The new Torrent 50 tank-cleaning head from NLB Corp. delivers 3-D water jet action with the force of 600 horsepower water, and it fits through a tank or reactor opening as small as 6 inches. The Torrent 50, rated for pressures up to 20,000 psi and flows to 50 gpm, has two high-velocity water jets […]

Progress in electronics and information technology has created incentives to replace traditional analog instrumentation and control (I&C) systems in nuclear power plants with digital I&C systems, or systems based on computers and microprocessors. About 40% of the world’s operating reactors have been modernized to include at least some digital I&C systems, according to the International […]

Larson Electronics’ Magnalight.com has introduced the HBLP-1MLED-SWAM stainless steel swing arm–mounted, explosion-proof light for wastewater treatment plant applications. Built with 316 stainless steel and equipped with a Class 1 and Class 2 Division 1 10,000-lumen LED light, this adjustable hazardous area light is designed for corrosive environments. The HBLP-1MLED-SWAM is used to position the explosion-proof […]

The U.S. saw the historic start of operations at its first ultrasupercritical coal-fired power plant last December as Southwestern Electric Power Co.’s (SWEPCO’s) 600-MW John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant switched on in Arkansas.

Large vacuum cups from Vi-Cas Manufacturing are available in sizes up to 15 inches in diameter to lift and manipulate large, bulky, or cumbersome materials, including fabricated assemblies. Round, rectangular, or oval cups are available from stock for a variety of lift manufacturers. Sizes and types are available to fit virtually any type of vacuum […]

A landslide victory handed by Japanese voters to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in mid-December saw power in the country’s Lower House shift back to the nationalist-conservative party that had governed Japan almost continuously since 1955. The LDP had been ousted in a historic defeat only three years earlier. In his first televised interview since taking office, newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (who previously served as prime minister from September 2006 to September 2007) called for review of plans to phase out nuclear power in Japan by 2030, endorsing instead the construction of new, safer nuclear power plants.

The electricity industry is being transformed by the so-called “shale gas revolution” in the United States. Production of natural gas from shale rock using hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has boosted supply and reduced prices, making gas-fired power competitive with coal-fired power on price. Historically, coal-fired electricity generation has dwarfed generation from gas-fired plants in the U.S. […]

Accurate knowledge of the water level in any boiler drum application is an absolute necessity. While operating a boiler with low water level is one of the leading causes of boiler failure, operating with a high water level may produce less-than-optimal steam, as well as damage to the steam turbine by moisture carryover.

Last October, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that it was seeking a record $470 million penalty against Barclays Bank for manipulating California energy markets for several years in the late 2000s. The amount includes a $435 million fine as well as disgorgement of $35 million in profits Barclays gained from allegedly illegal trading. In addition, FERC levied hefty fines against several individual Barclays traders.

As the book title Too Dumb to Meter: Follies, Fiascoes, Dead Ends, and Duds on the U.S. Road to Atomic Energy implies, nuclear power has traveled a rough road. In this POWER exclusive, we present the 14th and 15th chapters, “A Man, a Plan, a Canal” and “The End of the Exploding Game,” the final two chapters of “Eddie Teller’s Exploding Ambitions” section.