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60 seconds with...Thomas Hoey, RWE

Institution News Team

Thomas Hoey
Thomas Hoey

Ahead of his presentation covering "Corrosion Under Insulation" at the HRSG User Group, we spoke with Thomas Hoey

For full details and to book your place please visit the event website.

Please provide us with a brief overview of your current role as it relates to HRSGs.

Tom Hoey (TH): I have worked in the industry for 10 years, currently for RWE. I began my career as a research metallurgist developing coating systems for conventional boilers and HRSG’s. I subsequently joined RWE as a pressure part metallurgist, specialising in failure investigations and outage support. I have recently moved into a portfolio engineer role supporting the integrity management of the RWE HRSG fleet.

What do you see as the number one challenge facing engineers in today’s industry?

TH: Continuing to support ageing assets and ensuring they operate safely and reliably. This is going to be incredibly important during the next couple of years where gas generation is going to be so important to ensure security of supply.

What contemporary technological developments or projects most interest you?

TH: Hydrogen fired GTs and the associated pressure systems challenges associated with hydrogen.

Where do you see the future of the market going over the rest of the decade?

TH: With the increasing move to renewables ageing CCGT assets are going to be operated less frequently but will require high reliability to exploit the commercial opportunities when renewables cannot match demand. Balancing lower load factors with high reliability is going to be a big challenge for the industry.

What will you be addressing in your presentation at this year’s conference?

TH: I will be presenting on the topic of corrosion under insulation in our industry. As plant load factors reduce and change CUI is becoming an increasing threat to the integrity of our pressure systems.

Which topics or speakers are you most looking forward to?

TH: The whole agenda looks great but I am particularly looking forward to hearing from other operators and sharing good practice across the industry.

Why is it so important for engineers to come together at this user group?

TH: Only by sharing our experiences can we make sure our industry is as safe and reliable as it possibly can be. Its good to talk!

The next Heat Recovery Steam Generator User Group will take place on the 2-3 November 2022 at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel.

Join two days of technical presentations, panel discussions and networking opportunities, bringing together all the manufacturers, owners, operators, engineering thought leaders and maintenance contractors involved. For full details and to book your place please visit the event website.

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