Short Course Catalog

NEW NERC-APPROVED COURSE!

This 2-day course is designed to meet the needs of power plant operators to understand the protective relaying installed with their unit. A complete understanding is necessary for operators to respond appropriately to both alarms and trips from protective relaying. For instance, how many operators understand the significance of a negative phase sequence relay alarm? More importantly, how many operators can respond appropriately to a negative phase sequence relay alarm?

Relay Protection (FCS_123_RPC_101) is recognized by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation as an approved learning activity for which NERC CE Hours can be awarded, and that the provider adheres to NERC CE Program Criteria. This course fulfills the R1 requirement of the NERC Standard PRC-001-1, System Protection Coordination. A quiz is administered at the conclusion of the course to verify that trainees learned the material in the course.

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NEW NERC-APPROVED COURSE!

This 2-day course is designed to meet the needs of Generator and Transmission Operators to understand the operation of generators. The course begins with a brief description of generator theory and construction. This is followed by a description of generator support systems, such as the seal oil system, and protective relaying. Finally, generator operations including synchronization, normal operation with the reactive capability curve, and abnormal operations are covered.

Generator Operations (FCS_123_GOC_102) is recognized by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation as an approved learning activity for which NERC CE Hours can be awarded, and that the provider adheres to NERC CE Program Criteria. A quiz is administered at the conclusion of the course to verify that trainees learned the material in the course.

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NEW NERC-APPROVED COURSE!

This 2-day course is designed to meet the needs of Power Plant Operators and Power System Operators/Dispatchers to understand the balance of reactive power (MVAR) sources and loads and the impact of this MVAR balance on maintaining system voltage. A complete understanding is necessary to understand the system’s daily MVAR load curve and to anticipate the need to put voltage control equipment into and out of service to ensure target voltages are always maintained per interconnection agreements.

Reactive Power & Voltage Control (FCS_123_RPV_103) is recognized by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation as an approved learning activity for which NERC CE Hours can be awarded, and that the provider adheres to NERC CE Program Criteria. This course ensures that the participants understand and can fulfill the requirements of NERC Standard VAR-001-1, Voltage and Reactive Control, as well as Appendix 1, Interpretation of Requirement 4 of VAR-001-1. A quiz is administered at the conclusion of the course to verify that trainees learned the material in the course.

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This 3-day course has been developed to improve the effectiveness of the operations and maintenance personnel at combined cycle power plants. Get the Big Picture first, next learn how the individual components function, and then put it all together into the power plant design that has revolutionized the electric generating industry.

The course has been designed for new plant operators, supervisors, management, and other personnel who are involved in safely and effectively operating and maintaining combined cycle power plants. It will provide the attendee with a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of the individual components and operating relationships between the components in Combined Cycle Power Plants.

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This 2.5-day course was developed to improve the effectiveness of operations and maintenance personnel responsible for combustion turbines. Increase your ability to reduce forced outages and increase unit reliability and availability.

This course has been designed for plant personnel who are involved in safely and effectively operating and maintaining combustion turbine/generators. It will provide the attendee with a thorough understanding of operations and maintenance of combustion turbines.

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This 3-day course was developed to improve the effectiveness of operations and maintenance personnel responsible for combustion turbines. Increase your ability to reduce forced outages and increase unit reliability and availability.

This course has been designed for plant personnel who are involved in safely and effectively operating and maintaining GE MS7001F combustion turbine/generators. It will provide the attendee with a thorough understanding of operations and maintenance of combustion turbines.

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Develop an understanding of steam turbine generator theory, design, construction, and the systems that support the turbine and generator. This two-day course has been designed to include a self-study version.

This course is essential for persons new to turbine generator maintenance and operations. It will provide a thorough understanding of the basics of turbines and generators. Before you can effectively comprehend the requirements of operating and maintaining the equipment, you must first understand how it works.

This course is offered as a two-day presentation, and is also available in a self-study version. Each chapter includes a review exam. At the completion of all sessions, the student will be provided with a final examination. The final exam, when completed, is to be returned to FCS for grading. The certificate of completion will be issued if a passing grade is attained on the exam. Re-study information will be provided if the exam is not successfully passed. One retest is provided for failed examinations. The course should be attended by all power plant personnel involved in operating and maintaining steam turbine generators. Plant management, supervisors, engineers, operators, work leaders, and mechanics will benefit from attendance in this course.

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This 5-day course has been developed to improve the effectiveness of steam turbine generator maintenance activities. Participation will provide the attendee with the knowledge and skills to shorten outage duration, reduce rework and outage extensions, while increasing availability and reliability. Get the most out of your outage dollars by performing maintenance tasks that give the biggest benefit based on reliability and efficiency. Reduce outage duration’s and cost but increase reliability, availability, and efficiency.

There is no magic concerning steam turbine generator maintenance, however a thorough understanding of factors affecting the life of the individual components and the defects that result is essential. You will learn the effect of defects on efficiency and reliability not just how and when to perform inspections.

