Power Engineering articles from April 2009

Power Engineering archives from April 2009

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... On behalf of the Lee County (Fla.) Solid Waste Division, we would like to thank Power Engineering for selecting the Lee County Waste to Energy Expansion Project for the 2008 Project of the Year Award in the renewable energy category. Now, more...

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... After reviewing your magazine a number of times I have come to the conclusion that you publish a truly outstanding magazine. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your magazine discusses the current state of technology, research and development and...

A watershed moment.(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2009... The power generation industry rarely sees watershed events, those brightly defined moments that change the industry in fundamental ways. So take note. We may be experiencing one such watershed moment right now. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

The Obama EPA: a first look.(Clearing the Air)(Environmental Protection Agency)
April 1, 2009... Changes at the Environmental Protection Agency since January 20, 2009 have been anything but subtle. There are new priorities, new philosophies and a sense of urgency that was absent from the Bush administration EPA. The change in tone is...

Coal switch helps New York plants stay competitive.(Managing the Plant)
April 1, 2009... NRG Energy's Dunkirk Generating Station in Dunkirk, N.Y. is a four-unit, 530 MW facility consisting of four coal-fueled units, including two 100 MW units running since 1950 and two 200 MW units that went into service in 1959 and 1960. In...

Interest grows in solar.(Startup)
April 1, 2009... A recent spate of utility-scale solar project announcements indicates a continued--and growing--interest in solar power by U.S. utilities. Solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) technologies are both being...

Renewable Energy World convenes in Las Vegas.(Startup)(Renewable Energy World North America Conference)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Roberto Denis, senior vice president of Energy Supply for NV Energy (left) joins Richard Baker, senior vice president of PennWell Corp. (right) to cut a ribbon opening the sixth annual Renewable Energy World North America Conference & Expo in...

Back to the FutureGen.(Startup)(Report)
April 1, 2009... A report by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) urges the Department of Energy to reconsider a 2008 Bush administration decision withdrawing support for the FutureGen clean coal project. GAO cited math errors that it said misrepresented the...

Kevin Gillespie.(Startup)(EI Dorado Energy Center)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Kevin Gillespie (left) is plant manager at the EI Dorado Energy Center's 10 MW thin-film photovoltaic installation near Boulder City, Nev. The facility came online in December 2008 and provides electricity for Sempra Energy. The plant could...

The Siemens Energy and Industry sectors signed an agreement with Fluor Corp. to strengthen cooperation between the two companies.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The Siemens Energy and Industry sectors signed an agreement with Fluor Corp. to strengthen cooperation between the two companies. The alliance names Siemens as a preferred supplier to Fluor and its global projects business. In the course of the...

Tennessee Valley Authority.(Business Briefs)(Law overview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The Environmental Protection Agency plans to gather self-reported coal ash impoundment data from electric utilities nationwide, conduct assessments, order cleanup and repairs and develop new regulations in response to the coal ash spill...

Idaho Power Co.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Idaho Power Co. plans to build a 300 MW natural gas-fired power plant. The $427 million Langley Gulch Power Plant is slated for completion in December 2012, pending approval from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The plant will generate...

Duke Energy's.(Projects & Contracts)(Duke Energy Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Duke Energy's plan to build a 66-turbine wind power project near Casper, Wyo., will start construction this spring following the unanimous approval of the project's permit. The Campbell Hill project will generate 99 MW when it comes on line at...

Look for these articles online.(Startup)
April 1, 2009... * "Are nuclear costs really that high?," Part II published March 17 in Power Engineering magazine's weekly e-newsletter. * "Top 10 Ideas from Renewable Energy World," published March 17 in Power Engineering magazine's weekly e-newsletter....

Key condenser failure mechanisms: eight practical lessons highlight troublesome condenser tube corrosion issues.(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... The steam surface condenser is an integral component at electric utilities and other facilities that generate power. It is also the point where highly pure condensate can potentially come in contact with very impure cooling water via a...

Cliffside 6 integrated emissions control system: an inside look at the environmental hardware going into one of the highest-profile coal-fired power plant projects in the U.S.(Duke Energy Corp.)
April 1, 2009... In response to the anticipated base electrical load growth and the need for clean energy solutions, Duke Energy is constructing a new nominal 800 MW unit as part of an overall modernization of their existing Cliffside, N.C. facility. ...

PE online question of the week: is your company making plans to use any of the federal stimulus package?
April 1, 2009... Yes 25% No 50% Waiting for more details 25% (For more Questions, visit www.power-eng.com) Note: Table made from pie chart. [GRAPHIC OMITTED]

Choosing the right boiler air fans at Weston 4: when it came to choosing the three "big" boiler air fans--forced draft, induced draft and primary air--the decision revolved around efficiency.(TLT-Babcock Inc.)(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... Proper air and gas flow are necessary for optimum combustion in the boiler of a modern steam generating system. How the dampers, stack design and fans interplay determines system operations efficiency. As one critical element in that mix--and...

Choosing the right wind turbine lubricant: synthetic lubricants from OEMs are supposed to last three years. After that, use this guide to help choose your lubricants wisely.
April 1, 2009... One of the most prolific sources of renewable energy is wind power. Generating electricity by the circular turning blades of a turbine propelled by wind, the prevalence of this renewable energy source has, over the past several years, grown...

