Plant Design
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O&M
Mirfa IWPP Doubles Water, Triples Power Capacity
In the United Arab Emirates, demand for power and water are inextricably linked. One of its newer and larger plants, the Mirfa Independent Water and Power Plant—which has a power capacity of 1.6 GW and
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IIOT Power
NYPA’s iSOC: The Path to a Digital Utility
The New York Power Authority’s Integrated Smart Operations Center (iSOC) is the first step in the public power utility’s goal to become the first end-to-end digital electricity system. And it’s a big
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O&M
Sustainable from the Start: Tech Company a Model of Efficient Power Management
OWC is known in the tech field for its computer hardware. It’s also known for its on-campus power generation, which sets it apart from others in the high-tech field, showcasing a commitment embraced by the
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Renewables
Floating Solar Panel Industry Makes a Splash
Floating solar panel technology has been gaining traction as a favorable and cost-effective alternative to land-based photovoltaic systems. Thriving on the cusp of a massive inclination toward renewable energy
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O&M
Innovative Narrowband Solution for SCADA Communications
Great River Energy rolled out an extensive 700-MHz point-to-multipoint communications project within its 56,000-square-mile service area. Using high-order modulation, combined with full-duplex
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O&M
Test Your Knowledge: Monitoring and Treatment of Closed-Loop Cooling Water Systems
There are often multiple closed-loop water cooling systems installed in a power plant. Chances are good that they cool or control temperature on some very critical components. It can be easy to ignore these systems because they are usually quite reliable. By its very nature, when a closed-loop system remains closed and operates properly for an extended period of time, it is often […]
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Nuclear
First AP1000 Nuclear Units Reach Key Milestones
Two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants being constructed in China have successfully completed significant project milestones. Sanmen Unit 1—the world’s first AP1000 reactor—achieved initial criticality on June 21. Initial criticality is a nuclear industry term meaning the reactor’s neutron population has remained steady from one generation to the next and the nuclear fission chain reaction […]
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O&M
Maintaining Nuclear Plant Ice Condensers: A ‘Cool’ Responsibility
Although nuclear plant ice condensers are rare—only seven sites throughout the world have them—the theory behind these passive heat sinks is quite novel. In fact, some next-generation plant designers have built upon the concept and incorporated passive accident intervention schemes into their plans. A nuclear plant ice condenser is a passive, static heat sink that […]
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Renewables
Power Plant Efficiency: A Key to Profitable Performance
Building power plants is only the first step to generating success. Running plants efficiently, and consistently improving efficiency as they run, is the path to putting profits on the bottom line. Building
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Press Releases
Equipment Showcase: Boilers, Burners, Combustion
Boiler and burner manufacturers, along with those who supply combustion control systems, work with a variety of industries, providing power generation to commercial, industrial, and residential sites. A 2017
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History
From the Pages of POWER Magazine: #TBT #ThrowbackThursdays
In early 1882, U.S. industry was still heavily dependent on the water wheel, and many housewives cooked on wood-burning stoves. Power was made where it was used because there was no effective means of transmitting energy long distances. But 1882 was a year of dramatic changes. The world was just beginning to grasp the implications of a new, incredibly versatile […]
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O&M
How the Middle East Is Transforming Its Power and Water Industry
Global demand for power and water is accelerating—and the Middle East is no exception. A burgeoning population combined with multiple industrial diversification programs is fueling a boom in power and water projects. During the first three quarters of 2017, about $30 billion of major power contracts and $20 billion of water projects were awarded across […]
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O&M
The Best Place to Sample HRSG Tubes
Finding the best place to sample heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) tubes isn’t as hard as finding a needle in a haystack (but it’s like that). Ask most HRSG users where they take their routine tube samples for monitoring under-deposit corrosion in the high-pressure evaporator, and they’ll tell you, “first row, because it’s the hottest […]
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Renewables
DOE Set to Support Small Modular Coal Units
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wants to know whether small-scale, modular coal-fired power plants are feasible. The DOE this week put out a request for information on how to accomplish such projects, following on its announcement earlier this year that it wants to establish funding opportunities for new coal technologies in an effort to […]
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Gas
MHPS Will Convert Dutch CCGT to Run on Hydrogen
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) in March said it would work with the Netherlands Carbon-Free Gas Power project to support the conversion of the country’s 1.32-GW Magnum gas-fired power plant to run
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Connected Plant
Looking to the Cloud for Energy and Power Sector Security
Malware-based attacks against utilities and power plants are increasing six-fold according to a recent federal report. Power plants have become an appealing target because of a lack of detection and monitoring
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Water
Bringing New Life to Industrial Wastewater
As water demand soars in every corner of the world amid widespread drought and water scarcity concerns, recovery and recycling of wastewater is increasingly becoming a valuable solution to alleviate pressures
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Renewables
Distributed Gas Generation: Big Power in Small(er) Packages
The traditional electricity grid is being transformed, as more businesses look to control their costs by producing their own power. A need for reliable backup power, the push for more resiliency in generation
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O&M
Offshore Wind Has Taken Off in Europe
A sharp surge in new, larger offshore wind installations in Europe throughout 2017 dramatically shows the viability of a technology that has truly come of age. As costs fall and generation capacity increases
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O&M
Basics of Sound and Noise Propagation
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 22 million people—including nearly all power plant workers—are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year in the U.S. Hearing
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Coal
Equipment Showcase: Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems and Gas Analyzers
A continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) is required in the U.S. under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations to continuously collect, record, and report emissions data. CEMS are used to
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Nuclear
Could Advanced Reactor Technology Save the Nuclear Industry?
