Providing hydroelectric, Power across the United States!

July 18, 2014

Over the past few years, the North Little Rock Electric Department has faced some major decisions regarding the Murray Hydro Plant. The decision began with a retrofit of an old mechanical seal system to be replaced with a new rope packing system. The next phase was major turbine repairs that were needed to carry the plant through the next fiscal year all followed by a major turbine overhaul. Having two of the largest horizontal, Kaplan turbines in the world always makes decisions a bit more difficult. It has been such a relief to have a company like Hyrdo Consulting and Maintenance Services (HCMS) that has the confidence and ability to handle such major projects for our department.

Throughout each of our major projects HCMS has provided an experienced, professional staff to walk us through the process and aid in making the best decisions for our faculty. As with any project, there are obstacles along way HCMS exceeded our expectations in handling these without any delays in the projects and overhauls completion dates. In essence, they are always willing to take on any task no matter the difficulty and their desire is to leave each unit in better than new condition when they are finished.

Sometimes with the age and size of our facility it is not always beneficial to go back to the OEM personnel in order to request help or replacements. HCMS has continually shown that ability to reverse engineer or even present more effective and efficient solutions to issues that arise in our facility. They have a desire and willingness to replace all components with like new or better material.

The North Little Rock Electric Department is confident that HCMS will provide the highest quality work and insight on any project at the Murray Hydro Plant.

-Jessica Stephens, System Mechanical Engineer

March 27, 2015

Thank you, to you and your colleagues with HCMS, for the work related to the recent St. Cloud Turbine Rebuild Project. Unit Two is running great and currently, there are no signs of any issues. The City is very happy with the work completed just in time; right before Spring runoff.

Jerry did an outstanding job as the onsite project manager. We were impressed with his attention to detail and most importantly, to safety. His number one rule was to work safe. We didn’t see a single time that he put the crew at risk. The crew always used the necessary safety equipment. Daryl was very impressed with the way he managed his crew. He was able to keep all crew members busy and working hard to get the turbine out and then back together. Jerry also respected Daryl and the facility. He listened to key information and recommendations provided by Daryl.

A special thanks to Kris as well. There were some part replacement lead time issues and we know Kris worked hard to get everything back on schedule. When Jerry needed something, Kris was the one that made sure Jerry got what he needed without any delays of the job. Kris also did a great job keeping Stang Hydro and the City of St. Cloud updated on everything while the turbine was rebuilt in York.

We also want to thank the HCMS crew at the facility. It took many long days to get this job completed in a timely, efficient manner. The HCMS team cleaned up every night before they left and did whatever possible to keep the work area organized and tidy. All extra efforts were appreciated.

We couldn’t be more impressed with the quality of work completed by the HCMS team and would gladly provide a recommendation and/or reference, if needed. We are optimistic that Unit Two turbine will run well for another 20 years.

-Patrick Sheo, Director of Public Service

-Tracy Hodel, Assistant Utilities Director

-Daryl Stang, Stang Hydro

July 16, 2014

We were introduced to HCMS as a result of a reference through our Project Manager. HCMS quickly mobilized and helped assess the situation and summarize its findings. Establishing our time and materials contract with HCMS was a straightforward process. They deployed a number of non-unionized millwrights to site, together with two senior foremen and, initially, one management oversight staff. The senior foremen were very experienced in the industry, having worked for other hydro OEM companies. The HCMS millwrights had been with HCMS for some time and the foremen knew them well and trusted their capabilities. Management staff with which we interacted had practical experience in the field. Other HCMS professionals were made available to the HCMS onsite team on an as-needed basis in order to leverage the knowledge of the entire organization.

HCMS spent the required time once onsite to diagnose issues with respect to the components and the previous installation using precision measurement equipment and make recommendations to Dorena and its Project Management which balanced technical requirements with cost/benefit considerations. HCMS leveraged its internal and external contacts to make outside resources available such as sub-contractor services or specialty machine shops. HCMS worked hand-in-hand with the turbine OEM staff during their mandate to utilize the OEM’s input to resolve installation challenges.

Throughout the process, HCMS consistently demonstrated its focus on good industry practice. The Project was under significant time pressures and HCMS consistently acknowledged the necessary deadlines but advocated to Dorena first and foremost the need to follow proper installation procedures to ensure the longevity of the turbines.

HCMS provided personal attention and a positive working attitude in all of our dealings. We immediately developed a very strong relationship with the main contact and foreman, Regan Lee, who consistently assured Dorena of his personal commitment to the Project. Dorena witnessed Mr. Lee making personal sacrifices beyond the call of duty to ensure that the Project met its critical deadlines. Another foreman, Ben Fox, and the rest of the millwright crew tirelessly worked long, arduous 6 or 7-day weeks to complete the Project. Regan and Rod Graybeal, an HCMS management representative, were very open with Dorena and its Project Manager when answering questions or explaining issues. Dorena staff and its Project Management team attended internal HCMS calls on various occasions to help with the understanding of installation issues encountered and proposed recommendations.

Some of the challenges in the installation seemed insurmountable, but we were amazed at some of the solutions HCMS was able to provide to overcome these hurdles.

Notably, HCMS installed and commissioned our Francis and Kaplan turbines in time to qualify for a state tax incentive which had a materially positive financial impact on our Project.

-Peter Clermont, President