Engineering

  • Ferris State University’s Construction Management Program Expands Its MEP Courses

    The Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) trades make up a significant portion of a construction project’s budget, and MEP scope continues to grow in complexity and size as we get further into the 21st century. Depending on the type of project, the MEP scope can account for upwards of a third of an overall project’s […]

  • Kairos Commissions Molten Salt Coolant Production Plant for High-Temperature Nuclear Reactors

    Kairos Power, an advanced nuclear reactor developer, has commissioned a molten salt purification plant (MSPP) that will produce “large quantities” of a high-purity coolant for reactors based on its fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology. The MSPP, one of the largest of its kind, is located at materials supplier Materion Corp.’s campus in Elmore, Ohio. […]

  • Harnessing Cooling Tower Plumes to Provide Purified Water

    A novel technology that is surprisingly simple in principle promises to significantly reduce water consumption in evaporative cooling tower systems by capturing water from cooling tower plumes.  Sonal Patel

  • NASA Picks Three Nuclear Power Concepts for Demonstration on the Moon

    Three teams comprising some of the most prominent engineering and technology firms in the U.S. will provide initial designs for a fission surface power (FSP) system as part of a federal project to demonstrate a 40-kW nuclear reactor for power applications on the moon. NASA and Battelle Energy Alliance—the contracted entity that manages and operates […]

  • Cultivating the Next Generation of Women Engineers

    For most of my childhood growing up in a small town in the foothills of North Carolina, my dad worked in the blanket factory as a supervisor in the labs—working on fabric treatments, dyes, weaves, and all the other things that you’d never think about going into the design of a blanket. On Saturday mornings, […]

  • Southern Co. Gas-Fired Demonstration Validates 20% Hydrogen Fuel Blend

    A demonstration project at Georgia Power’s 2.5-GW natural gas–fired Plant McDonough-Atkinson facility has validated a natural gas fuel blend with 20% hydrogen by volume on one of its six Mitsubishi Power advanced-class gas turbines. The test, one of the largest of its kind to date, provided an approximately 7% reduction in carbon emissions compared to […]

  • ‘Wyoming Innovation Center’— a Testbed for Sustainable Coal Products — Officially Opens

    5,500 SF Facility on 10 Acres in Gillette to spur innovation, jobs in the “Carbon Valley,” which has 165B tons of recoverable coal GILLETTE, Wyo. – June 14, 2022 – The Wyoming Innovation Center (WyIC), a 5,500-square-foot coal commercialization facility, has officially opened in Gillette, Wyo., owner Energy Capital Economic Development (ECED) announced today. The […]

  • DOD Picks BWXT Design for ‘Project Pele’ Prototype Nuclear Microreactor 

    The Department of Defense (DOD) has picked BWX Technologies’ (BWXT’s) microreactor design for its “Project Pele” full-scale transportable prototype. The selection closes out a much-watched contest with X-energy for the contract from the DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) to build and operate what could be the nation’s first advanced microreactor.  Lynchburg, Virginia-based BWXT will now […]

  • Advantages of Leak Detection Technology in Power Plants

    The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that one is present. An operations team cannot adequately put a sufficient maintenance plan in place if there is no awareness that maintenance is required. One particular area that used to suffer much more regularly from this lack of diagnosis in a power plant setting is […]

  • Security of Cyber-Physical Systems

    “Cyber-physical systems” are the next generation of closely integrated physical and cyber systems. Several critical systems such as the power grid, autonomous transportation systems, and process control systems are examples of cyber-physical systems. They are liable to be attacked by malicious agents who can compromise the sensor measurements being used to control them. Indeed, there […]

  • The Vital Link: How HVDC Is Modernizing the Grid

    Significant advances in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission are in step with rapid changes to energy systems worldwide. Shortly after POWER magazine began publication in 1882, the competitive

  • New Life for Dead and Dying Coal Plants?

    As coal plants are retired, power companies must decide what to do with sites. Some old plants have been added to the National Register of Historic Places and repurposed as commercial or office space, while

  • How to Prevent Condensation-Induced Water Hammer

    Condensation-induced water hammer (CIWH) is the term commonly used when describing a variety of transients that occur when water vapor is rapidly condensed by cold water. This article describes the various

  • Hydrogen, Ammonia–Fired Gas Turbine Development Gets U.S. Government Fast-Track Boost

    The U.S. government has set out to fast-track technology development enabling hydrogen and ammonia combustion in power-generating gas turbines, furnishing six novel industry-led projects with a combined $24.9 million on May 19. Projects include development of hydrogen-ready combustion technologies for F-class retrofits, more efficient hydrogen and ammonia burners, and a potential demonstration of a rotating […]

  • SNC-Lavalin to carry out performance optimization work for CANDU nuclear reactor in Romania

