FCS taught a Siemens V84.2 gas turbine course at Delmarva Power and Light Company’s (now Connectiv Energy) Hay Road. Hay Road has three of these gas turbines, each rated at 100 MW, in combined cycle configuration with an ABB steam turbine. This training was followed by another course designed to cover the Heat Recovery Steam Generator and its components. FCS then developed and taught a third course that covered the rest of the related plant equipment.
The two-week gas turbine training was directed toward qualification of operators and covered the gas turbine proper, together with all of the supporting systems, including electrical distribution, fire protection, and city water and drainage. The training was developed to be consistent with a job task analysis in which job tasks and learning objectives were identified. Training was conducted in a class room environment, with frequent plant tours and daily refresher quizzes, designed to maintain a high level of trainee involvement.
The qualification process required trainees to successfully complete both a written, knowledge-based examination and a practical, performance-based test. The written examination was a “paper test” that tested the knowledge the trainees gained from the course text and classroom instruction. The practical, performance-based test involved a tour of the plant in which the trainees demonstrated their skills that were based upon that knowledge. Examples of those skills include location and identification of various system components, proper operation of turbine systems, and response to alarms and abnormal conditions. Both knowledge and performance-based test questions can be traced back to the results of the job task analysis.
The course has been very successful to date. All trainees have been qualified and the course text has been validated. In addition, FCS has developed training support materials, including lesson plans and visual aids, to help Delmarva instructors provide the same training in the future. A one-week version of the same gas turbine course was also presented to Delmarva supervisors.