News

Joseph Kelliher, head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), announced Wednesday that he will step down as chairman effective Jan. 20. Kelliher said that although his term as commissioner would not end until 2012, he would immediately recuse himself from FERC business and explore other career opportunities.

Dynegy Inc. and LS Power Associates last week said they had dissolved a 2006 joint development venture that planned to expand Dynegy power plants and build new ones in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, and Nevada, partly because of credit and regulatory uncertainties.

Resin-Bonded Filter Cartridges Maximize Performance Pentair Industrial has introduced its Resflex Series Resin Bonded Filter Cartridges, with a unique, proprietary two-stage design. The cartridges’ outer spiral wrap efficiently removes large particles and agglomerates. This prefilter wrap provides increased surface area and intensifies cartridge strength, while eliminating residual debris. Resflex’s inner layers provide superior particle removal […]

Why is it that so many of our New Year’s resolutions are focused on self-enrichment, yet they are the first promises we break? The typical resolutions — "get more exercise" or "stop smoking" — are recycled yearly. Surveys find that most resolutions are abandoned or forgotten by, appropriately, Ground Hog Day. I believe it’s time to reboot our resolution-setting software and refocus on others instead of ourselves.

Conventional pump mechanical seals, lip/contact seals, and packing as sealing methods work well when you’re pumping clean liquids, but operators eventually find shaft fretting and wear on the sleeves and shaft when pumping high-solids liquids. To solve this problem, Inpro/Seal Co. recently released its new Water Mizer Shaft Seal, which uses water to maintain the […]

HD Electric Co.’s new FT-1 Fuse Tool assists in the removal and installation of most cutout-type overhead fuse links. The Fuse Tool has a 7-inch fuse receiver that provides increased safety and greater control by keeping the fuse link securely in place during removal and installation. The built-in switch hook is then used to close […]

A pneumatic saw and universal pipe trolley kit that eliminates the need for heavy, clamshell saws for cutting all types of alloys and concrete-lined pipe are available from ESCO Tool of Holliston, Mass. The Esco APS-438 Air-Powered Saw and WrapTrack let users cut 6-inch to 60-inch outer-diameter pipe accurately without a heat-affected zone and are […]

With its advanced point infrared combustible gas – sensing element, the new Model IR400 Infrared (IR) Point Combustible Gas Detector from General Monitors delivers reliable protection against explosive hydrocarbon gases with a low-power (4.8 W) design that requires no routine calibration. The detector measures the absorption of infrared radiation passing through a volume of gas […]

Tungsten inert gas and plasma welding require tungsten electrodes with perfectly ground and polished tips. The improved Techweld TEG – 3 Tungsten Electrode Grinder, from British company Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Ltd. uses a diamond wheel to grind tungsten electrodes longitudinally and produce the same tungsten points every time. This prevents arc flicker or wander caused […]

Power plants in Pennsylvania must be prepared to meet the ozone and fine particulate emissions standards established by the newly reinstated Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) as of Jan. 1, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PDEP) said Monday.