NV Energy Boosts Plant Reliability with GE Bently Nevada Wireless Monitoring

Ensuring the health of every asset—critical or not—is now essential for modern plants. While high‑critical equipment receives continuous monitoring, many essential assets are too costly for wired systems and are traditionally checked only during monthly or quarterly walk‑arounds. Those infrequent checks leave little room for early detection, and problems can progress from “OK” to “serious” between visits, jeopardizing both performance and safety.

NV Energy is turning to wireless technology to bridge that gap. The company recently deployed GE Energy’s Bently Nevada Essential Insight.mesh wireless condition‑monitoring system at its Fort Churchill Operating Station in Yerington, Nevada, with the aim of reducing operating expenses and boosting reliability.

Prior to the installation, essential assets were monitored only sporadically. The wireless solution extends real‑time condition monitoring to a broader range of equipment—boiler feed pumps, condensate pumps, AC lube oil pumps, service water pumps, circulation water pumps, and an FD fan—previously underserved due to cost and accessibility constraints.

“We were excited to be the first plant in NV Energy to utilize this new technology,” says Greg Bushman, plant manager at Fort Churchill. “We have always used Bently Nevada for our critical assets, so it felt natural to expand it to our essential ones.”

Over two days, the system was deployed and configured on 21 vibration sensors, seven wSIM nodes, three repeaters, and the System 1 software. Within hours of activation, the system detected anomalies in cooling‑water pumps, prompting timely maintenance planning.

All data is transmitted wirelessly to the plant’s Electronics Room, where a System 1 display computer consolidates the information with data from other monitored assets, such as turbine‑generator sets. This unified view empowers operators to make data‑driven decisions, cutting maintenance costs and improving plant performance.

The lower installation and deployment costs of wireless technology make it easier for utilities to justify expanding online condition monitoring across a wider spectrum of assets—including remote deep‑well pumps, cooling towers, and more—leading to smarter, more efficient operations.

By extending affordable, real‑time monitoring, plants can increase efficiency, reliability, and uptime, ultimately translating to reduced operating expenses.

For more information on GE Energy products and services, visit:
https://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/oc/en/bently_nevada/essential_insight.htm