Sep 12 , 2016
Rancho Mirage, California

The Combustion Turbine Operations Technical Forum (CTOTF) originally known as the Combustion Turbine Operations Task Force, traces its beginnings back to 1975, when a group of gas turbine owner operators gathered to discuss problems with their General Electric Frame 7 machines.

Robert G. (Bob) Kirn of TVA was elected chairman in 2008.  Recognizing the need to expand CTOTF™’s technical scope as the importance of combustion turbines grew within the electricity generation industry and in response to the User community’s desire for increased business value, Kirn proposed and led the organization’s expansion to its current format.

Now structured in the six strategic categories of Industry Issues, Generator, Electric, Instrumentation & Controls (Gen-E&IC), Operations & Maintenance and Business Practices, Combined Cycle, Regulatory & Compliance, and Combustion Turbines, CTOTF™ now provides nineteen distinct roundtables that touch all areas of plant equipment, combustion turbine manufacturers, and general business practices.



To support this expanded delivery profile, the Executive Board and Leadership Committee were created as was an expanded information and communications network.   Administered by GCSI, CTOTF™’s public Website and a Users only Internet Bulletin Board Communications Service (IBBCS), together provide both a dynamic communications capability affording CTOTF™ members with rapid responses to plant performance questions and an extensive presentation library.



As an on-going initiative to capture incremental value, CTOTF™ continues to create bold new ventures that reach outside the traditional user organization.  Recognizing the value of the industry’s manufacturing and services companies, CTOTF™ created its Industry Advisory Board (IAB) in 2009. Comprised of representatives from a cross-section of industry services, the IAB provides a collaborative communications platform to identify needs and solutions for the combustion turbine industry.



In reflection of the uniqueness of combustion turbine technology and in the desire to emphasize its emerging “stand alone” identity within the power generation industry, in 2008 CTOTF™ worked with Combined Cycle Journal (CCJ) to establish and host CCJ’s “Best Practice Awards”.  And in 2009 CTOTF™ initiated a program to provide Professional Development Units (PDUs) to conference attendees and is actively seeking Continuing Education Unit (CEU) certification through the International Association of Continuing Education Training (IACET).