Power Engineering articles from July 2008

Power Engineering archives from July 2008

Here comes cyber security.(Opinion)
July 1, 2008... Same power plant, different point of view. Where some might see hard physical assets that include a boiler, generator, turbine and emission control equipment, others--in particular those who work with the plant's data and security--might see a...

A big "if".(price of electricity and cost of conventional coal plants)
July 1, 2008... In light of spiraling costs coming from every direction coupled with a sagging economy, the thought of making electricity even more expensive than it already is may not be a pleasant one. Perhaps no single issue is driving concern about the...

Compliance is a four-letter word.(Clearing the Air)
July 1, 2008... Air permitting people love acronyms. And have you noticed that they all seem to sound the same? You're not imagining things. This month we'll tackle a more lighthearted topic: how to understand the alphabet soup that regulates your power...

Technologies shine on parabolic trough solar plants.(View on Renewables)
July 1, 2008... After more than a decade of hibernation, parabolic trough concentrated solar power (CSP) has emerged from its slumber with a mighty roar. Large new parabolic trough CSP power plants have recently opened or soon will open in the United States...

The elephant in the room.(Nuclear Reactions)(Nuclear Energy Institute's Nuclear Energy Assembly meeting in Chicago)
July 1, 2008... Ongoing talk about the nuclear renaissance is both exciting and encouraging, but it always must dance around the elephant in the room: project finance. Even if all the siting, technical and licensing barriers are overcome, no plant is going to...

10 Ways generating assets become "sub-optimized".(Industry in Focus)
July 1, 2008... The staff of most every power plant believes that their plant is "good" or at least "above average," with the exception being those plants that have suffered with problems for so long that it has become painfully obvious that they could do...

POWER-GEN International @ 20: a look back at issues and events from 1988.
July 1, 2008... Twenty years ago on page 6 of the January 1988 edition of Power Engineering magazine, a full-age ad introduced "POWER-GEN '88" to the world. The inaugural event, which grew to become POWER-GEN International, was held at the Orlando Convention...

Carbon sequestration efforts advance.(Startup)(GE Energy and Schlumberger venture for hydrocarbon processing plants construction)
July 1, 2008... New coal projects designed to capture carbon dioxide ([CO.sub.2]) appear to be on hold pending national legislation that would set standards, laws and regulations for doing so--and also establish a price for carbon. Nevertheless, several...

Wind sector believes 20 percent goal "achievable".(Startup)(American Wind Energy Association conference in Houston)(Conference news)
July 1, 2008... The United States wind energy sector continues to believe it is possible to produce 20 percent of the nation's electricity with wind by 2030. But the 20 percent number is not a prediction, guarantee or projection. Instead, according to Randall...

Emission guide issued for ICI boilers.(Startup)(commercial and institutional boilers)
July 1, 2008... The National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) released recommended guidelines for state and local air quality agencies to follow in regulating emissions from industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) boilers in what it called the...

Duke to install solar power.(Startup)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Duke Energy Carolinas is proposing a $100 million plan to install electricity generating solar panels at up to 850 North Carolina sites including homes, schools, stores and factories. In June, Duke filed an application with the North Carolina...

Darlington tapped for new Ontario nuclear.(Startup)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Ontario's Liberal government said it plans to build new nuclear reactors alongside the existing Darlington nuclear plant near Toronto. Three nuclear companies-Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Westinghouse and Areva NP of France-have been asked to...

Grow your own goal.(Startup)(NewEarth Renewable Energy plans to build Coal fired power plants)
July 1, 2008... NewEarth Renewable Energy hopes interest grows in E-Coal, a solid fuel derived from renewable agricultural or biological materials intended for co-firing with conventional coal in ratios starting at 10 percent and ranging to as much as 100...

Renewables and transmission are senate topic.(Startup)(United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources conference on renewable energy and transmission)
July 1, 2008... The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last month held its first-ever hearing on renewable energy and transmission. "Like any infrastructure, the U.S. transmission grid is aging and needs upgrading to function reliably and...

World demand for turbines to reach $106b in 2012.(Startup)
July 1, 2008... The world market for turbines and related products (turbine-based engines, generators and generator sets) is projected to increase 4.9 percent annually to $106 billion in 2012. Growth will be driven by rising demand in the large turbine engine...

