-
O&M
Boilers 101: What They Are and How They Work
Boilers are all around us. From home water heating to massive industrial applications, they are everywhere. This article covers boiler basics, including the basic types of packaged boilers and their thermal configurations.
-
Gas
Eight Flags CHP Plant on Florida’s Amelia Island: Ten Years On
Back in 2015, ground broke on a combined heat and power (CHP) facility in Florida. It was created as a partnership between Chesapeake Utilities Corp., its Florida Public Utilities (FPU) subsidiary, and Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. (RYAM), and comprised a Solar Titan 250 gas turbine and a Rentech heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). Ten years on, how is the $40 million facility doing, how has the partnership worked out, and what lessons have been learned along the way? POWER magazine took a trip to the plant to answer those questions.
-
O&M
Improving the Efficiency of Power Plant Cooling Ponds
As electricity demand soars during summer heat waves, many power plants find themselves constrained by their ability to cool water efficiently for reuse. Innovative floating cooling technology is enabling
Tagged in: -
O&M
Solving Combustion Damper Seizing Issues in Power Generation
With artificial intelligence (AI) causing a surge in electricity demand across the world, power capacity and availability are more vital than ever. The race is on to build more generation assets. In the
Tagged in: -
T&D
Adding Stability and Reliability to the Western Australian Grid
Large distances are something you get used to if you live in Australia. Perth, on the west coast, is about 2,500 miles away from Brisbane on the east coast. Even within the state of Western Australia (WA), the
Tagged in: -
Coal
How to Improve Remediation of Coal Ash Pond Water
Many power companies face significant risks from coal ash ponds. New solutions based on water flow physics are showing promise in preventing the spread of hazardous particulate matter. Existing coal plants are
-
Gas
Simple Cycle, Combined Cycle, or a Hybrid Approach?
Simple cycle gas turbines provide efficiency levels of around 35% to 40%. Combined cycle units boost efficiency to 60% and beyond. But another option is emerging that combines the attributes of simple and combined cycle designs. This hybrid configuration uses a single power turbine expander and recycles exhaust heat back to the combustor to combine […]
-
Business
The Queensland SuperGrid Marries the Old and the New
The Australian state of Queensland is in the midst of a rapid changeover from coal to renewables. From 70% coal generation today, it is switching to 70% renewables by 2032. This means phasing out 8.1 GW of coal and some of its 3 GW of gas generation, while simultaneously building at least 25 GW of […]
-
News
Experience Shows Wet Compression Is Safe to Use on Gas Turbines
Back in the early 2000s, some controversy emerged about the practice of spraying large amounts of fog directly into the compressor. Some claimed that this led to blade erosion, pitting, and scaling. So, is it safe to use wet compression on gas turbines by pumping water droplets into the compressor inlet? The answer is yes—provided […]
-
Hydrogen
Can Utility-Scale Power Boilers Safely Fire Hydrogen?
There is plenty of enthusiasm around hydrogen as a possible alternative fuel to natural gas in combustion processes. Some hope it can eventually replace natural gas in applications such as utility boilers. However, any transition to 100% hydrogen has plenty of challenges to overcome due to it having such fundamentally different combustion characteristics. This gives […]