Andrew Darville

Experience

• 

  Bahamas Power and Light Ltd.

  Aug 1986 - Aug 2001

  I mastered all skills and knowledge within the Mechanical Maintenance Division during the 5 years in this position. I focused on continued development and improvement within the Division such to target equipment reliability, safety, and reduction of operating costs. I managed and provided engineering direction on 7 Gas Turbine Major Overhauls as well as several minor inspections. Two generators were decommissioned and removed from site, and I provided the engineering direction with this task.I applied my engineering knowledge and skills to problems which existed for years at Blue Hills Power Station and caused for increased reliability and reduction of cost for the company. One of these problems was the operation of gas turbines with high cooling oil temperatures in the summer months. I was able to design a system utilizing an off-base radiator which was successful. I was also able to design a system which allowed for one of the gas turbines to operate on a smaller and less expensive fuel pump instead of a more expensive fuel pump.I attended various training with Mitsubishi and General Electric during the 5 years. I also participated in the installation, commissioning and operation of new Hitachi H25 gas turbines.I supervised 40 persons while in this role. Show less I obtained proficiency of my engineering skills and increased my knowledge while performing duties as Assistant Engineer. My duties included routine maintenance (predicative, preventative, scheduled) as well as emergency repairs. I was also involved in numerous projects such as overhauls, plant replacement, plant enhancement, and implementations of safety standards. My duties also comprised engineering planning, execution and successful completion of projects and major inspections of generating power plant equipment (including gas turbines, steam turbines, diesel engines, generators). Project Management skills were achieved as numerous projects provided me with valuable experience. I participated in the complete refurbishment of a used Frame 5 gas turbine at General Electric Service Shop in Jacksonville, Florida. Extensive and valuable experience was gained during this time.During this time, I led all activities including Project Management of 12 Major Overhauls on Gas Turbines and 2 Major Overhauls on Steam Turbines and Boiler plants. I attended various training seminars including General Electric Gas Turbine Maintenance, Corrosion Seminars, Vibration Seminars, Safety Seminars and Fire Fighting and Equipment Protection (Texas A & M College Station, 1993) as well as Leadership and Supervisory Training.I supervised a staff of 30 persons during this time. Show less The Engineer in Training Program allowed me the opportunity to participate in maintenance projects while assisting the Mechanical Maintenance Manager. All maintenance activities within the power station were performed such as Combustion Inspections, Major Overhauls, Diesel engine maintenance, refurbishment of cooling water lines, generator maintenance and plant power operations at Blue Hills Power Station.At Clifton Peir Power Station, I participated in the Major Overhauls of Slow Speed Diesel Engines (Sulzer) and auxiliary equipment. I also participated in plant operations.I also spent time in Transmission and Distribution Divisions gained knowledge of all aspects of power distribution after generation. I also spent time with South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) now known as Scottish Power. I gained experience working at a 2,400 MW Coal fired Power plant (Longannet Power Station). I was involved with all aspects of the power plant operations and maintenance. Formal engineering training such as lectures and laboratory or workshop was conducted at Cumbernauld Training Center in Scotland.Directed Training on 4 projects was the completion of my Engineer in Training program once I returned back to Nassau. These 4 projects are as follows:1. GT1 Combustion Inspection - Frame 5 LA gas turbine Combustion Inspection.2. GT4 Major Overhaul including planning and Project management3. Plant Enhancement of TA6 Steam Plant4. TA6 Steam Plant Overhaul - Planning and Project management. Show less

  • Mechanical Maintenance Manager

    Sept 1996 - Aug 2001

  • Assistant Mechanical Engineer

    Apr 1990 - Sept 1996

  • Engineering In Training

    Aug 1986 - May 1990
• 

  Bahamas Electricity Corporation

  Aug 2001 - Sept 2022

  Station Manager

  From August 2001 until end of September 2022, I was the Station Manager of Blue Hills Power Station. I performed in the role of Acting Director of Energy Supply from March 1, 2022, until August 31, 2022. The majority of the time spent in the role as Station Manager was focused on increasing plant availability while reducing operational cost.I was responsible for up to 277 MW at the peak load for this period. Among the generators under the direction and operational control was 5 Hitachi Gas Turbines (H25), 2 General Electric Frame 5 Gas Turbines, 1 General Electric Aero-Derivative gas Turbine (TM2500), 1 old Alstom (Brown Broveri) which was later decommissioned.During this time, I led the replacement of older John Brown and GE gas turbines with the newer Hitachi H25 and GE TM2500 gas turbines.In 2006, I led the project plant installation, commissioning and subsequent operation of the Steam Turbine Plant TA11, which operated in combined cycle with 2 Hitachi gas turbines.I reduced Forced outage rates on generators at Blue Hills Power Station from a high of 10 % (prior to my appointment) to less than 1%. The overall Heat Rate for the Station was also reduced from 17,000 btu/khw to 12,000 btu/khw. This means that the generators operated more efficiently during my administration. The gas turbines heat rates are normally higher than diesel engines, however the advantages of the gas turbines were lower cost for installation and quicker response to emergencies due to the faster starting time.Project management skills were honed during this time with numerous projects such as overhauls, plant replacement, plant enhancement projects, Compliance to HSE standards and reporting as well as housekeeping and duties related to support activities were also part of my duties. Show less

• 

  Bahamas Power and Light Ltd.

  Mar 2022 - Aug 2022

  Acting Director of Energy Supply

  From March 1, 2022, to August 31, 2022, I was the Acting Director of Energy Supply. In this role, I was responsible for all operations activities and administration of both power plants on the island of New Providence, Bahamas. The period for acting duties covered the peak demand period of the year for power production. I identified operational goals for both station and achieved success in increasing plant availability while returning two (2) generators back to service after lengthy outages. I initiated investigative condition assessment of buildings structural problems involving testing of core samples.Our company also conducted the annual inspection of GE TM 2500 gas turbine and identified a potential problem with an Exhaust Scroll support. The solution was for the replacement of this component.A diesel generator was overhauled at Clifton Peir utilizing staff from the manufacturers' representatives, BPL staff and local vendor staffing.Improvements in safety standards and housekeeping were also achieved at this time particularly at Clifton Pier. Show less