POWER

Top Plant: The staff of the Rawhide Energy Station have been racking up operating stats and an environmental performance record that is the envy of other plant managers. In the past decade Rawhide has enjoyed an equivalent availability factor in the mid- to high 90s and an average capacity factor approaching 90%. Still not content with this performance, Rawhide invested in new technology and equipment upgrades to further optimize performance, reduce emissions, and keep cost competitive.

Enclosure manufacturer Rittal Corp.’s latest products are designed to be incorporated into electrical systems to help ensure safety against arc flash hazards. Data interface flaps, shown here, provide rapid system access via integrated USB, SUB-D9 RJ 45, and NEMA 5-15 sockets when needed. The affected enclosure remains closed and is thereby protected from ambient influences […]

Entergy christened its Performance Monitoring and Diagnostic Center several years ago to leverage the expertise of its most senior operators and technicians across the company’s entire fleet of plants. The center also makes use of advanced software tools that increase plant availability and reliability by identifying faults before they become major, unplanned outages. The center paid for itself for years to come with a single “big catch” last year.

GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies’ new family of ultrasonic flaw detectors incorporates conventional and phased array ultrasound technology in three upgradeable models: Phasor CV, Phasor 16/16 Weld, and Phasor XS. Each solution, designed for applications ranging from corrosion monitoring to defect detection and sizing, is compliant with all major inspection codes. The Phasor XS (shown […]

Courtesy: Platts Data source: Platts Energy Advantage and POWERmap. All rights reserved.

An advanced seal technology for hydraulic bolt tensioners recently developed by UK-based Boltight Ltd. takes advantage of the latest composite materials to eliminate oil leakage while allowing the tensioning piston to be retracted more easily after use. The new seals are a two-piece self-energizing design with an “O” ring made from a self-lubricating and durable […]

Top Plant: From tall skyscrapers and flashing neon signs to Buddhist temples and pagodas, South Korea is a mixture of the new and old Asia. Doing its part to help modernize this country, the Boryeong Thermal Power Complex operates six coal-fired 500-MW units that provide electricity to power South Korea’s economic growth. One of the important reasons for this facility’s overall success is its operational reliability. An example of this is Boryeong Unit 3’s outstanding achievement of 3,000 days of trouble-free operation.

Hawk Measurement Systems has launched a new line of “fourth generation” sonar transducers designed for improved sensing of interface levels in clarifiers and thickeners. The new transducer designs include three to seven sonar crystals mounted in a single head. Each sonar array produces a concentrated sonar beam, providing more emitted power and collecting more returned […]

Top Plant: Alliant Energy’s Dubuque Generating Station is a fine example of why small doesn’t mean insignificant in the power generation industry. This winner of the EUCG Best Performer award in the small plant category shows that its operating excellence towers over that of many larger and much newer coal-fired power plants.

The United States is used to transporting fuels to electric generation centers that are close to where the power supply is needed. We see trains carry coal by the carload from resource-rich areas to generation centers across the country. Natural gas is distributed through pipelines. Even uranium is transported to supply our nuclear stations. However, […]

Republican presidential candidate John McCain made reference to the word “fight” 25 times during his September 4 nomination acceptance speech. While watching McCain’s histrionics, my mind wandered back to another historic fight—the “Rumble in the Jungle.” Muhammad Ali, arguably the best boxer who ever stepped into the squared circle, was pitted against then-World Champion George […]

Top Plant: CPS Energy’s J.K. Spruce Power Plant, Unit 1 was recently recognized by the EUCG Fossil Productivity Committee as the best performer in the large coal plant category over the 2002-2006 evaluation period. The competition was tough, with more than 80 plants in the running, but Unit 1 emerged as the clear winner by earning top points for high plant reliability and very low nonfuel O&M costs.

In the wake of a recent federal case, large power plants are off the hook for now as far as complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2004 rule intended to protect fish and other aquatic organisms by controlling cooling water intake practices.

No U.S. federal standards exist to limit worker exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV), but the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health suggests that high HAV acceleration levels (5-36 m/s2) can cause physical effects—and even permanent injury—if left unchecked and untreated. A new series of triaxial accelerometers launched this August by PCB Piezotronics’ Larson Davis […]

What does human metabolism have in common with coal combustion? Quite a bit, it turns out, say researchers at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) who are studying chemical looping combustion (CLC) involving coal gasification, an emerging technology for clean energy production from fossil and renewable fuels.

