Power Engineering articles from October 2008

Power Engineering archives from October 2008

A wall street scram?(Opinion)(Constellation Energy Group's nuclear power plants construction)
October 1, 2008... Wall Street's credit crisis raises interesting questions regarding the nuclear renaissance. Those questions sharpen in light of Constellation Energy's financial straits, which sent it looking for a merger partner last month. Constellation,...

Coal switch a good move at Rush Island.(Managing the Plant)
October 1, 2008... AmerenUE's decision to switch to compliance Powder River Basin (PRB) coal for its coal plant fleet has proven to be a good one. Perhaps no better example exists than the Rush Island Plant in Jefferson County, Mo. Rush Island's two 650 MW...

POWER-GEN International @ 20: a look back at issues and events from 1988.
October 1, 2008... Twenty years ago on page 6 of the January 1988 edition of Power Engineering magazine, a full-age ad introduced "POWER-GEN '88" to the world. The inaugural event, which grew to become POWER-GEN International, was held at the Orlando Convention...

MidAmerican buys constellation.(Startup)
October 1, 2008... Baltimore-based Constellation Energy, one of the U.S. utilities hoping to build new domestic nuclear capacity, the nation's largest wholesale power supplier and owner of Baltimore Gas and Electric, is set to be acquired by Berkshire Hathaway's...

Name games muddy the water.(Startup)
October 1, 2008... It isn't easy being green. So said Kermit the Frog. And it's especially true if no one can agree on what "green" means, let alone "alternative", "renewable" and "sustainable." Manufacturers, politicians, journalists and environmental...

Group seeks $5 billion for Texas wind energy network.(Startup)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Six electric utilities and transmission companies planned to file a $4.93 billion proposal to build a roughly 2,400 mile transmission lines to ferry wind power in Texas. The companies seek to build the 345 KV lines in the five competitive...

Demand for engineers growing.(Startup)
October 1, 2008... It's a good time to be an engineer and a frustrating time for firms that need them. A surge in power plant construction and power project planning-in addition to the general need to build new infrastructure--is driving the market, and...

New carbon-based material for energy storage.(Startup)
October 1, 2008... Engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have achieved a breakthrough in using a one-atom thick structure called "graphene" as a new carbon-based material for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitor devices. The...

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.(Business Briefs)
October 1, 2008... Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) and Luminant agreed to form a joint venture to advance development of two potential new nuclear reactors at Luminant's Comanche Peak facility in Texas. Luminant filed a combined license (COL) application...

Detroit Edison.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Detroit Edison officials submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) a combined license (COL) application for a possible new nuclear power plant at the site of the company's existing nuclear plant near Newport, Mich. Detroit...

The California Public Utilities Commission.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to oppose Proposition 7, a ballot measure that would order California utilities to procure half of their power from renewable resources by 2025. The CPUC opposed the measure largely...

Areva and Duke energy.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Areva and Duke Energy announced the formation of Adage, a joint venture to develop biopower energy plants for the U.S. market. Adage will build power plants that use wood waste to produce electricity. According to the agreement, Areva will...

NV Energy.(Business Briefs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Sierra Pacific Resources said the company's utilities, Nevada Power Co. and Sierra Pacific Power Co., will do business under the name NV Energy. The company also said it will seek shareholders' approval to change its corporate name from Sierra...

RuggedCom Inc.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... RuggedCom Inc. a provider of communications networking solutions received a purchase order totalling over $1 million for a wind farm application in China. This order represents the largest single purchase order ever received by RuggedCom....

Oglethorpe power cooperative.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Oglethorpe Power Cooperative plans to build up to three 100 MW biomass plants in Georgia. The cost per plant could reach $500 million, or $5,000 a kW. The first two plants are scheduled to enter service in 2014 and 2015. A third unit could go...

LAI International Inc.(Projects & Contracts)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... LAI International Inc. has been awarded contracts to provide more than 500 large bearing cages to Timken Romania S.A. for wind turbines sold in Europe and an additional 300 for wind power projects in the United States. These critical bearing...

Flowserve Corp.(Projects & Contracts)(Maire Tecnimont Group)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Flowserve Corp. is expanding in the Latin America power generation industry by supplying pumps to Maire Tecnimont Group (Italy), one of the major European engineering contractors with a leading position in the regional power generation market....

Juan Macias.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... GE Digital Energy said that Juan Macias has been named general manager for the company's Protection & Control product line. Macias will be responsible for the growth strategy, global operations and new technology development for Digital...

The Shaw Group Inc.(People & Personnel)(Mehdi Maibodi )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Shaw Group Inc. named four people to roles in the Nuclear Division of its Power Group. Harold Thornberry, William A. Fox III, Alan Beckman and Mehdi Maibodi will be based at Shaw's Power Group headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. As vice...

