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FirstEnergy has announced plans to repower two coal-fired units at the R.E. Burger plant to burn biomass. Conversion of the two units, expected to be completed by 2012, gets the utility off the hot seat with the EPA for alleged Clean Air Act violations.

Recent improvements in the performance of steam power plants have been achieved with advanced computerized controls. These new control schemes not only reduce fuel consumption and make the plant much more responsive, but they also can significantly decrease start-up commissioning time and cost.

Commonly, 20% of the cement (by weight) in a concrete mix is replaced by fly ash. Fly ash enhances the workability, durability, and ultimate strength of concrete at a lower cost than cement. However, mercury sorbents can change the ash properties to make it unsuitable as a concrete additive. New “concrete-friendly” sorbents can keep the revenues from ash sales flowing.

Measuring combustion airflow in a coal-fired power plant can be problematic when using annubar instruments that feature small holes that can easily plug with coal dust. Sierra Instruments eliminates this big maintenance headache with its more-accurate, nonplugging thermal mass flow meter design.

Because India has large domestic coal resources (and virtually no other fuel sources); a strong incentive to deploy cheaper, well-proven generation technology; and needs to rapidly increase the availability of electricity to its citizens, the country will likely continue to rely on coal-based power in the long run.

The Supreme Court backs restrictions on “once-through” cooling for new plants, while giving a pass to existing plants.

The Obama administration is giving mixed signals on global warming: claiming the right to regulate greenhouse gases but also expecting Congress to rewrite climate change regulations.

Bad bosses. We’ve all had them, we’ve all coped with them. They are a chronic management problem. But what can we do about them? A management guru offers some advice on how to deal with them and how to avoid becoming one.

Coal continues to demonstrate considerable financial muscle in the current economic downturn, despite anti-coal rhetoric and concerns about climate change.

Industry experts say raw uranium will face increased demand, reduced supply, and higher prices. Will the market bear out those predictions?