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BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GLOBAL GENERATION INDUSTRY
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Vol. 152 No. 4 April 2008 www.powermag.com

Plants compete for scarce water
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April 2008
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POWER www.powermag.com 1
Established 1882 Vol. 152 No. 4 April 2008
www.powermag.com
COVER STORY: NUCLEAR POWER
28 Super Tuesday, Super Bowl XLII, and the nukes
The consensus from a recent nuclear energy conference was that politics, probably
more than engineering, will determine the fate of the alleged nuclear renaissance.
SPECIAL REPORTS
WATER MANAGEMENT
34 New coal plant technologies will demand more water
Worldwide, competition for water resources is forcing power plant developers and
owners to minimize water use. We look at some of the technical, regulatory, and politi-
cal issues that shape the water-electricity debate.
NUCLEAR POWER
44 Developing the next generation of reactors
The fourth generation of nuclear reactors promise to deliver everything the emerging
Generation III+ models doplus the ability to support hydrogen production, thermal
energy off-taking, advanced actinide management, and perhaps even water desalina-
tion. Heres how the six technology contenders line up.
PLANT DESIGN
54 Turbine technology maturity: A shifting paradigm
Even if two gas turbines have the same model number, theyll operate differently if
one has been modified in the factory or in the field and the other has not. Given the
plethora of plant-initiated and OEM-implemented tweaks, accurately evaluating the
results of turbine field performance when making a purchase recommendation is a
challenge.
FEATURES
CYBER SECURITY
66 Time to get serious about security
FERCs critical infrastructure protection standards force power generators to pro-
actively deal with cyber security. And even though FERCs enforcement authority in
this matter is being challenged, plants shouldnt take a wait-and-see position. Here
are several things plants should be doing nowfor their own good.
PLANT DESIGN
70 Castejon 2: Ready to reign in Spain
Flexibility is the advantage offered by this new combined-cycle plant, built in short
order under Alstoms Plant Integrator approach. Fuel flexibility and operational flex-
ibility enable its owner, HC Energa, to back up wind generation and to turn a profit
under a wide range of market conditions.
WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT
74 The aging workforce: Panic is not a strategy
The real problem that utilities face is a knowledge crisisa transformation in how
knowledge is valued, leveraged, and distributed in the marketplace.
EVENTS
80 ELECTRIC POWER 2008 offers access to the latest products and services
Take a sneak peak at what awaits you on the exhibit floor this May in Baltimore.
On the cover
Illustration by Leslie Claire
DEPARTMENTS
4 SPEAKING OF POWER
6 GLOBAL MONITOR
6 Tenaska proposes first new coal-
fired plant with carbon capture
6 Concerns raised over growth of
Chinas CO
2
emissions
8 Sandia, Stirling Energy Systems
set new world record
9 Indonesia orders first Wrtsil
GasCubes
10 First wind turbines on Galapagos
Islands cut oil imports
12 Harnessing waste heat for
electricity
14 POWER digest
17 Correction
18 FOCUS ON O&M
18 Tag-teamed seawater cleanup
20 New cooling towers to improve
rivers health
20 Back to school
26 LEGAL & REGULATORY
100 NEW PRODUCTS
112 COMMENTARY
www.powermag.com POWER
|
April 2008 2
Now incorporating and
EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION
Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
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Tim Hurst; Jim Hylko; Kennedy Maize; Douglas Smith; Dick Storm
Staff Writer: Sonal Patel
Senior Designer: Leslie Claire
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Marketing Manager: Jamie Reesby
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April 2008 4
SPEAKING OF POWER
Reducing gridlock
N
orth Americas electricity grid has been described as the
worlds most complex machine. The grid is unique among
utility infrastructure systems for its need to have supply
and demandgeneration and loadbalanced at all times. There
still are no technologies for storing large quantities of electricity
akin to liquefied natural gas tanks, voice mail, or e-mail servers.
Because power consumption is instantaneous, dispatching gen-
erating capacity and switching feeders on and off are the only
controls available to grid operators.
The spoils of power
Short power outages are a mere inconvenience for the average
American household, which has been spoiled by highly reliable
electric service. But reliability is essential for large factories
profitability. To them, any outageeven one of just a few mil-
lisecondsmay cause a key manufacturing process to crash and
shut down an entire assembly line.
Longer outages take bigger tolls. Here are some examples of
the big business impact of a major power failure. Hewlett-Packard
recently estimated that a 20-minute outage at one of its wafer
fabrication plants would cause the loss of an entire days produc-
tion, valued at $30 million. In California, a blackout in June 2000
cost Silicon Valley businesses $100 million, according to the Sili-
con Valley Manufacturers Group. According to the DOE, the great
Northeast blackout of August 2003 cost the U.S. economy about
$6 billion, including $4 billion in lost wages and profits. The joint
U.S.-Canada task force assembled to determine why the blackout
occurred put its cost at between $4 billion and $10 billion.
As the complexity of the grid grows, so do the costs of a grid
disturbance and the ease with which one can propagate.
New grid sensitivities
Recent events confirm that even the best-oiled machine wont
operate at peak efficiency if an operator goofs or if Mother Na-
ture decides to remind us whos really in charge.
The Los Angeles Timess main headline on February 26 was
Massive power outage in Florida affects millions. The ensuing
story described a mid-day transmission glitch at a West Miami
substation that knocked out electricity to three million people
and tripped two reactors at the Turkey Point nuclear station.
Florida Power & Light later explained that an engineer had deac-
tivated two levels of relay protection at the West Miami substa-
tion to help diagnose a switch malfunction. While he was making
measurements, a short-circuit knocked 3,400 MW off-line.
That same day, Reuters lead story was Loss of wind causes
Texas power grid emergency. ERCOT reported that the normally
stable frequency of its grid dropped suddenly when the states
wind production fell by more than 1,400 MW over 30 minutes.
This loss of load forced ERCOT to go to Stage Two of its emergency
electric curtailment plan and shave 1,100 MW of demand from in-
dustrial customers. The emergency passed in about three hours.
A 2007 study of the ERCOT grid noted that wind energy is
anti-correlated with load, meaning that wind speedsand
wind power generationusually drop sharply as the days load
rises in the morning and then pick up again as day turns to night
and demand falls. The study also concluded that putting more
wind capacity on-line requires dispatching more conventional
capacity to maintain grid voltage and frequency.
The Texas legislature recently learned from ERCOT that the
states reserve margin will be about 13% this summer but will
fall below 12.5% next year. Overall, peak demand is expected
to rise more than 25% over the next 20 years. ERCOTs CEO said
at a March KEMA conference that the state must nearly double
its generating capacity by 2026 to meet growth in demand and
to replace retired plants. In other words, the 5,000 MW of wind
projects in the ERCOT queue will do nothing to improve the reli-
ability of Texas power.
Smart vs. simple
Modernizing Americas existing grid would enhance service reli-
ability, increase transmission capacity, and even make U.S. in-
dustry more productive. It is estimated that productivity losses
caused by transmission constraints and other grid issues cost
the U.S. economy over $100 billion a year. However, securing
the funding for such a system remains a problem because spoiled
retail ratepayers dont see how it would benefit them.
Xcel Energys March announcement of its vision to make Boul-
der, Colorado, the nations first fully integrated Smart Grid City
(www.xcelenergy.com/smartgrid) is a tangible start. Infrastruc-
ture upgrades expected to cost more than $100 million would
include a real-time communications network for local metering
of power, an optimizing substation with smart technologies,
a system for integrating and dispatching distributed generation
technologies such as plug-in hybrid vehicles and solar panels,
and devices to fully automate in-home energy use and cut its
cost by, for example, running appliances during off-peak hours.
I commend Xcel Energy for conceiving of Smart Grid City,
which will no doubt become a reality within a few years. But I
also wonder about the impact on system reliabilityand retail
ratesof this additional layer of complexity, which would ex-
tend the reach of the grid into homes and require user interac-
tion. Never underestimate the power of human error, or Mother
Natures ability to have the last word on human endeavors.
Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
Editor-in-Chief
Even the best-oiled machine
wont operate at peak efficiency
if an operator goofs
or if Mother Nature decides to
remind us whos really in charge.
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April 2008 6
GLOBAL MONITOR
GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR
Tenaska proposes
first new coal-fired plant
with carbon capture
Tenaska Inc. is developing a site near
Sweetwater, Texas, for a new 765-MW
gross, 600-MW net supercritical coal-fired
power plant that will capture up to 90% of
the CO
2
in the stack gas. The captured CO
2

will to be used in enhancing oil produc-
tion in the Permian Basin. The proposed
construction site for the $3 billion Trail-
blazer Energy Center is a 1,919-acre tract
east of Sweetwater and north of Interstate
20 in Nolan County. Construction could
begin in late 2009 and be completed in
2014 (Figure 1).
If built, the plant will be the first new
commercial coal-fueled power plant, other
than small research projects, to capture
and provide for storage of CO
2
. The CO
2
would be captured and transported via
pipeline to oil fields in the Permian Ba-
sin, where it will be used in enhanced
oil recovery and be stored in the basins
geologic formations. CO
2
has been used to
increase oil production in West Texas for
more than 30 years (Figure 2).
The volume of CO
2
expected to be sold
to oil producers could be used to recover
enough oil to add more than $1 billion a
year to the Texas economy.
Nolan County is home to more wind
turbines than any other place in the
United States, said Nolan County Judge
Tim Fambrough. The Tenaska Trailblazer
Energy Center builds on this areas reputa-
tion as a location for progressive, environ-
mentally responsible electric generation.
We are delighted to welcome Tenaska to
our community.
An air permit application, the first for-
mal step in gaining approval to build the
plant, was filed in early March with the
Texas Commission on Environmental Qual-
ity, according to David Fiorelli, president
and CEO of Tenaskas Business Develop-
ment Group.
The final decision to proceed with the
project will be made in 2009 based on a
number of factors, including the availabil-
ity of local, state, and federal incentives;
final project cost estimates; and projected
market prices for electricity and CO
2
. Cur-
rent estimates of these factors make the
project appear to be economically feasible.
In the meantime, Tenaska is working with
Sweetwater area officials to determine the
projects feasibility and to provide accu-
rate and timely information to Sweetwater
area residents.
Concerns raised
over growth of
Chinas CO
2
emissions
The growth in Chinas CO
2
emissions is
far outpacing previous estimates, mak-
ing the goal of stabilizing atmospheric
greenhouse gases even more difficult, ac-
cording to a new analysis by economists
at the University of California, Berkeley
and UC San Diego. The study is scheduled
for print publication in the May issue of
the Journal of Environmental Economics
and Management.
Previous estimates, including those
used by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, say the region that in-
cludes China will see a 2.5% to 5% an-
nual increase in CO
2
emissions between
2004 and 2010. The new UC analysis pegs
Chinas annual growth rate at 11%, at a
600 net megawatts
of power generated
Increased oil
production of at least
$1 billion a year
Power for
600,000
Texas homes
CO
2
carbon
dioxide
Crude
oil
E
nhanced oil recovery
Carbon dioxide (CO2
)
8
5
9
0
%
C
O2
cap
tu
r
e
d
Electricity
1. First out of the gate. Tenaska has proposed the first coal-fired supercritical power
plant with integrated CO
2
capture. Source: Tenaska Inc.
2 Bury it deep. Captured CO
2
from the Trailblazer Energy Center will be used for
enhanced oil recovery in the Permian Basin. Source: Tenaska Inc.
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April 2008 8
GLOBAL MONITOR
minimum, for the same time period. In
contrast, the U.S. Energy Information Ad-
ministration reports U.S. CO
2
emissions
decreased 1.3% in 2006 from the previous
year. Data for 2007 is not yet available.
The researchers most conservative fore-
cast predicts that by 2010 there will be an
increase of 600 million metric tons of car-
bon emissions in China over the countrys
levels in 2000. This growth from China
alone would dramatically overshadow the
116 million metric tons of carbon emis-
sions reductions pledged by all the devel-
oped countries in the Kyoto Protocol and
surpassed those of the U.S. last year.
Put another way, the projected annual
increase in China alone over the next sev-
eral years is greater than the current emis-
sions produced by either Great Britain or
Germany.
The authors pointed out that after
2000, Chinas central government began
shifting the responsibility for building
new power plants to provincial officials,
who had less incentive and fewer re-
sources to build cleaner, more efficient
plants, which save money in the long
run but are more expensive to construct.
Government officials turned away from
energy efficiency as an objective to ex-
panding power generation as quickly and
cheaply as they could. Wealthier coastal
provinces tended to build clean-burning
power plants based upon the very best
technology available, but many of the
poorer interior provinces replicated inef-
ficient 1950s Soviet technology.
Sandia, Stirling Energy
Systems set new
world record
On a perfect New Mexico winter daywith
the sky almost 10% brighter than usual
Sandia National Laboratories and Stirling
Energy Systems (SES) set a new solar-to-
grid system conversion efficiency record
by achieving a 31.25% net efficiency rate.
