Technology
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Climate change
Shoring Up the Grid for Extreme Weather and Climate Change
The threat of climate change is no longer a threat—it’s here and it’s impacting everyone. However, in New Jersey, 10 years after Superstorm Sandy, communities are better prepared than ever to handle
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Nuclear
Excellent Planning and Focus on Safety Lead to Successful Feedwater Heater Replacement Project
Nuclear power plant outages are filled with intense work and tight schedules. A feedwater heater replacement project at Duke Energy’s Oconee station in South Carolina shows how teamwork coupled with
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O&M
2022 Experience POWER, Distributed Energy Conference, and HydrogeNext Show Preview
Again, this year, Experience POWER will be co-located with the Distributed Energy Conference (DEC) and HydrogeNext, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from and network with trailblazers from the power industry, who are leading the way in the world’s energy transition. These three events cover the full energy value chain for the power industry, delivering […]
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Microgrid
Benefits of a Synchronous Generator in a Microgrid
As more renewable energy sources and battery storage units are specified and incorporated into power systems, consultant specifying engineers are faced with many challenges that could impact the overall design and performance of these solutions. Today, power consumers can become power producers as roof-top solar, behind-the-meter generators, and battery energy storage systems become more economical […]
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O&M
How to Defeat Dew Point Corrosion in Heat Recovery Steam Generators
The experience of South Humber Bank Power Station in the UK is just one example of overcoming corrosion challenges at power generation facilities. Facing issues during routine maintenance shutdown of heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), South Humber began using VCI (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) technology to solve their dew point corrosion problem in 2009. Although it […]
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News
How Digital Technology Can Help Lower Carbon Footprint
As owners and operators of fossil fuel plants navigate through the energy transition, digital technology offers the opportunity to perform while transforming, balancing the energy trilemma of providing a
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Modeling Solutions for the Future of Energy
Utilities function in the present but must always plan for the future. That’s even more true today, as the rapid pace of change with power generation technologies, and the transition to cleaner forms of energy, means utilities—whether they deal with electricity, natural gas, water, transportation, or are a municipality that pays attention to all those […]
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Geothermal
CAISO’s First Geothermal Plant in 30 Years Comes Online
The first geothermal power plant built in more than three decades within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority has come online. Mammoth Pacific Geothermal, an Ormat Co. subsidiary, declared the 30-MW Casa Diablo IV (CD4) commercially operational on July 20. CD4 is located on public land two miles east of the Town of […]
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Nuclear
Pilot Advanced Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Facility Opens
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. has opened a pilot fuel manufacturing facility that will produce TRi-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles and the company’s proprietary fuel for use in its high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR). The Pilot Fuel Manufacturing (PFM) facility, located at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is one of the […]
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Press Releases
CMT cladding tower for giant membrane walls
The Polish company FAKOP – world-renowned for high-quality steam boilers for more than a hundred years – uses a towering CMT cladding system from Austrian welding technology specialist Fronius for the cladding of twelve-meter-high membrane walls. The plant has two welding elevators and can accommodate two huge membrane walls, each 1.6 meters wide. Welding is […]
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Press Releases
Versatile Flow Switch Protects Cooling Tower Pumps From Dry-Running Conditions, Emergency Shutdowns
Chemical Plants, Electric Power Generation, Oil/Gas Refineries and More San Marcos, CA–August 24, 2022–In high-temperature industrial environments, engineers responsible for optimizing the up-time and the safety of process flow networks will find the FLT93 Series Flow Switch from Fluid Components International (FCI) provides a reliable early warning alert to cooling tower pump dry-running conditions, which […]
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Press Releases
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Tours DIII-D National Fusion Facility
Chair of House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Observes Fusion Experiment and Speaks with Early Career Scientists San Diego, August 18th – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, visited General Atomics (GA) and toured the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. While at DIII-D, Rep. Kaptur met […]
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Connected Plant
Zero Trust: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Responding to CISA’s ‘Shields Up’
There are no boundaries in cyberspace. That fact has accelerated sharing of threat intelligence across the defenders, but it exponentially raises the threat of cyberattacks. This reality is underscored by the war in Ukraine, “the first major conflict involving large-scale cyber operations,” according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). A major concern is […]
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Connected Plant
Forging a Net Zero Future: Embracing Digital Technologies to Disrupt and Drive the Energy Transition in the Middle East
When reflecting on recent years, the exacerbating climate crisis has resulted in a paradigm shift where attitudes and actions are concerned. Rather than being a subject of ongoing debate and divided opinions, global warming has instigated radical reform throughout Middle Eastern society, inspiring nations to introduce abatement imperatives, enact meaningful change, and embark on a […]
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Nuclear
U.S. Utility Survey Suggests Industry Mulling Additions of 90 GW of New Nuclear
A Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) survey suggests U.S. utility members expect to add up to 90 GW of new nuclear generation by the 2050s, including more than 300 new small modular reactors (SMRs) in the U.S. over the next 25 years. The nuclear industry group’s survey, unveiled on July 29, sought to gather input from […]
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T&D
A New Approach for Gas-Insulated Substations
For decades, gas-insulated substations (GIS) have been used primarily in densely populated metropolitan areas. They take up only 10% of the footprint of outdoor or air-insulated substations and provide reliable medium- and low-voltage service where space needed to service areas for industrial locations, hospitals, and housing may be limited. However, as rural environments become desirable […]
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Press Releases
Ignitis Gamyba Chooses GE Digital’s OPM Production Planning Software to Accurately Forecast Day-Ahead Electricity Trading
OPM Production Planning can help to ensure secure, stable power while maximizing margins and managing risk with accurate capacity predictions and decision support Software also helps Ignitis Gamyba to automate data transmission for more optimal planning of natural gas procurement and process organization SAN RAMON, Calif. – AUGUST 9, 2022 — GE Digital today announced that […]
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Press Releases
Framatome to deliver neutron instrumentation system solution at South Carolina nuclear plant
August 9, 2022 – Framatome announced it has been selected by a U.S. utility to provide a wide range neutron flux monitoring system at a South Carolina nuclear plant. The company will provide the system to all three units of the plant along with a spare system. The project will help enable owners of the […]
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Coal
Group: EPA’s Coordinated Regulatory Assault on Coal Power Could Push Retirements Beyond 86 GW by 2030
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is readying a regulatory sweep targeting more stringent limits on traditional pollutants that could accelerate coal power plant closures. A coal trade group estimates that even without new rules, 86 GW of coal generation is slated to retire by 2030. While the U.S. Supreme Court in June curtailed the EPA’s […]
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Nuclear
Vogtle 3 Gets NRC’s Approval to Begin Operation in Significant Regulatory Milestone for U.S. Nuclear Industry
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has given Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC) the green light to load fuel and begin the operation of an AP1000 nuclear reactor at Vogtle Unit 3. The authorization moves Vogtle 3 out of the NRC’s construction reactor oversight program and into the operating reactor oversight process—effectively making Vogtle 3 the first […]
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Press Releases
PROENERGY Kicks Off Nearly $30 Million Advanced Manufacturing Initiative
Rare and State-of-the-Art Hybrid 3D Printing Machine Represents First Milestone Toward Fortified Supply Chain and Enhanced Energy Security SEDALIA, Mo., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — PROENERGY announced today a $28.8-million investment on an advanced manufacturing initiative, starting with the recent acquisition and proven application of a 3D hybrid printing machine. As part of the company’s […]
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Coal
A Japanese Project Demonstrates a Carbon Neutrality Pathway for Coal Power
Osaki CoolGen Corp.’s complex three-phase demonstration project in Hiroshima Prefecture seeks to achieve highly efficient coal-fired power generation with near-zero emissions by integrating carbon
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History
Southern Company: A History of a Prolific Power Technology Pioneer
Atlanta-based energy giant Southern Co. has rapidly evolved to keep in step with the evolution of power. As part of its corporate growth, the company has notably pioneered technologies that have reshaped
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Coal
Holtec Unveils Green Boiler Designed to Repurpose Coal Plants
Holtec International, an equipment provider that specializes in the design and manufacture of parts for nuclear reactors, in May unveiled a “green boiler” technology that is designed to repurpose existing
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Technology
Innovating Grid Resilience from the Outside In
Operational innovation—creating new ways of performing core business functions like grid asset management—can provide reliable, relatively low-cost transformation for electric utilities. One area for
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Technology
The Role of Videoscopes in Gas Turbine Inspections: Insights from the Field
Traditional gas turbine inspections can be time-consuming and expensive. However, a remote visual inspection can be an effective alternative to tearing equipment apart to get a look inside. Advanced
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Waste to Energy
Waste-to-Energy Plants Suffer from Unplanned Shutdowns Caused by Boiler Failure
A 2021 Prewin Network unplanned shutdown survey revealed that equipment failures in waste-to-energy (WtE) and biomass plants were responsible for a total of 22.9 days of unplanned shutdowns in 2021. It also found that 43% of equipment failure classifications were boiler related (Figure 1). Furthermore, boilers alone were responsible for an average of 9.9 days […]
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Waste to Energy
Small-Scale Biodigesters Are Getting a Big Improvement in Thermal Control
As the world looks to increase the usage and production of renewable energy, improving efficiency while lowering energy costs is vital to the adoption of renewable sources. Biodigesters (also known as anaerobic digesters) are a source of renewable energy and act as both an effective waste management solution and a source of biogas, a methane-dense […]
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Connected Plant
How Private Wireless Solutions Enable Digital Power Plants’ Transformation
Digital transformation is key to making industries more agile, resilient, and sustainable. These are essential qualities if businesses are not only to survive but thrive in the Industry 4.0 era—and the energy industry is no exception. With price volatility set to continue in the natural gas and carbon energy markets, and growing pricing pressure coming […]
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Nuclear
NRC Moves to Issue Final Design Certification for NuScale Nuclear Module
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has indicated it will certify NuScale’s 50-MWe (160 MWth) small modular reactor (SMR) design, marking another definitive milestone for the reactor vendor and its technology prospects. The NRC on July 29 said it directed staff to issue a final rule that certifies the standard SMR design, for which NuScale submitted […]