Power Engineering articles from May 2007

Power Engineering archives from May 2007

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Regarding the March 2007 article entitled "Comparing Emssions: PC, CFB and IGCC" by Robynn Andracsek, Burns & McDonnell. It appears the goal of the referenced article was to provide a comparison of actual emissions data for PC, CFB and IGCC...

A fuel whose time has (not yet) arrived.(Opinion)(Jim Drees talks about alternative fuels)
May 1, 2007... A mid-February press release hit my computer, saying that a California company called BioEnergy Solutions would begin building a facility this spring, which, a decade from now, will deliver up to 3 billion cubic feet of biogas a year to Pacific...

Carbon tax vs. cap-and-trade.(Industry In Focus)
May 1, 2007... Future energy historians will likely point to November 7, 2006 as the day America initiated a national commitment to addressing climate change. November 7, of course, was Election Day in the United States, and with Democrats assuming control of...

Discovering new ways to tap into hydro.(View On Renewables)
May 1, 2007... It's one of the oldest forms of renewable energy. For more than a century, it has cleanly and reliably helped power our lives. And as our nation faces what appears to be its biggest energy challenge in decades, it's becoming more important than...

Uranium business continues to rebound.(NUCLEAR REACTIONS)(Statistical data)
May 1, 2007... It has been nearly nine months since I last wrote about nuclear fuel issues. At that time I noted that the nuclear power industry was beginning to show concern about the adequacy of both uranium supply and uranium processing capacity....

EIA forecasts summer energy trends.(Startup)(Energy Information Administration)(Statistical data)
May 1, 2007... Concerns about extreme weather conditions and rising prices in the oil market will keep upward pressure on the Henry Hub natural gas spot price during much of the summer forecast period, according to the Energy Information Administration's...

Texas to abandon its lone ranger grid?(Startup)
May 1, 2007... Former House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton of Texas has seemingly committed heresy by proposing that consideration be given to interconnecting the Lone Star State's isolated power grid to the rest of the United States. ...

Entergy Louisiana to repower Little Gypsy unit.(Startup)
May 1, 2007... Entergy Louisiana, LLC, a unit of Entergy Corp., said it plans to repower a 530 MW generating unit at its Little Gypsy site in Montz, LA. The estimated $1.02 billion unit will utilize circulating fluidized bed technology developed under the...

Midwest Energy.(Construction & Contracts)(Midwest Energy contract with Burns and McDonnell Engineering Co.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Midwest Energy has selected Burns & McDonnell to provide engineering design, procurement and construction services for the 76 MW Goodman Energy Center, a $60 million gas-fired peaking facility to be built near Hays, KS.

The Shaw Group.(Construction & Contracts)(Shaw Group contruction contract with Public Service Enterprise Group)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Shaw Group has been awarded an EPC contract by Public Service Enterprise Group to install mercury control and FGD systems for Units 1 and 2 at the Mercer Generating Station near Trenton, N.J. The contract is valued at about $440 million.

John Wood Group.(Construction & Contracts)(John Wood Group contract with Sacramento Power Authority)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... John Wood Group has received a five-year contract from the Sacramento Power Authority for the care, custody and control and O & M of the SPA CoGen III and McClellan facilities in California. The cogeneration plant consists of a Siemens V84.2...

The Vermont Public Service Board.(Mergers & Acquisitions)
May 1, 2007... The Vermont Public Service Board has approved of Green Mountain Power's proposal to merge with Northern New England Energy Corporation.

Mid-Kansas Electric Company.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Aquila Inc. sale its Kansas electric properties to Mid-Kansas Electric Company)(Aquila Inc. sale its Jeffrey Energy Center to Westar Energy)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... In the last of four utility property sales first announced in 2005, Aquila has sold its Kansas electric properties to Mid-Kansas Electric Company for more than $235 million and its 8 percent leasehold and other interests in the 2,400 MW...

Dynegy and LS Power.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Dynegy Inc. joint venture with LS Power Corp.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Dynegy and LS Power have combined operating assets and established a 50/50 joint venture that increases the size of Dynegy's generation portfolio by about 8,000 MW.

Entergy.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Entergy corp. purchase nuclear plant from Consumers Energy Co.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Entergy has completed its purchase of the 798 MW Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan from Consumers Energy. All of the power produced will be sold back to Consumers Energy for at least 15 years.

Wisconsin Power and Light.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Wisconsin Power and Light Co. buy Neenah Generating Facility from Calpine Corp.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Wisconsin Power and Light plans to pay $94 million to buy the Neenah Generating Facility, a seven-year-old, 300 MW simple cycle gas-fired electric generating facility to replace output currently under a purchased power agreement with Calpine's...

