O&M
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Plant Design
Proper Valve Trim Extends Life of Boiler Feedwater Valves
Boiler feedwater valves operate under severe service conditions and are subject to premature failure from seat leakage, cavitation, particulates, and frequent cycling. However, once the type and root cause of
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Hydro
Optimizing Kaplan Turbine Efficiency with Minimal Cost, Effort, and Time
When the blades of individual Kaplan turbines are not continuously adjusted to achieve peak efficiency, the result is non-optimal performance and unnecessarily high mortality of downstream migrating fish
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T&D
Is a Faster-Than-Real-Time Energy Management System Within Reach?
Creating a faster-than-real-time Energy Management System (EMS) is a huge challenge for the power industry. In order to be considered faster-than-real-time, the EMS must be capable of executing within a
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Instrumentation & Controls
Controlling Boiler Level When Operating Conditions Change
The right level instrumentation is key to keeping boilers on an even keel. Guided-wave radar offers a critical combination of capabilities. If asked to make a short list of factors able to improve heat rate
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News
Show Preview: ELECTRIC POWER
The ELECTRIC POWER Conference + Exhibition celebrates its 21st birthday this year, with the event scheduled for April 23–26 at the Mirage Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. ELECTRIC POWER for the past two
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POWER Podcasts
An Inside Look at a State-of-the-Art Training Facility [PODCAST]
Royce Peters, senior technical coordinator for the Carpenters International Training Center (ITC) in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a guest on The POWER Podcast. The ITC is the largest and most-comprehensive training facility of its kind in the world. Following the completion of phase six of construction in 2018, the center now has more than 1.2 […]
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Press Releases
SKF Pulse™: Machine Monitoring Made Easy
Detecting machine problems has never been so easy. New portable sensor and intuitive mobile app from SKF puts simplified inspection, machine health data collection and expert analysis within everyone’s reach. Lansdale, Pa. — March 4, 2019 — SKF Pulse™ combines an easy-to-use handheld sensor with a new mobile app, allowing users to quickly monitor rotating […]
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Commentary
Should a Power Company Be Held Responsible for Wildfires?
If you’ve been following the news, you know that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because it is facing tens of billions of dollars in liability for
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News
Improve Baghouse Performance with Custom Filtration Media
Dust collection plays a vital role for safe and efficient power plant operation. There are a number of dust collection options available to plant designers, and baghouses have gained wide acceptance. The
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News
High-Purity Boiler Water pH Measurement
Water quality monitoring and control are two of the most critical operations that power plants employ to protect assets, such as boilers and steam turbines, from corrosion by assuring the correct addition of
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Press Releases
GC and GE Sign Agreement to Modernize Nine Gas Turbines and Improve Reliability at GC’s Industrial Power Plant in Thailand
GE’s Total Plant and Digital Solutions Will Help GC Reduce Costs, Achieve Higher Availability and Increase Reliability and Efficiency at GC’s Rayong Facility GC is the First Company in Thailand to Install GE’s Asset Performance Management Software Signing Ceremony Held Today with GE and GC Executives Highlights a Strong 30–Year Relationship Service Agreement Will Cover […]
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Press Releases
New kind of turbine governor from Voith proves effective in small hydropower plant in Scotland
Modified form of tried and tested compact drive from Voith Turbo used in a hydropower plant for first time Installation and maintenance friendly design Energy efficiency and environmental compatibility Heidenheim. As part of an upgrade of the Storr Lochs small hydropower plant in Scotland, technology group Voith installed a new kind of turbine control unit, […]
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Press Releases
Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches New Dosimetry Monitoring Service
Medical and dental facilities, nuclear power plants and other sites can now simplify their radiation safety program by accessing dosimetry technology and services from single provider TEWKSBURY, Mass. (February 25, 2019) – A new dosimetry monitoring service from Thermo Fisher Scientific enables medical and imaging facilities, dental offices, veterinary clinics, nuclear power plants, laboratories and […]
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Connected Plant
Clobotics Joins Forces with Leading European Wind O&M Provider GEV to Bring Artificial Intelligence to $27.4 Billion Market
SEATTLE – February 20, 2019– Clobotics, a leading provider in industry-level computer vision solutions, today announced a global strategic partnership with GEV Wind Power, one of the largest wind operations and maintenance (O&M) companies in Europe. The global partnership will use Clobotics pioneering artificial intelligence solutions to deliver AI-based autonomous blade inspections for wind turbines, […]
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Connected Plant
Technology Boosts Reliability of Power Plants Despite Shifting Business Foundations
There is no industry more concerned with continuity of service than the power industry. Maintaining power supply to constituents is the critical mandate of every plant, whether harnessing energy from the sun, wind, water, coal, or nuclear sources. While consistency is a top priority, the plants themselves are often in a state of flux due […]
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News
TVA Mulls Coal Plant Closures, Trump Urges Board to Consider All Factors
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is holding a board meeting today, during which the fate of the corporate agency’s Bull Run and Paradise Unit 3 coal power plants could be decided. Permanent closure of the facilities is strongly being considered. The stakes are high, according to Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R). In a Jan. 4 […]
