind, but also allow them to be ran as needed to meet financial expectations.

Emissions: Failure modes and emissions are connected in several ways, particularly in the context of industrial processes, energy production, and the operation of various systems.

Perhaps the most important impact to the energy transition, failure modes can be tied to emissions in the following ways:

• Emissions Due to Malfunctioning Equipment: When equipment or systems fail or malfunction, they might not operate optimally. In some cases, this can lead to inefficient combustion, incomplete combustion, or other processes that result in higher emissions of pollutants. For instance, in a gas-fired power plant, a malfunctioning burner or control system might lead to incomplete combustion, increasing emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and other pollutants.

• Environmental Compliance: Industries and power plants are subject to environmental regulations that limit the amount of pollutants they can emit. Equipment failures that lead to increased emissions can result in non-compliance with these regulations, potentially leading to fines or other legal consequences.

• Safety-Related Emissions: Some failure modes can result in safety-related emissions, such as the release of hazardous gases or substances. These emissions can have serious environmental and health impacts, emphasizing the importance of failure mode prevention and mitigation.

• Increased Energy Consumption: Certain failure modes might cause equipment to consume more energy than normal, leading to increased emissions indirectly. For instance, if a malfunctioning component in a heating system leads to increased energy usage, it could result in higher emissions from the energy source (e.g., burning more fossil fuels).

• Systemic Impacts on Emissions: In complex systems, a single failure mode can trigger a chain reaction of events that result in emissions. For example, a failure in an emission control device in an industrial process might allow pollutants to bypass the controls, leading to higher overall emissions.

• Preventive Measures and Emissions Reduction: Addressing failure modes through predictive maintenance and proper equipment management can help prevent emissions spikes. By identifying and addressing potential failure modes in advance, industries can ensure that equipment operates efficiently, minimizing emissions.

• Long-Term Impact on Emissions Reduction Goals: Failure modes that lead to unplanned downtime and operational disruptions can impact industries' ability to meet emissions reduction goals. Unplanned shutdowns might force industries to rely on backup systems that are less efficient and produce higher emissions.

Combustion Turbine Blade Erosion

Natural gas power plants have been a reliable workhorse for decades. But they, too, are susceptible to failure modes. One of the failure modes in gas-powered turbines is Combustion Turbine Blade Erosion. Gas turbines rely on high-velocity gases to drive the turbine blades and generate power. However, the high temperatures and speeds involved can cause erosion of the turbine blades over time. Particles present in the combustion gases can impact the blade surfaces, leading to erosion and loss of material. This erosion can reduce the efficiency and performance of the turbine by altering the aerodynamics of the blades and potentially leading to decreased power output.

Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) failure

Another example is for the heat recovery steam generator – or HRSG. A common failure mode for the HRSG is called a Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) failure. FAC is a form of corrosion that occurs in carbon steel components of the HRSG, particularly in areas where high-velocity water or steam flows. Over time, the corrosion process can thin the metal, potentially leading to leaks, ruptures, and reduced structural integrity. FAC is often more pronounced in regions of flow turbulence, such as bends and elbows within the HRSG’s tubing.

Capacity Factor

As we embrace renewable energy sources like solar and wind, it's crucial to understand their unique failure modes. This is important as renewables require more land than traditional generation due to the lower capacity factor. For comparison, the average gas power plant has a capacity factor of around 80 percent, meaning it generates power 80 percent of the time. A solar farm, however, has a capacity factor of just 20 percent. To match the output of a 600MW gas power plant, a solar farm would need about 600 acres, but this is highly dependent upon location, weather, tilt of panels, etc.

Regardless, the point is that with just a capacity factor of 20 percent, the goal is to ensure solar is available to generate when the sun shines. 

DC-Link Capacitor Degradation

One of the failure modes that solar inverters can experience is known as DC-Link Capacitor Degradation. Over time, the DC-link capacitor in a solar inverter can degrade due to factors such as temperature fluctuations and high-frequency voltage spikes. This degradation can result in a reduction in the capacitor's ability to store and smooth out direct current (DC) voltage, leading to increased ripple currents and voltage instability. Ultimately, this can impact the efficiency and performance of the inverter, potentially leading to reduced power conversion efficiency and even complete inverter failure.