Steel prices "exploding" ABMA hears.(Startup)(American Boiler Manufacturers Association)
July 1, 2008... If the United States economy is in recession, then it's an unusual one, said Thomas A. Danjczek, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association, speaking at the American Boiler Manufacturers Association summer meeting in San Diego last month....

Renegy Holdings Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Arizona's largest renewable energy facility to date, a 24 MW wood-fired biomass energy plant near Snowflake, Ariz., entered commercial service in mid-June, providing electricity to Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project. Owned and...

U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... A joint statement issued after talks by Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akira Amari and U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman said the countries reaffirmed their commitment to promoting bilateral nuclear energy cooperation. The...

Vestas.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Vestas said it will locate a wind power research center in Houston to focus on mechanics, electricity, control systems, advanced materials and aerodynamics. Vestas said it will focus specifically on turbine efficiency. Additionally, Vestas said...

Black Hills colorado LLC.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Black Hills Colorado LLC, a unit of Black Hills Corp., has completed construction and is in start-up testing on the $101 million, 149 MW Valencia Energy Center in Belen, N.M.

Xcel Energy.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Xcel Energy said it will provide enough wind power through its Windsource program to offset the estimated 3,000 MWh that the Democratic and Republican conventions will use this summer in Denver and Minneapolis. Power for the national...

UniStar Nuclear Energy.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... UniStar Nuclear Energy, a joint venture between Constellation Energy and the EDF Group, said that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted the remainder of UniStar's combined construction and operating license application (COLA) for...

DMI Industries.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Wind tower equipment maker DMI Industries plans to expand its plants in North Dakota and Oklahoma. The expansion should cost about $30 million. Both projects are expected to be completed to meet 2009 orders. The growth should increase capacity...

GSE Systems Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... GSE Systems Inc. said it plans to build two new full scope nuclear simulators for a Japanese customer. GSE says it has been authorized to start work immediately on both projects. The simulators will be designed and delivered to existing nuclear...

GE Energy.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... GE Energy said it signed almost $1 billion worth of contracts for gas turbines, generators and power plants in the Middle East. In a deal valued at $500 million, GE will supply gas turbines and generators to power plants owned by the Saudi...

Energy Management & Services Co.(Business Briefs)(Fuel Management Division )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Energy Management & Services Co. formed a Fuel Management Division focused on serving the fuel supply needs of combustion turbines. Jeffrey J. Brown a 27-year veteran of the energy industry has been appointed director, Fuel Management and will...

Dominion.(Projects & Contracts.)(Dominion Virginia Power)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Virginia air regulators approved air-pollution permits for Dominion's proposed 585 MW Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center. The plant won approval from state utility regulators earlier this year. The power plant will burn coal, plant matter and...

Duke Energy Carolinas.(Projects & Contracts.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... North Carolina regulators approved a plan by Duke Energy Carolinas to build two 620 MW combined cycle, natural gas-fired units at two existing facilities: Buck Steam Station and Dan River Steam Station. The company will begin construction at...

Southern California Edison.(Projects & Contracts.)(eSolar)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Southern California Edison will buy 245 MW of solar power under a deal struck with eSolar, which will build a series of solar towers with an eye toward delivering energy in 2011. The project will yield 105 MW of energy in the first year,...

UTC Power.(Projects & Contracts.)(United Technologies Corp.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... UTC Power, a unit of United Technologies Corp., said that the New York Power Authority selected the company to supply 12 fuel cells totaling 4.8 MW for the Freedom Tower and three other new office towers under Construction at the World Trade...

GSE Systems Inc.(Projects & Contracts.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... GSE Systems Inc. said it won more than $4 million in new work in its conventional power plant simulation business sector. The company signed a multi-million-dollar contract to build two plant-specific full-scope coal-fired power plant...

Wisconsin Power and Light Co.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Alliant Energy unit Wisconsin Power and Light Co. filed a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) application with Wisconsin regulators for a proposed 400 MW wind farm in Minnesota. WPL's application seeks regulatory approval to...

Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Alliant Energy Corporate Services said it will buy 303 wind turbines from Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc. for about $817 million. Delivery will begin next year and continue through 2010. The turbines, to be used by Alliant Energy's...

Metso Automation Shanghai.(Projects & Contracts)(Metso wins automation order for Ma An Shan power plant flue gas desulphurization project)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Metso Automation Shanghai said it has been selected by SINOFINN Electric Engineering Corp. of China to implement max DNA distributed control systems (DCS) for flue gas desulphurization (FGD) facilities of a 1,320 MW generating station. The FGD...

