Power Engineering articles from March 2004

Power Engineering archives from March 2004

Baseload beckons.(Opinion)
March 1, 2004... In the midst of an overbuilt power generation market that has seen wholesale power prices plummet, merchant power company valuations crater, and gas turbine manufacturer order volumes crumble, it might be difficult to spot a growing demand for...

Wireless power plant applications poised for expansion.(Update)
March 1, 2004... Wireless technology has long performed such routine and mundane chores as opening garage doors, unlocking cars, changing TV channels, and letting us communicate with a variety of awesome gadgets. So it may seem shocking that wireless technology...

Managing nuclear fleets poses major challenges.(Update)
March 1, 2004... Utilities face critical, complex decision-making and long-range work plans--potentially as long as 30 years for nuclear fleets. The reasons why fleets have difficulty realizing economies of scale include the large volume of work, organizational...

Five U.S. power companies adopt WWF energy switch program.(Update)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Five electric power companies have become the first in the U.S. to support a mandatory cap on carbon dioxide emissions through adoption of a program proposed by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF). The companies--Austin Energy, Burlington...

Utilities should heed FGD market growth forecast.(Update)(flue gas desulfurization systems)
March 1, 2004... The Interstate Air Quality rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency will ensure a big market for flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, according to FGD: World Markets, an online report produced by McIlvaine Company. The upshot for...

Construction and contracts.(Update)
March 1, 2004... ALSTOM has receive a contract from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for eight 169 MW Francis turbine runners, wicket gates and stationary wear rings for the Glen Canyon Dam. Scope of supply also includes wicket gates, stationary wear rings and...

Coal activity heating up.(Update)
March 1, 2004... A number of new coal-fired power projects continue to make significant strides toward the construction phase. Meanwhile, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has announced the release of a solicitation for the second round of proposals under...

Mergers and acquisitions.(Update)
March 1, 2004... St. Louis-based Ameren has agreed to buy Illinois Power Co. from Houston-based Dynegy for $500 million. Dynegy's attempt to sell the utility to Chicago-based Exelon fell through late last year. TECO Energy will turn over ownership of power...

International Power.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... International Power has mothballed its 1,100 MW combined cycle gas turbine Hays power station in Texas for an indefinite period because of weak wholesale electricity prices in Texas.

Dominion Resources.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Dominion Resources has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew the operating licenses of its two units at the Millstone nuclear station in Connecticut. If approved, the 870 MW Unit 2 would continue operating until...

Allianz Global Risks US Insurance Co.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Allianz Global Risks US Insurance Co. has launched a new business unit to provide property insurance to the U.S. power generation industry, including utilities and wholesale suppliers.

Royal Dutch/Shell Group.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Royal Dutch/Shell Group will build a large solar energy plant near the city of Leipzig in eastern Germany. The $27 million plant will have 33,500 solar modules with a total output capacity of 5 MW.

SunPower Philippines Corporation.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SunPower Philippines Corporation has signed a pact with the Philippine government to build a $330 million solar wafer factory, the largest such facility in Southeast Asia.

PUMP-FLO Solutions, provider of pump sizing and selection software, and BigMachines, provider of IT solutions.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... PUMP-FLO Solutions, provider of pump sizing and selection software, and BigMachines, provider of IT solutions, have announced a partnership to offer their integrated front-end solution to all pump manufacturers.

Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp., has begun processing low-level radioactive waste at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory following U.S. DOE authorization for start-up.

C. John Wilder, formerly executive vice president and CFO of Entergy.(Personnel & Promotions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... C. John Wilder, formerly executive vice president and CFO of Entergy, has been named president and CEO of Dallas-based TXU, replacing Erle Nye who will continue as chairman through May of 2005.

Wisconsin Energy Corp.(Personnel & Promotions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Richard Abdoo, chairman and CEO of Wisconsin Energy Corp., has announced his retirement effective April 30. Gale Klappa, president of WEC and president and CEO of We Energies, will continue in those capacities and assume Abdoo's...

Charles Patton, vice president of governmental affairs for American Electric Power (AEP).(Personnel & Promotions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Charles Patton, vice president of governmental affairs for American Electric Power (AEP), has been named Texas state president for AEP. Patton will fill a vacancy left by Texas State President Julio Reyes who has been named AEP's Oklahoma state...

David Petratis has been named president and CEO of the Schneider Electric North American Operating Division.(Personnel & Promotions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... David Petratis has been named president and CEO of the Schneider Electric North American Operating Division. He succeeds Chris Richardson, who is retiring after 33 years.

Bigger players, new players bring glimmer of hope.(Nuclear Reactions)
March 1, 2004... Last December Finland placed an order for the first of the new European Pressurized Reactor power plants. The 600 MW plant is scheduled to be in commercial operation in early 2009--a construction schedule of only five years. Also in December,...

