Case Study: Chugach Electric Association achieves faster, safer turbine maintenance with SYWARE Visual CE handheld database

Handheld Database Application to Keep Turbines Running Smoothly at Chugach Electric

Chugach Electric Association, the largest electricity provider in Alaska, faced the challenge of keeping complex turbines running safely and efficiently while technicians worked across cold, spread-out plants. Critical calibration specs, drawings, alarm points and part lists were locked in the instrument shop (some in Access, some on paper), so field crews needed fast, reliable mobile access. SYWARE provided the solution using its Visual CE handheld database tool deployed on HP Jornada 450 devices to put turbine data at technicians’ fingertips.

SYWARE’s Visual CE application, synchronized with the desktop Microsoft Access databases, maps tag numbers to drawings, setpoints and notes so technicians can view, edit and sync data in the field. The mobile solution enabled immediate troubleshooting (for example resolving a lube-oil temperature rise on startup), reduced needless trips to the shop, and saves each technician roughly 30 minutes per day; the flexible form design also sped retrofit loop checks and is being expanded to other Chugach plants.

Chugach Electric Association

Steven Epperheimer

Instrument & Controls Technician