Power Engineering articles from November 2007

Power Engineering archives from November 2007

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I enjoyed your article "A Different Kind of Boom" (Power Engineering, October 2007, pictured at right). I agree with your conclusions. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In recent work we have been doing we are forecasting a U.S. market of 6 to 8...

Coal stays in the picture.(Opinion)
November 1, 2007... Restablishment hates coal, the United States is not likely to reduce using its most abundant and least expensive fuel. Nor will any other coal-producing nation. In part, that's because in addition to "most abundant" and "least expensive" you...

What a year.(Opinion)(growth in energy industries)
November 1, 2007... Energy is having one of its periodic flings atop the public interest agenda. This doesn't mean the public necessarily is well informed as a result. For example, an environmental group last month put out results of a survey that said the public...

NREL, Xcel Energy partner on wind-to-hydrogen project.(View on Renewables)(www.nrel.gov/wind)(National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
November 1, 2007... The American Wind Energy Association reports that more than 11,600 MW of wind capacity was operating in the United States in 2006 and it expects that number to increase substantially by the end of this year. Wind generated electricity is...

Gas rehash.(Industry Watch)
November 1, 2007... Any number of energy experts will tell you that the United States will have to import significant quantities of natural gas--15 to 20 percent or more over the next few decades--to satisfy demand. Coupled with substantially elevated prices in...

Reviewing the nuclear 21st century.(Nuclear Reactions)(Column)
November 1, 2007... Over the past eight years I have written 66 "Nuclear Reactions" columns dealing with nearly every aspect of nuclear power and industry trends. I have covered the technical, commercial, operational, regulatory, economic, infrastructure and...

Dollars vs. delays: the trend toward intervener settlements.(Clearing the Air)
November 1, 2007... The Sierra Club recently adopted a national policy to challenge any new power plants until stricter rules for air pollution and global warming are implemented. (1) Therefore it is inevitable that a new coal-fired boiler air permit will be...

Five ways to help end the craft labor shortage: the craft labor shortage is pinching profits and complicating projects. Here's how the power industry can address, mitigate and even help reverse the trend.(Workforce)
November 1, 2007... If a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a power industry snapshot: A recent industry census identified a total of 38,000 skilled union laborers in 11 Southeast states. Yet data collected by the Construction Labor Research Council showed...

Repowering a small coal-fired power plant.(Managing the Plant)(Arkansas River Power Authority)(ForeRunner Corp.)
November 1, 2007... The Arkansas River Power Authority's (ARPA) Lamar Repowering Project is moving forward. The new coal handling equipment is almost complete, as is the interconnection between the boiler and the generation units. ForeRunner Corp. is providing the...

North American Electricity seen outpacing resource growth.(Startup)(North American Electric Reliability Corp.)
November 1, 2007... Electricity usage in the United States is projected to grow more than twice as fast as committed resources over the next 10 years, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) said in its annual 2007 Long-Term Reliability Assessment....

IGCC rides a regulatory seesaw.(Startup)(integrated gasification combined cycle)
November 1, 2007... A Minnesota integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) project that appeared wounded earlier this year following unfavorable rulings by an administrative law panel of the state public utility commission seemed on the road to recovery until...

New England utilities "deficient" on renewables.(Startup)(Northeast Utilities)
November 1, 2007... State laws across New England requiring utilities to buy increasing amounts of electricity generated from renewable resources will eventually force utilities to buy renewable power from Canada, said Charles Shivery, CEO of Northeast Utilities....

Polygen facility would capture and store C[O.sub.2].(Startup)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... GE Energy and Bechtel Overseas Power Corp. signed a project development agreement with TransCanada Corporation of Calgary to develop one of the first polygeneration facilities in the country. The facility will use petroleum coke and incorporate...

EPA reports less smog over east coast.(Startup)(United States. Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that smog-forming emissions of nitrogen oxides (N[O.sub.x]) from power plants and industry have declined in 19 eastern states and the District of Columbia. The N[O.sub.x] Budget Trading...

Cap-and-trade floated for GHG emissions.(Startup)(Greenhouse gases)
November 1, 2007... The United States should cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by between 60 percent and 80 percent by 2050 and adopt an economy-wide, mandatory GHG reduction program. That was the conclusion of a white paper released by the House Committee on...