Alstom.(Projects & Contracts)(contract is Alstom supply turbine retrofit equipment for nuclear power generation facilities )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Alstom said it agreed to supply and install steam turbine retrofit equipment at three of Exelon Corp's nuclear power generation facilities located in Illinois and Pennsylvania. The contract is worth some $420 million. Alstom has already begun...

Powerspan and Basin Electric.(Projects & Contracts)(Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Powerspan have announced the selection of Powerspan's carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Powerspan and Basin Electric completed a feasibility study for a carbon capture technology to be demonstrated at Basin Electric's Antelope Valley Station. The demonstration project is designed to capture about one million tons of [CO.sub.2]...

Reliant Energy.(Projects & Contracts)(Reliant Energy Invest $50 million to reduce mercury emissions at coal-fired generating plants)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Reliant Energy said it will spend around $50 million to reduce mercury emissions at five Pennsylvania coal-fired generating plants. Reliant hopes to remove at least 80 percent of the mercury content of the coal burned at the five stations to...

Voith Siemens Hydro.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Voith Siemens Hydro signed a contract with American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP) for mechanical, electrical, automation and balance of plant equipment for a 208 MW hydroelectric project. The order is valued in excess of $300 million. The three...

American Electric Power.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... American Electric Power made several personnel changes. Venita McCellon-Allen, currently president and chief operating officer of Southwestern Electric. Power Co. with operations in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, has been named executive vice...

John DiStasio.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... John DiStasio, assistant general manager for Energy Delivery & Customer Service, has been named to succeed Jan Schori as Sacramento Municipal Utility District's (SMUD's) general manager. DiStasio is a 27-year SMUD veteran. He served as...

Gary McKinney.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Day & Zimmermann Power Services named Gary McKinney as president of its Day & Zimmermann NPS (DZNPS) division, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the union labor arm of the power services business, with a concentration on...

Duke energy.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Diamond Castle Holdings)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Duke Energy is paying $240 million to buy wind energy company Catamount Energy from affiliates of Diamond Castle Holdings. The combined entity will have more than 5, 000 MW of wind energy under development in 12 states and around 500 MW of...

Lower Colorado River Authority.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Dynegy Inc. and LS Power Group reached an agreement to sell a portion of their indirect interest in the 900 MW Sandy Creek Power Generation Facility to the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). Besides buying an approximately 11 percent...

Northern Indiana Public Service Co.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Broadway Gen Funding LLC)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... NiSource Inc. said its Northern Indiana Public Service Co. unit completed the purchase of the 535 MW Sugar Creek combined cycle gas turbine electric generating plant from Broadway Gen Funding LLC. The purchase price for the facility, in West...

Icons of pop.(carbon, climate change and A1 Gore's movie effect on choices for future electric power generation)
July 1, 2008... Peace, love and Peter Max posters. Could anything define the 1960s more fully than these icons? Our current era likewise may be defined by three icons: carbon, climate change and A1 Gore's movie. Whether or not these enjoy any long-term...

Green strategies for aging coal plants alternatives, risks & benefits.
July 1, 2008... There are quite a few power stations less than 400 MW in size with successful and long histories of operation. Some of these, in fact, are considered "young" if they have operated for less than 40 years. However, they represent power plant...

Properly monitor your scrubber chemistry.
July 1, 2008... Within the last several years the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) market has mushroomed and many utilities have purchased and are erecting wet FGD systems. Critical to proper operation of these systems will be accurate liquids and solids...

Zero-sum game? Zero liquid discharge technology solves many permitting problems, but it usually brings about its own set of difficulties.
July 1, 2008... Water issues are becoming a huge factor in U.S. economic development activities and the power generation industry is feeling the effects. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) report titled "Freshwater Needs for Thermoelectric Generation,"...

Putting a stop to the stop-and-go: hydraulic system fluids can see more stops and starts than a Los Angeles freeway, pulsation dampeners can help ease the flow.
July 1, 2008... Stopping and starting is expensive. Cars last longer and get better mileage with freeway rather than city driving. Corporations leave computers running 24/7 to extend their life. Industrial gas turbine maintenance schedules are determined as...