How often do you get a clash between two great Lone Star icons?

Worldwide energy consumption is projected to grow 50% between 2005 and 2030, driven by robust economic growth and expanding populations in the world’s developing countries, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a reference case projection from its International Energy Outlook 2008 in June.

While the Bush administration is winding down during its final year, several of its major air pollution initiatives have recently unraveled. These casualties were the result of two recent federal court decisions and the Environmental Protection Agency chief’s refusal to regulate greenhouse gases under existing laws. These developments make it plain that any important new attempts to regulate air emissions will have to be made by the next president.

News reports tell us that rapidly growing economies, such as China’s, are importing more oil and raw materials each year, thereby pushing up commodity prices on the world market. One of the side effects of rising commodity prices is considerable increases in the cost of water treatment chemicals. Don’t be tempted to skimp on chemicals to save a buck but risk catastrophic damage. In the words of NASA’s former flight director, Gene Kranz: “Failure is not an option.”

Proper attention to dissolved oxygen levels in feedwater is fundamental for long-term equipment reliability, especially in a combined-cycle plant. When equipment approaches its design life, proper use of new analytic tools and technical expertise can identify impending corrosion and erosion problems and provide you with an estimate of remaining equipment life.

As oil prices soar and power prices threaten to follow, our republic’s mix of diverse cultural and economic interests must cooperate to achieve our common goal of energy self-sufficiency. Those interests seem to fall into one of four main groups—policy, corporate, finance, and technical innovation—each seeking to control the direction of our nation on major […]

Al Gore, self-appointed father of the climate change movement, astonished his most ardent supporters with a plan to produce 100% of the nation’s electricity from renewable energy and carbon-free sources within 10 years. “The quickest, cheapest, and best way to start using all this renewable energy is in the production of electricity. In fact, we […]

Cost hikes for all things nuclear in the U.S. and UK / North Americans plan liquid makeover for coal / California balloon bill deflates in legislative process / The Lego skyscraper / Of manure and methane / U.S. small wind turbine market moving slowly / Israeli desert center tests solar thermal tech for California desert / POWER digest / Correction

Tackling substandard water sources / Control abrasive wear in scrubber piping / Sensors and final control elements

This November, as part of California’s eclectic version of participatory democracy, its residents will vote on whether to amend the Solar and Clean Energy Act of 2008. Proposition No. 7 (Prop 7) promises to place the state on “the path to energy independence.” It would require all California electric utilities, including municipals, to procure 50% […]

South Korea, one of the “Four Asian Tigers” known for their aggressive economies, is boosting its electrical capacity with the recent addition of the Bugok II Power Plant. Ranked as the top plant in South Korea because of its efficient, environmentally friendly operation, the 565-MW plant is powered by combined-cycle units that burn natural gas. Part of this project’s success derives from the fact that Bugok I and II were the first projects awarded to a foreign company by a South Korean independent power producer.

At 564 MW, Sierra Pacific Resources’ Frank A. Tracy Combined Cycle Plant is the largest power project constructed in northern Nevada in 24 years and will reduce the state’s dependence on expensive power purchases from out-of-state suppliers. The project achieved a significant safety milestone by expending 1.5 million safe work hours during construction with zero lost-time accidents.

With greenhouse gas caps on the horizon, more U.S. utilities now have another reason–besides tightening air pollution limits–to consider replacing some of their old coal-fired plants with less-carbon-intensive gas-fired capacity. Even local residents are pleased with the results of an Xcel Energy project to do just that in St. Paul, Minnesota. For Xcel, the key ingredient in the recipe for its recently commissioned High Bridge plant was hiring an EPC contractor smart enough to overcome formidable site constraints.

Power supplies are looking brighter these days in the Land of the Midnight Sun now that the Kårstø combined-cycle power plant has begun commercial operation. Kårstø is Norway’s first commercial onshore gas-fired combined-cycle plant. Combining Scandinavian savvy with German engineering, this 420-MW plant showcases maximum efficiency coupled with minimal emissions.

We Energies’ Port Washington Generating Station Phase 2 is recognized as a 2008 POWER Top Plant for its design innovation and strong teamwork among the owner, contractor, and craft personnel that ensured project completion on time, on budget, and with a stellar safety record. While staying true to its historical roots, the plant will remain a good neighbor and a reliable provider of intermediate-load power to the region for many years to come.