Canadian nuke would serve oil sands.(Startup)(Energy Alberta)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Only weeks after NRG Energy announced plans to file for an application to build the first new nuclear plant in the U.S. in nearly three decades, Energy Alberta has submitted a permit application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to...

C[O.sub.2] capture cost.(Startup)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The cost to incorporate carbon capture into coal-fired power plants could be enormous. Forget about sequestering; just capturing C[O.sub.2]. Using today's proven technology, the cost of capturing C[O.sub.2]--whether building onto an...

Western bituminous coal production seen increasing over 2006 levels.(Startup)
November 1, 2007... Supply and demand activity for mines that produce bituminous coal in the western United States will improve only slightly in 2007 over 2006, reports Hill & Associates in its latest comprehensive review of coal production in the region. In the...

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has chosen Bechtel Power Corp. to lead the engineering, procurement and construction to complete Unit 2 at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring City, Tenn.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has chosen Bechtel Power Corp. to lead the engineering, procurement and construction to complete Unit 2 at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring City, Tenn. When completed in 2012, Watts Bar Unit 2 will add...

GE Energy.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... GE Energy received a contract worth more than $350 million to supply 167 of its 1.5 MW wind turbines to Third Planet Windpower for farms in Texas, New Mexico, Nebraska and Wyoming. These farms will be ready for turbines in 2009.

Babcock Power Environmental Inc. was awarded a contract to design and supply two wet flue gas desulfurization systems for Basin Electric Power Cooperative.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Babcock Power Environmental Inc. was awarded a contract to design and supply two wet flue gas desulfurization systems for Basin Electric Power Cooperative. The systems will be installed at Basin Electric's 660 MW, lignite-fired Leland Olds...

Under agreements totaling more than $750 million, GE Energy will supply six Frame 9FB gas turbine-generators and associated services to EdF for the utility's electrical power production facilities in France and elsewhere in Europe.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Under agreements totaling more than $750 million, GE Energy will supply six Frame 9FB gas turbine-generators and associated services to EdF for the utility's electrical power production facilities in France and elsewhere in Europe. The new...

Horizon Wind Energy signed a contract for 400 MW of wind turbine capacity with Suzlon Wind Energy Corp.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Horizon Wind Energy signed a contract for 400 MW of wind turbine capacity with Suzlon Wind Energy Corp. The contract calls for delivering 200 MW of turbine capacity in 2008 and another 200 MW of capacity in 2009. The agreement includes the...

Vogt Power International Inc. was selected by Southern Power to supply the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and associated equipment for the Orlando Utilities Commission, Curtis H. Stanton Energy Center, Orlando, Fla.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Vogt Power International Inc. was selected by Southern Power to supply the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and associated equipment for the Orlando Utilities Commission, Curtis H. Stanton Energy Center, Orlando, Fla. Vogt Power will...

OG & E Electric Services, Public Service Company of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority agreed to end agreements to build and operate the 950 MW Red Rock generating unit.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... OG & E Electric Services, Public Service Company of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority agreed to end agreements to build and operate the 950 MW Red Rock generating unit. The announcement followed an Oklahoma Corporation...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a permit to add a new unit to the coal-fired Bonanza electric plant on Ute tribal land in Utah.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a permit to add a new unit to the coal-fired Bonanza electric plant on Ute tribal land in Utah. The permit is among the first decisions of its type for the EPA since a Supreme Court ruling...

Washington Group International won a contract from Public Service of New Hampshire to provide engineering, procurement support and construction management services for a flue gas desulfurization system installation that will service the two fossil-fuel-fired units of the utility's 478 MW Merrimack Station.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Washington Group International won a contract from Public Service of New Hampshire to provide engineering, procurement support and construction management services for a flue gas desulfurization system installation that will service the two...

The proposed nuclear-waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada will need up to three times its current funding or the program's 2017 opening date will have to be delayed.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The proposed nuclear-waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada will need up to three times its current funding or the program's 2017 opening date will have to be delayed. Edward F. Sproat III, director of the Department of Energy's...

American Electric Power (AEP) reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, eight states and 14 environmental organizations, ending almost eight years of litigation regarding alleged violations of the New Source Review provisions of the Clean Air Act.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... American Electric Power (AEP) reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, eight states and 14 environmental organizations, ending almost eight years of litigation regarding alleged violations of the New Source...

