Plant Design
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Press Releases
GE and Clarke Energy to Supply Turnkey CHP Plant for Municipal Electricity Utility in Michigan
SEBEWAING, MICH. (October 18, 2018) — As phased decommissioning of coal plants and additional renewables integration into the grid have led to increased variability in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)’s wholesale electricity segment, GE’s Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) and Clarke Energy — GE’s authorized Channel Partner of Jenbacher* gas engines in Michigan — today announced that they […]
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Nuclear
NRC Grants Key Approvals for S. Korea’s APR1400 Nuclear Reactor, Despite Widespread Construction Delays
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued key safety and design approvals for the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400), a South Korean third-generation nuclear reactor design. The U.S. regulatory body on September 28 issued a final safety evaluation report and a standard design approval (SDA) for the APR1400, which is designed by South Korean state-owned […]
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Nuclear
Nuclear Power Roundup: New Milestones Reached on Several Reactors
A handful of nuclear power projects around the world completed notable achievements recently: Rostov 4 entered commercial operation, Tianwan 4 achieved first criticality, the Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant completed fuel loading, Leningrad II-1 received its commissioning permit, and the dome was installed on Karachi 3. Rostov 4 Rostov Unit 4 was placed into […]
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Press Releases
ONYX Insight Keeps Tabs on 8.3-MW Turbines at Blyth Offshore Demonstrator Wind Farm
(October 2, 2018) — ONYX InSight, a predictive analytics provider that gives asset owners clarity and control over their operations, has signed a contract with EDF Renewables to provide predictive maintenance services at the Blyth Offshore Demonstrator Project (Blyth). The contract will see ONYX InSight monitor the project’s 8.3MW MHI Vestas V164 wind turbines – some […]
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O&M
What Is Meant by Power Factor?
Low power factor reduces an electrical system’s distribution capacity by increasing current flow. Therefore, having a low power factor is inefficient and expensive. But what is power factor and what affects
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O&M
Minimizing Fire and Explosion Hazards in Dusty Systems
Understanding the properties of bulk materials and how they interact with environmental factors is vital to safe operations, but having an honest conversation about the hazards, so risks can be properly
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IIOT Power
Using Predictive Analytics to Keep Up with Energy Demand
Silicon Valley Power implemented a system using machine-learning technology to monitor critical power plant components. The solution has proven to reduce downtime and save money. Furthermore, its wireless
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Gas
Transparency Instrumental in Successful Power Plant Project
Public perceptions can make or break a project. One municipal utility found that out firsthand. When resistance grew strong against a new power plant it needed, the company rebooted and engaged with local
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Press Releases
Gryphon International Engineering Services is Now CHA Canada
CHA Subsidiary Rebrands and Launches New Website St. Catharines, Ontario and Albany, NY – CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA), a highly diversified, full-service engineering design firm, announces its subsidiary, Gryphon International Engineering Services, has rebranded as CHA Canada. Based in St. Catharines, Ontario, the award-winning thermal, power and energy engineering arm of CHA has also launched a […]
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Gas
GE Gas Turbine Blade Issue Concerns Analyst
Lead analyst Stephen Tusa lowered J.P. Morgan’s rating on GE stock after “checks on two initial U.S. installations revealed failures of the first stage blade of GE’s H-frame gas turbine,” thestreet.com reported on September 20. Tusa—who has long been critical of GE’s prospects—reportedly wrote, “The impact on ‘asset value’ from a failure at GE’s U.S. […]
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Press Releases
Explosion isolation flap valves provide reliable low-cost explosion protection
New explosion isolation flap valves from IEP Technologies, part of the HOERBIGER Group, are a reliable and cost effective way to mitigate the risk of dust explosions propagating to upstream equipment. IEP Technologies announces the introduction of the IFV and IFV-M Isolation Flap Valves. These self-actuating devices are cost effective, easy to install, and reliable. […]
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Nuclear
Crucial to Decarbonization, Costs Dim Prospects for Nuclear Power
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) interdisciplinary study found that nuclear power has the potential to contribute greatly to the achievement of deep decarbonization goals, yet despite its promise, cost hinders the expansion of nuclear power. “The Future of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World” was released on September 3. It is the eighth in […]
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Press Releases
GEA supplies two plants for waste heat utilisation to India and Italy
Düsseldorf, September 3, 2018 – GEA supplies Saint-Gobain with two Waste Heat Recovery Systems (WHRS) each for the utilisation of waste heat from the float glass production lines in Pisa, Italy and Sriperumbudur, India. Commissioning is planned for the first half of 2019. GEA technology makes it possible to generate electricity and compressed air from […]
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O&M
Select Boiler Chemistry in the Design Phase of Project Life
On many combined cycle projects, the major decisions about boiler chemistry are left until after the plant has been designed, equipment is procured, and construction is well underway. However, the best time to make these chemistry decisions is in the design phase of the project. That enables the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor to […]