Mirant Corp.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Mirant Corp. said its Board of Directors will explore "strategic alternatives" to enhance stockholder value. The company said that it has made "significant progress" in implementing the program it announced in July and August 2006 to sell its...

GE Energy.(Business Briefs)(GE Energy opening in Wilmington, N.C)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... GE Energy has expanded its facilities in Wilmington, N.C. with the opening of a new advanced technology center and global field services facility employing several hundred employees doing advanced design and implementation support for the...

NRG Energy, Inc. and GreenFuel Technologies Corporation.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... NRG Energy, Inc. and GreenFuel Technologies Corporation are beginning to field test GreenFuel's emissions-to-biofuels technology at NRG's Big Cajun II--a 1,489 MW coal-fueled power plant in New Roads, LA. The process uses naturally occurring...

Florida Power & Light.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Florida Power & Light plans to increase its generating capacity 28 percent by 2016 adding 6,700 MW to the 24,360 MW it now has. FPL is seeking approval to add 1,960 MW of advanced clean coal technology in Glades County that would go into...

DOE.(Business Briefs)(Department of Energy)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... DOE has cleared the way for construction of a $569 million, 285 MW coal-fired demonstration plant to be built at Orlando Utility Commission's Stanton Energy Center. The project scales up a process that uses integrated gasification combined...

Japan Nuclear Fuel.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Japan Nuclear Fuel has joined the U.S. industry team formed by AREVA, Washington Group International and BWX Technologies to respond of the Department of Energy's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership seeking industry interest in a nuclear fuel...

Wisconsin Power and Light Co.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Wisconsin Power and Light Co. said it was "disappointed" with a return on equity decision handed down by state regulators in late April and will now rethink its decision to build a 60 to 99 MW wind farm. The company had sought a 12.9 percent...

Duke Energy.(Personnel & Promotions)(James Turner and Gas. B. Keith Trent are appointed )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Duke Energy has named James Turner president and COO of U.S. Franchised Electric and Gas. B. Keith Trent has been named group executive and chief strategy, policy and regulatory officer.

Cleaver-Brooks.(Personnel & Promotions)
May 1, 2007... Welch Goggins, president and CEO of boiler room products and systems provider Cleaver-Brooks, has been elected chairman of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association.

Edward Salas.(Personnel & Promotions)
May 1, 2007... Edward Salas has been named senior vice president of engineering and operations at Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Wartsila North America.(Personnel & Promotions)
May 1, 2007... Frank Donnelly has been named president of Wartsila North America. He continues as vice president, power plants, North America.

Benetech.(Personnel & Promotions)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Coal handling technology and systems provider Benetech has named Paul Parsons sales manager for InteliFlo products. Lonnie Waller, formerly president of the Indiana Coal Mining Institute, has been named project manager; Robert Chmelar has been...

Electric Power Research Institute.(Personnel & Promotions)(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Dr. Chauncey Starr, 95, founder and President Emeritus of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), died April 17 at his home in California. Starr held a life-long conviction that science and technology should play an important role in...

Comprehensive catalyst management: as SCR season expands from five months to year-round, new catalyst strategies are increasingly important.(selective catalytic reduction)
May 1, 2007... The U.S. power industry is fast approaching the time when significant catalyst management decisions must be made to maintain performance and comply with new regulatory challenges. And the key to successfully operating a selective catalytic...

Wind turbines: designing with maintenance in mind; Unscheduled maintenance costs can weaken a company's bottom line, so wind turbine manufacturers are beginning to design with maintenance in mind.
May 1, 2007... Wind energy technology is no longer an infant technology in the research and development stage. It has become not only a mature renewable energy technology, but also a mature electricity generating technology. According to the American Wind...

A paperless approach to managing major projects: SONGS plant managers turn to a 3D modeling tool used in the aerospace industry to simulate an upcoming $680 million upgrade.(San Onofre nuclear generating station)
May 1, 2007... As a generation of nuclear plants come up for relicensing, prospects for extending their productive life spans have never looked so good. What's in question is how many companies will be able to cash in on the opportunity. [ILLUSTRATION...

High pressure fuel gas boosting compressors.
May 1, 2007... A fuel gas boosting compressor is the "blood pump" for gas turbine power plants because if the fuel gas compressor fails, the gas turbine power plant stops entirely. As a result, compressors are critically important for reliable gas...

