Water

  • U.S. Water Plans to Appeal Recent Ruling That pHytOUT® Patents Are Invalid

    St. Michael, MN (June 2018) – U.S. Water announces that on May 25, 2018, the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin overturned a decision by a unanimous Federal Court jury that U.S. Patent Nos. 8,415,137 and 8,609,399 relating to U.S. Water’s pHytOUT® deposit control technology were valid. U.S. Water plans to […]

  • PENNSYLVANIA COAL PLANT SAVES ON REQUIRED MAINTENANCE UPGRADES AND OPERATING COSTS BY IMPLEMENTING SUEZ’S MOBILE WATER SOLUTIONS WITH INSIGHT*

    Seeking to reduce its operating costs and environmental footprint, the Conemaugh Generating Station in New Florence, Pennsylvania, utilizes SUEZ’s mobile water solutions to produce boiler feedwater. By using the mobile demineralizer with InSight*, the coal-fired power plant will gain $220,000 in annual operating cost savings, reduce chemicals associated with the make-up demineralized (DI) systems and […]

  • Why the EPA’s Proposed Coal Ash Rule Is Concerning

    Over the past decade, together with my students and colleagues at Duke University and other academic institutions, I have conducted scientific research and published 13 scientific articles on different aspects

  • Second installation phase at Holyhead Deep completed

    Marine energy developer Minesto has completed the second offshore installation phase of its DG500 project in Wales. Having installed the tether, micro grid system buoy and umbilical, all supporting components and systems needed to deliver the power produced by Minesto’s first system of the unique Deep Green technology in Utility Scale are now in place. […]

  • EPA Sets Schedule for Potential ELG Rule Revision

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an official timeline for rulemaking that would potentially revise the Obama administration’s 2015 effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) for steam electric power plants. In its May 2-released Final 2016 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan, the EPA said it will potentially revise the stringent Best Available Technology (BAT) effluent […]

  • Upheaval and Innovation in Wastewater Management

    Regulatory uncertainty, changing resources, and an industrywide drive to cut costs and boost flexibility and efficiency are among a growing list of challenges that are prompting new approaches to treat power

  • 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

  • Human Errors Contributed to Oroville Spillway Failure

    Damage to the main and emergency spillways of the Oroville Dam in California, triggered in February 2017 by heavy rain that was part of Northern California’s wettest winter in almost 100 years, has brought

  • Design and Care of Reverse Osmosis Systems

    Reverse osmosis (RO) systems offer power plant owners and operators a reliable and well-proven water treatment solution. However, designing and caring for an RO system requires a thorough understanding of a

  • SCOTUS Sends Controversial WOTUS Rule into More Legal Limbo 

    The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed and remanded a rule the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rolled out in 2015 that asserts federal authority over small bodies of water with a broader definition of the statutory term, “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS). In a ruling for National Association of […]

  • GE Power Sells Lucrative Water & Process Technologies Division to SUEZ in $3.4B Deal

    Less than a week after GE struck a $2.6 billion deal with ABB for GE’s electrification business, GE Power completed the $3.4 billion sale of its lucrative water and process technologies division to multinational water management firm SUEZ. The sale of GE Water & Process Technologies, a systems and services provider of water, wastewater and […]

  • EPA Postpones Compliance Dates for FGD, Bottom Ash Transport Requirements in ELG Rule

    Steam electric power plants preparing to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) effluent limitations guidelines (ELG) and standards as they concern bottom ash transport water and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) waste streams will get—for now—a two-year reprieve under a new rule the agency finalized on September 12. The ELG rule, which was finalized by […]

  • Upgraded Boiler Feedwater Pump Improves Efficiency and Adds Flexibility

    Times have changed. Not long ago, baseload units came online and went straight to full load for days on end. Now, those same units are being asked to cycle operations to accommodate for variable renewable

  • Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis System Squeezes Money Savings Out of Water Management

    In water-strapped California, managing power plant water usage is more important than ever. Southern California Edison implemented novel closed circuit reverse osmosis systems at five of its gas-fired

  • Dominion Ordered to Revise Plan for Coal Ash at Chesapeake

    A spokesman for Dominion Energy said the company will begin working on a new plan for dealing with leaking piles of coal ash at a retired coal plant in Virginia after a federal judge ruled the company’s current remediation at the site is not acceptable. U.S. District Judge John Gibney Jr. on July 13 ordered […]