    MONTREAL: May 19, 2022 – Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), has been chosen by Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN), operator of the Cernavoda Nuclear Generating Station in Romania, to conduct optimization work on the Unit 1 CANDU® reactor at the facility. SNC-Lavalin will perform axial channel shifting for several fuel channels in […]

  • Large-Scale Hydrogen Projects Take Shape as Technology Continues to Evolve

    If hydrogen-based power technology and decarbonization schemes seem like a novelty to you, you may not be paying close enough attention to developments happening around the world. While some hydrogen pilot

  • Advanced Analytics Applications Power Predictive Maintenance Efforts

    Moving from reactive to predictive maintenance requires the right tools for use by subject matter experts. As the power industry continues to advance from preventative to predictive maintenance, one thing is

  • Doosan Kicks Off NuScale SMR Production for Idaho Nuclear Project

    South Korean power industrial giant Doosan has agreed to forge materials for NuScale Power’s small modular reactors (SMR) starting as early as this year, in a project that would support the commercial deployment of VOYGRs—NuScale’s name for its SMRs—at the 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP) in Idaho Falls. NuScale separately also teamed with American large […]

  • Green Light for Project Pele, Defense Department’s Mobile Nuclear Microreactor Demonstration

    The Department of Defense (DOD) will push forward on Project Pele, a much-watched mobile microreactor prototype, and demonstrate its full operation for a minimum of three years at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site. The DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) on April 15 formally released a record of decision (ROD) to proceed with the program, […]

  • SNC-Lavalin selected to design and build tooling systems for Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Life Extension Program

    MONTREAL: April 19, 2022 – Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), has been chosen by Bruce Power to provide design and engineering services for fuel channel installation tooling at Unit 3 of Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario. The mandate also includes manufacturing and testing, and forms part of the broader […]

  • Burns & McDonnell Completes Construction of 65-MWdc Solar Project for Vistra

    KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Burns & McDonnell recently completed construction of a 65-MWdc/50-MWac solar project at Vistra’s Brightside Solar Facility in Live Oak County, Texas. The project peaked with over 250 craft construction professionals on-site and was completed with zero safety recordables or lost time incidents. The site utilizes 440-watt First Solar thin-film modules in conjunction with […]

  • Black & Veatch Selects Mario Azar as New Chairman and CEO

    CEO Steve Edwards to retire after 44 years with global infrastructure leader OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (15 APRIL 2022) – The Black & Veatch Board of Directors today announces it has selected Mario Azar as the chairman and CEO for the company upon the decision of Steve Edwards to retire after 44 years of outstanding leadership, […]

  • EPRI Elects New Chairs, Board Members

    Palo Alto, Calif. (April 13, 2022) -Today, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced the 2022 election results of its Board of Directors, effective immediately. For the second consecutive year, Stanley W. (Stan) Connally, Jr., Southern Company’s executive vice president of Operations, and chairman, president, and CEO of its Southern Company Services (SCS) subsidiary, has been […]

  • SNC-Lavalin announces strategic partnership with Moltex on Small Modular Reactor development, expanding nuclear energy in Canada

    MONTREAL: April 13, 2022 – Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), and Moltex Energy Canada (“Moltex”) are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to advance the development and deployment of next-generation Small Modular Reactor (SMR) nuclear technology in Canada, including efforts to license and construct a first of a kind waste […]

  • How to Complete Successful Power Projects Working with EPC Contractors

    Power companies rely heavily on engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors to build new power facilities and keep old ones in top condition. However, some projects go smoother than others

  • Iceland Offers Case Study of Geothermal’s Powerful Potential

    As more countries plan on achieving a green energy transition, Iceland offers guidance on how to effectively harness the power of geothermal. Imagining Iceland without geothermal energy would require turning

  • Making Power Plants Purr or Putting Them to Sleep: Hard Equipment and Soft Tools

    Maintenance equipment and tools have always been important for plant operators. In the early days, the tools were likely made entirely of iron and steel, copper and brass, lead, leather, rubber, or glass. Some

  • Making the Best Decisions on Air, Water, and Energy Products Relative to Hydrogen Combustion

    Power plants are planning very large investments in generators fueled by hydrogen, methane, mixtures, or ammonia. While hydrogen has the environmental advantage of zero carbon emissions, it has many disadvantages in terms of physical characteristics and safety. The demand on the valves, compressors, burners, NOx control, and other air, water, energy (AWE) products and services […]

  • Xcel Energy Considering Nuclear Operator Role at Idaho NuScale SMR Plant

    Xcel Energy is exploring a role as operator of the 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP), potentially becoming a key member of the first-of-its-kind small modular reactor (SMR) power plant that is under development at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site in Idaho Falls. The development is another sizable step for the six-module NuScale Power VOYGR project. […]

  • New Realms for Gas Power Technology

    Gas power technology developers are exploring new roles and applications to ensure gas power will remain relevant as power markets embrace decarbonization. At the end of 2020, about 1,600 GW of gas turbines