Pollution control retrofit for diesel generators.(DG Update )(Combustion Component Associates Inc.)(RC Cape May Holdings inc.)
April 1, 2009... Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology configured with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) have combined to reduce nitrous oxide ([NO.sub.x]) emissions by more than 73 percent and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions more than 90 percent on...

Ending excessive vibration response at a nuclear power plant.(Field Notes)
April 1, 2009... Premature bearing and seal failures were occurring in a safety-related decay heat removal (DHR) pump in a nuclear power plant. The DHR pump is a single-stage, end-suction volute pump. Operating deflection shape (ODS) test results showed the...

On-site machining.(Field Notes)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... When flanges are welded onto wind turbine tower tubes during manufacturing, the high heat can cause the flanges to warp out of specification. To correct this, manufacturers are turning to portable circular mills or flange facers, a solution...

Changing IX resin cut acid/caustic needs.(Field Notes)(Puerto Rico. Electric Power Authority)
April 1, 2009... After changing the ion exchange (IX) resin and regeneration procedure at the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) Aguirre thermoelectric plant, operations and chemistry management groups reported a reduction in acid, caustic and man...

Engineering and manufacturing improve solar collecting trough technology.(Field Notes)(Nevada Solar One)
April 1, 2009... Nevada Solar One (NSI), a 64 MW concentrating solar power (CSP) generating facility that came online in July 2007, is among the first large-scale solar stations in 17 years to use a parabolic mirror trough design. The concept has been in...

Rotork actuator.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Rotork Process Controls is offering the SM-6000 S2 electric rotary actuator for heavy-duty damper drive applications found throughout electric power plants. The SM-6000 S2 provides high speeds and high torque for continuous modulating duty. ...

Warner brakes.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Warner Electric, an Altra Industrial Motion company, has modified its ERS series of electrically-released, spring-engaged brakes to serve as pitch brakes for wind turbine applications that require both "static"' holding power and the ability to...

QMedia.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Quality Filtration, a designer and manufacturer of custom-engineered filtration elements and media, has introduced the new QMediaa. This media has been developed specifically for oil reclamation systems. The QMediaa is developed with high flow...

Intergraph module.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Intergraph has released the Validation, Transformation and Loading module for SmartPlant Enterprise for Owner Operators (SPO VTL), a comprehensive solution that enables companies to significantly reduce the time and costs associated with...

Conval valves.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Conval, a maker of high-temperature, high-pressure valves, offers custom-engineered, multi-stage Whisperjets to reduce vapor or liquid pressure without causing component wear. Whisperjets discharge the system fluid through a series of...

Sly spouts.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Sly Inc., a 135-year-old manufacturer of dust collectors and other air pollution control products, announces a full range of "dust free" loading spouts to help maintain clean industrial workplaces. Whether filling barrels, trucks, railcars or...

Esco saw.(Products)
April 1, 2009... An air-powered panel saw that is offered with two methods for cutting old boiler tube panels as well as trimming new panels for an exact fit-up is available from ESCO Tool of Holliston, Mass. The Esco APS-438 Air-Powered Saw features a 3 HP...

Metcar materials.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Metallized Carbon Corp., a manufacturer of oil-free, self-lubricating materials, offers Metcar grades M-343 and M-346 high temperature mechanical materials. These unique carbon/ graphite antimony-impregnated materials are designed to operate in...

Strahman valves.(Products)
April 1, 2009... The trunnion-mounted, metal-seated ball valves are now available from Strahman that have been specifically designed for severe service applications such as those found in oil and gas, petrochemical, refining, polymer, steam, catalyst, DCU...

Tyco sleeve.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Tyco Flow Control's (TFC) patented Mark III sleeve is now available on its Clarkson KGD slurry knife gate valve line. The Mark III sleeve, an enhancement of Tyco's Mark I and Mark II sleeves, is manufactured through a proprietary process that...

Siemens recloser.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Siemens Energy announces the launch of its new distribution recloser. Designated the SDR, this new recloser is manufactured in multiple Siemens locations, including Germany, the United Kingdom and Wendell, N.C. The recloser switch unit uses...

Graphlon material.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Graphlon GM 860 is an abrasion-resistant bushing material that protects pumps and helps prolong pump life. Developed by Graphite Metallizing, it is a polymer/graphite-based material used in the manufacture of pump bushings and other...

GGB bearings.(Products)
April 1, 2009... GGB Bearing Technology's HPM and HPF fiber-reinforced, plastic composite bearings meet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' specifications for self-lubricating bearings for wicket gate applications in hydropower turbines, according to tests...

WFC clocks.(Products)
April 1, 2009... Used as part of an overall safety messages program, event-free clocks from William Frick and Co. can decrease incidents and improve health and safety in the workplace. With its large digital read-out and custom graphics, the event-free clock...

Training a new generation of welders.(Workforce)(Westinghouse Electric Corp.)
April 1, 2009... Westinghouse, like many companies in the nuclear industry, is facing one of its most positive challenges in decades--satisfying the growing pains of this rapid resurgence with large numbers of skilled talent. With several orders for...