  • Researchers Develop Hybrid Salinity Gradient Power Technology

    A hybrid technology created by researchers at Penn State University could be the breakthrough needed to advance efforts to produce power based on the salt concentrations between two water sources. Researchers

  • Technological Advancements in Cooling Water Treatment

    Regulatory agencies are becoming more and more critical of phosphorus-based water treatment chemicals because they can have a negative impact on lakes and waterways. In the past, treating cooling water with

  • How to Prevent Circulating Water Flow Reversal

    Flow reversal in piping systems can degrade equipment performance and cause significant water hammer, potentially resulting in catastrophic failure. Power plant condenser cooling water systems—or circulating

  • Oroville Dam Power Plant May Reopen This Week

    The Edward Hyatt hydroelectric plant at the damaged Oroville Dam in northern California, shut down earlier this month after its spillway nearly collapsed, may reopen soon, officials with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) said on March 1. The plant was forced to shut down after severe erosion from the dam’s spillway deposited large […]

  • Trump Orders WOTUS Rule Rewrite

    An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on February 27 authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rewrite a contentious rule asserting federal authority over small bodies of water. The Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, also known as the “Clean Water Rule,” finalized by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers […]

  • Lowering Cost and Waste in Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater Treatment

    Many informative articles have been published about options for treating flue gas desulfurization wastewater, but new technologies are rapidly changing the treatment possibilities. This article reviews key economic considerations and introduces an innovative treatment solution that lowers costs and the amount of waste generated. Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater varies widely depending on the source […]

  • Cooling Towers: Efficiency Waiting to Happen

    Cooling towers serve the vital role of cooling water for power plant heat exchange equipment. Sustaining excellent system performance is important because a one-degree increase in water temperature can cause a 2% increase in energy usage. Proper maintenance and a few upgrades could improve a cooling tower’s efficiency, while also saving water in the process. […]

  • Using Reclaimed Water in Power Plant Cooling Applications

    Using reclaimed water as a makeup supply for cooling tower systems has become a popular option for reducing impacts on local water resources, but it comes with its own challenges because of its unique

  • Reclaimed Water Reduces Stress on Freshwater Supplies

    Power generation need not be another source of strain on diminishing freshwater resources. Well-established water reclamation technologies are enabling producers to conserve resources—and money. Meeting the

  • A Comparison of ELG Compliance Options for Flue Scrubber Wastewater

    Meeting the requirements of the Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) means careful consideration of the various options. Both biological treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) approaches have their place, but ZLD may offer more flexibility for the future. On September 30, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the final effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs) rule for […]

  • CHP 2.0: New Fuels and New Business Models

    A variety of approaches have been used to capture new benefits from combined heat and power (CHP) facilities. Some owners have transitioned to new fuels or added renewables to the mix, while others have implemented unique business models to spur development. As district heating systems are brought into the 21st century, the CHP sector seems […]

  • Next-Generation FGD Wastewater Bioreactor Technology Introduced for ELG Compliance

    Compliance with one of the latest federal environmental regulations, the Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG), can be both costly and complicated. A newly available option offers features and capabilities that may make it a more attractive alternative than conventional approaches. In September 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule affecting flue gas […]

  • Slide Show Supplement to Mátra Power Plant, Visonta, Hungary

    The Mátra Power Plant in Visonta, Hungary, uses a dense slurry system for handling fly ash and other coal combustion residuals. The DSS combines ash and water in a 1:1 ratio, creating a cement-like slurry. [gss ids=”93802,93804,93832,93808,93834,93836,93838,93840,93842,93844,93822,93846,93848,93850″]

  • Warming Climate Likely to Have “Minor” Impact on Power Plant Output

    According to a Duke University study, future climate warming will likely cause only minor reductions in power output at most U.S. coal- and gas-fired power plants.

  • Huaneng Power’s Changxing Station ZLD Project, China

    To satisfy China’s more stringent water use and air pollution rules, developers of the new 1.3-GW ultrasupercritical coal-fired Changxing Power Plant used a novel forward osmosis–based brine concentration