The course should be attended by all power plant personnel involved in maintaining steam turbine generators. Plant management, supervisors, engineers, work leaders, and mechanics will benefit from attendance in this course.

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This 4.5-day course has been developed to improve the effectiveness of steam turbine generator operators. Participation will provide the attendee with the knowledge and skills to identify and evaluate steam turbine generator abnormal operating conditions, and to determine the most appropriate response to those conditions.

The course should be attended by all power plant personnel involved in operating steam turbine generators. Control room and auxiliary operators, plant management, supervisors, engineers, and work leaders, will benefit from attendance in this course.

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This 3-day course has been developed to improve the effectiveness of generator operations and maintenance activities. Participation will provide the attendee with the knowledge and skills to:

• Startup and operate generators safely and effectively
• Identify and evaluate generator abnormal operating conditions, and to determine the most appropriate response to that condition
• Develop and implement an effective generator preventive maintenance program
• Understand why inspections are performed not just how to perform the inspection

The course should be attended by all plant personnel involved in operating and maintaining generators, whether they are driven by steam turbines, combustion turbines, hydro turbines, or reciprocating engines. Control room and auxiliary operators, maintenance technicians, plant management, supervisors, engineers, and work leaders, will benefit from attendance in this course.

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The FCS Boiler Fundamentals Course is designed to provide trainees with:

• A basic knowledge of boiler plant energy, water, and steam and heat transfer fundamentals.
• A clear understanding boilers, their component design, and principles of operation.
• A basic understanding of the principles of combustion and how they apply to boiler operation.
• An understanding of boiler water quality effects and water treatment techniques.
• A basic understanding of the design, operation, and importance of systems used to support the operation of a boiler plant.
• An understanding of the principles of control systems and common boiler plant control schemes.
• The ability to quickly and accurately interpret plant piping and instrument diagrams.

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The FCS Boiler Controls and Operations Course is a plant-specific customized course designed to provide the trainee with:

• A review of process control and boiler fundamentals to ensure the trainees sufficiently understand control and boiler operational theory for safe, reliable, and efficient operation.
• A description of the boiler operational design, combustion (coordinated) control, and furnace safety system (burner management system), explaining why the control logic and associated interlocks is important to safe and efficient operation of the boiler.
• A description of how to read control drawings for diagnosing and troubleshooting boiler control system problems (optional).
• A review of accepted good practices for proper operation and control of the boiler and support systems under both normal and emergency conditions.
• A description of effective techniques for dealing with operational and control system malfunctions.
• A description of techniques essential to efficient and reliable operations.

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Plant-specific, self-study, on-the-job training (OJT) is gaining wide acceptance as an effective approach to ensuring plant personnel have the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully perform their jobs. This leads to improved plant performance and lower costs. OJT programs provide the following benefits:

• Provide a method for training new operating personnel one at a time.
• Hands-on demonstration of an operator’s ability before being fully assigned to perform a job.
• Ensure uniform knowledge and skills between crews.
• Provide a method of formalized, hands-on retraining once the initial startup training is complete.
• Teach operator trainees how to perform self- study/research that will help when trouble-shooting problems during plant operations.

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Safe and efficient operation of a power plant requires a thorough understanding of the unit controls. These controls include the coordinated control from the automatic generation control (AGC) through the unit and equipment masters to the final controlling elements. In addition, the digital controls associated with the burner management system in conventional fossil plants and the combustion turbine controls in combined cycle plants must be understood for operators to effectively perform their jobs. At many power plants, operator training in these control systems has been inadequate because the training provided was designed to suit the needs of engineering personnel; the drawings were too complex for most operators; and/or the relationship between the controls, installed equipment, and the integrated operations of the units were not fully understood. The days of having extra “hands” in the control room are gone. Each operator must be self sufficient, and improved training is often needed for this to occur.

FCS can develop and instruct Integrated Controls and Operations Training programs that are plant specific and designed to teach the knowledge required to understand the plant’s primary control systems and their operations in an integrated manner.

FCS has extensive control system experience including DCS systems manufactured by Bailey, Westinghouse, Foxboro, Honeywell, and Siemens, along with extensive experience teaching operators integrated controls in the classroom and using full-scale, high-fidelity simulators.

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The FCS Boiler Operations for Environmental Compliance and Efficiency Course has been accredited by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). This course fulfills the operator training requirements mandated by Code of Maryland Regulation(COMAR) 26.11.09 for nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission reduction training.

One of the principal causes of NOx is the combustion of fossil fuels. The term NOx refers to a family of compounds which are made of nitrogen and oxygen. NOx in the atmosphere contributes to a number of environmental problems. Certain NOx compounds are toxic to humans. NOx is a primary contributor to the problems of acid rain, smog, ground-level ozone and the deposition of excessive nutrients into bodies of water. The emission of NOx is regulated by both federal and state regulations.

The emissions of NOx can be significantly reduced through the application of new technologies, altering operating procedures and improving plant efficiency. Educating plant operators to use new technologies and procedures and to improve plant efficiency is one of the fundamental strategies of both federal and state efforts to reduce NOx emissions and their environmental impact.

