Departments

  • Safety Implications of Coal and Biomass Fuel Mixes

    Practically everyone would agree that the energy policy of the U.S. is in a great state of flux. Not since the introduction of commercial nuclear power some five decades ago has our country come to such an energy crossroads. No matter what your political ideology, no one can refute that conventional coal-fired power plants are being paralyzed by recent and potential U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations designed to cut the nation’s reliance on coal.

  • Improving Slurry Knife Gate Valves in FGD Applications

    The primary considerations in slurry valve selection are reliability in function and design, abrasion resistance, and ease of maintenance. In addition, valves with a straight-through, unobstructed flow minimize the effect of abrasion and therefore reduce the need for maintenance.

  • Flue Gas Analyzer

    Emerson has launched the latest solution for combustion flue gas analysis, the Rosemount Analytical 6888 in-situ oxygen analyzer. The 6888 analyzer provides accurate measurement of oxygen remaining in flue gases coming from combustion processes such as boilers, incinerators, kilns, process heaters, and industrial heating furnaces. By maintaining the ideal level of oxygen in the flue […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Infrastructure

    Aging infrastructure ranks at the top of the U.S. electric power sector’s concerns, flanked by the exorbitant investment needed to keep the system in good repair.

  • Upgraded Thermal Imaging Camera

    IDEAL INDUSTRIES released an upgraded version of its popular HeatSeeker handheld thermal imaging camera. The new model features twice the resolution of legacy models and a wider field-of-view to improve troubleshooting efficiency. Engineered with a powerful 320 x 240 2MP sensor that captures 76K pixels, the new HeatSeeker 320 can be used for a wide […]

  • The Rise of the Virtual Power Plant

    Siemens Infrastructure & Cities and Munich city utility Stadtwerke München (SWM) this April put into operation a virtual power plant (VPP), linking several small-scale distributed energy sources and pooling their resources so they can be operated as a single installation (Figure 1). The project comes on the heels of a February 2012 expansion of a […]

  • Portable Video Camera for Borescopes

    The new Luxxor Portable Video Camera quickly and easily attaches to any Hawkeye Rigid or Flexible Borescope, and most other major borescope brands as well, transforming them into a videoscope. Designed and manufactured by Gradient Lens Corp., the new Luxxor camera allows users to view internal visual inspection images on portable or benchtop video monitors, […]

  • Small Modular Reactors Vie for DOE Funding

    Within the two months since the Department of Energy (DOE) flourished $452 million in cost-shared federal funding to support engineering, design certification, and licensing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for up to two small modular reactor (SMR) designs over five years, four developers of reactors under 300 MW have submitted applications: Westinghouse, Babcock & […]

  • Self-Improvement Strategy

    POWER marks its 130th year of service to the power generation industry with this issue. Instead of cake for the staff, we decided to celebrate the milestone in a way that will benefit our readers and supporters for many years to come.

  • Can California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Turn Manure into Gold?

    California’s Cap-and-Trade Program is the only cross-industry, market-based climate change regulatory program in the United States. This program may provide a good investment opportunity for dairy farmers, livestock owners, and others if the program’s Livestock Project protocol for offsets can get off the ground and maintain a viable price for greenhouse gas (GHG) allowances.