Project spec sheet.(DG Update)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, Manhattan Project Developer: Durst Organization and Bank of America Cogeneration Engineering: Waldron Engineering & Construction PROJECT OBJECTIVE: TO MEET PARTIAL BASELOAD ELECTRICITY...

Keep an open mind about closed transition.(DG Update)
May 1, 2007... Commercial and industrial utility customers who participate in peak shaving, curtailment or other programs increasingly want to use their onsite generation to supplement utility power. They may want to maintain full operation of their on-site...

Pulverizer performance upgrades lower fuel costs.(Field Notes)
May 1, 2007... St. Johns River Power Park (SJRPP), located on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Fla., is jointly owned by JEA (formerly Jacksonville Electric Authority) and Florida Power & Light (FPL). JEA is the plant operator. The plant consists of two...

Flash inhibiting motor control center.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Eaton Corp. recently introduced the FlashGard low voltage motor control center to address the dangers associated with arc flash events. FlashGard is the first in the industry to offer features that help prevent injuries from electric shock,...

Impulse boiler cleaning system.(Products)
May 1, 2007... GE Energy has announced the availability of its new product, Powerwave+, an impulse cleaning system that enhances boiler operation and minimizes high maintenance and high expenses associated with other cleaning methods at coal-fired power...

Strike-free wrenches.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Wright Tool Co. recently introduced Strike-Free wrenches, designed for use on heavy-duty applications where slugging wrenches cannot be used and where cheater bars should not be used. Wright strike-free wrenches are specifically designed for...

General service expansion joint.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Garlock Sealing Technologies offers the 104GS General Service Expansion Joint designed to accomodate a wide variety of operationg conditions. Standard construction features a neoprene tube and cover that offer a wide range of media...

Customized monitors.(Products)
May 1, 2007... CyberResearch has developed the CyRAQ product line of monitors specifically to meet the challenges of customization requirements. The CyRAQ modular design enables CyberResearch to build special monitors on a quick-turnaround basis with the...

Wet-wet differential pressure sensor.(Products)
May 1, 2007... The Pressure/Force Design Center of Measurement Specialties Inc. (MEAS) introduced Model DP86, a wet-wet differential pressure sensor capable of reducing measurement error in fluid flow, for both low pressure gas and corrosive liquid...

Digital audio safety alert device.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Towerswitch LLC has introduced Talking Alert! a new digital audio device designed to dramatically reduce accidents in the workplace via automatically triggered audio safety messages and emergency alerts. Based upon a product initially launched...

Water treatment corrosion control brochure.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Alco Chemical has published a new brochure featuring an advanced new development in corrosion control in water treatment systems: "METAFLEX EP Corrosion Inhibitor." Designed to form durable films, METAFLEX EP Corrosion Inhibitor offers high...

Conveyor belt anti-icing systems.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Midwest Industrial Supply introduced the King Cobra Winter Spray System, the next generation of its exclusive conveyor belt anti-icing systems. This new system prevents cold temperatures from causing belt surface friction loss as well as ice...

Arc Welding Safety CD.(Products)
May 1, 2007... The Lincoln Electric Co. has released a new Arc Welding Safety CD (MC06-209) featuring industry and product news, including the New OSHA Hexavalent Chromium Standards and OSHA's Small Entity Compliance for Hexavalent Chromium Standard. The new...

Multi display graphic system.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Matrox Graphics Inc., a manufacturer of graphics solutions for professionals, recently unveiled the TripleHead2Go Digital Edition, the latest addition to its Graphics eXpansion Module (GXM) line. This new external graphics upgrade device allows...

Energy venture capital report.(Products)
May 1, 2007... Energy Business Reports has issued a report on Venture Capital in the Energy Industry that focuses specifically on the changing investment landscape and the market scenario for energy companies looking to obtain funding. From exploring the...

"Hot California nights" no mere marketing ploy.(Generating Buzz)
May 1, 2007... Wild nights in California's urban play places have long been a draw for tourists looking for a good time on holiday. Now there's scientific evidence that the state's nightlife is indeed hot. Seems that average temps in California rose almost...

Daylight (no savings) time.(Generating Buzz)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Some golf swings may have benefited, but the move to start Daylight Savings Time three weeks early this year yielded few if any energy savings. The move to turn the clocks ahead March 11 rather than in April came as an energy-saving idea...

Carbon, carp and crappie.(Generating Buzz)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... That old fishin' hole may never look the same. Up until a decade ago, scientists making calculations involving the land-based portion of the world's carbon budget limited themselves to just the ocean and the land. They figured that because...