The old 1984 record of 29.4% was toppled
January 31 by SESs Serial #3 solar dish
Stirling system at Sandias National Solar
Thermal Test Facility (Figure 3).
The conversion efficiency is calculated
by measuring the net energy delivered
to the grid and dividing it by the solar
energy hitting the dish mirrors. Auxiliary
loads, such as water pumps, computers
and tracking motors, are accounted for in
the net power measurement.
Gaining two whole points of conver-
sion efficiency in this type of system is
phenomenal, said Bruce Osborn, SES
president and CEO. This is a significant
advancement that takes our dish engine
systems well beyond the capacities of any
other solar dish collectors and one step
closer to commercializing an affordable
system.
Serial #3 was erected in May 2005 as
part of a prototype six-dish model power
plant at the Solar Thermal Test Facility
that produces up to 150 kW of grid-ready
electrical power during the day. Each dish
unit consists of 82 mirrors arranged in a
dish shape to focus sunlight into an in-
tense beam.
The solar dish generates electricity by
focusing the suns rays onto a receiver,
which transmits the heat energy to a Stir-
ling engine. The engine is a sealed sys-
tem filled with hydrogen. As the gas heats
and cools, its pressure rises and falls. The
change in pressure drives the pistons in-
side the engine, producing mechanical
power, which in turn drives a generator
and makes electricity.
Lead Sandia project engineer Chuck An-
draka says that several technical advance-
ments to the systems made jointly by SES
and Sandia led to the record-breaking so-
lar-to-grid conversion efficiency. SES owns
the dishes and all the hardware. Sandia
provides technical and analytical support
to SES in a relationship that dates back
more than 10 years.
Andraka says the first and probably most
important advancement was improved
optics. The Stirling dishes are made of a
low-iron glass with a silver backing that
make them highly reflectivefocusing as
much as 94% of the incident sunlight on
the engine package, whereas prior efforts
reflected about 91%. The mirror facets,
patented by Sandia and Paneltec Corp. of
Lafayette, Colo., are highly accurate and
have minimal imperfections in shape.
Both improvements allow for the loss-
control aperture to be reduced to 7 inches
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3. For the record books. Sandia and Stirling Energy Systems set a new world record for
solar-to-grid conversion efficiency of 31.25%, eclipsing the old record of 29.4% that had stood
for 24 years. Courtesy: Sandia National Laboratory, Photo by Randy Montoya
April 2008
|
in diametermeaning that light is highly concentrated as it en-
ters the receiver. Other advancements to the solar dishengine
system that helped Sandia and SES beat the energy conversion
record were a new, more effective radiator that also costs less to
build and a new high-efficiency generator.
The temperature on the record-setting date, which hovered
around freezing, allowed the cold portion of the engine to op-
erate at about 73F, and the skys brightness meant that more
energy was produced while most parasitic loads and losses were
constant. The test ran for two and a half hours. A 60-minute run-
ning average was used to evaluate the power and efficiency data,
in order to eliminate transient effects. During the testing phase,
the system produced 26.75 kW, net.
SES is working to commercialize the record-performing sys-
tem and has signed power purchase agreements with two ma-
jor southern California utilities (Southern California Edison and
San Diego Gas & Electric) for up to 1,750 MW, representing the
worlds two largest solar power contracts. Collectively, these con-
tracts require up to 70,000 solar dishengine units.
Indonesia orders
first Wrtsil GasCubes
In December 2007, Wrtsil got its first order for a Wrtsil Gas-
Cube power plant. PT PLN (Persero) Wilayah Kalimantan Timur, a
regional subsidiary of the Indonesian state-owned utility com-
pany PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) (Persero), ordered two
GasCubes for a single site in Bontang in the province of East
Kalimantan.
Both plants incorporate a Wrtsil 16V34SG gas engine rated at
7 MW (Figure 4). The two GasCubes are due to be handed over in
March 2009. They will run on locally available natural gas to gen-
erate electricity for the national grid. The GasCubes were selected
because of their high generating efficiency and small footprint.
The Wrtsil GasCube is a standardized power plant that pro-
vides industrial customers, utilities, and independent power pro-
ducers with economical, reliable, and quickly installed capacity
of 7 to 26 MW on a turnkey basis.
Each GasCube is a complete single-engine power plant with
all the ancillaries and components needed to form a working
power production unit. Each plant is of cubical construction
with radiators on the roof and an exhaust gas stack close to the
Cube. The GasCube is based on Wrtsil 34SG engines and can
4. Thinking inside the box. The Wrtsil GasCube is a com-
plete single-engine power plant with all the ancillaries and components
needed to form a working power production unit. Courtesy: Wrtsil
CALDWELL ENERGY COMPANY
4020 Tower Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40219
Phone 502.964.6450
Fax 502.964.7444
Caldwell Energy Company is ISO9001 Certified
www.caldwellenergy.com
info@caldwellenergy.com
CALDWELL ENERGY COMPANY
4020 Tower Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40219
Phone 502.964.6450
Fax 502.964.7444
Caldwell Energy Company is ISO9001 Certified
info@caldwellenergy.com
Worlds Largest for a Reason.
More Power.
Over 250,000 fired hours of wet
compression technology.
Licensee of Wet Compression Technology.
Over 1,700 MW's of power generating
capacity with our power augmentation
systems (This is enough power to serve
over 2.0 million homes!)
Engineering staff has over 100 years of
combustion turbine design and power
augmentation experience.
At Caldwell Energy, our expert engineers
focus solely on how to optimize the output
and efficiency of combustion turbines. We
completely understand combustion turbines
and will maintain their integrity, reliability
and availability. Sure, you can find folks
that will spray fog into your turbines, but
oftentimes their solutions just dont add up.
Thermal Energy Storage Inlet
Air Cooling Technology
Direct Refrigeration Inlet
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Caldwell Wet Compression Technology is offered by Caldwell Energy,
the only supplier of all leading turbine inlet air cooling technologies:
Thermal Energy Storage Inlet
Direct Refrigeration Inlet
Evaporative Inlet
Over 250,000 fired hours of wet
compression technology.
Licensee of Wet Compression Technology.
Over 1,700 MW's of power generating
capacity with our power augmentation
systems (This is enough power to serve
over 2.0 million homes!)
Engineering staff has over 100 years of
combustion turbine design and power
augmentation experience.
At Caldwell Energy, our expert engineers
focus solely on how to optimize the output
and efficiency of combustion turbines. We
completely understand combustion turbines
and will maintain their integrity, reliability
and availability. Sure, you can find folks
that will spray fog into your turbines, but
oftentimes their solutions just dont add up.
GLOBAL MONITOR
|
April 2008 10
GLOBAL MONITOR
provide up to 9 MW. All components and
structures are above ground.
The exhaust silencer and stack are inte-
grated, thereby reducing the plants foot-
print. The small footprint and minimum
interface with the surrounding environ-
ment open up new possibilities for plac-
ing the GasCubes. A closed-circuit cooling
system that reduces water consumption to
a minimum makes the plant perfectly suit-
able for remote locations or any location
where water is scarce.
First wind turbines
on Galapagos Islands
cut oil imports
In January 2001, the world held its breath
when the tanker Jessica, loaded with
150,000 gallons of fuel, struck a reef and
began breaking up in the heart of one of
the most precious, famous, and fragile
ecosystems on Earththe Galapagos Is-
lands. At risk were vast numbers of unique
species of flora and fauna written about
by Charles Darwin in studies that contrib-
uted to his landmark theory of evolution
by natural selection.
The sight of thousands of gallons of oil
pouring into the ocean off the Galapagos
island of San Cristobal triggered a deter-
mined international initiative to mitigate
risks of future spills by dramatically reduc-
ing the islands dependence on diesel fuel
to generate electricity.
Ecuadors President Rafael Correa just
launched his countrys program to end
the use of fossil fuels on the Galapagos
by 2015. That initiative is led by the San
Cristobal Wind Project: three giant wind
turbines that will halve the islands diesel
fuel imports and pave the way for further
renewable energy development elsewhere
in the archipelago (Figure 5).
The three wind turbines, totaling 2.4
MW, were installed by the San Cristobal
Wind Project, an international partnership
among the government of Ecuador, the UN
Development Program (UNDP), and nine of
the worlds largest electricity companies
(known as the e8). They started supply-
ing power on the islands last October. The
system will meet 60% to 80% of electrical
demand during the windy months of Octo-
ber, November, and December.
The San Cristobal Wind Project is the first
stage of an umbrella program supported by
Ecuador and the UNDP that will eventually
bring renewable electricityhybrid wind-
diesel with some photovoltaic powerto
the 30,000 residents of the Galapagos ar-
chipelagos five inhabited islands.
The lead company in the projects de-
5. Evolving power supply. Ecuador recently dedicated three wind turbines on the Galapa-
gos Islands that will supply approximately half of the residents power demands. Courtesy: e8
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April 2008 12
GLOBAL MONITOR
velopment, funding, and implementation
was American Electric Power (AEP), which
provided about half of the $10.8 million
needed. Ecuador provided $3.2 million, and
$1 million came from the United Nations
Foundation, coupled with contributions
from the UNDP and other sources. A trust
has been established to facilitate the sys-
tems ongoing training needs, maintenance
and operation, and eventual removal.
From day one, the overriding concern
was the need to protect this invaluable
place and its incredible biodiversity, said
Michael G. Morris, CEO of AEP. The e8 team
approached this work with a level of cau-
tion akin to the curators responsible for da
Vincis Mona Lisa or Michelangelos David.
According to project manager Luis Vin-
timilla of EOLICSA, the company estab-
lished to operate the project, it is not
possible to replace all diesel generation
capacity with wind power. That would be
ideal, but there is not enough wind year
round, he said. In particular, during four
months of the year with unfavorable wind
conditions, during certain hours on cer-
tain days, it will be necessary to continue
using diesel generated electricity. Howev-
er, it is recommended that future work be
done on projects to substitute the diesel
currently used with a more environmen-
tally friendly fuel.
Harnessing waste heat
for electricity
Energy now lost as heat during the pro-
duction of electricity could be harnessed
through the use of silicon nanowires
synthesized via a technique developed
by researchers with the U.S. Department
of Energys Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the Uni-
versity of California (UC) at Berkeley. The
far-ranging potential applications of this
technology include the DOEs hydrogen
fuel cellpowered Freedom CAR and
personal power-jackets that could use
heat from the human body to recharge
cell phones and other electronic devices.
For example, if it is cold outside and
you are wearing a jacket made of mate-
rial embedded with thermoelectric mod-
ules, you could recharge mobile electronic
devices off the heat of your body [Figure
6], explained Arun Majumdar, a mechani-
cal engineer and materials scientist with
joint appointments at Berkeley Lab and
UC Berkeley. In fact, thermoelectric gen-
erators have already been used to convert
body heat to power wrist watches.
Weve shown that its possible to achieve
a large enhancement of thermoelectric
energy efficiency at room temperature in
rough silicon nanowires that have been
processed by wafer-scale electrochemical
synthesis, said chemist Peidong Yang, the
other principal investigator behind this re-
search, who also holds joint Berkeley Lab
and UC Berkeley appointments.
The researchers describe a unique elec-
troless etching method by which arrays
of silicon nanowires are synthesized in an
aqueous solution on the surfaces of wafers
that can measure dozens of square inches
in area. The technique involves the gal-
vanic displacement of silicon through the
reduction of silver ions on a wafers surface.
Unlike other synthesis techniques, which
yield smooth-surfaced nanowires, this
electroless etching method produces arrays
of vertically aligned silicon nanowires that
feature exceptionally rough surfaces. The
roughness is believed to be critical to the
surprisingly high thermoelectric efficiency
of the silicon nanowires (Figure 7).
Thermoelectric materials, which have
the ability to convert heat into electricity,
potentially could be used to capture much
of the low-grade waste heat now being
lost and convert it into electricity, said
Majumdar. The same devices can also be
used as refrigerators and air conditioners,
and because these devices can be minia-
turized, it could make heating and cooling
much more localized and efficient.
The ability to dip a wafer into solution
and grow on its surface a forest of verti-
cally aligned nanowires that are consis-
tent in size opens the door to the creation
of thermoelectric modules that could be
used in a wide variety of situations. For
example, such modules could convert the
heat from automotive exhaust into supple-
mental power for a vehicle, or provide the
electricity a conventional vehicle needs to
run its radio, air conditioner, and power
windows.
When scaled up, thermoelectric mod-
ules could eventually be used for cogen-
erating power with gas or steam turbines.
You can siphon electrical power from just
about any situation in which heat is be-
ing given off, heat that is currently being
wasted, said Majumdar.
The Berkeley Lab researchers will be
studying the physics behind this phenom-
enon to better understand and possibly
manipulate it for additional improve-
ments. Berkeley Labs Technology Transfer
Department is now seeking industrial part-
ners to further develop and commercialize
this technology.
