NV Energy Case Study

Customer: NV Energy • Las Vegas, NV

NV Energy, Inc. provides electricity and natural gas to more than two million customers throughout Nevada and parts of California. The company’s service area covers approximately 54,500 square miles.

Challenge

The Edward W. Clark Generating Station, dating back to 1954, is the oldest steam-generated power plant in Nevada. Today, it is a multi-technology natural gas-fueled power-generating complex that includes a total of 19 gas-fired Pratt & Whitney turbines with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust systems. The station is located just a few miles from the Las Vegas Strip and supplies much of the power for the city.

FlexCom was tasked with developing custom fabric expansion joints that could address several challenges:

  • internal operating temperatures of more than 900°F;
  • sudden and powerful rise in temperature in a very short period of time, putting great stress on equipment, compensation joints and connected pipes;
  • particulate contamination in the exhaust flow;
  • noise pollution generated by high vibration plant operations;
  • keeping the joint’s external skin temperature to within Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements.

Solution

Based on NV Energy’s specifications, FlexCom designed and built composite fabric expansion joints to address all design requirements:

  • Frames were made from A387 chrome molybdenum steel composite, a custom alloy that provides high temperature and thermal shock resistance;
  • ChemShield®, a composite material made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) thermoplastic film laminated to a PTFE-coated fiberglass cloth, provided excellent temperature and pressure tolerance and a surface that is inert to nearly all chemicals and solvents;
  • Ceramic fabric accumulation pillows ensured superior abrasion resistance and reduced exterior temperatures;
  • Vinyl joint covers further reduced exhaust noise and joint surface temperature.  

When you have a demanding application, turn to the professionals at FlexCom for all your custom industrial expansion joint needs.