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Press Releases
Voith wins modernization order for Togolese hydropower plant Nangbeto
Voith wins modernization order for Togolese hydropower plant Nangbeto Extensive modernization ensures a future-oriented operation of the West African power plant for the next 30 years High level of involvement of local partners creates jobs on site Training courses enable the operators to handle upgraded components properly Heidenheim. Voith is the general contractor for the […]
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O&M
Severe Modulation in Feedwater-Control Valves Reveals Need for Periodic Calibration
Some combined cycle plants have two feedwater-control valves: a small startup valve with the extra cavitation protection needed during startup and low-load operations, and a larger main valve with the high flow capacity needed during full-load ops. This design is intended to yield a longer service life of these valves. However, as the plant ages, […]
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News
Concrete Better Than Cameras in Protecting Grid
Some high-tech security features meant to protect U.S. power plants from physical attack may not be as effective as good old-fashioned fences and concrete, according to a Georgia Institute of Technology graduate who modeled security measures in a computer simulation while earning her PhD in Public Policy. Jenna McGrath, who graduated in December 2018, published […]
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Press Releases
Siemens to maintain and digitalize Shuweihat S2 power plant in Abu Dhabi
18-year service agreement for Shuweihat S2 IWPP in Abu Dhabi Digital services and extended intervals for optimized maintenance cost Comprehensive cybersecurity solutions to reduce cyber threats Siemens today announced it has signed an extension of a multi-year maintenance service agreement with Shuweihat S2 Operation and Maintenance Company (S2O&M). Under terms of the contract, Siemens will […]
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Press Releases
Schneider Electric Selected to Perform Microgrid Expansion at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
BOSTON, February 6, 2019 – Schneider Electric, the global specialist in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced the expansion of its microgrid project at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar to boost resilience. A California Energy Commission (CEC) Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) grant will enable the $3.9 million project that […]
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Press Releases
PSRE Co. Expands Market Presence in Middle East and North Africa
February 6, 2019 – PSRE Co., a developer of smart simulation and sizing tools for every piping and equipment engineer/designer, is pleased to announce the expansion of its market presence for the PASS Software Suite in the Middle East and North Africa . PSRE has signed a distribution agreement with Adams Consultancy & Infrastructure (Adams […]
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Press Releases
Sulzer Schmid’s new technology platform slashes cost of drone-based rotor blade inspections
Zurich, Switzerland, 06 February 2019 – Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG, a Swiss company pioneering next-generation technology for the inspection of wind turbine rotor blades, announced today that it has launched a new highly competitive inspection platform. The company’s new 3DX™ HD product has been developed as a cost-effective solution to cope with large volumes […]
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Connected Plant
Hexagon Helps Electric Utilities Cut Fault Location Time from Hours to Minutes
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Feb. 5, 2019) — Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division has released a new software application that aids electric utilities in determining the location of faults more quickly and accurately. Launched at DistribuTECH 2019 in New Orleans, Hexagon’s Intergraph InService Fault Location helps utilities improve outage restoration by cutting fault location time from hours […]
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Press Releases
New Allen-Bradley Controller Steers Operators to Better Production Decisions
Allen-Bradley CompactLogix 5480 controller combines Logix control and Windows-based computing in one platform MILWAUKEE, February 4, 2019 — Industrial workers can strengthen their grasp of production and make more informed operating decisions with the new Allen-Bradley CompactLogix 5480 controller by Rockwell Automation. The controller marries a Logix control engine and the Microsoft Windows 10 IoT […]
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Press Releases
IPS Nuclear EQ Motor Insulation System Completes Qualification and Design Basis Accident Testing
System Environmentally Qualified through operating voltages up to 7.2 kV (Greenville, SC — February 04, 2019) The North American leader in engineered solutions for electric motor and generator repair services has raised the bar again, completing Environmental Qualification (EQ) of its Class F+ and Class H medium-voltage nuclear insulation systems for use in Class 1E […]
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News
Designing for Extremes: Battery Storage in the Mojave Desert
When Doosan GridTech installed a 25-MVA/10-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) at its Beacon Solar Plant site in Kern County, California, the
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O&M
Coal Plant Improves Combustion, Lowers Emissions, and Boosts Output
Coal power plants today must find ways to operate economically if they are to survive. Every area of cost reduction must be investigated. On the maintenance side, time savings must be sought—to reduce
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Connected Plant
Making the Connection: Digitization Ramps Up Optimization
Power generators continue to expand their use of digital technologies. Data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are all part of a rapid transformation in how utilities are improving the
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Connected Plant
Planning for the Future of Intelligent Power Generation
An Electric Power Research Institute-led collaborative utility project, called I4Gen (Insight through the Integration of Information for Intelligent Generation), is exploring new technologies for digitally