Asset Management – Classroom Presentations
CLEAN CURRENTS 2026
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Day: 9/23/2026
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Details about each presentation and the speakers are below:
In this session:
Transforming Hydro Operations: Salt River Project's Fleet Modernization
Checking the Health of CAP Maintenance, Reliability, and Asset Management Programs
Preventing Catastrophic Penstock Failure: Detection and Remediation of Hidden Weld Defects
Transforming Hydro Operations: Salt River Project's Fleet Modernization (Salt River Project)
Presented by Shari Brady, Salt River Project
U.S. utilities are under increasing pressure to deliver reliable, low carbon power as aging infrastructure, extreme temperatures, and rising electricity demand strain system performance. This challenge is especially acute for hydropower fleets built nearly a century ago yet still essential for grid stability.
Salt River Project (SRP) recently confronted this challenge while modernizing four hydroelectric facilities—some more than 100 years old—without disrupting operations in one of the nation's fastest growing regions. Rapid load growth and prolonged extreme heat in the Phoenix area intensified the need to improve unit reliability, enhance operational visibility, and reduce maintenance burdens tied to outdated control technologies.
A central—and transformative—element of SRP's modernization was the implementation of new, fully digital excitation systems across the hydro fleet. The legacy exciters had become a persistent source of troubleshooting, reliability issues, and operational inefficiency. Replacing these aging systems not only eliminated frequent failure points but also provided SRP with greatly improved control accuracy, protection capabilities, and real time diagnostic visibility.
By standardizing both excitation and plant controls on the Ovation™ Automation Platform, SRP achieved measurable performance improvements—including a 30% reduction in O&M costs and substantial decrease in troubleshooting time—directly driven by the capabilities of the new excitation systems.
This presentation will delve into how SRP executed this fleet wide transition, why outdated excitation and control systems pose serious risks to power generation output, and how modern excitation technology enables hydropower assets to operate more efficiently, reliably, and safely.
Attendees will gain practical insight into the technical, operational, and organizational decisions behind SRP's move to next generation exciters, along with lessons learned from the real world deployment of unified automation and modern excitation control across an aging hydro fleet.
Checking the Health of CAP Maintenance, Reliability, and Asset Management Programs (Central Arizona Project / Black & Veatch)
Presented by Jon Reisner, Central Arizona Project
The Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) stands at the forefront of infrastructure management, driven by a strong commitment to continuous improvement and operational reliability. For over two decades, CAWCD has implemented robust asset management, maintenance, and reliability programs to safeguard the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and ensure the dependable delivery of Colorado River water to millions of Arizonans. In 2024, CAWCD took a significant step forward by commissioning Black & Veatch to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of its maintenance, reliability, and asset management programs. This evaluation was designed not only to measure current performance against industry's best practices, but also to identify cost-effective, high-value enhancements crucial for future success.
Black & Veatch leveraged a proven assessment framework that synthesizes principles from the AM ISO 55001 Framework, GFMAM Maintenance Framework, and SMRP Body of Knowledge—bringing together global standards and practical expertise. The process began with a Kickoff and Goal Setting workshop, which established a shared vision for CAWCD's Asset Excellence Program and clarified the criteria for prioritizing recommendations. This collaborative approach ensured alignment between CAWCD's leadership, staff, and the assessment team from the outset.
A key strength of Black & Veatch's methodology was the emphasis on in-person interviews. These discussions fostered open communication, built trust, and provided deeper insights into actual work practices—revealing valuable operational strengths that may not be captured in existing documentation. By directly engaging with staff, the assessment team was able to gather authentic feedback and discover areas for improvement that are both practical and impactful.
The results of these interviews and analyses were presented to CAWCD leadership in the form of a prioritized list of actionable recommendations, clearly defined by anticipated benefits, dependencies, costs, and required resources. This enabled CAWCD to strategically plan future initiatives and allocate resources where they would drive the greatest value. The assessment's success hinged on setting clear goals and expectations, establishing transparent scoring criteria, and fostering ongoing collaboration among all stakeholders.
The presentation will demonstrate how this rigorous, inclusive assessment process has positioned CAWCD to advance its Asset Excellence Program. Attendees will gain key insights into the value of independent evaluation, the importance of stakeholder engagement, and the critical role of clear objectives in driving operational excellence and sustainable improvements.
Preventing Catastrophic Penstock Failure: Detection and Remediation of Hidden Weld Defects (AECOM)
Presented by Sangeet Karna, AECOM
This session presents a real-world case study on detecting and remediating critical weld defects in a 12-ft-diameter unstiffened steel tunnel-liner penstock approximately 0.75 miles long, with wall thicknesses ranging from 1 to 3.15 inches at bifurcations. The penstock was fabricated using European structural and pressure-vessel steels and installed using a combination of Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) for workshop girth welds and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) for site welding.
During construction, conventional ultrasonic testing identified significant volumetric and planar discontinuities in shop-fabricated welds, including lack of fusion, lack of penetration, cracks, slag inclusions, and porosity. Several sections had already been installed and accepted, creating a high-risk structural, financial, and schedule challenge. A comprehensive engineering and commercial risk assessment evaluated potential consequences of non-repair, including catastrophic failure scenarios, lifecycle cost escalation, full penstock replacement, and impacts to the project critical path. The assessment demonstrated that long-term safety and financial risks far exceeded the cost of immediate remediation.
All defective workshop welds were removed and rewelded using a revised welding and inspection protocol. The repair program implemented strict preheat and interpass temperature control, dye penetrant testing of root welds, phased array ultrasonic testing for volumetric inspection, post-weld heat treatment for stress relief, and magnetic particle testing for final surface verification. In addition to repairing rejectable indications, discontinuities that could have met acceptance limits were also removed as a conservative measure to eliminate potential crack initiators and reduce the risk of defect growth under cyclic operation. Previously installed penstock sections were successfully repaired in situ under constrained tunnel conditions.
After five years of continuous operation with no structural or performance issues, this project demonstrates the value of advanced NDT, independent verification, and risk-based decision-making. Attendees will gain practical insight into weld defect identification, inspection strategy selection, repair execution for installed penstocks, and lessons learned to improve fabrication QA/QC and long-term reliability of hydraulic steel structures.
