http://www.powermag.com POWER Mag en-us 2012 Wed, 8 Feb 2012 0:23:38 EST Brazil’s power industry has long been dominated by its vast hydro resources, which historically have accounted for over 80% of the country’s generation capacity. With engineering marvels like the massive Itaipú dam and the proposed Belo Monte project, the country is a leader in the development and use of hydroelectricity on a grand scale. But as the 2001 energy crisis proved, dependence on a single source leaves the country vulnerable to severe shortages. Thanks to government programs designed to take advantage of the country’s favorable climate, Brazil is committed to diversifying its energy mix while continuing to maintain a renewable energy focus.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4333.html Wed, 1 Feb 2012 0:00:00 EST In January 2012 a new mercury control system at the Colstrip power plant in Montana reached its first major milestone: two years of operation with mercury emissions below the state regulatory limit. The plant uses Alstom’s unique Mer-Cure technology to capture up to 90% of the mercury leaving the stack.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4337.html Wed, 1 Feb 2012 0:00:00 EST In a power plant, the primary use of vacuum systems is to remove air and other noncondensable gases from the shell side of the condenser in order to maintain design heat transfer and thus design vacuum. If holding condenser vacuum is a persistent problem, one often-overlooked cause is an inadequately sized vacuum system.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4338.html Wed, 1 Feb 2012 0:00:00 EST Compressible fluid flow through control valves will inevitably cause some form of flow-induced vibration in the fluid system. Identifying the type and cause of the vibration requires detective work. Determining the design changes required in the valve and fluid system to prevent the vibration from occurring requires advanced analytical techniques.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4339.html Wed, 1 Feb 2012 0:00:00 EST The POWER editorial staff's picks for the most significant stories of 2011.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4227.html Sun, 1 Jan 2012 0:00:00 EST At home and abroad, U.S. military microgrid and smart grid projects are driven by energy security concerns. The pace of such projects, however, can be slow, and the potential for civilian grids to benefit from lessons learned and technologies developed for these important installations may be limited.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4228.html Sun, 1 Jan 2012 0:00:00 EST The technologies used to generate and distribute electricity will be radically transformed during the coming decade. Amid that change, the power industry must continue to meet customer reliability, safety, and cost-of-service expectations. Achieving the right balance among these often-conflicting goals is the primary focus of every utility. The Electric Power Research Institute is helping utilities achieve that balance with R&D programs for many new and emerging technologies.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4256.html Sun, 1 Jan 2012 0:00:00 EST The Five-Year Plan is the expression of the centralized planning goals for China’s economy. The 12th Five-Year Plan, approved by the Chinese Government on March 14, 2011, established many social and economic goals, including significant expansion of the country’s power generation industry in many new directions.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4257.html Sun, 1 Jan 2012 0:00:00 EST Employees at the 293-MW Muscatine Power & Water plant combine a positive attitude with an aggressive focus on workplace safety, inspired by the motto: “We all can adapt, adopt, and improve to meet the challenges head on to provide our customers with reliable power.” The facility began using Powder River Basin coal in 1993, and the staff have learned effective techniques to use it safely.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4258.html Sun, 1 Jan 2012 0:00:00 EST Navigant’s Operational Excellence Awards are presented annually to those North American coal-fired generation plants that have demonstrated excellence in cost-efficient reliable plant performance over the preceding five-year period. The data used to select the winners derives from Navigant’s Generation Knowledge Service fossil database.... http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/4259.html Sun, 1 Jan 2012 0:00:00 EST