Power Engineering articles from August 2007

Power Engineering archives from August 2007

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... Regarding the June 2007 article "Clearing the Air in the Twin Cities," it is unbelievable that the Minnesota legislature in 2001 would encourage utilities to make voluntary emissions reduction by switching from coal-fired to natural-gas-fired...

Amplification.
August 1, 2007... The Distributed Generation column for June 2007 did not mention in a project profile on the Ritz-Carlton Hotel that Capstone Turbine Corporation manufactured the 60 kW microturbines used in the project.

Correction.(Correction notice)
August 1, 2007... Correction: On page 42 of the June issue the first sentence uses the word "anthropomorphic." The reference should have been to "anthropogenic" influences.

Room for compromise.(Opinion)
August 1, 2007... Environmental rules are frequently seen as all mandate with little or no upside for a power generator. Rules are written and power generators are given a deadline after which they face fines and other penalties should they end up in...

How the Clean Air Act promotes pollution.(Clearing the Air)
August 1, 2007... The Clean Air Act and its subsequent amendments have been landmark pieces of legislation that have resulted in substantial improvements in our national air quality. Unfortunately, like any legislation, it has many poorly written sections,...

New coal technology to flourish at Kentucky plant.(Managing the Plant)
August 1, 2007... The Trimble County Station, 30 miles northeast of Louisville, is home to a highly efficient coal unit, a six-pack of combustion turbines and a wildlife refuge. Since 1990, the site has been a reliable and economical source of electric power for...

Nuclear renaissance faces formidable challenges.(Startup)
August 1, 2007... The world's growing appetite for electricity, coupled with concern about global warming, are promoting the idea of new nuclear power plant construction worldwide. Like many countries, the United States is looking at nuclear power as a solution...

Natural gas poised to fill the gap.(Startup)
August 1, 2007... While no one is predicting a repeat of the natural gas plant construction boom of the 1990s and early 2000s, a combination of factors--including higher material and construction costs affecting all kinds of power plants along with increasing...

Bechtel has been awarded a contract valued at $2.9 billion to perform engineering, procurement, construction and management for Peabody Energy's 1,600 MW Prairie State supercritical mine-mouth plant in Illinois.(Construction & Contracts)
August 1, 2007... Bechtel has been awarded a contract valued at $2.9 billion to perform engineering, procurement, construction and management for Peabody Energy's 1,600 MW Prairie State supercritical mine-mouth plant in Illinois. Prairie State has signed...

TXU will pay Fluor $1.8 billion to design and build its two-unit, 1,600 MW coal-fired Oak Grove plant in Robertson County, Texas.(Construction & Contracts)(TXU Energy Company L.L.C.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... TXU will pay Fluor $1.8 billion to design and build its two-unit, 1,600 MW coal-fired Oak Grove plant in Robertson County, Texas. Fluor and TXU set a November 2009 deadline for the first unit to meet minimum performance criteria. A deadline of...

Duke Energy Carolinas LLC contracted Stone & Webster National Engineering for the engineering, procurement and construction of a $1.29 billion, 800 MW pulverized coal unit.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Duke Energy Carolinas LLC contracted Stone & Webster National Engineering for the engineering, procurement and construction of a $1.29 billion, 800 MW pulverized coal unit at Duke's Cliffside generating station. Startup of the unit is expected...

Fluor Canada Ltd.(Construction & Contracts)(St. Clair Power L.P.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Fluor Canada Ltd., was awarded a procurement and construction project by St. Clair Power L.P. to build a 570 MW combined cycle power plant in Ontario, Canada. Project completion is projected for the fourth quarter of 2008. The approximate...

Progress Energy said it selected the Westinghouse AP1000 design for potential new nuclear plant construction at its Levy County, Fla. site.(Construction & Contracts)
August 1, 2007... Progress Energy said it selected the Westinghouse AP1000 design for potential new nuclear plant construction at its Levy County, Fla. site. Duke Energy, SCANA and Santee Cooper, and the team of Southern Company and Georgia Power previously have...

First Solar Inc.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... First Solar Inc. said it has entered into five agreements for the manufacture and sale of solar modules totaling 685 MW. These new agreements are expected to allow for sales of approximately $1.28 billion between 2007 to 2012.