Clipper Windpower is to develop a new generation of offshore wind turbines in northeastern England.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Clipper Windpower is to develop a new generation of offshore wind turbines in northeastern England. Regional development agency One North East has agreed to invest $10.2 million to support Clipper's "Project Britannia," a plan to develop a 7.5...

The Department of Energy will guarantee loans for up to 80 percent of the total construction cost of new nuclear power plant reactors.(Business Briefs)
November 1, 2007... The Department of Energy will guarantee loans for up to 80 percent of the total construction cost of new nuclear power plant reactors. Because of budget constraints, however, the earliest any company proposing to build a new nuclear power...

EPA plans to develop regulations to establish a clear path for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide.(Business Briefs)(United States. Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... EPA plans to develop regulations to establish a clear path for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide. Once completed, the regulations are expected to ensure a "consistent and effective permit system" under the Safe Drinking Water Act for...

Xcel Energy Inc.'s Northern States Power Co. unit won a lawsuit against the federal government involving nuclear waste disposal from the utility's Minnesota nuclear plants.(Business Briefs)
November 1, 2007... Xcel Energy Inc.'s Northern States Power Co. unit won a lawsuit against the federal government involving nuclear waste disposal from the utility's Minnesota nuclear plants. Xcel filed the lawsuit nearly a decade ago over disposal of spent...

Tennessee Valley Authority.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is seeking a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a new two-reactor nuclear power plant at TVA's Bellefonte site on the Tennessee River in northeast Alabama. TVA is applying for the license as...

EPA recently listed Units 1 and 2 at AmerenEnergy Generating's Newton Power Station as the second and third lowest emitters of nitrogen oxide among all U.S. coal fired plants operating without selective catalytic reduction N[O.sub.x] removal equipment.(Business Briefs)(Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... EPA recently listed Units 1 and 2 at AmerenEnergy Generating's Newton Power Station as the second and third lowest emitters of nitrogen oxide among all U.S. coal fired plants operating without selective catalytic reduction N[O.sub.x] removal...

FPL Group Inc. announced a $2.4 billion investment program aimed at increasing U.S. solar thermal energy output.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... FPL Group Inc. announced a $2.4 billion investment program aimed at increasing U.S. solar thermal energy output. The planned investment includes up to $1.5 billion in new solar thermal generating facilities in Florida and California over the...

Hitachi Ltd. will invest the equivalent of $265 million by around 2010 to boost capacity at its nuclear power equipment factory in Japan.(Business Briefs)
November 1, 2007... Hitachi Ltd. will invest the equivalent of $265 million by around 2010 to boost capacity at its nuclear power equipment factory in Japan. Hitachi's factory in Ibaraki prefecture near Tokyo makes main structures that are located inside nuclear...

NRG Energy Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... NRG Energy Inc. told the California Energy Commission it wants to modernize the Encina Power Station in Carlsbad, Calif., the first phase of a plan to replace the existing plant with a cleaner and more efficient facility to be located adjacent...

Tampa Electric.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Tampa Electric said it no longer plans to meet its 2013 need for baseload generation through the use of integrated gasification combined-cycle technology, IGCC. Primary drivers behind the decision include continued uncertainty related to carbon...

Fort Defiance Indian Hospital deployed two Active Power CleanSource uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to protect critical equipment at its northern Arizona facilities.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Fort Defiance Indian Hospital deployed two Active Power CleanSource uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to protect critical equipment at its northern Arizona facilities. Active Power provided turnkey services to install and commission...

SUEZ Energy North America.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... SUEZ Energy North America established a new division focused on renewable energy development following completion of its acquisition of the Canadian wind power development company Ventus Energy. Ventus has a portfolio of 25 wind energy projects...

Nordic Windpower Ltd., which makes two-bladed, utility-scale wind turbines, said that Goldman Sachs has invested in the company.(Business Briefs)
November 1, 2007... Nordic Windpower Ltd., which makes two-bladed, utility-scale wind turbines, said that Goldman Sachs has invested in the company. The new money will enable Nordic to fill orders for wind turbines at a time when the industry faces persistent...

