Power Engineering articles from May 2009

Power Engineering archives from May 2009

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... Your Opinion piece "Decision Time for Ultra-Supercritical" (March 2009) makes reference to Philo 6 and Eddysport 1. The latter should be Eddystone 1. I found the rest of the opinion piece to be spot on. James B. Lewis, PE Executive...

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... It is true that a large percent of all the electrical energy generated powers electric motors and their systems. What is so discouraging is the amount of errors and misconceptions in the article ("Effective Motor Management," March 2009). The...

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... While the goal of the article ("Effective Motor Management," March 2009) was noble, the article itself contains much information which should be corrected. Electric motor efficiency varies considerably, depending on motor horsepower (hp) rating...

Wanted: bold, not goofy.(Opinion)(Law overview)(Editorial)
May 1, 2009... Draft climate change legislation. Increased federal backing for renewable energy projects. Talk of smart grids and electric cars. Movement toward rules for carbon capture and sequestration. Admittedly bold initiatives from a Washington DC that...

School buses, solar panels & consent agreements (oh my!).(Clearing the Air)(Law overview)
May 1, 2009... More and more coal-fired power plants are being swept into consent decree agreements for New Source Review violations after conducting "routine maintenance" that is no longer considered "routine" according to the Clean Air Act. These...

Help wanted ... or no help needed?(Nuclear Reactions)(Chuck Goodnight of Goodnight Consulting)(Interview)
May 1, 2009... Nuclear power plant staffing is complicated by tension between maintaining sufficient manpower to meet regulatory and operational requirements and responding to downward pressure on operations and maintenance costs. The current economic...

New generation flywheels.(View on Renewables)
May 1, 2009... The phrase "everything old is new again" certainly applies to today's flywheel technology. Unlike the mechanical bearing, standard atmosphere 5,000 RPM steel behemoths of the past, many of today's flywheel designs feature compact carbon...

Renewable energy financing incentives.(View on Renewables)(Law overview)
May 1, 2009... Passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 paves the way for significant additional funding by the Department of Energy (DOE) to be deployed to start-ups and early stage companies for research, development, demonstration and...

U.S. wind energy market profiled in AWEA report.(Startup)
May 1, 2009... Turbines from GE Energy made up 43 percent of all new wind power capacity installed in the U.S. during 2008. Vestas ranked second at 13 percent, according to annual wind energy industry rankings from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)....

EPRI lays out an electric vehicle future.(Startup)(Electric Power Research Institute)(General Motors Corp.)(Conference news)
May 1, 2009... Electric vehicles (EVs) in the form of plug-in hybrid gasoline/electric cars will likely be a part of our not-so-distant future. And it will be the job of electric utilities to establish a residential infrastructure to fully integrate them into...

Reheat recovery boiler aimed at boosting power output.(Startup)
May 1, 2009... Babcock & Wilcox is looking for a pulp and paper company willing to install a reheat recovery boiler that could turn the manufacturing facility from a power consumer into a power generator. The timing for such an investment may be right. For...

Energy Composites Corp.(Business Briefs)(wind turbine blade factory building plans)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Energy Composites Corp., a Wisconsin-based wind power manufacturer, plans to build a $15 million wind turbine blade factory capable of producing up to 1,500 blades a year by 2010. The local government and the company expect to reach a final...

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association.(Business Briefs)(coal fired power plants construction plans)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Ongoing uncertainty in state and federal policies and the economy caused Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to revisit its long-term resource plan, which included options for new coal-based generating units. Colorado-based...

Environmental Protection Agency.(Business Briefs)(Clean Air Act)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... After a scientific review ordered in 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding that greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare. The proposed...

Drilling nears completion in Illinois for a well that will store up to 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide beginning next year.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Drilling nears completion in Illinois for a well that will store up to 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide beginning next year. The demonstration project will store [CO.sub.2] emitted from the Archer Daniels Midland ethanol production...

PPL Corp.(Projects & Contracts)(in negotiation with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to construct hydroelectric plants)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... PPL Corp. will file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a 125 MW expansion project at the Holtwood hydroelectric plant on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. PPL withdrew an initial application to expand capacity at the same...

The Shaw Group's nuclear unit and Westinghouse Electric Co.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Shaw Group's nuclear unit and Westinghouse Electric Co. received full notice to proceed from Southern Nuclear, a unit of Southern Co., on its engineering, procurement and construction contract for two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power units...

Shaw Group.(Projects & Contracts)(in deal with Entergy Nuclear Inc. to maintain electric plants)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The Shaw Group's maintenance division renewed its existing contract with Entergy Nuclear, a unit of Entergy Corp., to provide nuclear maintenance services to 11 nuclear units at nine power stations. Shaw's scope of work includes maintenance and...