Maryland regulations require training every three years, by an approved training organization, for operators of plants which have a fuel input rate of 100 mm/Btu hr or less, or which are designated as“Space Heaters.” A space heater is defined as fuel burning equipment that consumes more than 60% of its annual fuel during the heating season from October 31 of one year through March 31 of the next year.

FCS’ Boiler Operations for Environmental Compliance and Efficiency Course is designed to provide operators with the information they need to operate plants efficiently and in compliance with federal and state regulations. This course focuses on the practical application of thermodynamic and combustion principles in order to improve plant efficiency. Topics covered in the course include:

• Atmospheric pollution and its effects
• Regulations
• Hermodynamics and heat transfer
• Combustion
• Boiler fundamentals
• Boiler automation and combustion control
• Boiler operations

FCS offers the Boiler Operations for Environmental Compliance and Efficiency Course at out clients’ sites. This course can be customized to specifically address the equipment in your plant.

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The FCS Electrical Maintenance Fundamentals Course is designed to provide trainees with:

• An introduction to electrical theory as it applies to plant electrical equipment and maintenance.
• An understanding of the principles of AC and DC circuits, their design, and operation.
• An introduction to the design and basic maintenance practices for AC and DC motors, generator, and transformers.
• A basic understanding of electrical systems and component control and protection.
• The ability to interpret different types of electrical diagrams.
• A clear description of DC battery inspection and maintenance procedures.
• A clear understanding of electrical safety concerns and safety related practices.

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The FCS Power Plant Electrical Operations Course is designed to provide the trainee with:

• A review of power generation fundamentals needed to understand the operation of plant electrical systems and equipment.
• A description of plant electrical components, their application, control and protection (including generator and excitation system).
• A description of how to read plant electrical drawings.
• An explanation of plant electrical protective schemes and how they protect electrical equipment.
• A discussion of safe operation of the generator and electrical systems in the plant.
• A discussion on responding to plant electrical malfunctions.

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The FCS Mechanical Maintenance Fundamentals Course is designed to provide trainees with:

• A clear understanding of the proper selection and use of common hand and power tools.
• The ability to select, use, and read precision measurement tools.
• An introduction to common rigging and lifting equipment, and techniques including their selection, use, and safe practices.
• An introduction to plant materials and classifications including piping components and pipe fittings.
• An introductions to common plant equipment design and maintenance procedures, including pumps, valves, bearings, and heat exchangers.
• An introduction to insulation, refractory, and painting materials, techniques, and safe practices.

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The FCS Power Plant Efficiency Course is designed to provide the trainee with:

• A review of power thermodynamics, heat transfer, and properties of water and steam as applicable to the power plant cycle presented at a level that is appropriate to plant operations personnel.
• A discussion of basic power plant cycles and the concept of power plant efficiency, including the justification for superheating, reheating, use of low pressure condensers, feedwater heating, air preheating, etc.
• A discussion of the efficiency losses the operators can control in the boiler and turbine cycle.
• A description of operator responsibilities and actions in minimizing operator controllable losses and maximizing plant efficiency.
• A discussion of the effect of cycling, load swinging, and low load operation on plant heat rate.
• A discussion of the effect of fuel quality on plant heat rate.

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Operators at fossil-fuel fired plants may require certification under the ASME Qualified Fossil Operator/EPA Model State Training and Certification Program defined in Title III, Section 129 of the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990. This program designated “ASME QFO-1” is designed to “insure operators at fossil plants meet a minimum level of understanding regarding the proper procedure for operating a fossil fuel-fired facility in compliance with relevant air quality standards.” The QFO program will require certification in up to six areas depending upon the type of fuel and firing method applicable at the fossil plant. These are:

• Class A: Pulverized and cyclone coal-fired boilers
• Class B: Single burner oil, gas or combined fuel boilers
• Class C: Multiple burner, oil, gas or combined fuel boilers
• Class D: Stoker fired plants
• Class E: Fluidized bed plants
• Class F: Auxiliary fired heat recovery steam generators

FCS has substantial experience in each of the technologies listed above and can offer QFO certification preparation training. Our trained employees have done this type of training successfully in the past for the QRO certification used for Waste-to-Energy plants. We currently have training materials covering each of the following areas and will be offering test preparation training to help our clients’ operations personnel prepare for the QFO certification examinations.

QFO Topics include:

• Water and Steam Circuits
• Furnace, Air & Gas Circuits
• Fossil Fuels
• Air Pollution Fundamentals
• Natural Gas Fired Boilers
• Stokers
• Fluidized-Bed Boilers
• Gas Turbine/Heat Recovery Steam Generators
• Package Boilers
• Normal Operations
• Automatic Control Systems
• Instrumentation: General Measurement
• Electrical Theory
• Turbine Generator
• Preventive Maintenance
• Safety
• Air Pollutants of Concern
• Environmental Regulations
• Continuous Emissions Monitoring
• Particulate Control
• NOx Control
• SOx Control
• Water Pollution
• Waste Water Treatment
• Solid Waste Management

For more information on the ASME QFO program, click here.

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