Portland General Electric (PGE) said its Biglow Canyon Wind Farm has begun generating electricity.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Portland General Electric (PGE) said its Biglow Canyon Wind Farm has begun generating electricity. Phase one is on track for completion by the end of this year. It will comprise 76 turbines with an installed capacity of 125 MW. When all three...

A research partnership between Ottawa, Alberta and Epcor Utilities is expected to lead to a full-scale coal gasification power plant.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... A research partnership between Ottawa, Alberta and Epcor Utilities is expected to lead to a full-scale coal gasification power plant. The project will be located at EPCOR's Genesee Generating Station west of Edmonton. The engineering design...

Wyoming state environmental regulators issued an emissions permit for the Dry Fork Station coal-fired power plant.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Wyoming state environmental regulators issued an emissions permit for the Dry Fork Station coal-fired power plant. Basin Electric Power Cooperative officials said construction of the $1.3 billion, 385 MW plant began once the state gave its...

A preliminary report to the Wisconsin Governor's Task Force on Global Warming calls for removing a state roadblock to nuclear power plant construction.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... A preliminary report to the Wisconsin Governor's Task Force on Global Warming calls for removing a state roadblock to nuclear power plant construction. Initial recommendations include a call to drop a requirement, passed by the Wisconsin...

Xcel Energy Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Xcel Energy Inc. is delaying plans for a 600 MW IGCC power plant in Colorado because of cost concerns and a desire to find project partners. Xcel may not propose the plant to Colorado regulators until 2009 or later. Xcel also pushed back the...

Australian investment firm Babcock & Brown Ltd. bought offshore wind power developer Bluewater, which is seeking to build a wind farm off the Delaware coast.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Australian investment firm Babcock & Brown Ltd. bought offshore wind power developer Bluewater, which is seeking to build a wind farm off the Delaware coast. Terms were not disclosed. The companies said Bluewater would continue to negotiate a...

J-Power USA Generation, the joint venture company of J-Power USA Investment Co. and the John Hancock Life Insurance Co.(Mergers & Acquisitions)
November 1, 2007... J-Power USA Generation, the joint venture company of J-Power USA Investment Co. and the John Hancock Life Insurance Co., completed its purchase of 100 percent of the equity interests of Green Country Holding, which owns the Green Country power...

KGen Power Corp.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(KGen Power Corp. mergers with Complete Energy Holdings)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... KGen Power Corp. said it paid $35 million to end its June 18 purchase and sale agreement with affiliates of Complete Energy Holdings, which was to include 1,859 MW of capacity at the La Paloma, Calif., site and the Batesville, Miss., site. The...

Paul Prager and Natural Gas Partners plan to buy generating and transmission assets owned by the City of Vernon, Calif., in a transaction valued at $342 million.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Paul Prager and Natural Gas Partners plan to buy generating and transmission assets owned by the City of Vernon, Calif., in a transaction valued at $342 million. Assets include the 134 MW Malburg Generating Station, economic interests in 11 MW...

TXU Corp. completed its merger with Texas Energy Future Holdings Limited Partnership.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... TXU Corp. completed its merger with Texas Energy Future Holdings Limited Partnership, led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Texas Pacific Group and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. TXU shareholders approved the merger on September 7. TXU Corp....

National Grid will divest the Ravenswood Generating Station, which was acquired as part of the company's August purchase of KeySpan Corp.(Mergers & Acquisitions)
November 1, 2007... National Grid will divest the Ravenswood Generating Station, which was acquired as part of the company's August purchase of KeySpan Corp. Divestiture was a condition of the New York State Public Service Commission order approving the...

Puget Energy has entered into a merger agreement with a group of infrastructure investors led by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and British Columbia Investment Management Corp.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Puget Energy has entered into a merger agreement with a group of infrastructure investors led by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and British Columbia Investment Management Corp. The group will buy all...

Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings will buy TransAlta Power, which has a 404 MW stake in six Canadian power plants, for C$629 million (US$644m).(Mergers & Acquisitions)
November 1, 2007... Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings will buy TransAlta Power, which has a 404 MW stake in six Canadian power plants, for C$629 million (US$644m). TransAlta Power owns a 49.99 percent interest in TransAlta Cogeneration that has...