6. Nano generators. Rough silicon
nanowires demonstrated high-performance
thermoelectric properties even at room tem-
perature when connected between two sus-
pended heating pads. Here, one pad serves
as the heat source (pink) and the other as the
sensor. Source: Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory
7. Miracle fibers. A cross-sectional scanning electron microscope image of an array of
rough silicon nanowires includes an inset showing a typical wafer chip of these wires (a). The
second photograph is a transmission electron microscope image of a segment of one of these
wires in which the surface roughness can be clearly seen. The inset shows that the wire is
single-crystalline all along its length. Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
|
April 2008 14
GLOBAL MONITOR
POWER digest
News items of interest to power industry
professionals.
CO
2
capture demo. Basin Electric Pow-
er Cooperative and Powerspan Corp. an-
nounced the selection of Powerspans CO
2

capture technology for a commercial dem-
onstration at Basin Electrics coal-based
electrical generation facility, the Antelope
Valley Station located near Beulah, North
Dakota. (For more details on the Power-
span CO
2
removal technology, see POWER
October 2007, p. 54.)
Approximately one million tons of CO
2

will be captured annually from the 120-
MW slipstream project, making this dem-
onstration among the largest in the world.
The captured CO
2
will be fed into an exist-
ing CO
2
compression and pipeline system
owned by Basin Electrics wholly owned
subsidiary, Dakota Gasification Co.
IGCC plant gets regulator nod. Going
boldly where some states have feared to
tread, the Public Service Commission of
West Virginia gave its approval to Ameri-
can Electric Power Co.s plans to build a
629-MW IGCC coal power plant at the site
of AEPs existing Mountaineer plant near
New Haven, W.V.
With the approval, AEP becomes the
second utility to have been given the
go-ahead by state regulators to build a
commercial-scale power plant using IGCC
technology that remains commercially un-
proven for power plant applications.
Duke Energy Corp.s application to
build a 630-MW IGCC plant was approved
by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Com-
mission in November. Both Duke and AEP
still need to secure air permits before they
can begin construction of their respective
projects.
Regulators in other states have balked
at IGCC plants because of the technical
uncertainties and fears about saddling
ratepayers with high development costs.
The AEP projects cost, now estimated to
be about $2.23 billion, has nearly doubled
since the Columbus, Ohiobased company
announced it in 2004. The heavy cost in-
creases are due to sharp price increases
in steel, cement, and other construction
necessitiesfueled in part by Chinas bur-
geoning economy.
DOE refuses to reconsider corridors.
The DOE has refused requests by state
and local officials, environmentalists, and
affected community groups to reexamine
the parameters of its two national inter-
est electric transmission corridors, thus
clearing the way for utilities to seek fed-
eral override of state and local opposition
to new power lines located in those DOE-
designated areas in the Southwest and
Mid-Atlantic.
While acknowledging state and local
concerns about federal intervention in
power line siting decisions, the DOE said
it was carrying out directives from Con-
gress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005,
which required the department to estab-
lish the corridors and granted the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission backstop
authority to approve power lines in those
corridors that are blocked by state and lo-
cal officials.
The department also said that in draw-
ing the national interest transmission
corridors, it relied on clear evidence
that there was transmission congestion
in the designated areas and that new
power lines were needed to meet growing
electricity demand in those energy-con-
strained regions.
The DOE also rejected a welter of argu-
ments from critics who said that it had
failed to consult adequately with states
in setting the transmission corridors, as
required by Congress; that it violated
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GLOBAL MONITOR
federal administrative law by failing to
provide enough time for public comment
on its proposed corridors; that it violated
federal environmental review require-
ments; and that it had relied too heav-
ily on CRA International, a contractor, in
assessing transmission congestion (New
York officials contended that CRA studies
gave too much weight to electric utility
industry views).
In what could be a focus of legal chal-
lenges to the DOE, the department assert-
ed that it did not have to follow federal
administrative procedure because its ac-
tion on the corridors was an informal ad-
judication. Lawsuits to follow.
Florida blackout caused by engineer
error. In what it called preliminary find-
ings of an ongoing investigation into the
blackout, Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL)
said an engineer working on a switch
malfunction at a west Miami substation
turned off two levels of relay protection,
allowing the fault to ripple through the
grid, resulting in the loss of power for 2.5
million Floridians in late February.
The companys announcement appears
to answer a key question asked by fed-
eral officials and investigators with the
North American Electric Reliability Corp.:
Why wasnt the small short-circuit at the
substation quickly isolated by protective
devices so it did not spread?
While still preliminary, the results of
the investigation so far indicate that hu-
man error was the primary factor immedi-
ately responsible for the event, FPL said
in a press release.
A field engineer was diagnosing a
switch that had malfunctioned at FPLs
Flagami substation in West Miami, the
utility said. Without authorization, the
engineer disabled two levels of relay pro-
tection. This was done contrary to FPLs
standard procedures and established prac-
tices. Standard procedures do not permit
the simultaneous removal of both levels
of protection.
During the diagnostic process, a fault
occurred and, because both levels of re-
lay protection had been removed, caused
an outage ultimately affecting 26 trans-
mission lines and 38 substations. One
of the substations affected serves three
of the generation units at Turkey Point,
including a natural gas unit as well as
both nuclear units, which, as designed,
automatically and safely shut down due
to an under-voltage condition. Also af-
fected were two other generation plants
in FPLs system. Total impact to the sys-
tem was a loss of 3,400 MW of generating
capacity.
H-Engine achieves first firing in Ja-
pan. GE Energys first commercial H
System gas turbine has achieved first fir-
ing at Tokyo Electric Power Co.s Futtsu
Thermal Power Station. Tepco Futtsu is
the first commercial site for GEs most
advanced gas turbine combined-cycle
system.
Futtsu Thermal Power Station will
feature three H Systems, each including
GE Energys 9H gas turbine along with a
steam turbine and generator provided by
Toshiba under an agreement with GE. The
three combined-cycle blocks will enter
commercial operation between 2008 and
2010, with a total output of 1,520 MW.
Futtsu Thermal Power Station is the
second location where GE Energys H Sys-
tem gas turbine will be in operation. The
worlds first 50-Hz 9H combined-cycle sys-
tem entered service in 2003 at Baglan Bay
in South Wales and has surpassed 26,500
operating hours. The first 60-Hz project is
the Inland Empire Energy Center in Cali-
|
April 2008 16
GLOBAL MONITOR
fornia, scheduled to begin service later
this year.
CO
2
capture partnership formed. Al-
stom and The Dow Chemical Co. (Dow)
announced a joint development and com-
mercialization agreement for advanced
amine scrubbing technology for the re-
moval of CO
2
from low-pressure flue gases
particular to fossil fuelfired power plants
and other major industries. The agreement
between Alstom and Dow is worldwide and
exclusive for the application of this specif-
ic technology (see POWER, February 2008,
p. 38 for a description of the process).
Under the agreement, Alstom will
commercialize and manage the installa-
tion of carbon capture solutions using
the developed process. Dow, a global gas
treatment technology leader, will support
Alstom by leveraging its technical capa-
bilities to co-develop an optimized CO
2
capture system.
Panda Energy to build 500-MW plant.
Panda Energy Inc. has announced that
it intends to build, own, and operate a
500-MW combined-cycle power plant in
an industrial-zoned area of the city of
Sherman, Texas. The Panda Sherman gen-
erating station will be located on a 200-
acre site at the Progress Industrial Park.
Construction will take approximately 24
months and is dependent upon financing,
regulatory approvals, and other condi-
tions. Panda Energy previously announced
that it has filed for an air permit to build
a 1,000-MW combined-cycle power plant
in Temple, Texas.
Peru gets two gas turbines. Siemens
Power Generation has awarded Worley-
Parsons the engineering phase contract
for installation of two SGT6-5000F simple-
cycle units in Peru. The first unit is the
Simba Project for EnerSur, a subsidiary
of Suez Energy International. That proj-
ect is located in Chilca, 37 miles south of
Lima. The second installation is the Kallpa
Unit II Project for Kallpa Generacion
S.A., where Siemens previously installed a
SGT6-5000F unit. The two project sites are
less than a mile from each other. Worley-
Parsons Chattanooga office design team,
with support from ARA WorleyParsons in
Chile, will complete both projects on an
economically structured concurrent basis.
The projects are scheduled for completion
in July 2008.
Superconducting wire goes live.
SuperPower Inc. has reconnected the
350-meter high-temperature supercon-
ducting (HTS) cable to the National Grid
power system between the Riverside and
Menands substations in Albany, N.Y. Using
a new 30-meter cable segment fabricated
with wire manufactured in Schenectady,
SuperPower marked the successful instal-
lation and energization of Phase 2 of the
HTS Cable Demonstration Project funded
by the DOE and the New York State En-
ergy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA). HTS cables, which carry three
to five times more power than the cop-
per-based power cables in use today, can
provide an important solution to the ever-
increasing demand for more and higher-
quality power.
The Albany HTS Cable Project, first
installed and energized in July 2006,
initially consisted of two sectionsa
320-meter-long section connected to an-
other 30 meters longboth fabricated
with the so-called first-generation HTS
wire. During Phase 2 of this demonstra-
tion project, the 30-meter section was
removed and replaced during 2007 with
an equal section fabricated from Super-
Powers new second-generation (2G) HTS
wire.
April 2008
|
GLOBAL MONITOR
This is the first in-grid demonstration
in the world of a device that incorporates
2G HTS wire, which is expected to provide
important performance and price benefits
compared with copper wire. HTS cables
carry more power more efficiently because
they occupy less space than comparably
rated conventional cables. HTS cables can
be retrofitted into existing underground
conduits, eliminating the need for ad-
ditional trenching, which will be of par-
ticular benefit in highly congested urban
settings, such as New York City.
The $27 million Albany HTS Cable Proj-
ect began in 2001 with a $6 million grant
from NYSERDA and $13.5 million provided
by the DOE. SuperPower; Sumitomo Elec-
tric Industries (Osaka, Japan); Linde,
formerly known as BOC (Germany); and
National Grid (Westborough, Mass.) have
all contributed their technical capabilities
to this project. SuperPower has managed
the project and manufactured the 2G HTS
wire; Sumitomo has manufactured and in-
stalled the HTS cable systems; and Linde
has provided and monitored the cryogenic
refrigeration system that is used to cool
the HTS cable to 333F.
APS announces world-class-size solar
plant. Arizona Public Service Co. (APS)
has announced plans for one of the worlds
largest solar facilities: a 280-MW concen-
trating solar power (CSP) plant to be built
70 miles southwest of Phoenix, near Gila
Bend, Ariz.
The Solana Generating Station will be
built by Abengoa Solar Inc. and is sched-
uled to provide renewable energy begin-
ning in 2011. It will provide APS with
more solar electricity per customer than
any utility in the U.S. The facility also
would be the largest solar power plant in
the world if it were in operation today.
APS noted that it chose Abengoa Solar
because of its extensive experience con-
structing, owning, and operating solar
power plants. Abengoa Solar deploys CSP
technologies across the world, including
large-scale facilities under construction or
development in the U.S., Spain, Algeria,
and Morocco.
Unlike traditional solar-photovoltaic
plants, which use direct sunlight to pro-
duce electricity, CSP uses the suns heat.
Parabolic mirrors track the sun and fo-
cus solar energy on a heat transfer fluid.
Once heated, the liquid converts water
into steam, which turns the plants tur-
bines to create electricity. This technol-
ogy allows the plant to produce more
energy for customers than a photovoltaic
solar power plant, which only produces
electricity when its panels are exposed
to direct sunlight. (For more information
on concentrating solar technology, see
POWER, December 2007, p. 40.)
APS also recently announced that it has
joined a multi-state consortium of south-
western utilities that have an interest in
contracting for a separate 250-MW solar
power plant. Should that project proceed
to completion, APS customers will receive
a portion of the energy from the joint de-
velopment project, as well as all of the
energy from the Solana facility.
Correction
In the February Speaking of Power col-
umn, the title for John Huttons posi-
tion in the British government should
have been secretary for business, enter-
prise, and regulatory reform.
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April 2008 18
FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M
FOCUS ON O&M
WATER TREATMENT
Tag-teamed
seawater cleanup
The scarcity of water resources is caus-
ing big problems in China, both directly
and indirectly. The lack of potable water
directly impairs the health and well-be-
ing of millions of people and restricts
agricultural and industrial activity. The
shortage of water also causes a second-
ary problem by constraining the countrys
ability to expand electric power produc-
tion to meet the needs of its rapidly
growing economy.
To produce electricity, power plants
require large volumes of high-quality
water for boiler makeup and for cooling.
However, in most locations, no surplus
water is available, and the government
will not allow new plants to place addi-
tional demands on already scarce water
supplies. To gain government approval,
a new plant must either use more-avail-
able kinds of watersuch as seawater
and wastewateror it must pay very
high fees for surface or ground water.