A new coal blending system for AES Cayuga: a 50-year old plant continues to meet regional power generation needs following state-of-the-art coal handling improvements.
July 1, 2008... A The AES Cayuga Plant (previously New York State Electric and Gas' Milliken Station) stands along the shore of Lake Cayuga in New York State. The plant consists of Units No. 1 and 2 commissioned in 1955 and 1958. Each pulverized coal boiler is...

Benchmark globally, improve plant performance locally: leveraging global operating and reliability data can enhance your power plant's performance.
July 1, 2008... Since the 1970's, the World Energy Council Performance of Generating Plant committee (WEC PGP) has collected power plant performance statistics from various countries with the goal of identifying means to collect/disseminate data as well as...

Export markets for U.S. clean coal technology: U.S. Commercial Service unites U.S. firm with Chinese company in $100 million deal.
July 1, 2008... Larry Hunt knows the coal mining business as well as anybody. After all, he came from an Eastern Kentucky coal mining family, first working the mines with his father in 1962. In later years, Hunt developed expertise in the engineering sector...

Clearing weather at Mt. Storm: a fuel change clouded the outlook at Dominion's Mt. storm station, but changing the feeders and delivery system to mass flow improved the forecast.
July 1, 2008... The story of converting the coal feeder system at Dominion Generation's Mt. Storm plant in West Virginia has more dramatic plot twists than some Hollywood movies. They include a seemingly hopeless challenge, uncertainly, conflict, hope,...

Why alignment?
July 1, 2008... Proper shaft alignment of directly coupled machines has proven to be one of the greatest money savers for machinery-intensive industries over the last 25 years. When poorly done, usually for lack of time, accurate measurement tools, or because...

Boiler optimization and SCR systems: reducing [NO.sub.x], managing tradeoffs.
July 1, 2008... For nearly five years, two selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems have operated almost around, the clock at Dynegy Midwest Generation's Baldwin Energy Complex in Baldwin, Ill. The SCR systems serve two 600 MW cyclone units and have been...

O&M notebook: leak reduction programs.
July 1, 2008... Many sites, nuclear and fossil, lack a program and subject matter expert for fluid sealing. External leakage is accepted as "normal" and an inevitable part of plant operations. In review of industry operating experiences from nuclear, there...

Fiberglass pipe replaces wood stave penstock.(Field Notes)(Jackman Hydro Station)
July 1, 2008... Jackman Hydro Station, built in 1926, is one of nine hydroelectric plants owned by Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH). The facility is fed by the Franklin Pierce Reservoir, which was created by the hydro facility's dam and surrounding...

Cutting silica analysis costs and maintenance.(Field Notes)
July 1, 2008... Silica analyzers in modern power plants alert operators to harmful silica concentrations in the water-steam turbine cycle. In the boiler, silica forms silicate deposits that interfere with heat transfer and are difficult to remove. In the...

Central solar power for the southwest.
July 1, 2008... As utilities in the United States seek to develop renewable energy projects, one promising option is central station solar power (CSSP). CSSP includes solar thermal technologies, such as central receiver and parabolic trough, as well several...

Battery inverter.(Products)
July 1, 2008... SMA America Inc. released the Sunny Island 5048U. Like its predecessor, the 4842U model, the Sunny Island 5048U is designed to provide continuous, off-grid power from renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro, with the ability to handle...

Power and control center.(Products)
July 1, 2008... TDI Power introduced its compact power and control center, designed to provide -48 volt power, rated up to 1,200 watts. Occupying only three standard rack units of height, it provides three hot-plug 400-watt rectifiers that convert 90-264 volts...

Basket strainers.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Basket strainers made of Kynar PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) are now available from Micromold Products Inc. and its distributors. These units are made to capture undissolved solids. A sister product of Micromold's PVDF Y-Strainers, these...

Abrasive products catalog.(Products)
July 1, 2008... A new product catalog that features a wide range of products for grinding, blending and finishing, applications is offered by Rex-Cut Products Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Rex-Cut 2008-2009 Specialty Abrasive Products Catalog...

Self-contained waster processing system.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Dri-Let waste thermal processor technology can be integrated and/or replaced with current latrines in remote locations in power plants, power distribution houses and substations. The self-contained, compact dedicated units are designed to...

Side exit accelerometer.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Wilcoxon Research introduced a new side-exit, low-profile accelerometer with an integral cable. The 787F is the integral cable version of Wilcoxon's 787A side exit general-purpose sensor with a permanent Viton boot and Teflon jacketed cable....