Environment One Corp.(People & Personnel)(appointment of George A. Earle III)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Environment One Corp. (E/One) said George A. Earle III will replace Philip Welsh as company president. Earle served as E/One's VP-Technology and Business Integration and previously was with Plug Power.

Jack Davis is retiring as president and COO of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. and CEO of Arizona Public Service Co. (APS).(People & Personnel)
November 1, 2007... Jack Davis is retiring as president and COO of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. and CEO of Arizona Public Service Co. (APS). The Board of Directors named current APS President Don Brandt to fill the Chief Executive Officer position. Actions are...

UniStar Nuclear Energy, LLC.(People & Personnel)(appointments)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... UniStar Nuclear Energy, LLC appointed George Vanderheyden as president and chief executive officer, Kathleen Hyle as chief financial officer and Steven Miller as secretary of the company. Vanderheyden also serves as a senior vice president for...

Electrical Generating Systems Association.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The Electrical Generating Systems Association announced its 2008 Officers and Board of Directors, effective January 1. Warner Bauer, Kickham Boiler & Engineering Inc. Vaporphase Div., St. Louis, Mo., now serves as EGSA's 2008 President. He was...

PG & E Corp.(People & Personnel)(appointments)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... PG & E Corp. said its board of directors elected Greg S. Pruett to senior vice president, Corporate Relations. In addition, the board of directors of PG & E Corp.'s utility unit, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., elected Patricia M. Lawicki as...

Should carbon emissions be regulated?(PE Online Question of the Week)
November 1, 2007... Should carbon emissions be regulated? Yes 69% No 22% Undecided 6% Note: Table made from pie chart. (for more Questions visit www.power-eng.com)

Big issues, big show in the big easy: hear that? It's the world's largest power industry event. You might also hear a little jazz as New Orleans welcomes you back.(GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy )
November 1, 2007... The Big Easy is the location for the world's largest power industry event at a time when the industry faces big challenges that are proving to be anything but easy. Concerns over global warming and constrained energy resources create...

Steam turbines hit their stride: operating experience, better design tools and better materials have made turbine upgrades an integral part of the nuclear power plant uprate trend.
November 1, 2007... Steam turbines have undergone many changes in the past 30 years. Operating experience, as well as better design tools and materials, have led to some significant improvements, especially in nuclear power plants. Many early nuclear plant turbine...

Conducting a greenhouse gas emission inventory.
November 1, 2007... Global climate change, or the extent to which human activities are contributing to global climate change, is currently the most discussed and contentious issue in the environmental arena. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While the scientists,...

High penetrations of renewable energy for island grids: integrating renewable energy sources into islands--geographic or otherwise--can be troublesome. Achieving high penetration is possible ... provided integration issues receive careful attention.
November 1, 2007... Island grids represent an overlooked opportunity for renewable power. In addition to geographical islands there are also many electrical islands, such as remote locations throughout the world, where interconnections with neighboring grids are...

Inferring pH from conductivity and cation conductivity: two common methods are used, but errors can occur if the sample and the model do not match.
November 1, 2007... Inferred pH is a method of continuously calculating pH from straight and cation conductivity. The method is not widely used in the United States, but is popular in Europe. Inferred pH is attractive because under certain conditions it can...

Will new nuclear plants built in the U.S. end up costing ...(PE Online Question of the Week)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Will new nuclear plants built in the U.S. end up costing... $2,500 per kW 28% $3,000 per kW 28% More than $3,500 per kW 44% Note: Table made from pie chart. (for more Questions visit www.power-eng.com)

FGD gypsum issues: gypsum analytical methods.
November 1, 2007... Numerous flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems are being designed and/or installed at utilities throughout the country. In many cases, these will be forced-air oxidation systems that will produce a gypsum byproduct. Disposing of the byproduct,...

Comparing materials used in mist eliminators: a wet scrubber's hostile environment can exact a heavy toll on materials. Research suggests which materials may perform best.
November 1, 2007... Among the many types of pollution-abatement systems in use today, wet fluegas desulfurization (FGD) systems--also known as wet scrubbers--are notoriously capital-and maintenance-intensive. Mist eliminators are an integral part of most wet...

