Research and Publications

FGS & Associates, LLC has been a provider to EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) for guidelines and research in the areas of boiler availability and reliability improvements that include:

• Impact of operating factors on boiler availability and reliability

• Statistical analysis techniques for predicting impacts on boiler availability

• Condition monitoring

• Boiler design for high reliability under cycling operation

• Inherently reliable boiler component design

The following EPRI publications in these areas have been authored by FGS:

• “Impact of Operating Factors on Boiler Availability,” EPRI-100560, 2000.

• “Statistical Analysis Methodology for Predicting Impact of Operation Factors on Boiler Availability,” EPRI -1004064, 2001.

• “Inherently Reliable Boiler Component Design,” EPRI - 1004324, March 2003.

• “Condition Monitoring for Boiler Availability Improvement,” EPRI - 1004300, December 2003. 

• “Demonstration of Statistical Analysis Methodology for Predicting Impact of Operation Factors on Boiler Availability in Dalian Power Plant,” EPRI, June 2004.   

• “State-of-the-Art Boiler Design for High Reliability under Cycling” EPRI, December 2004.  

Other publications authored or co-authored by FGS associates in these areas include:

• “Fossil Plant Management Systems,” (in Chinese), Zhejiang Power Publisher, 1997

• Chapter 3 “ Boiler Auxiliaries,” McGraw-Hill Power Engineering Handbook, 1998.

• Chang, P. S. and Tilley, R.M., “ Quantitative Assessment of Operating Factors Impact on Boiler Performance and Reliability,” PowerGen Conference, Orlando, FL, 2004. 

• Chang, P. S., “Considerations in the Super-critical Boiler Design,” Sino-American Technology and Engineering Conference, Beijing, China, 2001.

• Chang, P. S., Tilley, R., and Dooley, B., “Boiler Component Life Management Strategy.” Life Management and Life Extension of Power Plant Conference, Xian, China, May 2000.

• Chang, P. S., “Process and Performance Diagnostics for Fossil Power Plants,” Maintenance and Reliability Conference, Gatlinburg, TN, 1999.

• Chang, P. S., and Nesbitt, D. G., “Assessment and Redesign of High-Temperature Headers,” EPRI Maintenance Conference, Atlanta, GA, 1999.

• Chang, P. S., “Reliability-Based Root Cause Analysis Techniques,” PM/PdM Magazine, January 1999.

• Chang, P. S., and H. Gonzalez, “ Boiler Tube Failure Root Cause Analysis Expert System,” EPRI Boiler Tube Failure Prevention Conference, Nashville, TN, 1997.

• P. S. Chang, and H. S. Hou, “ A Fast Neural Network Learning Algorithm and Its Application,” IEEE Southwest Regional Conference, March 1997, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, 1997.

• Chang, P. S., and J. Poston, “ Simultaneous Boiler Optimization of Efficiency, Emission, and Reliability Utilizing Neural Network Modeling” EPRI Sixth Maintenance Conference, Baltimore, MD, 1996.

• Chang, P. S., “Renovation of Aged Fossil Power Plants” Sino-American Technology and Engineering Conference, Beijing, China, 1995.

• Chang, P. S., “ Assessment of Fabrication Effects on the Header Design Life, ” ASME International Conference on Power Engineering, Shanghai, China, 1995.

• Approximately 50 other publications.