Power Engineering articles from July 2004

Power Engineering archives from July 2004

Atlantic crossroads.(Opinion)(Column)
July 1, 2004... At times, the ocean separating America from Europe seems to be getting wider, and the water seems to be getting colder. Philosophical differences related to Iraq, global warming, and international trade polarize public opinion and weaken the...

Propane heat exchange technology would harness significant waste heat.(Update)
July 1, 2004... Water has historically been the medium of choice to drive steam turbines. There are other substances far better suited as a heat transfer medium for power generation at lower temperatures. Propane is an extremely efficient one. After being...

When choosing dive company, don't get in over your head.(Update)
July 1, 2004... In May, Unit 2 of Wisconsin Energy's Point Beach nuclear power plant was shut down after a cord connecting a diver performing maintenance in the plant's intake structure became entangled in a water pipe grate. The diver was conducting a routine...

Developments signal boost for coal gasification.(Update)
July 1, 2004... Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is broadly viewed as the holy grail of coal-fired generation, a technology offering the possibility of using the fuel representing 95% of U.S. fossil reserves (easily a 250-year supply) while...

Reader comment: re: fade to blackstart, (PE, May 2004, p.7).(Update)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... Congratulations on a very insightful and timely editorial. I am a retired vice president of system & transmission operations for an investor-owned utility in New York state. Prior to the deregulation of the N.Y. market, generation owned and...

Big offshore wind turbine tests well.(Update)
July 1, 2004... Poised to become part of the energy mainstream, wind faces one of its most difficult challenges to date: Scaling output up to the level required by utilities. While it took the industry almost two decades to reach the 1 MW threshold, turbines...

Potential wave energy sites/technologies assessed.(Update)
July 1, 2004... Hydroelectric generation is typically thought of in terms of water from rivers and streams dammed and diverted through turbine generators. Yet ocean tides afford additional potential for making electricity, even though only a minuscule amount...

Fuel-Tech.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Fuel-Tech, provider of advanced engineering solutions for the optimization of combustion systems, has received a letter of intent from Duke Power for equipment and engineering for a coal plant NOxOUT SNCR system. It is the first order from Duke...

SmartSinal.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... SmartSignal has announced an agreement with Mitsubishi Power Systems to enhance Mitsubishi's fleet-wide remote monitoring and diagnostic services through the use of SmartSignal's advanced equipment condition monitoring software.

VA Tech Hydro.(Construction & Contracts)(Los Angeles Department of Water and Power)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... VA TECH HYDRO has received a contract from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for the refurbishment of the San Francisquito Power Plant II. The contract, valued at close to $17 million, will include extensive repair work and replacements...

Syska Hennessy Group.(Construction & Contracts)(Orange County Board of Supervisors)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Syska Hennessy Group has received a contract from the Orange County Board of Supervisors to design a $20 million, 10.4 MW cogeneration plant to be located at the Civic Center in Santa Ana, Calif.

Washington Group International.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Texas Genco LP, has awarded a three-year contract to Washington Group International to provide engineering and technical services for 60 generating units at 11 Texas power facilities. Approximately 30 engineering and technical services...

Sempra Energy.(Personnel and Promotions)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Donald Felsinger has been elected president and COO of Sempra Energy. He is slated to become CEO of the company in January 2006.

PacifiCorp.(Personnel and Promotions)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Rich Woolley has been named vice president for thermal production and system coordination in PacifiCorp's generation business unit. Rand Thurgood has been named vice president for resource development and construction.

Foster Wheeler Ltd.(Personnel and Promotions)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Stephen J. Davies has been appointed chairman and CEO of Foster Wheeler Ltd. headquartered in the U.K.

Xcel Energy.(Personnel and Promotions)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Wayne Brunetti, chairman and CEO of Xcel Energy, has been elected chairman of the Edison Electric Institute. Michael Morris, chairman, president and CEO of AEP, was elected first vice-chairman, and James Rogers, chairman, president and CEO of...

Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company has announced it sold 6,200 MW of B & W's natural circulation-type utility boilers to customers in China in 2003. Sales included one 200 MW unit, eight 300 MW units and six 600 MW units during the year with...

Progress Energy.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... With completion of an extensive power uprate of Brunswick Unit 1 near Southport, N.C., Progress Energy has become the first U.S. utility to achieve 120% of its original licensed thermal power at a boiling water reactor nuclear plant. The...

Intelligent Graphic Systems.(Business Briefs)(LCD monitor)(Liquid Crystal Display)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Intelligent Graphic Systems has begun shipping an 18-inch LCD monitor with IR touchscreen especially designed to replace 20-inch CRTs in Westinghouse WDPF system consoles widely used in the power industry. IGS developed a special protocol...

Liebert, an Emerson Network Power company, and Pentadyne Power.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Liebert, an Emerson Network Power company, and Pentadyne Power have signed an agreement through which Pentadyne's Voltage Support Solution flywheel power system will be integrated with Liebert UPS systems. Liebert will distribute the Pentadyne...

Wisconsin Energy Corporation.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... In recognition of its innovation and leadership in expanding the markets for coal combustion products, Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Energy Corporation, parent of We Energies, has been named 2004 winner of the electric power industry's highest...

