Power Engineering articles from October 2007

Power Engineering archives from October 2007

To the editor.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... I judge the discussion in the Clearing the Air column in the August 2007 issue of Power Engineering ("How the Clean Air Act Promotes Pollution") to be right on target. The typical lifecycle of steam generating units makes whether the...

Correction.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2007... Table 4 in "East River Repowering Project: Design, Construction and Operation" in the August 2007 issue gave the reverse osmosis permeate temperature in degrees centigrade. The temerperature should have been given in degrees Fahrenheit.

Investing in wind.(Opinion)
October 1, 2007... Fort Madison, Iowa, is about as Midwestern as you can get this side of a midtown Manhattan advertising agency. The town in late September is ringed by fields of corn being harvested (perhaps, these days, for ethanol). The Mississippi River...

There's nothing "routine" about the Clean Air Act.(Clearing the Air)
October 1, 2007... The good news is that America's air quality has measurably improved since Congress passed the 1970 Clean Air Act. The bad news is that political maneuvering and concessions in the original Act and its subsequent amendments have left several...

Big Bend sees big environmental push.(Managing the Plant)
October 1, 2007... The Big Bend Power Station is a coal-fired facility with a generation capacity of over 1,800 MW. Owned by Tampa Electric, Big Bend is on Tampa Bay in southeastern Hillsborough County. The 1,500-acre plant site is divided into several major...

NRG Energy asks NRC for COLA to build 2,700 MW in nuclear capacity.(Startup)(Combined Construction and Operating License Application)(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... NRG Energy Inc. and South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company filed a Combined Construction and Operating License Application (COLA) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in September to build and operate two new nuclear units at the...

Coal project owners agree to carbon offsets to obtain transmission line.(Startup)
October 1, 2007... Seven regional utilities building a 630 MW coal-fired unit at a site in South Dakota have agreed to a plan that would offset carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]) emissions from half of the power the unit would create, which is the amount of the output...

Nuclear plant would co-produce power and biofuels.(Startup)
October 1, 2007... Various energy pundits have long proposed building nuclear power plants dedicated to producing specific products or supplying power and/or thermal energy to serve defined strategic needs. These ideas have included the prospect of building...

Illinois coal plant gets good news.(Startup)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Peabody Energy's proposed 1,600 MW mine-mouth Prairie State power plant got a double helping of good news when a federal appeals court rejected a challenge by environmental groups and another power provider agreed to buy an equity interest in...

TXU buyers hope for higher gas prices.(Startup)
October 1, 2007... The largest leveraged buyout in history passed its last major hurdle on September 7 when TXU Corp. shareholders voted to sell the company to private investors Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company and Texas Pacific Group for $45 billion, including...

Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Inc. agreed to buy more than 40 percent of the power generated at a proposed Central Texas coal-fired plant in a deal said to enable developers to break ground on the project later this year.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Inc. agreed to buy more than 40 percent of the power generated at a proposed Central Texas coal-fired plant in a deal said to enable developers to break ground on the project later this year. Waco-based Brazos...

Pod Generating Group announced the award of its first two standard offer contracts with the Ontario Power Authority.(Construction & Contracts)(Ontario Power Authority)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Pod Generating Group announced the award of its first two standard offer contracts with the Ontario Power Authority. The pair of 10 MW solar projects represents one of the largest renewable project that can be connected to a local distribution...

DTE Energy signed a long-term agreement with Michigan-based renewable energy company Heritage Sustainable Energy, LLC to provide wind supply for the company's GreenCurrents renewable energy program.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... DTE Energy signed a long-term agreement with Michigan-based renewable energy company Heritage Sustainable Energy, LLC to provide wind supply for the company's GreenCurrents renewable energy program. The 10-year agreement will enable Heritage to...

Exelon Generation Company, LLC, has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Epuron LLC for the energy produced at a Falls Township, Pa., solar energy facility.(Construction & Contracts)(Epuron LLC)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Exelon Generation Company, LLC, has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Epuron LLC for the energy produced at a Falls Township, Pa., solar energy facility. This power plant will be among the nation's largest solar photovoltaic...