Sempra Generation.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Sempra Generation plans to build at least 300 MW of solar power projects on land it owns in Arizona. Construction could start next year. Sempra plans to build solar projects on 4,000 acres near Phoenix, where it also already has a 1,250 MW...

FirstEnergy Corp.(Projects & Contracts)(coal fired power plants construction plans)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... FirstEnergy Corp. plans to retrofit units 4 and 5 at its coal-fired R.E. Burger Plant in Ohio to generate power with biomass. The project will cost about $200 million and will not change the plant's current 312 MW capacity. FirstEnergy said the...

Dominion Virginia Power.(Projects & Contracts)(Virginia State Corporation Commission approves power plants construction)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Dominion Virginia Power won approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission for a 580 MW power station. The $619 million, combined-cycle Bear Garden Power Station will be fueled by natural gas with oil as a backup. The plant will cost...

Alstom and Dow Chemical Co.(Projects & Contracts)
May 1, 2009... Alstom and Dow Chemical Co. will design and build a plant to capture C[O.sub.2] from the flue gas of a coal-fired boiler at a Dow-owned facility in South Charleston, W.V. Alstom will design, build and operate the plant, which is expected to...

Areva Enrichment Services.(Projects & Contracts)(increasing capacity of uranium enrichment plant )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Areva Enrichment Services plans to double the capacity of its Eagle Rock uranium enrichment plant to 6.6 separative work units (SWU) a year. The company told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission it would revise the application to double the...

Tenaska chose construction firm Kiewit Energy Co. and engineering firm Burns & McDonnell.(Projects & Contracts)(coal gastification plants to be constructed)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Tenaska chose construction firm Kiewit Energy Co. and engineering firm Burns & McDonnell for the front end engineering and design (FEED) study and facility cost report for the $3.5 billion Taylorville Energy Center. Independent power producer...

Larry T. Borgard.(People & Personnel)(appointed as president at Integrys Gas Group)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Larry T. Borgard, president and COO of Integrys Gas Group, was named president and COO-Utilities, taking on the roles of president and CEO of Wisconsin Public Service and CEO of Upper Peninsula Power Co. Borgard has more than 24 years in the...

Energy Supply organization.(People & Personnel)(Steven E. Malnight and John T. Conway appointed)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Pacific Gas and Electric Co. named John T. Conway to head the utility's newly created Energy Supply organization. Conway will lead PG&E's previously separate power generation and power procurement functions as senior vice president-energy...

Sierra Pacific Power Co.(Mergers & Aquisitions)(California Pacific Electric Co. acquired)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... NV Energy unit Sierra Pacific Power Co. will sell its California electric generation and distribution assets for $116 million. The buyer is California Pacific Electric Co. (Calpeco), a newly formed company jointly owned by Algonquin Power...

Special report: Executive Roundtable on natural gas plant development.(Discussion)
May 1, 2009... Five executives discuss current issues affecting natural gas power plant development and future prospects in the gas sector with Power Engineering magazine. The five are Dave Fiorelli, president and CEO of Tenaska Business Development Group;...

Putting combustion optimization to work.(Editorial)
May 1, 2009... Variable conditions like coal quality, boiler cleanliness and equipment deterioration can affect a coal-fired power plant's performance--and that's where combustion optimization systems come in, to minimize their impact. Even small efficiency...

Cooling water treatment chemistry control and monitoring: cooling systems offer an ideal environment for microbiological fouling. Take steps now to look for and treat scaling and fouling.
May 1, 2009... The Second Law of Thermodynamics clearly states it is impossible to use heat solely to generate work in a cyclic process. Even in the most efficient cycles, some heat must be exhausted for the cycle to operate. In power plants, that means the...

Temporary fabric structures: a power plant is a permanent asset, but not all work site buildings need to be.
May 1, 2009... The need for temporary space is at an all-time high in today's rapidly changing environment. That need is increased by weather delays and ever greater demands for worker productivity that can impact a plant's bottom line. Whether due to...

Santee Cooper Cross Units 3 & 4: an EPCM success: an EPCM approach proves adaptive to change, including capturing opportunities as they arise.(Santee Cooper Power)(WorleyParsons Ltd.)
May 1, 2009... In late 2001, Santee Cooper began a project to add a third 600 MW unit to its Cross Generating Station in Cross, S.C. Plans also included a fourth unit to be added later. The engineering, procurement and construction of Units 3 and 4 would...

Bruce Power uses digital technology to fix heater drain system.
May 1, 2009... Bruce Power has a history of feedwater heater operating problems. Steam hammer has been a common problem on the HX5 drain lines in all eight units at Bruce Power in Ontario, Canada, since early in its operating history. Several stop-gap...

Repairing wind blades in the field.(Field Notes)(Clipper Windpower Plc. )
May 1, 2009... In late 2006, the first Liberty wind turbines rolled off"the assembly line at Clipper Windpower's Cedar Rapids manufacturing plant. By 2008, Clipper had ramped up production to about 300 turbines, with production capability at close to 400 on...