Christopher M. Crane.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Christopher M. Crane, executive vice president of Exelon Corp, and COO of Exelon Generation, has been named president and COO of Exelon Corp. Crane will retain his title and role as COO of Exelon Generation as well; Crane is a 30-year veteran...

Desmond A. Bell.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Pacific Gas and Electric Co's board elected Desmond A. Bell as senior vice president, shared services and chief procurement officer; and Fong Wan as senior vice president, energy procurement. In addition, John T. Conway senior vice president...

Phillip Vessa.(People & Personnel)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Wilson TurboPower named Phillip Vessa as vice president of Turbine Technology, responsible for driving the engineering, fabrication and marketing of Wilson's turbine engine for the distributed-power-generation industry. Vessa led development of...

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. and Constellation Energy.(Mergers & Acquisitions)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. and Constellation Energy reached a definitive merger agreement in which MidAmerican will buy all of the outstanding shares of Constellation Energy for cash consideration of approximately $4.7 billion, or $26.50 a...

Nuclear new build cost visibility and predictability: owners must take a more active, informed and disciplined approach to managing contract and project execution.
October 1, 2008... The U.S. nuclear renaissance is in full gear. With more than 30 new units proposed, the revival has turned into a race to secure Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Combined Construction and Operating Licenses (COL), obtain Department of Energy...

Gas turbines: addressing today's global environmental challenges.
October 1, 2008... As climate change initiatives and related programs and regulations continue to evolve so do gas turbine power generation markets and applications. From combined cycle natural gas power plants, to landfill gas and other alternative fuels, to...

Go take a bath: most utilities scrub in the shower, but scrubbing in the tub has its advantages.
October 1, 2008... Taking a shower and taking a bath might be two ways of accomplishing the same goal. But when it comes to flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system design, a shower versus a bath means two distinctly different means to an end. Most wet scrubber...

An emerald anniversary for PGI: don't miss out as POWER-GEN International marks its 20th anniversary in Orlando, Florida, December 2-4.(POWER-GEN International)(Conference news)
October 1, 2008... A lot has happened in the power generation sector during the past 20 years and POWER-GEN International (PGI) has been there to capture and chronicle all of it. For its 20th anniversary in Orlando December 2-4, POWER-GEN International is...

Projects of the year awards gala.
October 1, 2008... Presented by Power Engineering magazine, the Project-of-the-Year Annual Awards Gala on Monday, Dec. 1, recognizes the world's best power projects, honoring excellence in design, construction and operation of power generation facilities. ...

What was old can be new again: I&C upgrades for Procontrol P13 Systems can be done incrementally, depending on your need.(Instrumentation and Control)
October 1, 2008... More than 600 ABB Procontrol P13 instrumentation control systems are operating worldwide--about 160 of them in the United States. The plants range from small 30 MW cogeneration facilities all the way up to utility-scale coal plants in the...

Economical ductwork design and engineering: careful planning in designing ductwork for emission control structures goes a long way toward reducing overall plant construction costs.
October 1, 2008... Increasing restrictions on power plant emissions are causing owners and utilities to look for cheaper and faster ways to upgrade their plants to conform. Steel prices and skilled labor shortages increase daily and more than ever engineering...

Troubleshooting slagging and sootblowing with applied computational modeling.(Field Notes)
October 1, 2008... The formation of ash deposits on heart transfer surfaces has been one of the main problems encountered in pulverized coal-fired boilers. Ash deposits not only lower the heat transfer rates, resulting in frequent maintenance and unscheduled...

Self-contained hydraulic system in new solar energy field.(Field Notes)
October 1, 2008... At the Nevada Solar One parabolic trough power plant, hydraulic actuator devices, designed and built by Parker Hannifin, rotate and tilt the solar collector assemblies (curved mirrored surfaces) as they track the sun's motion each day through...

Flow modeling technology center.(Products)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Hamworthy Peabody Combustion announces the completion of their new SMART flow Technology Center at their Shelton, Conn. location. The 1,000 square foot facility has been utilized for new product development, analysis of new installations and...

Progressing cavity pump.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Moyno Inc. offers the Moyno 2000 progressing cavity pump for handling of highly viscous coal/oil slurry mixtures in the power generation and industrial markets. The Moyno 2000 pump is a proven performer in multi-fuel or dual fuel applications...

Agitators.(Products)
October 1, 2008... The Chemineer Model 20 HT/GT top-entering agitators feature a swing out seal change design for easy seal maintenance and reduced maintenance cost. With the Model 20 HT/GT agitators, there is no need to lift or remove the gearbox. For...