At the new power plant in the Liaon-
ing Province coastal city of Zhuanghe,
seawater was a natural choice. The plant
supports the regions thriving economy,
which is driven in large part by the gov-
erning sub-provincial city of Dalian, a
prosperous industrial center with the
third-largest port in China and the coun-
trys northernmost ice-free seaport.
The construction of the Zhuanghe
plant (Figure 1) was undertaken in two
phases. The first phase, completed in
the fall of 2006, provided 1,200 MW; the
second phase completed the 3,200-MW
plant at the end of last year. During the
first phase, the plant drew surface water
from a reservoir located 12 miles away.
With completion of the second phase, the
plant switched over to seawater for all
cooling water and boiler makeup needs.
UF, then RO. The Zhuanghe plant
has been designed as a model facility to
showcase the best available technology,
according to Mr. Zhang, plant manager.
The first large saltwater desalination
plant in China was commissioned in
1999, and it has since been well-es-
tablished that reverse osmosis is an in-
credibly economical process, with lower
operating costs and a smaller footprint
than thermal distillation.
The reverse osmosis (RO) system at the
Zhuanghe plant also has the advantage of
using a two-stage process that can be tai-
lored to meet different requirements for
particular applications. Only the first stage,
seawater RO, is required for the cooling
water used by accessory equipment. Boiler
makeup requires higher-quality water that
must also pass through the second stage,
a brackish water RO system.
To optimize the performance of RO sys-
tems and protect them from fouling, an
effective pretreatment system is required.
The Zhuanghe plant chose ultrafiltration
(UF) as the pretreatment solution because
UF occupies a small footprint and provides
higher-quality permeate than convention-
1. Clean sweep. Chinas new 3,200-MW Zhuanghe power plant uses seawater for cooling and boiler water makeup. An ultrafiltration
system is used for pretreatment because it has a small footprint and provides higher permeate quality to the main (reverse osmosis) plant
water treatment system than conventional pretreatment systems. Courtesy: Koch Membrane Systems Inc.
April 2008
|
FOCUS ON O&M
al pretreatment systems. Fully automatic
control and relatively low investment
costs were also important factors in the
plants selection of UF technology. UF pre-
treatment for RO systems is an increasing-
ly common combination in desalination
plants and other large-scale RO systems in
China and around the world.
Beijing Lucency Enviro-Tech Co., Ltd.,
one the largest providers of industrial
and municipal water filtration systems in
China, was responsible for designing and
installing the UF pretreatment system.
The Zhuanghe plant chose Targa-10
UF cartridges from Koch Membrane Sys-
tems Inc. (KMS) after plant officials vis-
ited two other power plants that employ
Targa cartridges for very similar RO pre-
treatment applications. These cartridges
use a proprietary semi-permeable poly-
sulfone hollow-fiber membrane that has
been successfully deployed at municipal
and industrial water treatment plants
in China and elsewhere for more than a
decade. In China alone, Targa cartridges
treat more than 132 million gallons per
day of water from a variety of sources.
The hollow fibers are true ultrafiltra-
tion membranes. Their nominal molecu-
lar weight cutoff of 100,000 daltons (a
dalton is one-twelfth the mass of a Car-
bon-12 atom) results in the removal of
particulates and larger molecular weight
components. The KMS fibers have dem-
onstrated the ability to reduce turbidity
to less than 0.1 NTU (nephelometric tur-
bidity units) and SDI (silt density index)
to between 1.0 and 3.0, making them
an ideal pretreatment step for spiral RO
membranes.
Two trains of UF were commissioned in
October 2006, and three additional trains
were commissioned at the end of 2007 for
the second phase of the plants construc-
tion. The trains operate in parallel, and
each is equipped with 44 cartridges, re-
sulting in a train capacity of 61,000 gal-
lons per hour (Figure 2).
Prior to the ultrafiltration, the sea-
water is pretreated by coagulation and
sedimentation, both performed in the
same tank. FeCl
3
or Poly FeSO
4
is used as
coagulant, and if needed, anionic PAM
(anionic polyacrylamide) is used as a co-
agulant aid. To control biological growth,
sodium hypochlorite is added to the feed
of the sedimentation tank. The level of
controlled free chlorine ahead the UF is
about 0.3 to 1.0 mg/l. A 100-m screen
pre-filter that can be automatically back-
washed is installed ahead of the UF to
remove larger particles.
Live long and filter. The most im-
portant reason that ultrafiltration was
selected for seawater pretreatment is the
high quality of the permeate, said Mr.
Zhang. The high permeate quality results
in fewer RO cleaning passes and ensures
longer RO element life. But another key
reason is that, with our new ultrafiltra-
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2. Seawater makeup. The ultrafiltra-
tion system comprises five trains that oper-
ate in parallel. Each has 44 cartridges and a
capacity of 61,000 gallons per hour. Cour-
tesy: Koch Membrane Systems Inc.
|
April 2008 20
FOCUS ON O&M
tion system, we are able to cost-effectively tap limitless seawa-
ter and avoid draining our scarce surface water resources.
For more than two millennia, the Dalian region has derived
fame and fortune from its strategic coastal location. Now, with
UF and RO technology, the sea will support the regions growth
in yet another way, by providing a sustainable supply of water
for the new power plant.
Contributed by Koch Membrane
Systems Inc. (www.kochmembrane.com).
New cooling towers to improve
rivers health
Big benefits to the Chattahoochee River ecosystem are expect-
ed from the start-up of two new cooling towers (Figure 3) at
Georgia Powers Plant McDonough in Smyrna. The first tower
began commercial operation this March, and the second was
expected to follow suit a month later.
The $96 million cooling towers represent the end product of
an agreement between Georgia Power and the state Environ-
mental Protection Division in 2000 to lessen the environmental
impact of water discharged into the Chattahoochee River. The
towers will help to enrich the rivers habitat by improving the
dissolved oxygen levels in the river and by allowing the river to
better assimilate treated wastewater that is returned to it from
upstream sewage plants, said Chuck Huling, Georgia Powers VP
of environmental affairs.
Georgia Power has installed state-of-the-art plume abatement
technology on the towers to reduce evaporation losses and to
minimize fogging and misting in nearby areas during cold, damp
weather. Each cooling tower is 550 feet long, 73 feet wide,
and 55 feet high. Each is designed to lower the temperature of
137,000 gallons of water per minute by 20 degrees F.
Reducing the temperature of the water discharges from the
plant will greatly reduce its thermal effect on the river, said
Tony Tramonte, Plant McDonoughs manager. Installing these
cooling towers was the right thing to do for the river and the
region.
Plant McDonough has two coal-fired units with a total gener-
ating capacity of 540 MW. They are scheduled to be replaced in
2012 by three natural gasfired combined-cycle units that will
use the new cooling towers. The new gas units will supply 2,520
MWmore than four times the plants current capacity.
Contributed by Georgia Power (www.georgiapower.com)
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Back to school
One of the biggest myths about Thomas Edison is that he was
not formally educated because he spent very little time attend-
ing traditional schools. In reality, his mother had the radical
idea that learning could be funsomething she didnt see in
traditional schoolsso she personally tutored the fledgling in-
ventor using a rigorous program. And when young Edisons thirst
for knowledge outstripped his moms ability to deliver it, she
brought in other tutors to continue his formal education. By
founding his first research laboratory at the age of 23 and sur-
rounding himself with a team of bright scholars, Edison demon-
strated that he valued education highly and recognized the need
for continuing, lifelong learning.
Spurred by competitive pressures, some power producers
Edisons heirs, in some senseare now making the same com-
mitment: establishing ongoing training programs for employees
at all levels of the organization. A rural electric cooperative in
the Southeast, for instance, recently established an education
program for its workers that begins with the basics, including
a review of math and science, and progresses to the most chal-
lenging aspects of their disciplines.
The curriculum goes beyond the subject matter traditionally
taught for each craft and covers more than just essential subjects.
For example, both operators and maintenance mechanics learn to
read and understand control logic and electrical schematicsa
skill that is typically taught only to instrumentation and control
(I&C) technicians. Whats more, maintenance personnel attend
3. Some like it cool. Each of the two new cooling towers at
Plant McDonough is designed to lower the temperature of the plants
effluent by 20F. Courtesy: Georgia Power
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FOCUS ON O&M
the same courses on plant systems as do
operators, who also receive training on
predictive and preventive maintenance.
Training for tomorrow. Savvy power
producers are concerned with training not
just existing employees, but future ones,
too. Just as firms in other U.S. industries
have already done, power companies are
becoming substitute teachers in what
many believe is the countrys faltering
education system. They are teaming up
with schools to provide gifts of equip-
ment, paid work-study programs, literacy
volunteers, teacher training, and more.
As an example, a 2,600-MW coal-fired
plant in the Midwest launched a train-
ing program for college engineering stu-
dents a few years ago. The participants
included 15 students from 12 different
universities. The plants owner, a util-
ity, anticipates the need to put younger
engineers into its training pipelinees-
pecially recent graduates with computer
modeling and I&C skills.
Managers of the plant reported both
short- and long-term benefits of the edu-
cation project. The students assisted in
performance testing of the newly retrofit-
ted plant by comparing efficiencies be-
fore and after installation of a new flue
gas desulfurization system. In the pro-
cess, the 15 high-caliber students gained
an appreciation for the power industry in
general andthe plant managers hope
for their utility in particular. The program
also paid dividends in community rela-
tions, an area for which more and more
plant managers are taking responsibility.
Results-oriented training. By most
accounts, power producers give only lip
service to training. They boast in an-
nual reports and conference papers of
their employee education programs while
in reality funding them with miniscule
budgets. As one training specialist says:
The relationship between their talk of
education and the money they spend on
it could be described as inverse-cubed.
Part of the problem is the inability to
calculate returns on investmentwhat
has been called the snake pit of train-
ing. Measurable results are difficult to
quantify, and even when they can be
quantified, benefits might not appear for
years. Many training packages try to jus-
tify their worth with blanket statements,
like, If your operator avoids just one
unplanned shutdown, you will have paid
for this training course. However, few
money managers take such statements at
face value.
According to a recent survey of For-
tune 500 mid- and upper-level managers,
trainers themselves may be partially to
blame for managements lack of support
for training. Managers who responded to
the survey said that training profession-
als often exhibit:
Insufficient business acumen. Many
training practitioners do not under-
stand how a utility operates, its sur-
vival requirements, or the day-to-day
challenges managers face.
Insufficient results. Many trainers fail
to teach the real-life skills that their
students are there to learn. Instead,
they lecture on and on in abstract,
academic jargonprobably because
theyre most comfortable doing so.
Insufficient loyalty. Many trainers por-
tray management as an adversary. In
the warm, cozy classroom, they allow
the discussion to turn into gripe ses-
sions. Many trainers, according to the
survey, also use the classroom to push
personal agendas or social beliefs,
rather than sticking to the specifics
listed in the curriculum.
Can I go? Can I go? Heres another
example of the best training intentions
going awry. When an operator work-
ing at a large independent plant com-
plained that he didnt know how to use
the companys new office softwarea
conventional suite of word-processing
and spreadsheet applicationsthe plant
manager arranged to have him attend
a class at a nearby community college.
Soon, other operators began requesting
the same class, so the manager had no
choice but to enroll them, too. In short
order, the plant manager found that he
had spent nearly $30,000 of his O&M
budget and lost 120 man-days of work on
software training for his 60 employees.
The problem here was that the plant
manager was training by the seat of his
pants. He had no training plan or train-
ing budget, and was simply responding
to a perceived need from a few vocal
operators.
To get the most bang for your training
buck, start with a needs assessment
to determine what kind of training the
staff truly requires. There are plenty of
training companies that will be happy
to help you with this stepif youve
got a massive staff and an equally large
budget. But you can also do it in-house,
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April 2008 22
FOCUS ON O&M
with the help of veteran crafts people
and supervisors.
Remember: Your veterans can help not
only with the training plan but also with
both technical and nontechnical train-
ing. Consider buying a video camera and
a VCR to make in-house training tapes.
The rookies will enjoy watching their co-
workers on screen, and the veterans will
like showing off their knowledge. As the
old saw goes, nobody learns more than
the teacher.
By far the largest component of train-
ing expenses is the productivity lost
when workers attend classes. Many say
this figure can be three times as high as
the fee paid to the training provider. A
first step in justifying training costs after
the first delivery of instruction is to cred-
ibly answer some specific questions:
How much faster did personnel get up
to speed on the new equipment after
training?
How much of an incremental efficiency
or revenue gain or revenue did the
training produce?
How many human errors were elimi-
nated by using an advanced train-
ing course, as opposed to traditional
classroom instruction?
At what rate did performance deterio-
rate after the training program ended,
or between the main course and a re-
fresher course?
Other lessons learned by power plant
training specialists include the following:
Its difficult to keep O&M people en-
gaged in the classroom for long peri-
ods of time. Theyre used to physical
labor, and are quickly bored by the
chairs and the chalk.
Trainees should only be in the class-
room a few days at a time, and then
spend at least an equal amount of time
back on the job, applying what theyve
learned.