The Prairie State Energy Campus said it has entered into an agreement with Southern Illinois Power Cooperative to purchase a 125 MW equity share of Prairie State's planned 1,600 MW supercritical coal-fueled power plant project.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Prairie State Energy Campus said it has entered into an agreement with Southern Illinois Power Cooperative to purchase a 125 MW equity share of Prairie State's planned 1,600 MW supercritical coal-fueled power plant project. The announcement...

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's Curtis H. Stanton Energy Center, in Orlando, Fla.(Construction & Contracts)(Brief article)
October 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's Curtis H. Stanton Energy Center, in Orlando, Fla. Vogt will design,...

SunEdison.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... SunEdison said that the Alamosa Photovoltaic Solar Plant in Alamosa, Colo., began generating 44 percent of its capacity, about 3.6 MW in late August for Xcel Energy. The first phase of the project broke ground in April 2007.

The Babcock & Wilcox Co. has opened a new Research Center in Barberton, Ohio, to concentrate on the next era of steam generation and environmental control technologies, including the capture of C[O.sub.2] emissions from coal-fired power plants.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Babcock & Wilcox Co. has opened a new Research Center in Barberton, Ohio, to concentrate on the next era of steam generation and environmental control technologies, including the capture of C[O.sub.2] emissions from coal-fired power plants....

BrightSource Energy Inc. filed an application for construction with the California Energy Commission to build a 400 MW solar power field in the Mojave Desert in southern California.(Business Briefs)(BrightSource Energy Inc.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... BrightSource Energy Inc. filed an application for construction with the California Energy Commission to build a 400 MW solar power field in the Mojave Desert in southern California. This is the first application filed in California for a solar...

The Long Island Power Authority ended a plan to install 40 wind turbines off the coast of Long Island after a report showed the costs of the $700 million project to be significantly higher than traditional forms of energy generation.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Long Island Power Authority ended a plan to install 40 wind turbines off the coast of Long Island after a report showed the costs of the $700 million project to be significantly higher than traditional forms of energy generation. Earlier...

Mesa Power filed documents with a Texas state agency to add 4,000 MW of wind-generated electricity to the power grid.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Mesa Power filed documents with a Texas state agency to add 4,000 MW of wind-generated electricity to the power grid. The filing with ERCOT details plans for the project, which, when completed in late 2011, would be one of the world's largest...

The Ontario government has directed the Ontario Power Authority to procure a further 2,000 MW of renewable energy, including wind energy, in the province.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Ontario government has directed the Ontario Power Authority to procure a further 2,000 MW of renewable energy, including wind energy, in the province. The directive calls on the power authority to issue a request for proposals for an...

SaskPower is putting its clean coal project on the back burner, opting for more conventional and cheaper natural gas-fired generation, wind power and conservation to meet the province's electricity needs to 2014.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... SaskPower is putting its clean coal project on the back burner, opting for more conventional and cheaper natural gas-fired generation, wind power and conservation to meet the province's electricity needs to 2014. SaskPower Minister John Nilson...

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

NRC regulators say they are weeks away from an anticipated flood of license applications for new reactors not seen since the 4970s.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... NRC regulators say they are weeks away from an anticipated flood of license applications for new reactors not seen since the 4970s. The NRC could receive combined construction and operating license applications for as many as 29 reactors at 20...

The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes named Entergy Corp. to its Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes named Entergy Corp. to its Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index. Entergy was the only U.S. utility selected to the world index and one of 16 utilities...

A different kind of boom.
October 1, 2007... Few people expect a repeat of the natural gas plant construction boom that started about 1990 and came to a somewhat abrupt halt shortly after 2000. However, a combination of circumstances is spurring a different kind of gas-fired capacity boom...

Waste coal: how to avoid flow stoppages during storage and handling.
October 1, 2007... There is no such thing as coal, there are coals. (1) This phrase is often quoted by operating and engineering companies when trying to assess their handling equipment needs. The primary bulk properties governing the handling of coal are...

POWER-GEN International preview: the Big Show is coming to the Big Easy.(Conference news)
October 1, 2007... The world's largest exhibition and conference for the electric power generation industry. A chance to play on the Jack Nicklaus-designed, par 72 English Turn golf course, home of the 2006 Zurich Classic PGA Tournament. Technical tours that will...

Smart technologies sustain plant reliability, help control costs.
October 1, 2007... All power stations strive to be reliable. We Energies' Valley Power Plant, as the largest utility-owned co-generation facility in the country, however, may be unique in its need for reliability. If a generating unit elsewhere goes down,...

