1. Introduction
Refurbishment and uprating of the existing power plants has
been considered an appropriate and convenient mean for
increasing the installed capacity and hence available energy generation.
The power plants to be uprated have less uncertainty
associated with them. The payback period of such schemes starts
earlier, as the uprating of power plants takes less time than the
construction of new installations. However, the decision process for
refurbishment and uprating is a critical and complex task. This is
because the power plant comprises of numerous equipments
having different life periods and operating conditions. Subsequently,
research work to find reliable diagnostic techniques for the
refurbishment and uprating of the power plants by means of an
accurate assessment of extending their production level and life are
essential and cost centric.