Measuring performance gains. For
more insight into training, lets look at
how we measure the results of other as-
pects of power plant operation. Industry
veterans know that the best bid specifi-
cations for plant equipment are written
in terms of expected results, with the
method of achieving those results left
up to the supplier. This approach un-
leashes the bidders creativity, increases
the competitiveness of the bidding pro-
cess, and ultimately provides a standard
for measuring supplier performance. So
what happens if we apply this same re-
sults-oriented approach to the training
section of a solicitation?
In bid specifications, training is typi-
cally defined in terms of the number of
days of instruction to be supplied to a
designated number of personnel. This
quantity-based definition is analogous
to specifying a pump by the pound!
Instead, training should be defined by
performance objectives. After all, few
companies really want training; what
they want is the improved employee per-
formance it leads to. If improved perfor-
mance is what you want, then improved
performance is what you should ask for in
your bid specifications.
Unfortunately, as with most aspects
of management, thats easier said than
done. Defining the performance gains
expected of training programs requires
using precise language that cannot be
easily misinterpreted. In your requests
for training proposals, try using action
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April 2008 24
verbssuch as install, repair, or maintainrather than ab-
stract verbs like know or understand. And try to avoid some
of the following pitfalls when writing training specifications:
Dont specify the length of instruction. Some experienced
trainers tell horror stories about being asked to teach in one
week a skill that requires a college semester. Conversely, oth-
ers explain how they have stretched out a one-hour training
class to a full week with war stories and song-and-dance
routines, just to meet the customers bid specification. Al-
though effective training takes time, the length of time it
takes does not reflect its effectiveness.
Dont specify a laundry list of topics. Often, companies that
see the error in specifying the length of instruction switch to
preparing extensive lists of topics to be covered. Of course,
how and to what degree a topic is covered can varyfrom a
brief mention of it while students are filing into the room to
an in-depth, academic discourse, if the instructor happened
to have done his doctoral thesis on the subject. Specify-
ing topics typically produces training programs that fill the
students heads with nice-to-know facts but produce little
improvement in employee performance.
Dont specify media or techniques. Most training experts
agree that there is no best media or technique, and that
a combination of different methods is often the most ef-
fective and least costly. Yet many specification writers call
for the use of one training media, typically whatever is in
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April 2008 26
LEGAL & REGULATORY
Steven F. Greenwald Jeffrey P. Gray
I
n early February, Western GeoPower (WGP) announced its ter-
mination of a 20-year geothermal power purchase agreement
(PPA) with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E). A WGP press
release explains that the company terminated the agreement be-
cause a regulatory approval condition had not been obtained
within a 180-day time period stipulated in the PPA.
WGPs CEO, Kenneth MacLeod, acknowledged in California Ener-
gy Markets, an energy trade publication, that increased prices for
renewable power had made the PPA less attractive and that the
ability to execute a new PPA at a higher price was in the compa-
nys best economic interest. In the same article, a spokesperson
for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) character-
ized WGP as motivated by greed. The CPUC spokesperson was
also quoted as saying that, while legal, WGPs conduct was a
clear example of a seller using market power.
What are the policy implications of this episode? Should it
be, as the CPUC intimates, chalked up as an abuse by a greedy
generator, or does it highlight a major disconnect in the pur-
suit of renewable power?
Timely action required
CPUC-mandated terms and conditions in every California renew-
able PPA include the right of each party to terminate if final
and nonappealable regulatory approval is not obtained within
180 days. This condition requires, at a minimum, that the CPUC
first issue a final decision approving a PPA and also that the 30-
day period for seeking rehearing expire. In WGPs case, the CPUC
issued a decision approving the PPA, but the period for seeking
rehearing had not expired within the 180 days. Accordingly, even
the CPUC spokesperson recognized that WGP had the absolute
legal right to terminate the PPA.
Contrary to the CPUCs claim, WGPs termination was not an
exercise of market power. WGP did not insist upon the final and
nonappealable condition in the PPA, looking for an out if prices
were to rise. On the contrary, the CPUC itself mandated the final
and nonappealable provision. Moreover, by committing to the PPA,
WGP ceded all market power; it was obligated to abstain from any
market participation for the 180-day period. All power during
this window resided with PG&E and the CPUC. They could lock in
the PPA price for the full 20-year termyet they failed to do so.
Costs of regulatory certainty
In our February 2007 column in this magazine, we commented
that, though the final and nonappealable condition promises the
purchasing utility regulatory certainty, it exposes electricity
consumers to the risk of losing PPA benefits if there is a regula-
tory delay. The lesson to be learned from the WGP case: Regulators
and utilities must honor contractual commitments; if they dont,
consumers will enjoy less renewable power and pay higher prices.
Additionally, regulators must develop ways to provide regula-
tory certainty to utilities without exposing ratepayers to the
risks of regulatory paralysis.
The diversionary blame game
Notwithstanding the CPUCs attempt to divert attention from
itself to the supposedly greed-motivated generator, the ques-
tion remains: Why couldnt the CPUC approve the PPA within 150
days (allowing the rehearing period to expire within 180 days)?
Its failure is particularly perplexing because California places the
highest priority on securing renewable power, and the CPUC has
implemented numerous initiatives to streamline its approval
process, including:
Requiring the inclusion of mandatory PPA standard terms
to reduce staff review of commercial terms to essentially a
checking the box exercise.
Preapproving a market price referent (MPR) through a separate
and annual regulatory process; if the PPA price is under the MPR
(as was the WGP price), no further price review is necessary.
Requiring review of the PPA by the utilitys Procurement Review
Group, which comprises representatives from consumer and
community groups, whose mission is to ensure the PPAs overall
ratepayer benefits prior to the utility submitting the PPA.
Requiring that the utility retain an independent evaluator to
assess the completeness and fairness of the bid solicitation
and the utilitys selection process.
These innovations should remove the common obstacles to
timely regulatory review. So what delayed the CPUC from approv-
ing the WGP PPA within the self-imposed 150-day deadline? The
article suggests that CPUC staff may have been diverted to re-
view other higher priority renewable PPAs. If this is true, given
the states absolute insistence on achieving the most aggressive
renewable standards, California must adequately staff the CPUC.
Move beyond the greed rhetoric
Achieving the states renewable mandate also requires the CPUC
to stop playing the generator greed card every time theres a
setback. A PPA is a commercial contract, and a partys exercise
of its rights in a contract connotes neither greed nor market
powerparticularly in this case, where a key PPA term allowing
termination was mandated by the CPUC.
Accusing generators of employing Enron tactics is anachronistic
political rhetoric, not positive energy policy. The CPUC and other
regulatory agencies with responsibility to approve PPAs would
better serve consumers by streamlining their approval process.
This quote attributed to the maligned WGP CEO perhaps says
it best: [There is] a major disconnect between the public policy
statements of the California government [with respect to pro-
moting renewable power] and the ability of the bureaucrats and
the agencies to effectively carry out the mandate.
Steven F. Greenwald (stevegreenwald@dwt.com)
leads Davis Wright Tremaines Energy Practice Group.
Jeffrey P. Gray (jeffgray@dwt.com) is a partner in the firms
Energy Practice Group.
Regulators should stop
playing the greed card
By Steven F. Greenwald and Jeffrey P. Gray
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April 2008 28
NUCLEAR POWER
Super Tuesday, Super Bowl XLII,
and the nukes
The nuclear renaissance is likely to slow next year with a new tenant in the
White House and many key regulatory positions in flux. Nuclear industry
leaders are especially concerned that rules for construction loan guaran-
tees will fall victim to the wait and see disease that infects those inside
the Beltway every four years. If those rules arent in place before this No-
vembers election, the nuclear renaissance may revert to the Dark Ages.
By Kennedy Maize
T
he convergence was too obvious
to ignore. February 5, 2008, politi-
cal Super Tuesday, saw voters in 24
states make their choices for Republican
and Democratic nominees for president.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, given up for
politically dead three months earlier, was
triumphant on the Republican side. On the
Democratic side, Sens. Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama found themselves virtually
tied for the lead and headed for a long slog
to a nomination.
Two days earlier, an astonishing upset
saw the New York Giants, a wild-card play-
off qualifier, beat the overwhelming favorite
New England Patriots in pro footballs Super
Bowl XLII.
Also on Tuesday, Feb. 5, some 500 folks
assembled in a fancy hotel conference room
a scant block from the U.S. Nuclear Regula-
tory Commission (NRC) in Rockville, Md.,
at the 4th annual Platts Nuclear Energy con-
ference to discuss the future of nuclear pow-
er in the U.S. Whats the connection to the
Super Bowl? Was the meetings kickoff on
Super Tuesday a reminder that politics, prob-
ably more than engineering, will determine
the fate of the alleged nuclear renaissance?
Gaming the system
The Giants victory was a lesson that nothing
in football, politics, or businessno matter
how clear and obvious it appearsis certain.
Entering the game, the Pats were masters of
the universe, undefeated in 18 consecutive
games, winner of three Super Bowls in the
past seven years. The point spread favored
the New Englanders by a dozen.
The smart money said, Take the points.
1. Third times a charm. UniStar Nuclear and Constellation have applied for a combined construction and operating license
for a proposed Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3. Courtesy: NRC
April 2008
|
NUCLEAR POWER
The speculators said, Take the Giants. The
prevailing wisdom said, Take the Pats. Vegas
bookies took a $2.6 million bath as the smart
money and the speculators won the day.
The prevailing wisdom in the nuclear in-
dustry is that its revival is already under way,
with concerns about greenhouse gas emis-
sions crippling coal, price volatility clob-
bering natural gas, and inherent problems
(dispatchability) limiting renewables. James
Miller, PPL Corp.s CEO, described the in-
dustrys perspective succinctly. Nuclear, he
said, is the last man standing.
Several applications for the new, untested
combined construction and operating licenses
(COLs) are now docketed at the NRC, trigger-
ing a 42-month (thats right, more than three
years) review process. This is what passes
for expedient regulatory action in our federal
government. Bob Borchardt, who runs the
NRCs office for new reactors, told attend-
ees at the Platts meeting that the agency has
received five COL requests (not all of them
complete), covering eight nuclear units.
Questions of economics, finance, and
political feasibility dominated the confer-
ence. Players in the nuke arena converged
in Maryland to discuss worthy issues such
as how to maximize the opportunities of
the NRCs COL approach, how to manage
new plant construction at existing operating
plants, how to deal with the cost problems
imposed by a global supply chain for com-
modities and services, and how to find and
successfully exploit a new, inexperienced
workforce.
But the main theme of the meeting was
inevitably political, in this most political of
years. On the minds of many utility resource
planners at the conference: how to get a nu-
clear generation project financed and con-
crete poured, given the ticking policy time
bomb of the November 2008 election and
the installation of a new president of what-
ever political persuasion. Even a president
friendly to nuclear power will have to learn
the issues, appoint new people, and endure
a transition of several months. All of that
will mean delayand time, it is said, is
money.
The clock is ticking
For the nuclear industry, the key to the time
game is implementing construction loan guar-
antees authorized in the now holy writ of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005. Without the full
faith and credit of the U.S. government behind
the loans, lenders likely will seek usurious
interest rates on the debt. Loan guarantees,
said Michael Wallace, a Constellation Energy
executive vice president, are most critical.
Baltimore-based Constellation has plans for
a new unit at the existing Calvert Cliffs site in
southern Maryland (Figure 1). Constellation
owns two nuclear units at Calvert Cliffs that
bid power into the PJM competitive whole-
sale market. PPLs Miller said, Without loan
guarantees, we are out of the market for new
nuclear generation. PPL, based in Allentown,
Pa., owns a single merchant nuclear plant that
bids into PJM.
UniStar Nuclear Energy and Constellation
Energy remain committed to the future of nu-
clear power, as evidenced by a February an-
nouncement of their intention to apply for a
COL for an addition to their Nine Mile Point
nuclear plant in upstate New York. UniStar
is also working with PPL and Ameren UE to
develop COL applications for new reactors in
Pennsylvania and Missouri, respectively; its
working with newly formed Amarillo Power
to pursue a new reactor in Texas.
Ken Hughey of Entergy Corp., which
is currently trying to spin off its merchant
nuclear operations into a separate, publicly
traded company, noted that his companys
plans for new nuclear units at the existing
Grand Gulf site in Mississippi (Figure 2) and
at River Bend in Louisiana, are for state-reg-
ulated plants. He said that loan guarantees
are very useful for regulated plants but es-
sential for merchant plants, which Entergy
operates in several states.
Last December, Congress authorized
$18.5 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear
power plants and $2 billion for uranium en-
richment projects. According to Constella-
tions Wallace, that amount is adequate for
three or four projects to go forward.
The nuclear industry is playing beat
the clock with the loan guarantees. If the
guarantees dont materialize before a new
administration marches into Washington,
several speakers told the Platts conference,
the nuclear renaissance could become the
Dark Ages. The repeated message was that
the Department of Energy must get out a
solicitation for the loan guarantees within
a matter of weeks to be sure that an incom-
ing administration of either party cant put a
hold on them.