Low [NO.sub.x] burner.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Hamworthy Peabody Combustion announces the ECOjet burner, offering ultra-low emissions with little or no flue gas recirculation. Ignition is achieved using the Chentronics high energy direct spark ignitor. This burst mode ignition with flashing...

Mechanical switch.(Products)
October 1, 2008... The Vibralert Model 5550 Mechanical Vibration Switch is designed to provide vibration protection for low to medium-speed machinery. An inertia sensitive mechanism activates a snap-action switch with SPDT output contacts if the vibration exceeds...

Guide to encoder and motor feedback systems for wind power systems.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Sick Stegmann Inc. introduces the Guide to Encoder and Motor Feedback Systems for Wind Power Systems. This illustrated guide highlights encoder and motor feedback solutions that deliver maximum reliability in even the most aggressive conditions...

Alarm manager.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Matrikon announces the release of Matrikon Alarm Manager V4.2 featuring enforcement, bypass management, and incident review capabilities. Matrikon Alarm manager V4.2 now includes Alarm Manager Enforcer, Alarm Manger Custodian, and Alarm...

Electric chain hoist.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Konecranes offers the wXN Electric Chain Hoist, a light-weight, compact chain hoist to be mounted to a jib crane within the nacelle of the turbine. With a standard lifting capacity from 1/8 to 1 ton and optional higher capacities, the wXN...

Gate valves.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Conval offers Clampseal Swivldisc gate valves in standard sizes from 1/2" to 4" through ASME Class 3500. The unique wedge gate design employs a flexible disc designed to permit the seating surfaces to achieve perfect alignment The valve is...

Bird control product catalog.(Products)(Bird-B-Gone Inc.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Bird-B-Gone Inc. announces a new catalog. The new catalog features a complete line of bird deterrents to help solve virtually any pest bird problem. The full color, 45-page catalog includes Bird-B-Gone classics like the Bird Spike 2001 and Bird...

Combustible gas detector.(Products)
October 1, 2008... General Monitor's advanced S4000C Combustible Gas Dectors is now available with HART The new Model S4000CH dector is suitable for a wide range of demanding industrial applications where the potential presence of dangerous hydrocarbon-based...

LED illuminator.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Clark Reliance Corp has announced a new illuminator. Jerguson NightStar illuminators are for use with its Magnicator II magnetic liquid level gages. An array of bright LEDs continually shines on the gage's magnetic flag indicators to provide...

Boiler tube panel saw.(Products)
October 1, 2008... A panel saw and steel track system that attaches easily to water wall boiler tubes using weld tabs which help determine the cut line and fully support to tool are available from ESCO Tool. The PanelHog APS-438LP low-profile saw and Esco...

Cartridge valve.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Parker Fluid Control Division now offers a new line of manifold mount cartridge valves. The is an alternative to solenoid operators and stud mount valves. The manifold mount cartridge valve is offered in two-and three-way models with a...

Renewable energy sealing system.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Trelleborg Sealing Solutions developed a sealing configuration jointly with AVN Energy A/S. This unique configuration is engineered to enhance lubrication and optimize friction characteristics, at the same time preventing any external leakage...

Boiler coating.(Products)
October 1, 2008... NanoSteel Co. announces the commercial availability of a new Super Hard Steel alloy, SHS 8000, for coating solutions in the power for pressure parts. SHSn 8000 is a cored wire solution for twin wire arc thermal spraying designed for elevated...

Output sensors.(Products)
October 1, 2008... The IMI Sensors division of PCB Piezotronics has released Series EX64xB7x, a line of loop-powered 4-20 mA output sensors with a 1-inch NPT, 90 degree capped elbow conduit, to meet ATEX and CSA approval requirements for use in hazardous areas....

Electric chain hoist.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Harrington Hoists Inc. announces the addition of many enhanced features to their NER/ ER three phase electric chain hoist line. These hoists are now equipped with "The Guardian" Smart Brake Technology a failsafe brake with a 10 year warranty....

Noise attenuation application guide.(Products)(Flowserve Corp.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Flowserve Corp. has released a publication that provides solutions to resolve noise issues in gaseous equipment. Flowserve Gaseous Noise Control is a comprehensive guide to available noise-attenuation technology. The publication provides an...

Natural gas generator set.(Products)
October 1, 2008... Caterpillar Inc. announces a new G3516C 50 Hz high-efficiency natural gas generator set available now with optional air and fuel system controls specifically designed for island mode applications. The G3516C 50Hz generator set equipped with...

Facing a long-term memory loss.(Workforce)
October 1, 2008... The aging workforce in the energy utility industry has been well documented, and the fear of losing skilled labor is serious and real. According to the United States Department of Labor, the energy utility industry averages the second-highest...