Remote monitoring: utilities and original equipment manufacturers are beginning to "see" benefits from remote monitoring and diagnostics.(Plant O & M)
March 1, 2004... Utility companies are continually looking at ways to reduce the operations and maintenance costs of their power plants. According to Tim Holtan, senior business analyst, SmartSignal Corporation, the solution might be found in condition...

Controlled Flow Material Transfer System increases productivity and profits.(Materials Handling)(conveyors)
March 1, 2004... New methods and technologies generally propel progress. And when discoveries contribute to cost savings, as well as more efficient, safer operations, the pace of progress accelerates. That's because it can be measured in specific terms of...

Union aligns gas turbine training program with industry needs.(Training)
March 1, 2004... Union members in various disciplines participate in the building, operation and maintenance of electric power plants. At times, the relationship between unions and power plant owners/developers can be less than ideal. With competition in the...

Stability of peak power depends upon fuel quality.(Fuel Additives)(Fuels,quality management)
March 1, 2004... When a utility needs additional power during peak demand periods, standby and/or peaking units are placed into service. Although these units are idle until needed, they must start immediately when a utility calls for their services. Today, a...

Greater CHP use cited as top blackout fighter.(News & Views on Distributed Generation)(Co-generation Heating Plant)
March 1, 2004... Addressing last summer's U.S./Canadian power blackout before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in January, John Jimison, executive director and general counsel of the U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association (USCHPA), cited the...

Partnership will build 50 kW fuel cell system.(News & Views on Distributed Generation)
March 1, 2004... IdaTech, the fuel cell subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc., has been awarded a $9.6 million development program by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the development of a 50 kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system suitable for providing...

Study says distributed energy resources market on rebound.(News & Views on Distributed Generation)
March 1, 2004... After shrinking dramatically in 2002, the market for distributed energy resources (DER) such as engine generators, micro-turbines, and fuel cells began to rebound in 2003, according to energy market intelligence company Primen. The new Primen...

New Power Generation line aimed at NAFTA markets.(News & Views on Distributed Generation)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... DaimlerChrysler Off-Highway has announced a new line of power generation equipment that includes diesel and gas generator sets, automatic transfer switches, paralleling switchgear, and a complete line of accessories. The products will be...

Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station reduces cost of feedwater heater repairs.(Field Notes)
March 1, 2004... MONITORING OF THE SHELL wall thickness of feedwater heaters at Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Kansas in 2003 revealed erosion of three of the 12 low-pressure feedwater heater shells. Further investigation determined that the shells...

Passive dust control reduces hazards of PRB coals.(Field Notes)
March 1, 2004... PPL MONTANA generates power at two coal-fired generating plants, the J.E. Corette and the Colstrip facilities. Both of the plants are near Billings, Mont. Capacity at Corette is 185 MW. Colstrip includes two 330 MW units and two 803 MW units....

Events.(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... APRIL APRIL 12-14 On-Site Machining Solutions for Power Generation, Climax Training Institute (www.cpmt.com), Newberg, Ore. APRIL 18-22 International Technical Conference on Coal Utilization & Fuel Systems, Coal Technology...

Transition switch overload protection.(Products)
March 1, 2004... Cummins Power Generation has introduced a new Power-Command closed transition transfer switch. The switch features a "blow-on" style contactor for enhanced survivability in the event of a short circuit or overload. Operator safety has also been...

Bearing Selection Guide.(Products)
March 1, 2004... The Timken Company has released an enhanced version of its electronic Tapered Roller Bearing Selection Guide for design engineers. Version 2.0 allows users to analyze bearing selections for new and existing applications, calculate bearing life...

Dual drive pulleys.(Products)
March 1, 2004... Rulmeca Corporation's motorized head pulley-tail system for bulk handling uses a dual drive concept where the conveyor drive power is supplied by two pulleys. The hermetically sealed enclosure increases system reliability while the...

Temperature transmitter.(Products)
March 1, 2004... Emerson Process Management announces the addition of FOUNDATION Fieldbus communications to the Rosemount 644 Head Mount Temperature Transmitter. The Rosemount 644 powers the PlantWeb architecture by providing performance information to the AMS...

Central Alabama Generating Station.(Managing the Plant)
March 1, 2004... Tenaska's 885 MW combined-cycle Central Alabama Generating Station in Billingsley, Alabama, entered operation in May 2003 and quickly proved its mettle, achieving a summer availability of 99.04% and a perfect safety record with zero recordable...

Bad Writing Contest, take 2.
March 1, 2004... PERSON IN CHARGE The paragraph below is taken from a 25-page document written by a utility's environmental group detailing the requirements and duties of a "responsible manager." This paragraph, specifically, describes how to determine the...