Wallace explained the way the timing
works for his companys nuclear plans. Once
the DOE puts out the solicitation, it will take
Constellation about three months to produce
the preliminary letter; that means May. He
said it will take another four months to put
the loan guarantee in place, which brings
them very close to election day on November
4. Wallace said he wants to have his board of
directors approve the final decision to move
forward to construction, loan guarantee in
hand, in early November.
The nuclear industry fears that the DOE
wont get loan guarantees in place before
a new administration comes into power in
early January 2009. But the timing is even
more difficult. The ball game changes en-
tirely immediately after the presidential elec-
tion. In reality, the new administration will
rule Washington the day after the election, as
even holdover administrators wont take ac-
tion until the new regime moves into office.
The industrys worst fear is that the Demo-
crats will win the White House and expand
the Democratic majorities in the House and
Senate.
2. Intelligent investment. The NRC awarded Southern Nuclear an early site permit
(ESP) for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station near Port Gibson, Miss., in April 2007. An ESP allows
a utility to bank a site for up to 20 years for future reactor placement. Courtesy: Southern
Nuclear
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April 2008 32
NUCLEAR POWER
Missed opportunity
So the Platts conference attendees looked for-
ward with great anticipation to the remarks of
Dennis Spurgeon, assistant energy secretary
for nuclear energy in the Bush administration.
Many in the audience believed that Spurgeon
would announce an imminent offering of the
solicitation for loan guarantees.
That didnt happen. Spurgeon spoke bare-
ly a word on the subject. His anodyne ad-
dress was mostly about the administrations
Global Nuclear Energy Program (see p. 44)
to close the nuclear fuel cycle by resurrecting
spent fuel reprocessing and fast reactorsa
technology strategy that has repeatedly failed
in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Many in the
audience yawned. Others rolled their eyes in
disbelief.
Questioned after his remarks, Spurgeon
did a classic bureaucratic duck. Hed like to
issue the solicitation as soon as he could, said
Spurgeon. But he said he isnt free to do that
on his own. He must consult with the White
House and Congress, and get a sign-off. Its
a case of Captain, may I? he said.
Spiraling plant costs
Hopes for a nuclear renaissance are based
on the assumption that new nukes make
economic sense. That isnt clear, even with
federal kick-starts. For example, at the end
of January, MidAmerican Energy Holdings
said it has lost interest in building a new nu-
clear plant in eastern Idaho.
The Omaha-based company, owned by
billionaire investor Warren Buffett, said the
Idaho plant would cost too much. Buffett
would have financed the project, using his
stellar credit rating, but he decided the finan-
cial risk had become unbearable. Accord-
ing to Nucleonics Week, MidAmerican was
looking at a Mitsubishi 1,700-MW advanced
pressurized water reactor for the site but re-
coiled at the hefty capital costs for the plant,
which could exceed $3,000/kW.
The same figure of $3,000/kW of capac-
ity repeatedly came up at the Platts meeting,
with some noting that costs are climbing
rapidly, particularly for steel. Constellation
has said its estimate for the Calvert Cliffs
addition is about $3,000/kW, but it also ac-
knowledged that the figure is two or three
years old.
The announcement by MidAmerican
prompted the anti-nuclear group Nuclear
Information and Resource Service (NIRS)
to comment: If Warren Buffet cannot fig-
ure out how to make money from a new
nuclear reactor, who can? NIRS noted,
Even before any new nuclear construction
has begun in the U.S., cost estimates have
skyrocketed and are now 300-400% higher
than the industry was saying just two or
three years ago.
Another report from the trenches of the nu-
clear renaissance came in late January from
South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G),
which cited rising costs as the reason for
putting on hold its plans to apply for a COL
for two Westinghouse AP1000 units at its
Summer site (Figure 3). Nucleonics Week
said SCE&G began backing away from its
COL plans last year. A source told the Platts
newsletter that the utility might still pursue
a COL, which could be banked and used in
the future.
John Reed of Concentric Energy Advi-
sors told an SNL EXNET symposium ear-
ly this year that the realistic cost of a new
2,200-MW nuclear plant would be $5,500 to
$8,000/kW, for a total cost of $12 billion to
$18 billion.
An article at SNL Interactive in early Feb-
ruary commented, One problem with the
excitement around the nuclear renaissance
in the power industry is that, in reality, the
revival is quite slow.
3. Pay to play. South Carolina Electric and Gas began preparing a combined construction and operating license application for a second unit
at its V.C. Summer Nuclear Power Plant in early 2006. But the work was recently put on hold due to rising plant capital cost estimates. Courtesy:
South Carolina Electric and Gas
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April 2008 34
WATER MANAGEMENT
D
rought conditions across the Southeast
have begun affecting power plant op-
erations. According to the Associated
Press, 24 of Americas 104 nuclear reactors
are in areas now experiencing the most se-
vere levels of drought, and 22 of those plants
draw their cooling water from rivers and
lakes. Recently, the level of several of those
lakes nearly fell to the minimum necessary
to continue reactor operation. Last August,
for example, Tennessee Valley Authority said
that higher inlet water temperatures caused
by lower water levels had forced load curtail-
ments or plant shutdowns at its Browns Ferry,
Gallatin, and Cumberland plants. Reduced
hydro generation has been another conse-
quence of the drought (see Waters role in
power generation).
In past years, the major obstacle to new
plant development was either access to trans-
mission lines or the price and/or availability
of a particular fuel. Recently, water availabil-
ity became an additional hurdle, and one that
looks to grow higher.
At the nexus of water and power gen-
eration are a wide variety of societal issues,
policy and regulatory debate, environmen-
Waters role in power generation
A thermoelectric power plant requires lots of water, whether it
uses a once-through or an evaporative cooling system. Once-
through systems withdraw cold water from a local body of water
(a lake, river, or ocean) and then return almost all of it to the
source, slightly warmer, after passing it through a surface con-
denser. Once-through systems withdraw more water than evapora-
tive systems but consume less of it.
The two primary evaporative technologies are categorized as
wet and dry; hybrid systems are also in use. Wet systems dissipate
heat to the atmosphere either by recirculating water through a
cooling tower (Figure 1) or by constantly replenishing an evapora-
tive cooling pond.
Dry cooling systems use an air-cooled condenser, rather than
a cooling tower or pond, to evaporate the heat produced by con-
densing steam. They use no water but are more expensive than
once-through or wet evaporative systems.
As Table 1 shows, in the U.S. roughly 43% of thermoelectric
generating capacity uses once-through cooling, while 56% evapo-
rates heat via wet recirculating cooling towers or cooling ponds;
only 1% makes use of dry cooling. It should be noted that the
data for combined-cycle plants represent only about 7% of the to-
tal capacity currently in operation. Not all plants provided cooling
data, so the table had to be created by extrapolating information
available at the time.
Historically, the choice of cooling technology for a particular
plant depended on the quantity and quality of local water sources
as well as cost and performance comparisons of different systems.
The use of closed-loop systems, however, is likely to become much
more prevalent in the future due to Clean Water Act Section 316(b)
provisions and public pressure.
Generation type
Coal
Fossil, non-coal
Combined cycle
Nuclear
Wet recirculating
cooling tower (%)
48.0
23.8
30.8
43.6
Once-
through (%)
39.1
59.2
8.6
38.1
Cooling
pond (%)
12.7
17.1
1.7
18.3
Dry (%)
0.2
0.0
59.0
0.0
Table 1. Cooling technologies by generation type.
Totals are weighted averages of the column, based on capacity.
Source: NETL
Turbine
Evaporation
and drift
3,891 gpm
Cooling
tower
Boiler
Makeup water
5,188 gpm
Blowdown water
1,297 gpm
Cool water
Warm water
187,600 gpm
generator
25 degrees F rise
Steam
condenser
Condensate
Boiler
feedwater
7,645 gpm
3,804,950 lb/hr
Steam
520-MW
1. Ins and outs. A wet recirculating cooling water system for a
520-MW coal-fired power plant. The flows shown are typical, so the
plant uses about 12 million gallons of water per hour. Source: NETL
New coal plant technologies
will demand more water
Population shifts, growing electricity demand, and greater competition for
water resources have heightened interest in the link between energy
and water. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects a 22%
increase in U.S. installed generating capacity by 2030. Of the 259 GW of
new capacity expected to have come on-line by then, more than 192 GW
will be thermoelectric and thus require some water for cooling. Our chal-
lenge will become balancing peoples needs for power and for water.
By Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
New Steam Generator
Inspection Technology
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2008 AREVA NP Inc.
|
April 2008 36
WATER MANAGEMENT
tal questions, technological challenges, and
economic concerns. Water is emerging as a
significant factor in economic development
activities. Planning efforts must consider the
availability and quality of water resources in
a given locality or region to ensure that sup-
plies are available to accommodate existing
and future water consumers over the long
term. Failure to do so can result in stunted
growth, economic flight, inequitable devel-
opment, and even open conflict.
Today, many plants are finding that a sus-
tainable source of water has become a top
priority. Energy-water issues have become in-
creasingly visible in recent years. As impor-
tant examples, consider passage of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005; repeated introduction of
the Energy-Water Efficiency and Supply
Technology bill; increasingly severe regional
drought conditions across the U.S.; additional
difficulty siting new plants in arid regions;
and further media attention to and public con-
cern over water availability and supply.
This article discusses some of the tech-
nical, regulatory, and political issues that
frame the water-electricity debate. Given
the increasing perceived value of water, the
generation industrys understanding of and
response to these issues will be critical to
Americas future.
Demographics and tradeoffs
Drought conditions are not limited to the
Southeast. A Government Accountability
Office (GAO) report prepared in 2003 ad-
dressed the issue of freshwater supply at the
state level. It indicated that, assuming normal
rainfall conditions, the water managers of
36 states anticipated shortages in localities,
regions, or even statewide over the next 10
years (2003 to 2013). The report went on to
say that drought conditions will exacerbate
shortage impacts.
Projected change in county population
(percent), 1970 to 2030
>+250% (highest +3,877%)
+50% to +250%
+5% to +50%
5% to +5%
20% to 5%
40% to 20%
<40% (lowest 60%)
National Energy Technology Laboratory solicits
water management technologies applications
NETL released new funding opportunities
on March 5, 2008, titled Research and
Development of Advanced Technologies
and Concepts for Minimization of Fresh-
water Withdrawal and Consumption in
Coal-Based Thermoelectric Power Plants.
Applications are solicited under the fol-
lowing three areas of interest:
Advanced Cooling Technology for Re-
search and Development of Advanced
Technologies and Concepts for Mini-
mization of Freshwater Withdrawal and
Consumption in Coal-Based Thermo-
electric Power Plants
Innovative Water Reuse and Recovery
Non-Traditional Sources of Process and
Cooling Water
Applications are due April 21, 2008.
For more information, go to www.netl
.doe.gov/business/solicitations/index
.html#00233.
2. U.S. population growth trends, 19702030. Each block on the map represents one county. The height of each block is propor-
tional to that countys population density in the year 2000, so the volume of the block is proportional to the countys total population. The color
of each block shows the countys projected change in population between 1970 and 2030, with shades of orange denoting increases and blue
denoting decreases. The patterns of recent population changegrowth concentrated along the coasts, in cities, and in the South and Westare
expected to continue. Source: U.S. Global Change Research Program
April 2008
|
WATER MANAGEMENT
The Energy Information Administrations
(EIAs) latest forecastits Annual Energy
Outlook 2007 (AEO 2007)estimates that
U.S. thermoelectric (thermal, for short) gen-
erating capacity will grow from approxi-
mately 709 GW (net, taking into account
plant retirements) in 2005 to 862 GW in
2030. Accordingly, thermal power plants will
increasingly compete for freshwater with
residential, commercial, agricultural, and in-
dustrial usersparticularly in regions with
limited freshwater supplies. In addition, cur-
rent and future water-related environmental
regulations will also challenge the operation
of existing power plants and the permitting
of new ones.
The growth in power demand will not
be geographically uniform, so capacity ex-
pansion will differ by region. Regions with
strong population growth (such as the South-
east and Southwest) show high growth in wa-
ter consumption, while regions with minimal
to modest population growth (Midwest and
Mid-Atlantic states, for example) exhibit
modest growth in consumption.
For example, although the EIA projects a
22% jump in installed thermal capacity on a
nationwide basis by 2030, it expects a 58%
increase in the West and a 30% increase in
the Southeast. Significantly, both regions
have among the fastest rates of population
growth (Figure 2) and are already struggling
to find enough supplies of freshwater to meet
demand.
Because supplies of freshwater are limited,
its withdrawal and consumption will have to
be allocated carefully by governments. These
decisions have long been extremely impor-
tant in many foreign countries, and they are
likely to become top priorities at various
levels of government in the U.S. in the near
future. Like all decisions involving a limited
resource, tradeoffs will be inevitable. At the
end of the day, someone will have to deter-
mine which is more important: making water
available for drinking and personal use, for
growing food, or for producing electricity.
