Power Engineering articles from August 2006

Power Engineering archives from August 2006

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... Editor's note: In June, Power Engineering announced an initiative to take a leadership role in issues related to workforce development, retention and replacement. That announcement led to a flood of emails and phone calls from readers, some...

A revolution revolution.(OPINION)
August 1, 2006... Mention revolution in a power plant and the first thing that comes to mind may be all the spinning equipment. But a second, more subtle revolution is gaining steam, if you will. It involves generating equipment, measurement tools, digital...

PIFUA returns?(INDUSTRY WATCH)(Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978)(rise in prices of natural gas)
August 1, 2006... Quick, name the person quoted here: "In my recent message to Congress on energy security, I urged several measures to ensure our nation has a strong domestic oil and gas industry and substantial protection against oil supply interruptions....

Fast track innovation at Cherokee Station: partners test a data-sharing platform and learn a new style of project development.(MANAGING THE PLANT)(Xcel Energy Inc.)
August 1, 2006... A power plant may be an unlikely sandbox to play in, but Xcel Energy last year made its 715 MW Cherokee Station in Denver a place for vendors to experiment with new technology having potentially larger implications for the utility's entire...

Kansas wind farm contract canceled.(UPDATE)
August 1, 2006... The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reports that at the end of 2005, more than 9,000 MW of wind energy generating capacity was installed in the United States. The organization also reports that installed capacity is expected to grow to...

FutureGen's final four.(FutureGen Industrial Alliance)
August 1, 2006... The FutureGen Industrial Alliance announced its list of Final Four sites for consideration on July 25 with only two states represented, Illinois and Texas. The short list for the highly-publicized, $1 billion, near-zero emissions coal-fueled...

Joint venture to develop Oklahoma power plant.(UPDATE)
August 1, 2006... Two utility companies with the same need found a mutually beneficial way to solve an increasing baseload need: one with an existing site ready for expansion, the other with the capital and experience to make it happen. In December 2005,...

S & P weighs IGCC economics.(UPDATE)
August 1, 2006... A commentary by Standard & Poor's credit analyst Swami Venkataraman looks at the relative economics of electricity generated by pulverized coal (PC), integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power...

Buying globally, building locally: building 21st century mega-projects will require 21st century project management techniques and tools.
August 1, 2006... As coal and nuclear power plant construction flourished in the 20th century, so did the lucrative careers of the engineers responsible for their design and construction. Today we continue to enjoy the energy this aging infrastructure provides...

Wet-limestone scrubbing fundamentals.(FLUE GAS SCRUBBING 101)
August 1, 2006... Stricter environmental regulations are forcing many utilities to install flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems to control sulfur dioxide (S[O.sub.2]) emissions below levels that can be attained by burning Powder River Basin (PRB) coal alone....

Tackling on-site power costs at critical facilities: DC UPS distributed throughout a critical infrastructure facility can reduce initial capital costs and lower overall O & M expenses.(UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY)(power conversion technology management)
August 1, 2006... Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) issues are often solved at the facility level with unnecessarily large, inefficient, expensive and complex AC UPS systems. While this provides an easy demarcation between the facility and end equipment--with...

On the right track? Utilities and railroads share blame for crimping the coal supply chain. An industry study highlights the chief issues signaling a yellow light for progress.(COAL SUPPLY)
August 1, 2006... Coal produces more than half of the electricity used in the United States. But, ongoing changes in energy markets--particularly for natural gas and oil--are adding to coal's allure as the backbone fuel of the future. While nuclear power and...

Catching varnish before it costs you: operators no longer have to wait for a servo trip before identifying and dealing with varnish in gas turbines.(LUBRICATION)
August 1, 2006... For power plant operators, varnish--the sticky sludge that plagues bearings and servo valves--is a lot like the common cold virus. The cold virus can live in a person's system for days or even weeks before any physical symptoms emerge....

Technology makes demand response a viable asset option.(NEWS & VIEWS ON DISTRIBUTED GENERATION)(EnerNOC Inc.)
August 1, 2006... When electricity supply is short, reducing electric usage and utilizing distributed generation on short notice is a solution that is gaining more and more market acceptance. This ability is often termed demand response and is increasingly seen...

Events.(Calendar)
August 1, 2006... AUGUST 16-18, COAL-GEN, Penn Well (www.coal-gen.com), Cincinnati, Ohio 28-31, Power Plant Air Pollutant Control Symposium, EPA/DOE/EPRI/AWMA (www.megasymposium.org), Baltimore, Md. SEPTEMBER 11-15, CCGT/HRSG Water Chemistry...

Thermal imaging takes an expanded Predictive Maintenance role.(FIELD NOTES)
August 1, 2006... PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE (PdM) involves monitoring equipment over time for conditions that indicate impending failure, determining whether corrective action is required and, if necessary, taking action before equipment failure. PdM is especially...

Hydrogen sensors.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... H2scan Corp. has announced the launch of two new hydrogen specific sensor products, the HY-OPTIMA handheld model 500 and the HY-ALERTA in-line model 700. These next generation sensors provide accurate real time measures in extreme conditions,...

Intelligent pump system.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... Flowserve Corp. has introduced IPS Tempo, a pre-engineered intelligent pump optimization, control and protection system designed to improve performance, lower total cost of ownership, reduce power consumption up to 50 percent, and improve mean...

Electric motor simulator.(PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... Magsoft Corp. announced recently that Motor-CAD Version 3 is available for distribution. This new release offers a range of interface, simulation and post-processing technologies. The Motor-CAD V3 now includes brushless permanent magnet motors,...

Three steps to leveraging your workforce.(WORKFORCE)
August 1, 2006... Issues related to workforce development, retention and recruitment are leading power generators to think creatively about staff and how resources can best be deployed. Three areas that are gaining attention are talent identification and...