Wind turbine mechanical failures

Similarly, wind turbines can experience mechanical failures in components such as gearboxes, bearings, and blades, which can lead to downtime and increased maintenance costs. For example, wind turbines use a gearbox to increase the rotational speed of the slower-turning blades to a level suitable for electricity generation. The high loads and varying wind conditions place significant stress on the gearbox components, including bearings. Over time, the repeated stress cycles can lead to wear and tear on the bearings, resulting in pitting, spalling, or complete failure. Gearbox bearing failures can lead to turbine downtime, increased maintenance costs, and reduced energy production efficiency.

Failure modes in the context of asset performance management refer to the specific ways in which assets, equipment, or systems can experience malfunctions, breakdowns, or deterioration that lead to suboptimal performance or complete failure.

Asset performance management involves strategies and practices aimed at optimizing the asset reliability, availability, and efficiency of assets over their entire lifecycle. Identifying and understanding failure modes is a fundamental aspect of effective asset performance management. Here's how failure modes are relevant:

• Risk Assessment: Identifying potential failure modes is a crucial step in assessing the risks associated with asset operation. By understanding what could go wrong and the consequences of failure, organizations can prioritize their efforts to prevent or mitigate these risks.

• Preventive and Predictive Maintenance: Knowing the possible failure modes allows organizations to implement preventive and predictive maintenance strategies. Rather than waiting for assets to fail, maintenance can be scheduled proactively based on data-driven insights, reducing unplanned downtime, and maximizing asset uptime.

• Reliability Analysis: Analyzing historical data and performance information related to failure modes helps organizations understand the reliability of their assets. By assessing which failure modes are most common or most critical, organizations can make informed decisions about improving asset design, operation, and maintenance practices.

• Root Cause Analysis: When assets fail, conducting root cause analysis involves investigating the underlying reasons for the failure modes. This helps organizations identify systemic issues, design flaws, or operational practices that need improvement.

• Performance Optimization: Understanding failure modes can guide efforts to optimize asset performance. By addressing the root causes of failure modes and making necessary adjustments, organizations can improve overall asset efficiency, reduce downtime, and extend asset lifetimes.

• Decision-Making and Resource Allocation: Prioritizing maintenance and allocating resources effectively require a clear understanding of the most critical failure modes. This enables organizations to allocate budget, manpower, and time to address the most pressing issues.

• Regulatory Compliance: Certain industries are subject to regulations and standards that require managing failure modes to ensure the safety and environmental compliance of assets. Identifying and mitigating failure modes contributes to meeting these requirements.

• Continuous Improvement: Monitoring and analyzing failure modes over time allow organizations to continually improve their asset management strategies. As new data is collected, organizations can refine their approaches to prevent failures and optimize asset performance.

Incorporating failure modes into asset performance management practices enhances overall operational effectiveness and supports organizations in achieving their goals of reliability, efficiency, and sustainability. By proactively addressing potential failure modes, organizations can reduce operational risks, improve asset lifecycles, and achieve long-term success.

Fortunately for users of GE Vernova’s APM and Digital Twins, ensuring that your assets are digitizing the right failure modes is now easier than ever. With over 130+ years of experience across the entire energy supply chain, GE generates Accelerators for customers that provide recommended failure modes for nearly any asset type. This addition of failure modes into Digital Twin blueprints increases the time-to-value of digitizing failure modes, decreases the time to deploy software across assets and gives an enterprise subscription-based access to failure modes of their current assets—and assets that will be required in the future.

The energy transition is a monumental undertaking that promises a cleaner and more sustainable future. However, it's not without its challenges. Failure modes can disrupt progress and undermine the reliability of energy systems. By employing failure modes, engineers can create strategies to address potential issues, ensuring a smooth transition. Whether we're dealing with traditional power plants or cutting-edge renewables, the lesson is clear: understanding and managing failure modes is a pivotal aspect of building a resilient and efficient energy future.

GE Vernova’s Asset Performance Management software suite provides energy providers with a full set of interoperable applications that help them optimize the reliability, availability, and efficiency of assets over their entire lifecycle – all of which requires identifying and understanding failure modes.

As the technology provider who enables one-third of the world’s electricity, no other APM software provider offers the unique understanding of failure modes across a wide spectrum of generation assets. From gas turbines to wind turbines, and battery storage to nuclear, GE Vernova has an unmatched understanding of failure modes that it uses within its APM software.