More precious than power
In the future, developers will find it more
difficult to permit new plants due to water
concerns. At the same time, existing plants
will experience increasing pressure to reduce
their water withdrawal and consumption.
In 2006, Research and Development Solu-
tions LLC contacted state government water
monitoring agencies to ask if they limit fresh-
water withdrawal and/or consumption by
thermal plants in their state. Of the 33 states
that responded, 24% indicated that plants
must either have a senior water right or pur-
chase such a right from an entity willing to
sell it. Another 18% indicated that limitations
are imposed when water levels fall below a
certain flow level or during water shortages.
An additional 18% of states responded that
water withdrawal and consumption rules
vary regionally within the state; some areas
have no limit, but areas that are water-sparse
or over-allocated require water rights or
special permits. The number of states with
over-allocated water resources is expected to
increase over time.
Concerns about water supply expressed
by state regulators, local decision-makers,
and the general public are already affecting
power projects across the U.S. For example:
In March 2006, an Idaho House committee
unanimously approved a two-year morato-
rium on construction of coal-fired power
plants in the state based on environmental
and water supply concerns.
Arizona rejected the permit application
for a proposed power plant because of
concerns about how much water the plant
would withdraw from a local aquifer.
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April 2008 38
WATER MANAGEMENT
A coal-fired power plant under construction in Wisconsin on Lake
Michigan has been under attack from environmental groups for
the potential negative impacts of the facilitys cooling waterintake
structures on aquatic life.
In February 2006, Din Power Authority agreed to pay the Navajo
Nation $1,000 per acre-foot of water needed for the proposed Des-
ert Rock Energy Project.
In an article discussing a proposed 1,200-MW plant in Nevada,
opponents of the plant stated, Theres no way Washoe County has
the luxury anymore to have a fossil-fuel plant site in the county
with the water issues we now have. Its too important for the coun-
tys economic health to allow water to be blown up in the air in a
cooling tower.
Cooling and consumption scenarios and drivers
The Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratorys
(NETLs) September 2007 update of its 2006 report, Estimating Fresh-
water Needs to Meet Future Thermoelectric Generation Requirements,
found that the 192.6 GW of new thermal generating capacity expected
to be built nationwide by 2030 could increase thermal plants freshwa-
ter consumption, especially in the more arid regions of the U.S.
The update notes that the thermal power generation sector will
remain a large water consumer for the foreseeable future, though
its consumption will remain small compared with the irrigation/
agriculture sector, which consumes 81% of total freshwater with-
drawn. Withdrawals for both the irrigation/agriculture and thermal
generation sectors will remain about 118 to 158 billion gallons per
day (bgd). Although thermal plants consume far less water than they
withdraw, the trend is steadily upward. Water consumption by all U.S.
thermal plants is expected to grow steadily each year; however, the
magnitude of growth is highly dependent on the power generation
technology selected. In the face of growing competition for water
How NETL projects future water use
As part of its Annual Energy Outlook (AEO),
the DOEs Energy Information Administra-
tion (EIA) projects future levels of thermo-
electric capacity. The AEO projections are
based on the EIAs National Energy Modeling
System, which is revised yearly to reflect
technology advances, supply and demand
adjustments, and other market forces.
This analysis uses AEO 2007 projections
of changes in generation capacity between
2005 and 2030 (Table 2) to calculate fu-
ture thermal plants water withdrawal and
consumption needs.
After individual growth numbers for gen-
eration technologies are estimated, NETLs
Coal Power Plant database is used to deter-
mine the average water withdrawal and con-
sumption estimates by plant capacity. Other
DOE/NETL studies were used to estimate
the performance and water consumption of
the newer generation technologies, such as
integrated gasification combined cycle and
retrofit carbon capture. The analysis was
performed for 13 separate North American
Electric Reliability Corp. sub-regions.
2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Coal steam 310.7 320.9 323.1 347.2 393.7 450.0
Other fossil steam 121.3 119.5 89.9 89.3 88.9 87.5
Combined cycle 176.7 193.3 195.6 203.8 210.8 211.6
Nuclear 100.0 100.5 102.5 111.7 111.7 112.6
Total thermoelectric 708.7 734.2 711.0 752.0 805.1 861.7
Coal steam 0.0 11.5 18.0 42.3 88.7 145.0
Combined cycle 0.0 16.7 19.0 27.3 34.2 35.1
Nuclear 0.0 0.0 0.5 9.0 9.0 12.5
Coal steam 0.0 1.2 5.6 5.7 6.7 5.7
Combined cycle 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Nuclear 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.6
Net generating capacity (GW)
Cumulative additions, planned and unplanned (2005 baseline)
Cumulative retirements (2005 baseline)
Table 2. Annual Energy Outlook 2007 thermoelectric capacity
projections, 2005 to 2030. Values shown are in gigawatts. Source: EIA
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April 2008 40
WATER MANAGEMENT
resourcesparticularly in the arid West and Southwest, and in the
expanding Southeastregional and national efforts to reduce water
withdrawal and consumption by thermoelectric power plants are only
going to increase.
Lets briefly examine the main scenarios presented in the NETL
report. The descriptions for both cases refer to noncarbon-capture
new thermal power generation system water use change by the year
2030. Each analysis (see How NETL projects future water use, p.
38) assumes the demand and capacity growth projections mentioned
earlier and detailed in Table 2 (p. 38), which also breaks down pro-
jected capacity changes by technology type.
For consistency, the case numbers from the report are used in the
figures. Case 2 is the regulatory-driven case for changes in incremen-
tal water withdrawal by 2030. This analysis assumes that the Clean
Water Act 316(b) and future regulations dictate the need for recircu-
lating cooling systems with freshwater makeup for all new capacity
additions. Plant retirements remain based on age and operating costs.
Case 4 is the dry cooling case for changes in incremental water with-
drawals by 2030. In this case, regulatory and public pressure increase
the market share of dry cooling for new capacity additions to 25%.
The remainder will use recirculating cooling systems with freshwater
makeup. Plant retirements are proportional to current water source
and cooling technology used. For both cases, 2005 is the base year.
As Figures 3 through 6 illustrate, the range of increased water con-
sumption varies considerably from region to region. Some show little
increase in usage; others (more arid regions) are in line for consider-
able increases in freshwater demand.
The main technical and regulatory drivers that impact freshwater
usage and demand include those that follow.
Cooling water regulations. The largest impact on plant design
of Clean Water Act Section 316(b) is that most new plants will have to
use closed-loop, recirculating cooling systems or dry (air-cooled) sys-
tems. Open-loop systems are strongly discouraged, unless the permit
applicant can either demonstrate that alternative measures can pro-
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
0.5
1.0
E
C
A
R
E
R
C
O
T
M
A
A
C
M
A
I
N
M
A
P
P
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P
C
C
/
N
Y
N
P
C
C
/
N
E
F
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C
C
S
E
R
C
S
P
P
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/
N
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A
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r

w
i
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h
d
r
a
w
a
l

(
b
g
d
)
Case 2 Case 4
North American Electric Reliability Corp. region
3. Incremental change in power plant water with-
drawal by 2030. Source: NETL
5. Percentage change in power plant water with-
drawal by 2030. Source: NETL
40
30
20
10
10
0
20
30
40
50
E
C
A
R
E
R
C
O
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M
A
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4. Incremental change in power plant water con-
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0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
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6. Percentage change in power plant water consump-
tion by 2030. Source: NETL
0
50
100
150
250
200
300
350
400
450
E
C
A
R
E
R
C
O
T
M
A
A
C
M
A
I
N
M
A
P
P
N
P
C
C
/
N
Y
N
P
C
C
/
N
E
F
R
C
C
S
E
R
C
S
P
P
W
E
C
C
/
N
W
P
P
W
E
C
C
/
R
M
W
E
C
C
/
C
A
P
e
r
c
e
n
t

c
h
a
n
g
e
Case 2 Case 4
April 2008
|
WATER MANAGEMENT
vide a water use reduction level comparable
to that achieved through closed-loop cooling
or make the case that compliance costs, air
quality impacts, and/or energy generation
impacts would outweigh the cost benefits
and therefore justify an open-loop system.
Because Section 316(b) portends a greater
reliance on closed-loop cooling systems, wa-
ter withdrawal and consumption patterns for
the thermal generation sector are destined to
change over time. Even accounting for signif-
icant thermal capacity additions, NETL proj-
ects that water withdrawal levels will likely
decrease in four of the five cases it exam-
ined due to retirement of older once-through
cooling plants and the deployment of new,
closed-loop systems. Water consumption,
on the other hand, is expected to increase in
all five cases examined because evaporative
closed-loop cooling systems consume more
water than open-loop systems.
Air quality rules. Existing and future
air quality regulations will also affect water
withdrawal and consumption patterns, al-
though to a lesser extent than cooling water
regulations. Tighter emission levels for SO
2
,
for example, have sparked a mini-boom in
the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) market.
The size of the U.S. FGD market is expected
to increase by more than 100,000 MW over
the next 10 years. Although FGD water re-
quirements are a fraction of those required
for cooling purposes, FGD units require a
significant amount of water to produce and
handle the various process streams (includ-
ing limestone slurry and scrubber sludge).
Makeup water requirements for the FGD is-
land at a nominal 550-MW subcritical coal-
fired power plant are about 570 gpm, vs.
about 9,500 gpm for cooling water makeup.
Nonetheless, the additional FGD systems
coming on-line within the next decade will
place a greater strain on water supplies.
Recently, semi-dry FGD systems that
substantially reduce water requirements for
SO
2
control have begun to enter commercial
service at numerous plants, many in arid en-
vironments. (See POWER, March 2008, p.
60, for an analysis of zero-liquid-discharge
[ZLD] options for scrubbers, and POWER,
May 2006, p. 26, for an in-depth description
of a ZLD system at a large combined-cycle
plant in the U.S. Southwest).
Impacts of carbon capture. In light of
increasing calls to limit climate change and
CO
2
releases, it is of interest to try to quantify
the effect that CO
2
mitigation would have on
future demand for freshwater. The EIA fore-
casts a 45% increase in coal-fired generation
by the year 2030, including both pulverized-
coal (PC) and integrated gasification com-
bined cycle (IGCC) plants. The deployment
of carbon capture technologies under devel-
opment on these coal plants would likely in-
crease power plant water requirements.
NETL evaluated three different scenarios
associated with carbon capture and water.
Lets look at the third scenario, which repre-
sents the greatest potential impact on water.
Following the EIAs 2007 forecast that in the
year 2030, 62 GW of power will be generated
by PC plants that do not use scrubbers for SO
2

control, scenario three does not include those
plants for CO
2
capture. It is assumed that the
PC plants without scrubbers are the oldest
plants and that it is not feasible to retrofit them
with CO
2
capture technologies. Such plants
would have to comply with carbon caps by
buying carbon credits. Scenario three goes on
to assume that the 242 GW of scrubbed ca-
pacity and all new PC plants will be retrofit-
ted with monoethanolamine (MEA) to absorb
CO
2
from their flue gas, while the IGCC com-
ponent of new coal capacity would employ the
Selexol process. Both processes are assumed
to capture 90% of the CO
2
.
Both MEA and Selexol require water.
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|
April 2008 42
WATER MANAGEMENT
MEA is designed to recover high-purity CO
2
from low-pressure streams containing oxy-
gen. The process uses a stripping tower to
recover CO
2
from the solvent. Cooling water
is indirectly used to lower the temperature of
the flue gas to about 100F. The compression
and dehydration of the CO
2
are the other pro-
cesses that increase water use. Compressing
the CO
2
generates heat, so intercoolers are
used between compression stages to cool the
CO
2
fluid. The CO
2
capture system also re-
quires water for washing, absorber intercool-
ing, reflux condensing, reclaimer cooling,
and lean solvent cooling. For IGCC, water
(steam) is used in the water-gas shift reaction
to increase the concentration of CO
2
. Water is
also used to cool the syngas before it enters
the two-stage Selexol process. It would also
be needed for compressing the CO
2
for sub-
sequent transportation and storage.
In addition to direct water use, MEA ret-
rofitted to existing PC plants will indirectly
increase overall coal plant water use in order
to compensate for the makeup of the parasitic
power needed to operate the capture system.
NETL assumed that MEA-based CO
2
capture
technology would derate the plant by 30%,
resulting in the need to build new thermo-
electric generating capacity to replace 73
GW of lost power.
For scenario three, NETL estimated that
freshwater withdrawal and consumption
would increase by 6 bgd and 4.3 bgd by
2030, respectively, compared with water use
by coal plants in a noncarbon-constrained fu-
ture (Figure 7). As seen in the past with other
emission control technologies, R&D efforts
are expected to promote improved efficien-
cies for current technologies and result in
new technologies, therefore lowering water
demands. (See POWER, January 2008, p. 46,
for a set of suggestions for reducing power
plant water demand.)