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O&M
Equipment Showcase: Pumps
Pumps and pumping systems have multiple applications in power plants and can be located in several locations throughout a facility. These pumps are generally centrifugal and positive displacement pumps
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Connected Plant
Tesla Virtual Power Plant Takes Shape in Australia
Tesla in July released more details of its virtual power plant (VPP) project in South Australia (SA), outlining the initiative as well as its resources and the benefits it will bring to the region. The company
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Renewables
Award-Winning Pumped-Storage Hydro Facility a Modern Marvel
The Frades II pumped-storage hydro project in Portugal took advantage of existing dams to incorporate a scheme that includes the largest variable-speed reversible units installed in Europe. The facility
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IIOT Power
A Reimagined Power Future Enabled by Digital Technologies
The power industry is changing and leading companies are turning to digital technologies to revolutionize their operations. Monitoring and diagnostics centers are leveraging vast amounts of data from around
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O&M
The Technology Behind One of the World’s Longest Pipe Conveyors
Long-distance conveyors are a reliable and energy-efficient method of bulk material transport. Pipe conveyors—fully enclosed material handling systems—offer additional environmental protection and more
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Renewables
MeyGen Array Sets Global Records for Harnessing Tidal Power
Though tidal energy is still considered by many to be in its nascent stages, power generated from turbines harnessing fast tidal flows in the same way wind turbines catch the wind has entered the commercial
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Press Releases
Voith received first order for two VECO-Drives from Guangzhou China Resources Thermal Power Co., Ltd. in China
Two VECO-Drives will replace the existing boiler water feed pumps speed control in the NanSha thermal power plant Significant improvement of overall efficiency and reduction of energy consumption as well as greenhouse gas emissions Guangzhou, China. On August 27, 2018, Voith and Guangzhou China Resources Thermal Power Co., Ltd. signed an order for two VECO-Drive […]
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Press Releases
Wärtsilä to help ensure reliable power supply in challenging Hawaii conditions through Smart Technologies
Clean, secure, and uninterrupted power is at the core of Hawaiian Electric’s 50-megawatt Schofield Generating Station. Wärtsilä has signed a Maintenance and Operational advisory agreement for the power plant, located on the island of Oahu, 40 kilometres from Honolulu. The agreement will help the utility to maximize the availability and efficiency of the power plant. […]
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Coal
A Captive Power Plant’s Quest for Reliability
An aluminum smelter in Odisha, India, built a 900-MW coal-fired captive power plant for its own power consumption. Though the plant features new generation turbogenerator sets, it was completed on time and on
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Legal & Regulatory
Extensive Planning, Innovative Work Strategies, Teamwork Combine for Successful SCR Project
A coal-fired plant in Colorado needed to further reduce its emissions to comply with more-stringent regulations. The work presented several challenges, and the owner and contractors worked together to complete
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Legal & Regulatory
Dry Fork: A Model of Modern U.S. Coal Power
Dry Fork Station began commercial operation as a swath of older, less-efficient U.S. coal plants contemplated retirement amid a flood of environmental rules. Designed with foresight, this quintessential modern
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Nuclear
Plan in Works to Finish Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Alabama
It’s been 30 years since the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) called a halt to construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama. Details of a deal to finish the plant and its two Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactors were announced at a news conference near the idled project July 30. Business executives and […]
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Nuclear
EDF Announces More Delays, Cost Overruns for Flamanville 3 Reactor
French utility Électricité de France (EDF)on July 25 said it has pushed fuel loading at its 1.6-GW Flamanville 3 nuclear project to the fourth quarter of 2019 and increased cost estimates for the project by another €400 million (USD $467.1 million). EDF said its current cost for the project has ballooned to €10.9 billion (USD […]
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O&M
Benefits of Single-Shaft Combined Cycle Power Plants
In recent years, the use of single-shaft combined cycle power plants has steadily increased in the U.S. While multi-shaft configurations are advantageous in certain scenarios—for example, when layout flexibility or phased installation is needed—single-shaft designs have proven to be a highly efficient and cost-saving option for power plant owners and operators seeking to maximize the […]
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O&M
Commitment, Teamwork, and Perseverance Pay Off as Nuclear Unit Wins Plant of the Year
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 was the first new nuclear unit added to the U.S. fleet in more than 20 years. There were challenges along the way, but the colossal effort
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Renewables
More Efficient with Fewer Emissions: Cement Factory Finds Sugar-Based Biomass a Sweet Solution
Environmental regulations and a need to reduce its fuel consumption provide the incentive for an Egyptian plant to change its manufacturing process. Energy companies constantly grapple with controlling the