Active Power.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Active Power has completed the second of five milestones for its new battery-free energy storage system by operating a prototype at 80 kW for 15 minutes. The extended runtime product is slated to replace lead-acid batteries in the 3-phase...

Nuclear power progress awaits campaign season end.(Nuclear Reactions)
July 1, 2004... There is nothing like adversity to focus the mind. The recent high gasoline prices have focused national attention on the importance of energy to the U.S. economy, and on the need for assured energy supplies and stable prices. Unfortunately,...

Section 316(b) regulations: the yin and yang of fish survival and power plant operation.
July 1, 2004... NEW COOLING WATER INTAKE RULES WILL REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT EXPENDITURES OF TIME AND RESOURCES, BUT THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE RULES SHOULD FACILITATE COMPLIANCE. What do you get when you cross 80 trillion gallons of power plant cooling water with...

Combined-cycle users broaden their view to integrated plant.(Steam Plants)
July 1, 2004... When plant staffs were being recruited for combined-cycle or cogeneration projects a decade ago, much of the focus was on the applicant's experience with that site's specific gas turbine model. Hiring executives reasoned that plant operators...

Keeping a cool eye on condenser performance.(Surface Condensers)
July 1, 2004... Steam surface condensers are by no means one of the more "glamorous" pieces of power plant equipment. Keeping them running effectively, however, can result in substantial economic savings due to reduced maintenance costs, fuel consumption and...

Outsourcing O & M allows utilities to remain competitive.(O & M Outsourcing)
July 1, 2004... Controlling the costs of materials management (inventory control) and operations and maintenance (O & M) are major concerns for all power plant owners. According to a Frost & Sullivan report, overcapacity and rising natural gas prices have...

Alliance contracting eliminates the risks of EPC contracts.(Project Development)(engineer-procure-construct )
July 1, 2004... The time has come to persuade owners, developers and project financiers that the engineer-procure-construct (EPC) contract is no longer the best delivery system for building the next crop of coal-fired power plants. Alliance contracting...

Is using manure-based methane right for your plant?(News & Views on Distributed Generation)
July 1, 2004... Use of biogas from manure for power production offers various benefits related to reduced atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide emissions, reduced local odor problems, and diminished potential for groundwater and stream contamination. Biogas...

Emergency power rescues Michigan's Upper Peninsula.(Field Notes)
July 1, 2004... IN THE LATE SPRING of 2003, heavy rains plus normal spring run-off proved too much for an earthen dike on Silver Lake. Located about 40 miles inland from Marquette in Michigan's rugged Upper Peninsula, the earthen dike gave way, sending a wall...

Events.(Calendar)
July 1, 2004... AUGUST AUGUST 2-4 Industrial Emissions II Conference, Council of Industrial Boiler Owners (www.cibo.org), Portland, Maine AUGUST 8-13 APC Round Table & Expo, Reinhold Environmental (www.reinholdenvironmental.com), Salt Lake...

Loss prevention library.(Products)
July 1, 2004... A loss prevention reference library CD-ROM from FM Global contains more than 350 property loss data sheets, the 2004 Approval Guide and the 2004 FM Global Property Loss Prevention Resource Catalog. Consulting engineers, contractors and...

Strainers.(Products)
July 1, 2004... Spence Strainers International announces its comprehensive offering of cast iron, bronze, carbon steel, chrome molly and stainless steel Y strainers. The strainers are available with threaded (NPT), flanged (flat faced, raised faced and RTJ),...

Fuel Stabilizer.(Products)
July 1, 2004... Dieselcraft Fluid Engineering has developed a line of Strontium Ferrite "Fuel Stabilizers" that decontaminate and stabilize diesel fuel without the use of chemical additives. Installed between the fuel tank and primary fuel filter, the Fuel...

Elbow Flow Conditioners.(Products)
July 1, 2004... VOREL 90-Degree Elbow Flow Conditioners increase pump performance and prevent cavitation by improving the flow profiles leading into pumps. No added space is taken up in installation as it replaces the last remaining upstream elbow in the line....

Remote Indicator.(Products)
July 1, 2004... Emerson Process Management announces the new Rosemount 752 Remote Indicator that provides multi-function display on FOUNDATION fieldbus segments. The Rosemount 752 makes it possible to display data from intelligent field devices throughout the...

Carbon Ash Monitor.(Products)
July 1, 2004... ABB announces the release of its new Carbon in Ash Monitor 2.0 with closed loop control capability. The Carbon in Ash Monitor continuously monitors the carbon content to maintain the quality of flyash produced by coal-fired power plants. This...

Turbine lubricating oil.(Products)
July 1, 2004... ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants has introduced a new turbine oil formulated to properly lubricate and protect against the harsh conditions found in turbines and gearboxes. The product, marketed as Chevron GST 2300 and Texaco Regal Premium EP,...

Dewpoint Transmitter.(Products)
July 1, 2004... The Vaisala HUMICAP Dewpoint Transmitter HMP247T is designed specifically for monitoring the water vapor content of intake air on gas and liquid fueled turbines. The instrument is essentially maintenance free and immune to the effects of water...