Constructing a new nuclear power plant is a massive undertaking. It involves years of planning and countless hurdles just to get the necessary regulatory approval to break ground. Once physical work begins
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Press Releases
NuScale Power’s Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Becomes First Ever to Complete Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Phase 1 Review
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed the first and most intensive phase of review for NuScale Power’s design certification application (DCA). NuScale’s is the first and only small modular reactor (SMR) application to ever undergo NRC review. This major achievement brings NuScale Power closer to introducing the country’s first SMR […]
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Press Releases
Wärtsilä 130 MW Flexicycle power plant will help Senegal lower energy costs and integrate more renewable energy
The technology group Wärtsilä continues its strong presence in Senegal with the signing of a contract to engineer, manufacture and deliver a 130-MW Flexicycle plant to be an integral part of Senegal’s energy future. The Malicounda power project in Mbour is located 85 km from the country’s capital Dakar. The order, booked in March, was […]
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Press Releases
Landsvirkjun, Voith Launch Joint Hydro Noise Pilot Project in Iceland
Budarhals hydropower plant to be fitted with intelligent acoustic monitoring system Voith tests new remote data-analysis service Optimized mode of operation and intelligent scheduling of maintenance work for power plant operators The national Power Company of Iceland Landsvirkjun and Voith have launched a joint pilot project on intelligent noise analysis in hydropower plants. Voith is […]
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Press Releases
Forsmarks Kraftgrupp AB Selects Caterpillar, Zeppelin Power Systems to Supply Engines for Independent Core Cooling at Nuclear Power Plant
PEORIA, Illinois (April 18, 2018) – Caterpillar Inc. today announced that Forsmarks Kraftgrupp AB has selected Caterpillar and its local Cat® dealer Zeppelin Power Systems to supply six Cat® 3500 Series industrial diesel engines for an emergency cooling system at its Forsmark nuclear power plant in Sweden. The engines will power custom-made GSG cooling water […]
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Nuclear
Insiders Doubted SCANA’s Ability to Manage Nuclear Project
Santee Cooper executives doubted SCANA Corp.’s ability to properly manage the V.C. Summer nuclear expansion project for years before the project was ultimately abandoned in July 2017, according to an article published by The Post and Courier, a Charleston, S.C., newspaper. Santee Cooper—a state-run utility—partnered with SCANA as owners of the project; SCANA holds a […]
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Press Releases
Siemens Gamesa Will Build Pioneering 194-MW Wind Farm in Australia
The company has been awarded an EPC contract for the entire project, which will encompass a wind farm with 56 turbines and a 20 MW / 34 MWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has been commissioned to build a pioneering wind complex in Australia, which will combine the installation of a wind […]
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O&M
Test Your Knowledge: Steam Turbine Rotor Vibration
Steam turbine rotors are susceptible to bending during some operational evolutions, which can lead to excessive vibration and ultimately failure. Rotor bending that results in premature failure of steam turbine blades and other internal components is one of the most serious problems experienced in power plants. The problems often reduce plant availability by limiting generation […]
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Renewables
Quick Starts, High Efficiency, Grid Balance — Engines on an Up Cycle
The growth of renewable energy, and with it the need for reliable backup generation, along with the increase in combined heat and power applications, is contributing to a rise in the use of reciprocating