Oil Filtration Systems introduced a new series of oil purification equipment to remove varnish from hydraulic and lubrication oils. By utilizing the two leading varnish mitigation technologies, a single varnish removal system (VRS) can remove either soluble varnish or suspended varnish from oil. VRS equipment employs granular adsorbent media to remove soluble varnish found in […]

Ningde 1, the first of four Chinese-designed CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors being built at a site in Fujian Province, began commercial operation this April after a 58-month construction period.

Equalizer International introduced SWi range, what it claims is the “world’s most powerful flange spreading wedges.” Designed to decrease downtime and provide a safe, efficient, and cost-effective way to access and spread flange joints, the tools are capable of generating a spreading force of up to 25T and the SWi range includes a hydraulic (SWi20/25TE), […]

NRC Poised to Rule on SCE Proposal to Restart San Onofre Unit 2. Southern California Edison (SCE) on April 5 submitted a voluntary request to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a license amendment to support restart of Unit 2 of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, and the NRC later said in a […]

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products introduced three models of the new Swift Arc series of pre-engineered, robotic welding cells: Swift Arc AL (angle-load), Swift Arc FL (front-load), and Swift Arc SL (side-load) robot cells. Each system is an economic configuration for a complete work cell and is ideal for job shops introducing robotics to their […]

The history of electric power has been stained by several devastating incidents triggered by natural hazards, technological failures, malicious actions, and human error.

HD Electric Co.’s new single-range TAG-200, multi-range TAG-200MR, and single-range TAG-330 are electronic voltage detectors designed for detecting distribution and transmission voltages. These direct contact type detectors emit both audible and visual indications when placed in contact with an energized conductor. TAGs are designed for overhead and underground applications with optional underground bushing probes. (HDElectricCompany.com)

Alliance Sensors Group launched the MR Series of linear position sensors for use in measuring the ram position of hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders. The MR Series is designed to be a drop-in form, fit, and function replacement for magnetostrictive sensors but with much more robust construction and a lower cost of ownership, specifically targeting port-mounted […]

Los Angeles sits alongside the world’s largest body of water, and naturally the city’s Department of Water & Power (LADWP) placed its generating stations along the shoreline to take advantage of that abundant resource for cooling. The LADWP built three coastal generating stations that provide the city with 2,162 MW, about 35% of the peak annual demand.

NLB Corp. introduced the MGV24-1200, a new multi-gun valve that allows two or more high-pressure water jet lances (or other accessories) to be operated from the same 24,000 psi pump unit and can be rebuilt in the field in just five minutes. The MGV24-1200 can be used with any dump-style lance, and the lances can […]

On Feb. 22, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule, 78 Fed. Reg. 12459, that will require 36 states to eliminate an exemption to Clean Air Act (CAA) emission requirements for exceedances that occur during periods of startup, shutdown, or malfunction (SSM).

The Wall Street Journal ( WSJ) recently reported that 14 of the 29 states that have adopted a renewable procurement mandate are currently considering legislation that would “water down or repeal” the renewable set-aside. Proponents of repeal describe their motivation as simple economics: Renewable power increases costs to electric consumers.

The LM6000 is the most widely used aeroderivative combustion turbine (CT) in the world, with more than 1,000 installations. As with all CTs, power output and heat rate degrade markedly during warm weather. The ARCTIC (Absorption Refrigeration Cycle Turbine Inlet Conditioning) system eliminates this deficiency.

Modern heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) design must balance operating response with the reduction in life of components caused by daily cycling and fast starts. Advanced modeling techniques demonstrate HRSG startup ramp rates can be accelerated without compromising equipment life.

MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is buying NV Energy Inc. for $23.75 a share in cash, or around $5.6 billion. The companies said the deal was unanimously approved by both boards of directors and could be completed in the first quarter of 2014, pending shareholder approval as well as approval by state and federal regulators.

The D.C. Circuit Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. of a ruling requiring environmental review of Sunflower’s proposed 875-MW coal-fired power plant in Holcomb, Kansas.

A new bill introduced in the Senate seeks to encourage the development of renewable power and lower consumer costs through the deployment of energy storage technologies.

Jon Wellinghoff, chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), announced on Tuesday that he would resign after a seven-year-long tenure at the gas and power market regulator.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Tuesday called for a federal investigation to determine whether Southern California Edison (SCE) intentionally misled regulators regarding the installation of faulty steam generators at the beleaguered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Cost overruns of nearly $1 billion to build the 582-MW Kemper integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant in Kemper County, Miss., were underscored on Monday as Mississippi Power’s Board of Directors took the dramatic step of replacing the Southern Co. subsidiary’s leadership.

A carbon tax or cap-and-trade programs could raise trillions of dollars within the first 10 years of their enactment and avert climate change effects, but without accounting for how these revenues will be used, they could take a toll on the U.S. economy, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says in a report released on Tuesday.

Panelists at a House hearing on Tuesday held to examine steps the federal government and private sector are taking to bolster the nation’s critical infrastructure security shed light on the extent and variety of possible cyberattacks and called for flexible solutions. The hearing was held days after the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its initial analysis of hundreds of comments submitted in response to President Obama’s February 2013 cybersecurity executive order.

A final rule issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Thursday orders the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) to develop, by the end of the year, reliability standards that address the impact of geomagnetic disturbances (GMD) on the nation’s bulk power system. Those standards will likely require generators and grid operators to develop and implement operational procedures and conduct continuing assessments on equipment to mitigate GMD effects.

The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), in a special reliability assessment released on Wednesday, called for a number of changes to address the increased reliance on natural gas for power generation, among them incorporating gas availability and gas supply issues into electric reliability assessments.

Freeport LNG Expansion LP and FLNG Liquefaction LLC received conditional authorization on May 17 to export U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Freeport LNG Terminal on Quintana Island, Texas, making it the second project to receive federal approval. Meanwhile, Canada is considering a proposed LNG export terminal in British Columbia.

A promising new approach to securing communications networks from cyber crime uses quantum cryptography. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have developed a system that could be used for critical infrastructure control systems, including those at power plants.

An updated fracking rule proposed by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) last week maintains a number of requirements from a previous draft—including that well operators should disclose all chemicals used in fracturing activities on public lands—but it will improve integration with state and tribal standards and increase compliance flexibility, the agency said.

The full Senate last week confirmed Ernest Moniz as Energy Secretary while a divided Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) voted 10–8 to send the nomination of Gina McCarthy as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. Republicans agreed to lift their boycott on the McCarthy vote only after the EPA agreed to meet a number of transparency commitments.

In an apparent legal victory for developers of new nuclear power plants in the U.S., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied complaints from environmental groups that federal approval of Southern Co.’s two new reactors under construction in Georgia did not address lessons learned from the Fukushima accident.

AES Corp.’s subsidiary Dayton Power & Light (DP&L) plans to retire six coal-fired units representing about 390 MW at its 414-MW Hutchings coal-, gas-, and oil-fired plant in Miamisburg, Ohio, by June 2015 as a result of existing and expected environmental regulations, including the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). The news comes on the heels of Indianapolis Power & Light Co.’s (IPL’s) announcement that it plans to retire 600 MW of coal-fired capacity to comply with environmental rules.