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  • The nuclear option

    Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman spoke at the recent 2008 Nuclear Energy Summit that was convened to discuss the importance of nuclear power to a healthy U.S. economy.

  • U.S. starts smiling at nuclear power

    The year 2008 is shaping up nicely for nuclear power in the U.S. Since September 2007, when NRG Energy and the South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Co. filed the first complete U.S. nuclear plant license application in 29 years with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a dozen more companies and consortia have followed suit. And […]

  • Workforce management lessons from women in power generation

    Do you have enough women working in your power plant? Forget for a moment equal opportunity laws. More important is the knowledge that the programs and culture changes that would make women more likely to consider a plant career are the same ones that would make it more attractive to many younger men.

  • JCP&L’s SCADA-controlled adaptive relay scheme saves 25 SAIDI impact minutes

    In 2005, Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of Akron, Ohio – based FirstEnergy Corp., initiated a project to identify protection system improvements that could be made to proactively combat wind- and lightning-related weather events that create sustained power outages (Figure 2). JCP&L determined that these changes had the potential to improve the […]

  • Rope scope

    Karl Storz’s new 6-mm videoscope combines measurement capabilities with ease-of-use features in an advanced multipoint measuring system. Quartz glass limits the risk of scratching the lens while significantly brighter optics enhance image quality. The videoscope’s multiple interchangeable tip adaptors allow for near and far focus, and — at the same time, without changing tips — […]

  • Vise versa

    In-house testing of the new Hydraulic Vise Column with patented swivel coupling from Jergens Inc. achieved up to a 50% reduction in production time when compared to the manual version performing the same tooling operation. The swivel coupling eliminates the need to disconnect and reconnect the two hydraulic hoses as the column rotates, and each […]

  • Pre-engineered water treatment components

    This August, Aquatech International Corp. announced it had expanded its WATERTRAK pre-engineered water treatment components to include six new L-series products. These include multi-media filters, activated carbon filters, reverse osmosis systems (shown here), and water softeners. The new products are designed as cost-effective options for industries that are dependent on external water supplies. Featuring Aquatech’s […]

  • Reliable logic

    Power and automation company Schneider Electric this September launched the Square D PowerLogic Branch Circuit Power Meter (BCPM), an advanced metering product designed to assist data center managers, engineers, and operators in delivering reliable power to critical applications. The PowerLogic BCPM monitors the power and energy usage of up to 84 branch circuits, as well […]

  • Vibration analyzer for hazardous areas

    VIBXPERT EX, the new two-channel FFT data collector and signal analyzer from LUDECA Inc. monitors and diagnoses machine conditions for potentially hazardous environments that require explosion-proof systems. The VIBXPERT EX features 102,400 lines of resolution, simple joystick operation, acceptance measurements, run-up/coast-down analysis, time waveform analysis, enveloping, bearing data, 1- or 2-plane balancing, and much more. […]

  • Flywheel technology nears commercial deployment

    An integrated matrix of 10 high-power flywheels built and tested by Beacon Power Corp. earlier this year successfully absorbed and supplied a full megawatt of electricity, the energy storage technology company said in September. The achievement could mean that grid regulation using efficient energy storage is close to commercial deployment. The flywheel system, called the […]