Marcus Caudill Email & Phone Number

Colorado, United States

Thermal performance and M&D service for the electric power generation industry.

Colorado, United States

Loveland, Colorado

Loveland, Co

• Developed and presented training in plant performance assessment for a world-wide power producer. Led a team from the training class in a hands-on application of the plant assessment principles for a plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Application of assessment findings resulted in significant reduction in fuel consumption and increase in gross generation.• Provided technical support and review of performance test procedures for acceptance testing of a low pressure turbine retrofit for a 650 MW coal-fired plant. • Performance testing of a 650 MW coal-fired plant to identify and quantify capacity and efficiency losses. Results were used to determine outage scheduling for the plant. • Presented a training seminar as part of Energy Tech University program.• Developed a Heat Rate for Operations seminar. Presented the seminar in a customized, site-specific format for several power producers. Also presented as an open-enrollment seminar.• Developed heat rate curves for a co-gen facility consisting of four boilers and two turbines based on a detailed PEPSE and plant operating data.• Provided PEPSE modeling and test data reduction support for contractual heat rate testing for a two-unit site in the Philippines. • Provided litigation support focused on efficiency improvements resulting from boiler, turbine and other balance of plant maintenance projects.• Provided litigation support focused on auxiliary power changes resulting from boiler and emission control system modifications.

Montrose, Colorado

Responsible for technical direction of performance engineering staff. • Developed and implemented methodology for EPRI Production Cost Optimization project. The project was intended to benchmark plant performance using existing information, make recommendations for improvement based on a physical plant assessment, then update the benchmark after improvements were completed. This process was carried out at approximately 15 generating facilities and resulted in significant gains in unit efficiency.• Responsible for performance testing numerous plants including acceptance (guarantee) testing for HP-IP turbine upgrades, LP turbine upgrades, 1-on-1 combined cycle repowering project overall unit acceptance, overall plant testing (PTC46) to meet power purchase agreement requirements for a coal-fired plant, annual heat rate and capacity testing for a 2-on-1 combined cycle plant, acceptance testing (overall plant and component) for a 900 Mw supercritical unit.• Owner’s representative for acceptance testing of two 650 Mw coal-fired supercritical units. Responsibilities included review and finalization of test procedures, interface with the equipment supplier, review of test instrumentation, independent calculation of test results, and review of final test reports. • Project manager for installation and implementation of performance and equipment condition monitoring systems.• Provided training to plant engineering, operations, maintenance and management. Courses taught: Power Plant Testing, Heat Rate Awareness, Advanced Monitoring and Diagnostics, Advanced Operator Training.• Provided performance assessment and thermal audit services to numerous power plants.

Montrose, Co

Responsible for technical direction of performance engineering staff.• Litigation and expert witness testimony for application of ASME Performance Test Codes and calculation of heat rate for power purchase agreement.• Provided an expert report for STEAG, a German power company, related to a heat rate dispute with the power purchaser. Facility was a multiple combustion turbine site located in Columbia.• Developed and implemented site-specific test procedures for PTC 46 testing of a coal-fired power plant. • Responsible for acceptance testing of upgraded high pressure turbine for a 700 Mw unit. Included review of test procedure, selection and installation of instrumentation, uncertainty analysis, test direction, results calculation and reporting.• Responsible for turbine performance testing for more than 20 steam turbines. Testing based on PTC 6 guidelines. • Responsible for numerous boiler, cooling tower, and overall plant heat rate tests.• Developed and implemented a process for evaluation the uncertainty of station instrumentation. • Developed and presented a series of heat rate awareness training seminars to power plant operations, maintenance, engineering and management. • Developed and applied PEPSE computer models for test data reduction, plant modification studies, off-design operation studies.• Developed and implemented methodologies for application of advanced pattern recognition technology to power plant instrument and equipment monitoring.• Developed and implemented a performance assessment process to improve plant efficiency through identification, quantification and prioritization of heat rate and capacity losses. First application of the process resulted in a heat rate improvement of 150 Btu/kWh at a 1000 MW 2-unit site.• Developed a thermal plant testing course for a major provider of performance systems and training to the power industry.

Montrose, Co

Performance engineer responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive performance improvement program. Program included testing jointly-owned units to meet contractual requirements of the ownership agreement and maximum capability tests as required for capacity sale agreements. • Developed site-specific test procedures for ASME PTC-6 level turbine cycle performance tests for reheat and non-reheat units ranging in size from 13 to 450 Mw.• Conducted more than 30 turbine cycle performance tests, including instrument selection and installation, test direction, analysis and reporting. • Developed detailed test procedures for ASME PTC-4 level boiler performance tests for pulverized coal and circulating fluidized bed boilers.• Developed detailed test procedures for CTI ATC-105 level cooling tower performance tests for cross flow and counter flow cooling towers.• Responsible for more than 35 CTI ATC-105 level cooling tower performance tests between 1990 and 1997. Included all instrument specification, test coordination, data reduction and analysis.• Diagnosed turbine deposition using performance test data on a 447 MW GE turbine. Subsequent outage resulted in a 20 MW capacity increase.• Developed and implemented repeatable diaphragm packing leakage test procedures for numerous opposed flow steam turbines. This allowed quantification of previously unaccounted losses of up to 5 MW and 50 Btu/Kwh. These procedures were also used to verify the effectiveness of movable steam packing installations. • Developed specification and site requirements for performance monitoring system implementation. Responsible for selection, procurement, installation and implementation of performance monitoring systems for all units.