Hydroelectric station upgrades high-current switchgear.(Field Notes)
May 1, 2009... With a hydroelectric generating capacity of 1,100 MW, the eight-generator Muddy Run Pumped Storage Facility in southeastern Pennsylvania helps the mid-Atlantic power grid meet peak demands. Built in 1966, the plant is undergoing a major...

New static exciters aid in reliability-related equipment testing.(Field Notes)
May 1, 2009... Arizona utility Salt River Project recently installed new static exciters in seven hydro units. The enhanced exciter capability enables utility personnel to conduct reliability-related equipment tests required by the Western Electricity...

New oil and water separation technology.(Field Notes)
May 1, 2009... It all looks so simple on the surface; separating oil from water. Yet any engineer working with oil will readily confess that there is no easy way to separate water from product. However, an original application of basic fluid-dynamic...

FCI switch.(Products)
May 1, 2009... The FlexSwitch Series FLT93 Level Switch from Fluid Components International (FCI) enables accurate level alarming and switching to a wide range of safety and balance of plant air, water and oil monitoring applications found in nuclear power...

Wind blades.(Products)
May 1, 2009... MAG's new Rapid Material Placement System (RMPS) and quick-cure molding system for wind blades combine to reduce labor content by two-thirds, double throughput, and produce a high-quality blade from the start of a shift to the end. ...

CSF supplies.(Products)
May 1, 2009... Automation Systems Interconnect Inc. has added to its line of CSF power supplies. Compared to the previous model the new CSF series will save up to 30 percent more DIN rail space at only 1.53 inches wide for a 5 amp power supply. Included is...

Ball valves.(Products)
May 1, 2009... Strahman Valves has announced a new, metal-seated ball valve designed for ease of maintenance in severe service applications such as in the delayed coking units and hydrocrackers found in the petrochemical and refining industries. The ball...

Crusher granulator.(Products)
May 1, 2009... With three models and nearly 50 sizes available, Pennsylvania Crusher's Granulator can accept feed sizes of up to 12". Able to handle any type of coal, including low quality coals that may be wet, frozen, high in fines or high in ash content,...

Flowserve guide.(Products)
May 1, 2009... Flowserve Corp. a flow control products and services company, has released a new valve cavitation teaching and selection guide. Flowserve Cavitation Control is a comprehensive guide featuring detailed information about the causes of cavitation...

Needle valves.(Products)
May 1, 2009... High Pressure Equipment Co. has developed a new line of block and bleed needle valves operating up to 20,000 psi. These new needle valves are offered in both single and double block and bleed configurations. Both valve styles have Type 300...

Cage mills.(Products)
May 1, 2009... Stedman offers a variety of size reduction equipment including several cage mill series, "A", "F", "G", "H" and "Y", with specific models available for wet, sticky materials and blending or cleaning products. Stedman custom builds their cage...

RCI pump.(Products)
May 1, 2009... RCI Technologies introduces the FRS 660-11-DPU-UL (DPU), the newest addition to RCI's line of diesel fuel purifiers and fuel recirculating systems. The DPU, or Duplex Pump Unit, is the newest model of RCI's Fuel Recirculating Systems (FRS). It...

Dust caps.(Products)
May 1, 2009... Martin Engineering has introduced Martin Dust Caps to prevent the problems of material accumulation and corrosion at the base of conveyor structures. The buildup of fugitive material on the floor or ground around belt conveyor supports creates...

Deere engines.(Products)
May 1, 2009... John Deere Power Systems (JDPS) has announced the technology solutions it will use to meet Interim Tier 4/Stage III B mobile off-highway emissions regulations for the company's complete lineup of industrial diesel engines. These regulations...

Atlas testing.(Products)
May 1, 2009... Atlas Material Testing Technology introduces a new technology for ultra-accelerated exposure testing. This outdoor testing device can provide approximately 63 years of South Florida UV radiation exposure in a single year. Atlas developed this...

Cloudy outlook for desert solar.(Generating Buzz)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... NIMDO (Not in My Desert Oasis) might be a new rallying cry for renewable energy opponents in--of all places--California. The Los Angeles Times reported Sen. Diane Feinstein is working to close off as much as 800,000 acres of Southern...

Town says 'yes' to waste.(Generating Buzz)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Longtime Carlsbad Mayor Bob Forrest remembers when no one wanted the federal government's radioactive waste, except his southern New Mexico town. Now the mayor thinks those same 250-million-year-old New Mexico salt beds 2,150 feet below...

Carbon capture's fizzy future.(Generating Buzz)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... For millions of years carbon dioxide has been stored--safely and naturally--in underground water found in geologic formations saturated with the gas. Findings recently published in the journal Nature use this idea as one way to help bring...