In This Issue
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Commentary
Act Your Age
The American Wind Energy Association’s number one priority is renewal of the production tax credit in order to protect industry jobs. But wind isn’t the only industry sector that’s scrambling to protect jobs.
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Coal
Reactions to Federal Court Striking Down CSAPR
In a landmark ruling that has been seen as a major victory for thermal generators, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) in August, finding that it violated federal law. The EPA must now continue implementation of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) until it can promulgate a replacement, which likely will not happen until at least 2014.
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Coal
Coal to Gas Once More for Dominion
Dominion Virginia Power plans to convert its oldest coal-fired power plant, the 227-MW Bremo Power Station near Bremo Bluff, Va., to natural gas, the company announced earlier this month. The two-unit plant would be the ninth in its fleet to be closed or converted to alternative fuels.
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Coal
CO2 Injection Begins at Fully Integrated Coal-Fired CCS Project
Injection of carbon dioxide has begun at one of the world’s first fully integrated coal-fired carbon capture, transportation, and geologic storage projects.
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CoalJinzhushan 3: The World’s First PC-Fired Low Mass Flux Vertical Tube Supercritical Boiler, Part 1
The world’s first supercritical pulverized coal–fired low mass flux vertical tube Benson boiler is Jinzhushan 3, located in the Hunan Province of the People’s Republic of China. The 600-MW Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group Inc. once-through boiler burns Chinese anthracite using downshot pulverized coal (PC) technology. Part 1 of this three-part article provides a project summary and overview. The other two parts will look at technology features of the unique boiler design and plant performance test results.
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O&MCycle Chemistry Commissioning Deserves Its Own Strategy
After years of development, design, and construction, your plant is finally nearly ready for startup. But don’t light that cigar yet—at least not until you’ve developed a strategy for commissioning your water cycle chemistry. Root causes of corrosion can be predicted and avoided. The best way to avoid corrosion is to develop and implement plant-specific cycle chemistry commissioning guidelines.
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O&MGive Your Plant a Dust Control Tune-Up
Because Powder River Basin (PRB) coal is smaller, more friable, and contains more fine particulates than bituminous coal, controlling the fugitive dust generated as PRB coal moves from bunker to burner tip is problematic. The challenge for material-handling systems at power plants that have switched coals is to minimize this dust and capture it cost-effectively and without compromising safety.
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Commentary
War Against Coal Is Hurting America
The Boilermakers union has been a leader among the labor and business organizations that seek to shepherd the coal-fired energy sector through the worst effects of these forces. And we continue in those efforts.
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Commentary
Leave Energy Upgrades to the Businesses
President Obama’s Executive Order on industrial energy efficiency is another incursion of the federal government into the day-to-day operations of American industry. The symbol of a free enterprise is autonomy in determining how to efficiently invest capital, an activity that the government has proven inept time and again.