Clyde Bergemann Power Group.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Delta Ducon)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Clyde Bergemann Power Group has acquired Delta Ducon's U.S. operations. Delta Ducon is a supplier of dilute phase pneumatic conveying systems in the U.S. power market. The business will be integrated as Clyde Bergemann Delta Ducon (CBDD) into...

Bicent Power LLC completed its previously announced acquisition of the domestic independent power production business unit of MDU Resources Group Inc. in a transaction valued at $636 million.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Bicent Power LLC completed its previously announced acquisition of the domestic independent power production business unit of MDU Resources Group Inc. in a transaction valued at $636 million. The acquired business consists of Centennial Power...

The Independent System Operator New England (ISO-NE) has approved the deactivation of New Boston Generating Station's Unit 1.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Independent System Operator New England (ISO-NE) has approved the deactivation of New Boston Generating Station's Unit 1. Mark Schiavoni, Exelon Power President said that without a "reliability must run" (RMR) agreement with ISO-NE Unit 1...

A 150 MW, $131 million peaking power plant for AEP unit SWEPCO near Tonitown, Ark. began operation.(Business Briefs)(Southwestern Electric Power Co.)(Arkansas, United States)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A 150 MW, $131 million peaking power plant for AEP unit SWEPCO near Tonitown, Ark. began operation. Another two turbines are scheduled to come online in December, generating up to 340 MW. Initially, SWEPCO said it would build 480 MW. Officials...

Duke Energy says it successfully tested soybean oil in one of its backup power plants that typically runs on diesel or natural gas.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Duke Energy says it successfully tested soybean oil in one of its backup power plants that typically runs on diesel or natural gas. Duke said the tests at Mill Creek, a combustion-turbine peaking plant, were the largest U.S. trial of biodiesel...

Peabody Energy and ConocoPhillips said they will explore developing a commercial-scale coal-to-substitute natural gas facility using ConocoPhillips' trademarked E-GAS technology.(Business Briefs)
August 1, 2007... Peabody Energy and ConocoPhillips said they will explore developing a commercial-scale coal-to-substitute natural gas facility using ConocoPhillips' trademarked E-GAS technology. The project would be developed as a mine-mouth facility where...

PG & E Corporation.(People & Personnel)(Thomas B. King resigned)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... PG & E Corporation said that Thomas B. King, president, is leaving the company to join National Grid plc to join its board as an executive director. King will oversee National Grid's electricity and gas business. Effective with King's...

Exelon.(People & Personnel)(Jack Skolds retired)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Exelon said that executive vice president Jack Skolds will retire effective Sept. 7. Skolds joined Exelon in 2000 and serves as the president of Exelon Energy Delivery and the president of Exelon Generation.

DPL Inc.(People & Personnel)(Gary Stephenson appointed)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... DPL Inc. promoted Gary Stephenson to senior vice president, power production. He will be responsible for operating and managing DPL's 3,750 MW of electric generation. In addition, he will maintain responsibility for DPL's commercial operations,...

East River Repowering Project: design, construction and operation.
August 1, 2007... Con Edison's East River Repowering Project (ERRP) increased the electric generating capacity of the East River complex from 300 MW to 660 MW and expanded its steam generating capacity from 2.7 to 5.7 million pounds/hour. This was accomplished...

Startup, shutdown and malfunction plans coming for large industrial boilers: a court decision may have upset the timing of new regulatory requirements for many industrial boilers, but new rules almost certainly are coming.(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... Editor's Note: On June 8, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued an order effectively killing all existing Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules for industrial boilers. The rules had been set to...

Fiberglass plastics in power plants: fiberglass reinforced plastics are replacing metal in FGDs, stacks, tanks, towers, piping and other plant components.
August 1, 2007... A significant increase in the price of nickel, coupled with its reputation for low maintenance, has spurred unprecedented demand for power plant components to be made from fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP). Because FRP has been used in power...

Gaining a clear picture of pump operation: when a piping system problem is found, the first response often is to add a pump. But using a piping system analysis tool can be a better solution.
August 1, 2007... Often things are not as they first seem, especially when one is trying to determine how a pump system is operating. That's why it is often difficult to troubleshoot a fluid piping system that is experiencing problems and to arrive at a plan to...

