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CUC currently unable to use Rydlyme
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Posted on Nov 22 2008
The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. still is planning to use the thousands of gallons of the chemical Rydlyme that remain unused and stored on Saipan and Rota, but need to find the time and have the available engines running, said CUC executive director Antonio Muna.
Rydlyme, produced by Apex Engineering Products Corp., is intended to dissolve water scale deposits in cooling passages without dismantling the equipment or pipes.
CUC’s alleged questionable purchase of thousands of gallons of Rydlyme has led to the indictment of Lt. Gov. Timothy Villagomez, his sister Joaquina Villagomez Santos, her husband James Santos, and former CUC executive director Anthony Guerrero.
According to the indictment, of the 8,175 gallons of Rydlyme that remain unused, at least 1,485 gallons are in storage on Rota.
CUC reportedly experienced damage to some equipment during the 1998 to 2000 purchase of the chemical.
Despite the presence of the chemical in a storage room on Rota, the indictment stated that CUC purchased an additional 3,000 gallons in 2007, using sole-source emergency purchase.
Three engines should be working to use the Rydlyme in order to allow for a safety net, Muna said.
The problem right now, Muna said, is that only two engines are working at Power Plant 1. With three engines working, one engine can be flushed with the Rydlyme, while the other two remain online. If one of the engines malfunctions, there is an additional engine available to continue to run, Muna said.
With only two engines, if one was to be flushed and something happened to the other engine, it could bring down the whole system.
“The way system works there has to be at least one engine up at Power Plant 1,” he said.
Muna said CUC has been planning to flush the system since the Aggreko generators came online but have had difficulty getting three engines operational.
