The Methals generating plant south of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, will soon undergo a 17-week, CAD $1.4 million refurbishment, which will include a replacement stainless steel turbine – the first major refurbishment of the turbine since it first went into service in 1948.
Employees with contract company, Enerserv, will work alongside Nova Scotia Power, taking apart the turbine and generator a piece at a time. Once itÂ’s open and the top sections have been removed, the 20-ton crane inside the powerhouse will lift the 4,500 kilogram turbine up and out of the unit and place it on a trailer for transport.
The brand new stainless steel turbine will be mounted on the existing turbine shaft at a facility in Ontario before being shipped back to site for reassembly. Technological advancements since the original unit was installed mean the pitch of the blades will be slightly different on the new turbine, which is expected to increase the generating capacity of the new unit to 3.6 MW.