Modern fossil power plants typically utilize hundreds or thousands of real-time analog and digital measurements for plant control, engineering analysis, maintenance, and efficiency and emissions monitoring. As data processing requirements have increased, many plants have incorporated a number of relatively independent data processing systems, each serving a specific requirement. For example, plants often install separate computer systems for plant control, data monitoring, data analysis and performance diagnostics, and historical performance tracking. While there are certain advantages to this approach (e.g., putting the computer power in the hands of those who need it), there are also a number of significant disadvantages. For example, information is not easily shared between systems and functionality is often duplicated between systems and users. Recently, a number of significant advances in computer hardware and software technology have occurred that will enable a much more synergistic approach to power plant optimization. For example, improved hardware architectures, expert system and neural network technology, object oriented and client/server software designs, and advances in local and wide area networks will support significant advances in computerized power plant optimization tools. This paper examines experiences to date, and planned future developments for the Fossil Thermal Performance Advisor? (FTPA?). The FTPA is a Performance Support and Data Management System (PSS) developed for fossil power plants that provides many of the features necessary to optimize and integrate power plant performance requirements. The FTPA includes data monitoring and analysis tools, expert system diagnostics, historical database, a client/server and object oriented design, and networking capabilities. The paper describes experiences related to a number of current installations, and describes planned future developments.
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