Bag leak detector.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Auburn introduced its loop-powered, 24 volt, bag leak detector designed for high temperature dust monitoring applications. The new TRIBO.d2 (Model 3400) is a two-wire, loop-powered, emissions monitor for high or low temperature applications,...

Gas analyzer.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Titan industrial FTIR systems are intended to provide real-time, multi-component extractive gas phase analysis for applications including industrial hygiene, CEM, process optimization/control, specialty gas QC and research. The spectrometer is...

Pushbutton switch.(Products)
July 1, 2008... E-Switch announced a new, round illuminated pushbutton switch, the RP8100. The RP8100 is available with either a threaded or snap in panel mount. It is scaled to IP65 standards and comes with an LED illumination option. [ILLUSTRATION...

Precalibrated position sensor.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Macro Sensors designed a position sensor that is hermetically sealed, frictionless and designed to replace failing potentiometers in a wide range of industrial position measurement applications. The sensor's coil winding configuration and...

Differential pressure controller.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Dwyer Instruments Inc. released its new DH3 Series digihelic differential Pressure controller. The Series DH3 differential pressure controller provides a 4-20 mA process output, two SPDT relays with adjustable dealbands and a backlit LCD...

Wind towers.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Northstar Wind Towers has begun to produce MW towers for the wind industry that are engineered to individual turbine manufacturer's specifications and are sold as an integrated part of the turbine assembly. The company's modular design allows...

Air filter sampling system.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Veotec Limited developed a way to measure the efficiency of air filters. The Isokinetic Sampling System was developed to provide both filter manufactures and end users with a way to measure the true performance of filters while in service...

Black chrome plating.(Products)
July 1, 2008... MISUMI USA Inc. announced its low-temp, black chrome plating on a variety of the company's motion components, including linear shaft, linear bushings, linear guides, ball screws and others. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Electroplating an...

Ethernet switch.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. announced the SEL-2725 Five-Port Ethernet Switch. The SEL-2725 is an unmanaged, Ethernet edge switch and media converter, with four wired ports and one fiber-optic port. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Self-retracting lifeline.(Products)
July 1, 2008... DBI-SALA, a Capital Safety brand, introduces the new Talon Tie-Back Self Retracting Lifeline designed to eliminate the need for a separate anchorage connector. This fall-protection device offers a solution for providing a tie-back...

Shaft coupling adapters.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Two new rigid clamp-type coupling adapters featuring square and hex shaft outputs for mating dissimilar style shafts have been added to Stafford Manufacturing's adapter line. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Stafford rigid coupling adapters fit...

Pneumatic beveler.(Products)
July 1, 2008... A high speed, hand-held pneumatic beveler that features an automatic pilot locating system is available from ESCO Tool. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Millhog high speed hand-held beveler features a pilot that automatically seats in the...

Filters.(Products)
July 1, 2008... HYDAC has introduced a low-pressure single and duplex return-line filter that meets API requirements. Filters provide filtration efficiency beta greater than 1,000. Flow rates are available up to 1,000 gpm. HYDAC betamicron Filtration is...

Boiler material.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Sandvik has introduced a new material, Sandvik Sanicro 25, for use in high efficiency pulverized coal fired steam boilers. The operational capabilities of Sandvik Sanicro 25, together with the new technology, are designed so that boiler...

In-situ calibration system.(Products)
July 1, 2008... Fluid Components International announced the release of the VeriCal in-situ calibration verification system for the GF90 air/gas flow meter. The system is designed to allow plant technicians to confirm flow measurement accuracy without removing...

Virtuous loner.
July 1, 2008... For every 1 person who bikes to work: - 5 people walk - 9 people take public transit - 21 people car pool - 154 people drive alone (Source: Josh Margolis, CatitorC02e quoting U.S. Bureau of Census) [ILLUSTRATION...

Three questions.(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Basin Electric ran a print and radio ad campaign in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana beginning in May that asked the public to question whether or not federal climate change legislation makes economic sense. "The U.S....

Wind: a 20-state resource.(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The American Wind Energy Association held a conference and exhibition in Houston in June. Associate Editor Steve Blankinship was there and offers these highlights from his reporter's notebook. Vic Abate, vice president of renewable energy,...