Gas turbine configurations for efficient on-site power production.(EGSA Special Section)
August 1, 2007... Gas turbine power output can range widely from a few kilowatts up to large utility-sized units of 300 MW. "Industrial" gas turbines are widely used for generating on-site heat and power in a diverse range of applications. The market segments...

Wind turbines pose lubrication challenges.
August 1, 2007... In the 1600s, the author Miguel Cervantes' hero, Don Quixote, charged at windmills in Spain. Fancying himself a knight, Quixote was under the illusion that the stubby, multi-bladed giants were evil-doers. Wind technology has come a long way...

Diesel generator failures: lessons taught by hurricanes.(DG Update)
August 1, 2007... During the 2005 U.S. hurricane season, power outages were widespread, calling a great many diesel generators into service. While most started and delivered much needed power to their facilities, many failures were reported as well. Generator...

Extending gear life in a coal pulverizer gearbox.(Field Notes)
August 1, 2007... A coal fired power plant operating in the Western United States was experiencing short gearbox life in its coal pulverizing operation. An annual gearbox inspection and oil analysis results indicated that the AGMA 6EP (ISO 320) gear oil...

Sealed pushbutton switches.(Products)
August 1, 2007... APEM Components Inc. has expanded its line of IPP sealed pushbutton switches with the addition of a flat top plunger switch series. This product, the IPP Series, allows for customization to help match the switch to unique applications....

Actuators.(Products)
August 1, 2007... Valvcon brand V-Series actuators from Metso Automation combine a 10-bit microprocessor with a high-resolution feedback potentiometer to provide two times better positioning resolution than previous models. These quarter-turn actuators provide...

Tower data management services.(Products)
August 1, 2007... WindLogics has announced the expansion of its Viewpoint wind resource assessment offerings to include met tower data management services. The company uses a screening, filtering, review and reporting process to deliver real-time data that have...

Electromagnetic flow meters.(Products)
August 1, 2007... Flow Technology Inc. has announced the Extended Linearity (EL) 2200 Series of electromagnetic flow meters. These meters are available in line sizes from one to 16 inches and create an electromagnetic field profile that ensures accuracy in...

Pulse Pump.(Products)
August 1, 2007... CAT PUMPS introduces the 6350 Pulse Pump, which permits chemical application at system pressures up to 3000 PSI. This product, composed of stainless steel, mounts onto the pump head in the center inlet valve port of a high-pressure pump....

Particle reduction equipment.(Products)
August 1, 2007... Modern Process Equipment Inc. (MPE) has launched the new ultra-hard, ultra wear-resistant Gran-U-Lizer. This product minimizes roll wear and allows for the grinding of ultra-hard materials such as silicon, coal slag and other highly abrasive...

Forward acting burst disc.(Products)
August 1, 2007... Elfab introduces the Safe-Gard forward acting rupture disc. This product is the latest bursting disc from Elfab to undergo the testing required to be granted capacity certification and authorization to apply the UD mark. Safe-Gard is a forward...

Basket Strainers.(Products)
August 1, 2007... Eaton Model 72 Simplex Basket Strainers offer protection for piping system components like pumps, instrumentation, spray nozzles and condensers. They remove damage-causing material from the liquid process flow and feature a large strainer...

Armored Tubular Level Gauge.(Products)
August 1, 2007... Papailias Inc. has introduced the LG2-V Series Armored Tubular Level Gauge, a product designed to simplify installation and eliminate problems associated with gauge glasses. This gauge incorporates floating misalignment unions, which will allow...

Long-range DTS solutions.(Products)
August 1, 2007... SensorTran Inc. has announced the availability of its DTS 5100-M15 and the DTS 5100-M18 long-range products. These products obtain accurate temperature measurements of their critical assets at distances of either 15 or 18 kilometers. Each...

The engineering labor shortage: facing the challenge.(Workforce)
August 1, 2007... Today's engineering market is very different from what it was a decade ago and current industry trends allude to more changes to come. A fluctuating economy, a large number of impending retirements and a shrinking talent pool have caused many...