Damaged steam turbine in an incinerator

Background

An essential component inside a waste incinerator, a steam turbine converts the heat produced by the incinerator into electricity. This means that the slightest malfunction can incur considerable operating losses for the operator, generally running into the millions of euros. 

It is for this reason that the machine is equipped with an emergency pump, which is supposed to start working when oil pressure drops too low. However, in this instance the pump was not activated, and the steam turbine suffered severe damage.  

How Stelliant proceeded

With regard to the claim, the incinerator operator immediately launched legal action, which meant that loss adjustment work had to be carried out within a legal framework. Stelliant’s loss adjusters then became involved on behalf of the supplier of a piece of industrial equipment (pressure switch), who was implicated through the last resort pump controls. 

The operator began refurbishment work so that they could resume business as quickly as possible.  In parallel, a series of technical los adjustments were carried out to determine the cause of the incident. 

In addition to our loss adjusters’ expertise in rotating machinery, the claim also required the intervention of specialist labs and service providers. Furthermore, highly effective investigative resources were used to identify the source of the malfunction and remove all doubt: tomogram, scanning electron microscope, etc. 

Stelliant’s loss adjusters took part in dismantling the damaged steam turbine and examining the different parts. The pressure switch on the emergency pump, directly incriminated in the incident that befell the turbine, was subjected to in-depth laboratory analysis.  

By operating in real synergy with the lawyer and the policyholder, our loss adjusters were able to demonstrate their willingness to help and show that they could make a constructive contribution, playing an active role in both appraisal by order of the court and in refurbishment work. 

Given the severity of this claim and its legal nature, Stelliant harnessed its full range of expertise in order to defend the company’s best interests.  

True experts in rotating machinery and the energy industry, the loss adjusters assigned to the claim made significant contributions to debates on where liability lay, defending their hypotheses by drawing on robust technical memos.