Is it time to rethink S[O.sub.2] control technology selection?
November 1, 2007... The decision to install S[O.sub.2] control equipment can be an expensive one in terms of capital costs, operational costs, potential delays in project completion, as well as system performance. Due to the rapidly changing environment...

Enhancing gas turbine power plant profitability: chronic transition piece and turbine part failures in some 501F gas turbines led to a replacement part redesign.
November 1, 2007... In a highly competitive market environment, power generation companies are constantly seeking ways to drive operation and maintenance (O & M) costs down on their industrial gas turbine units to maintain profitability. With soaring fuel prices...

Steam generation and liquid analysis.
November 1, 2007... Liquid analysis is one of the most important measurements in any type of power plant (fossil fuel or nuclear). Generating electricity is a fundamentally inefficient process. The efficiency of current generating capacity is approximately 35...

Corrosion-induced deterioration: repairs and protections.
November 1, 2007... As the supply source for operations in power generating plants, water intake structures serve an important function. These structures usually are elevated deck structures spanning the water source or closed, compartmentalized cells or units...

HRST optimization for cycling duty.(heat recovery steam generator)
November 1, 2007... Today, most combined-cycle power plants are expected to be available 24-seven. Deregulation and consequent merchant power have made it important for combined-cycle plants to supply electrical power to the grid as and when needed with minimum...

Harvesting pipeline energy to produce electricity.(DG Update)
November 1, 2007... Electricity can be produced at natural gas utility letdown stations, offering an opportunity to generate electric power without combustion. Natural gas pipelines transport gas at pressures in the range of 700 to 1,000 psi. Utility letdown...

Distributed generation provides reactive power.(DG Update)
November 1, 2007... Distributed generation offers the opportunity to deliver the power where it is needed without adding to the transmission network load. When coupled with cogeneration, it also boosts energy efficiency and cuts emissions. [ILLUSTRATION...

Mama Mia! Pasta maker's CHP system serves up big savings.(DG Update)(combined heat and power)
November 1, 2007... Pastas Doria, a Colombian manufacturer of pasta products, was experiencing lost production time due to frequent utility voltage instability and power failures. The food processing giant also had high energy costs for electricity and fuel oil....

Materials market to top $3.8 billion by 2011.(DG Update)
November 1, 2007... U.S. demand for materials used to produce fuel cells and batteries will rise 4.4 percent a year to $3.8 billion in 2011, according to "Battery & Fuel Cell Materials," a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market...

Xcel Energy implements an alarm management strategy.(Field Notes)
November 1, 2007... When it comes to alarms associated with power plant operations, the adage "it is possible to have too much of a good thing" certainly rings true. The operators at Xcel Energy's Pawnee Station would definitely agree. Not too long ago, this...

PRB coal safety; Design considerations for new greenfield plants: an EPCC's perspective.(Field Notes)(Powder River Basin)(engineering, procurement and construction contractor)
November 1, 2007... Many coal-fired power plants have converted from bituminous coals to Powder River Basin (PRB) coals in the last decade to take advantage of PRB coals' low sulfur content and environmentally friendly characteristics. While PRB coals burn cleaner...

Heat activated epoxy-based materials help enhance steam pipe repair.(Field Notes)
November 1, 2007... Years of environmental attack have caused power plant water and steam pipes to corrode and degrade. As maintenance personnel struggle to repair these damaged lines, scientists aim to develop repair materials that will efficiently accomplish the...

High resolution bolt is a smart fit for power plant applications.(Field Notes)(Stress Indicators Inc. developed Direct Tension Indicator SmartBolts)
November 1, 2007... Critical bolted connections often require exacting tightening procedures to reach the optimum clamp load. While tightening by torque wrenching methods is quick and easy, a given torque can produce tensions or clamp forces varying by as much as...

Laser and sonar profiling tools.(Products)(Envirosight )(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Envirosight has released its new laser and sonar profiling tools, designed to integrate with ROVVER and SuperVision inspection crawlers to analyze pipe. The laser profiler works above flow lines and the sonar profiler works below. Each can be...

Foundation Fieldbus output.(Products)(from MTS Systems Corp.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... MTS Systems Corp., Sensors Division, has developed a Foundation Fieldbus output for its Level Plus line of liquid level sensors. The Model MG digital sensor will have optional Foundation Fieldbus output. The protocol will make MTS'...