Workforce of the future: issues and action.(Workforce)
October 1, 2007... What are companies doing about impending workforce shortages? Overall, they are integrating recruiting, selection, operations, benefits and training workforce development activities into a cohesive, company wide strategy. They are also...

Digital bus technology in new coal-fired plants.
October 1, 2007... The adoption of digital bus technology such as Foundation fieldbus, Profibus-DP or DeviceNet is a significant shift from traditional power plant instrumentation and control. Digital bus experience in a number of industries, including power...

Eliminating air heater plugging and corrosion caused by SCR/SNCR systems for N[O.sub.x] control on coal-fired boilers.
October 1, 2007... In a typical coal fired power plant, the rotary regenerative air heater is responsible for between 5 percent and 10 percent of the boiler's total efficiency, thus making it a critical component for attaining low heat rates and reducing fuel...

Eight utilities pledge energy efficiency investments.(DG Update)
October 1, 2007... Eight utilities--Con Edison, Duke Energy, Edison International, Great Plains Energy, Pepco Holdings, PNM Resources, Sierra Pacific Resources and Xcel Energy--say they will seek regulatory reforms and approvals to increase their investment in...

Study quantifies critical cooling times for data centers.(DG Update)
October 1, 2007... A new study says a typical data center running at 5,000 watts per server cabinet will experience an automatic and thermal shutdown within three minutes and nine seconds during a power outage. Higher density data center applications experience...

Flywheels can keep TV signals in the air.(DG Update)
October 1, 2007... Flywheel systems continue to provide a viable alternative to battery-based uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems in some applications. Foremost among traditional applications have been data storage centers. But other growing segments...

Power plant finds success with traveling water screen.(Field Notes)
October 1, 2007... Entergy Corp.'s Little Gypsy plant in Montz, La., is a natural gas-fired steam power plant with a generating capacity of 1,250 MW. The plant gathers water from the Mississippi River through three intake channels. Each of the plant's three units...

Wear resistant lining extends pulverizer rejects piping life.(Field Notes)
October 1, 2007... Great River Energy's Coal Creek Station in Underwood, N.D., is fueled entirely by lignite coal. Because the pyrites and ash from the lignite are abrasive to the power plant's pipe lines, Coal Creek had problems with pulverizer reject line...

Valves/valve assemblies.(Products)
October 1, 2007... A-T Controls has introduced FM-approved valves and valve assemblies for liquid and gas shutoff. Approved to FM class 7400, 7420 and 7422, the A-T shut-off assemblies provide action on shut-off needs with next-day delivery and quarter-turn...

Total Organic Carbon analyzers.(Products)
October 1, 2007... GE Analytical Instruments has introduced its newest line of Sievers Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyzers. The Sievers 500 RL is a reagentless online TOC analyzer suitable for sensitive, continuous monitoring of the purified power plant makeup...

Mechanical Vibration Switch.(Products)
October 1, 2007... The new Model 685A07 Mechanical Vibration Switch from the IMI Sensors Division of PCB Piezotronics (PCB) provides a solution for continuous vibration monitoring. This product comes standard with an external pushbutton reset and does not require...

Outdoor wireless technology.(Products)
October 1, 2007... MOXA has introduced its new outdoor multipurpose wireless technology: the AWK-1200 series. This product is housed in a rugged IP68/67 certified weatherproof enclosure. Compliant with IEEE802.11 g/b, the AWK-1200 is available in two different...

Pressure sensors.(Products)
October 1, 2007... Red Valve's pressure sensors are now available with digital instrumentation. This allows direct mounting of gauges, pressure switches and transmitters for either digital reading or remote control. The pressure sensor can be battery, loop or...

Abrasive wheel.(Products)
October 1, 2007... Rex-Cut Products Inc. has introduced an all-purpose, flexible mesh abrasive wheel for the grinding and light sanding of fiberglass tanks, vessels, hulls and composite structures. Sigma-Screen Multipurpose Discs are depressed center Type 27...

The engineering labor shortage: maximizing workforce flexibility.(Workforce)
October 1, 2007... It's old news by now that the face of engineering is changing. Job opportunities abound, but finding the best person for a required skill set is becoming more challenging. In most engineering specialties, roughly 98 percent of all engineers are...