Customer Case Study
11 years of automated combustion optimization at Hermiston Generating Plant
How a GE 7FA facility used ECOMAX to support lower emissions, better combustion hardware condition, and long-term lifecycle value.
Customer Case Study
How a GE 7FA facility used ECOMAX to support lower emissions, better combustion hardware condition, and long-term lifecycle value.
The problem
Hermiston operates two GE 7FA gas turbines in eastern Oregon, where the plant sees wide seasonal operating conditions, including triple-digit summer heat and winter temperatures that can fall well below freezing.
Before ECOMAX, the plant relied on outage tuning and later added winter tuning to manage seasonal combustion behavior. The limitation was clear: a tune established at one point could not continuously follow changes in ambient conditions, machine condition, or seasonal operating demands.
“You tuned it in one spot. You're not tuning it as conditions change.”
Tim Key, Maintenance and Projects Manager
The pressure
At Hermiston, turbine inspection timing and outage planning are strongly influenced by combustion hardware condition. Fuel nozzles, liners, coatings, and related components can show the effect of thermal and dynamic stress when combustion conditions are not well controlled.
The plant's primary driver for ECOMAX was hardware repair cost, with emissions performance as a secondary driver.
“The big thing is your repair cost on your hardware is going to be reduced. Your emissions will be less. Those are both two huge factors.”
Tim Key, Maintenance and Projects Manager
The solution
Hermiston implemented ECOMAX to continuously monitor and respond to actual turbine conditions. The platform supported tuning for both emissions and combustion dynamics, helping the plant avoid the limitations of static seasonal tuning.
For the plant team, the value was visible in two areas: emissions performance and hardware condition.
Result 1: Lower emissions
Unit 1 continues to operate with ECOMAX and DLN 2.0 combustion hardware. This context is critical for technical audiences because DLN 2.0 is a 25 ppm GE combustor platform, not a DLN 2.6 configuration.
Important context: Hermiston Unit 1 was operating on DLN 2.0 combustion hardware, not DLN 2.6. DLN 2.0 is a 25 ppm GE combustor platform, making the observed 15 ppm NOx level a meaningful reduction versus the original guarantee.
Roughly 40% lower NOx than the original DLN 2.0 guaranteed level, maintained across changing operating conditions.
Result 2: Better hardware condition
Tim Key has worked at the plant for nearly three decades and directly supports the inspection, quoting, repair, and management of turbine hardware. His assessment of ECOMAX is grounded in what he has seen during outages.
Since implementing ECOMAX, the plant has observed better overall combustion hardware condition.
Supporting hardware findings
Lifecycle value
For management and maintenance teams, the value becomes economic when stable combustion improves repair scope or creates the opportunity for additional repair cycles.
“If you can run another set of hardware an additional 12,000 hours, or another cycle on the hot gas path hardware, that's worth its weight in gold.”
Tim Key, Maintenance and Projects Manager
Management conclusion
After approximately 11 years of experience with ECOMAX, Tim's conclusion was direct: “It pays for itself relatively quick.”
The Hermiston case demonstrates why automated combustion optimization matters. The value is not limited to tuning convenience. It can affect emissions performance, hardware condition, repair economics, outage planning, and long-term asset strategy.
Results are specific to the Hermiston units, DLN 2.0 hardware, operating history, maintenance practices, inspection findings, and site operating profile. Results may vary by configuration and require site-specific validation.
