10.15.2008 | Angela Neville, JD
In the wake of a recent federal case, large power plants are off the hook for now as far as complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2004 rule intended to protect fish and other aquatic organisms by controlling cooling...
09.15.2008 | By David Daniels, M&M Engineering Associates Inc.
If you have talked with your plant chemist or chemical provider lately, you are probably aware that prices for many of the chemicals used by generating plants have steadily risen over the past three years (see table). For power plants with evaporative cooling...
09.15.2008
WATER TREATMENT Tackling substandard water sources Boiler and cooling tower feedwater typically must be softened prior to use, usually with well-established processes for reducing water hardness. A growing problem for many power plant operators is...
09.15.2008 | William Wurtz, SPX Cooling Technologies Inc., and Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
Many plants are being forced by changing environmental laws and public pressure to retrofit existing power generating facilities to closed-circuit cooling water systems or even dry cooling options rather than continue with once-through river or ocean cooling...
09.15.2008 | By Peter G. Demakos, PE, Niagara Blower Co.
The cooling needs of thermoelectric power plants account for a significant amount of freshwater use in the U.S. The future promises increased competition for that water from agricultural, residential, and commercial users. (See POWER, April 2008, “New...
08.15.2008 | Colleen M. Layman and Lisa L. Bennett, Bechtel Power Corp.
Condensate polishers are resin-based ion exchange systems that are commonly used in power plant condensate systems to remove dissolved contaminants (chlorides and silica) and suspended contaminants (iron or copper oxide particulates). Polishers maintain cycle...
07.15.2008 | Angela Neville, JD
No doubt some power plant engineers feel that tackling environmental problems is a lot like dealing with the Hydra, the ancient mythological serpent monster with multiple heads. When an attacker would cut off one of the Hydra’s numerous heads, two new...
04.15.2008
WATER TREATMENT Tag-teamed seawater cleanup The scarcity of water resources is causing big problems in China, both directly and indirectly. The lack of potable water directly impairs the health and well-being of millions of people and restricts...
04.15.2008 | By Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
Drought conditions across the Southeast have begun affecting power plant operations. According to the Associated Press, 24 of America’s 104 nuclear reactors are in areas now experiencing the most severe levels of drought, and 22 of those plants...
03.15.2008
GRID RELIABILITY New CIP standards leave questions unanswered This January, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Order No. 706 approving a set of eight reliability standards for critical infrastructure protection (CIP) developed by...
|