Other operating constraints. Several
other regulatory actions warrant attention for
their potential impact on water withdrawal
and consumption. Section 303(d) of the 1972
Clean Water Act requires states, territories,
and authorized tribes to develop a list of im-
paired waters not meeting water quality stan-
dards and then establish total maximum daily
loads (TMDLs) for these waters. A TMDL
specifies the maximum amount of a pollutant
that a waterbody can receive and still meet
water quality standards; it also allocates pol-
lutant loadings among point and nonpoint
pollutant sources.
TMDL requirements could constrain a
power plants ability to discharge cooling
water (as well as trace metals and other pol-
lutants from flue-gas cleanup by-products)
into a waterbody if it is impaired. Such a
plant would then have to seek an alternate
water source or install additional water treat-
ment equipment.
This article is based on Estimating
Freshwater Needs to Meet Future Thermo-
electric Generation Requirements, 2007
Update (DOE/NETL-400/2007/1304, Sep-
tember 24, 2007). The reportavailable at
www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/coalpower/
ewr/pubs/2007WaterNeedsAnalysis-UP-
DATE-Final_10-10-07b.pdfwas prepared
by Erik Shuster and Andrea McNemar of the
National Energy Technology Laboratory and
Gary J. Stiegel, Jr. and James Murphy of Re-
search and Development Solutions LLC.
W
a
t
e
r

(
g
a
l
/
M
W
h
)
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
Withdrawal Consumption
Subcritical
PC
Supercritical
PC
Subcritical PC
w/ CO
2
capture
Supercritical
PC w/
CO
2
capture
IGCC IGCC w/
C0
2
capture
7. Relative water usage for new pulverized coal and IGCC plants. The
integrated gasification combined-cycle data are averages of three different gasification tech-
nologies. Source: NETL
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April 2008 44
NUCLEAR POWER
Developing the next generation
of reactors
Dozens of intrinsically safe Generation III+ reactors are expected to be deployed
in the U.S. in the coming years. Today, scientists already are looking over
the horizon to Generation IV reactors that will be capable of producing
hydrogen and process heat as well as electricity while generating much
less radioactive waste.
By James M. Hylko
I
n any technology-based business, after its
scientists unlock natures secrets, its en-
gineers use that knowledge to design new
products that we eventually cant live with-
out. Without scientists, there are no techni-
cal advances. Without engineers, there are no
products. One of the greatest challenges for
a technology-based company is to focus its
R&D investments in areas with the greatest
potential payoff. Such is the case for the U.S.
nuclear power industry.
This article summarizes the relative merits
of several nuclear power systems that are un-
der development and competing for attention
and investment. To get a sense of how stiff the
competition is, consider this comparison: Last
year, Microsoft spent over $7 billion in R&D
to stay competitive in the burgeoning market
for online services, with the expectation of
earning many times that sum in the future; the
DOEs total budget for science & technol-
ogy for this fiscal year is $3.9 billion.
Generation next
Three generations of nuclear power systems,
derived from designs originally developed
for naval use beginning in the late 1940s,
are operating worldwide today (Figure 1).
The first generation consisted of early proto-
type reactors from the 1950s and 60s, such
as Shippingport (19571982), Dresden-1
(19601978), and Calder Hall-1 (19562003)
in the UK. There are only two commercial
Generation I (Gen I) plants still operating:
Oldbury nuclear power station, owned by the
British Nuclear Group and scheduled for clo-
sure this year, and Wylfa nuclear power sta-
tion in Wales, scheduled for closure in 2010.
The Gen II systems began operation in the
1970s and comprise the bulk of the worlds
400+ commercial pressurized water reactors
(PWRs) and boiling water reactors (BWRs).
These reactors, typically referred to as light-
water reactors (LWRs), use traditional ac-
tive safety features involving electrical or
mechanical operations available on com-
mand. Some engineered systems still operate
passively (for example, using pressure relief
valves) and function without operator control
or loss of auxiliary power.
Time is money
A few Gen III plants have already been built.
The most visible is an advanced BWR that
entered service in Japan in 1996. None are in
service today in the U.S., although the Nucle-
ar Regulatory Commission (NRC) lists more
than two dozen in its certification queue. All
of the proposed reactor designs being scruti-
nized by the NRC are considered Generation
III+ designs: Arevas evolutionary pressur-
ized water reactor or EPR, GEs enhanced
simplified BWR or ESBWR, Westinghouses
APR1000 as amended, and Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries advanced PWR or ABWR.
The only examples of a Gen III reactor
design in operation are six ABWRs, includ-
ing four in Japan. Hitachi carefully honed its
construction processes during the building of
the Japanese units. For example, Kashiwazaki
Kariwa Unit 7 broke ground on July 1, 1993,
went critical on November 1, 1996, and began
commercial operation on July 2, 1997four
years and a day after the first shovel of dirt
was turned. If the U.S. nuclear power indus-
try were to adopt Hitachis construction tech-
niques (for details, see POWER, May 2007, p.
43) in coming years, many billions of dollars
and years of time could be saved.
Theres no denying that the first three
generations of nuclear reactors have been
economically successful, after enduring the
usual reliability growing pains early in their
lives. According to the Nuclear Energy In-
Generation I
Early prototype
reactors
Generation II
Commercial power
reactors
Generation III
Generation III
Advanced LWRs
Generation III+
Generation IV
Generation III+ Generation IV
Evolutionary
designs offering
improved
economics for
near-term
deployment
Highly
economical
Enhanced
safety
Minimal
waste
Proliferation-
resistant
Shipping port
Dresden, Fermi I
Magnox
LWR-PWR, BWR
CANDU
AGR
ABWR
System 80+
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030
1. The evolution of nuclear power reactors. More than two dozen Generation III+
reactors based on five different technologies are planned for the U.S. Generation IV reactors are
expected to be available around 2030. Source: DOE
Gen IV reactors have all of the features of
Gen III+ units plus the ability to support
hydrogen production, thermal energy off-
taking, and perhaps even water desalination.
April 2008
|
NUCLEAR POWER
stitute, U.S. nuclear power plants in 2006
supplied the second-highest amount of elec-
tricity in the industrys history while achiev-
ing a record-low average production cost of
1.66 cents/kWh. In fact, average production
costs have been below 2 cents/kWh for the
past eight years while capacity factors have
remained higher than 90%. Whats more, ef-
ficiency improvements to operations over the
past decade have yielded the equivalent of
some 20 new nuclear plants.
The Gen III and Gen III+ systems began
development in the 1990s by building on the
operating experience of the American, Japa-
nese, and Western European LWR fleets. Per-
haps their most significant improvement over
second-generation designs is the incorpora-
tion of passive safety features that do not
require active controls or operator interven-
tion; instead, they rely on gravity or natural
convection to mitigate the impact of abnor-
mal events. This feature, among others, will
help expedite the reactor certification review
process and thus shorten construction sched-
ules. Once plants using the Gen III and Gen
III+ reactors come on-line, they are expected
to achieve higher fuel burn-up (reducing fuel
consumption and waste production (see side-
bar) and operate for up to 60 years.
Generation after next: The options
Nuclear scientists have left implementation
of the Gen III+ designs in steel and concrete
to the engineers and moved on to developing
the generation after next nuclear alterna-
tivescommonly called Gen IV.
Conceptually, Gen IV reactors have all of
the features of Gen III+ units plus the ability
to support hydrogen production, thermal en-
ergy off-taking, and perhaps even water de-
salination. In addition, these designs include
advanced actinide management. An actinide
is an element with an atomic number between
89 (actinium) and 103 (lawrencium); the term
is usually applied to elements heavier than
uranium, which are also called transuranics.
Actinides are radioactive, typically have long
half-lives, and constitute a significant portion
of the spent fuel wastes from LWRs.
The DOEs Office of Nuclear Energy
(DOE-NE) has taken responsibility for devel-
oping the science required for five different
Gen IV technologies. The table summarizes
the characteristics and operating parameters
of six Gen IV reactor system alternatives,
including the molten salt reactor, which is
included for the sake of comprehensiveness
even though the U.S. is not currently re-
searching it. Each of the technology concepts
has been prioritized to reflect its technology
development status and its potential to meet
the programs and national goals.
In general, Gen IV systems include full
actinide recycling and on-site fuel cycle fa-
cilities based on either advanced aqueous,
pyrometallurgical, or other dry processing
options. On-site reprocessing minimizes the
transportation of nuclear materials, which in-
creases the chance of their proliferation. The
DOE has expanded its coordinating activities
Now youre cooking with thorium
Uranium isnt the only nuclear fuel. Tho-
rium can also be used to generate power.
Since the birth of nuclear power, there has
been interest in using thorium for this
purpose because it is three times more
abundant in Earths crust than uranium.
Whats more, all of the mined thorium is
potentially usable in a reactor, compared
with only 0.7% of natural uranium.
Although Th-232 is not fissile, it will
absorb slow neutrons to produce fissile
U-233 when placed in a reactor. Fissile
is the term applied to an isotope capable
of capturing a slow (thermal) neutron
and undergoing nuclear fission. Examples
are U-235, U-233, and Pu-239. In one
significant aspect, U-233 is better than
U-235 and Pu-239 because of its higher
neutron yield per neutron absorbed. Fis-
sioning thorium-based fuels produces far
less waste plutonium than conventional
fuels, and whatever plutonium is created
is of a type that is unsuitable for making
bombs.
Russia has had a program to develop a
thorium-uranium fuel since the early 1990s.
Based at Moscows Kurchatov Institute, it
relies on an American companyThorium
Power (www.thoriumpower.com)to de-
sign fuel for Russian VVR-1000 reactors. In
2007, Thorium Power formed an alliance
with the Red Star nuclear design bureau in
Russia to test fuel assemblies in full-sized
reactors.
Thorium-based fuel cycles have been
studied for about 30 years, but on a
much smaller scale than uranium or ura-
nium/plutonium cycles. Basic research
and development has been conducted in
Germany, India, Japan, Russia, the UK,
and the U.S. Noteworthy experiments in-
volving thorium include using it to fuel
prototype and commercial high-tempera-
ture gas-cooled reactors, and the results
are contributing to the development of
gas-cooled fast reactors under the Gen IV
reactor program being run by the DOEs
Office of Nuclear Energy.
Neutron spectrum Coolant Temperature, C Pressure
a
Fuel Fuel cycle Sizes (MW) Production
Gas-cooled
fast reactor
Fast Helium 850 High U-238
b
Closed, on-site 288 Electricity,
hydrogen
Lead-cooled
fast reactor
Fast Pb-Bi 550800 Low U-238
b
Closed, regional 50-150,
300-400, 1,200
Electricity,
hydrogen
Molten
salt reactor
Epithermal Fluoride
salts
700800 Low UF in salt Closed 1,000 Electricity,
hydrogen
Sodium-cooled
fast reactor
Fast Sodium 550 Low U-238 plus
mixed-oxide fuel
Closed 150500,
5001,500
Electricity
Supercritical
water-cooled reactor
Thermal or fast Water 510550 Very high UO
2
Open (thermal),
closed (fast)
1,500 Electricity
Very high
temperature reactor
Thermal Helium 1,000 High UO
2
(prism
or pebbles)
Open 250 Electricity,
hydrogen
Notes: a. High = 7 to 15 Mpa. b. With some U-235 or Pu-239.
Characteristics and operating parameters of the six Generation IV reactor systems under development.
Source: DOE
|
April 2008 46
NUCLEAR POWER
to include a number of national and interna-
tional entities (see sidebar) and formed the
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP),
which emphasizes fast reactors and fuel re-
processing.
Following are synopses of the develop-
ment status of the six Gen IV reactor system
alternatives.
The gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR). The
GFR (Figure 2) is primarily designed for
electricity production and actinide manage-
ment, but it may be able to support hydrogen
production as well. The reference GFR sys-
tem features a fast neutron spectrum, a Bray-
ton-cycle helium-cooled reactor, a closed
fuel cycle for actinide reprocessing, and a
plant efficiency of 48%. In November 2006,
the GFR System Arrangement was signed by
the European Atomic Energy Community
(Euratom), France, Japan, and Switzerland.
The several forms of fuel (ceramics, fuel
particles, and ceramic-clad elements) be-
ing considered for the GFR have one thing
in common: They will allow the reactor to
operate at very high temperatures yet ensure
excellent containment of fission products.
Core configurations will be either pin- or
plate-based fuel assemblies or prismatic
blocks. Performance enhancement possi-
bilities still being researched include the use
of materials with superior resistance to fast
neutron fluence (flux integrated over time)
at very high temperatures, and the develop-
ment of a helium-cooled turbine capable of
super-efficient electricity production. Target
values of some key parameters, such as pow-
er density and fuel burn-up, are sufficient for
reasonable performance of a first-generation
technology.
Two GFR projects have been constructed
in the U.S. The firstPeach Bottom 1, in
York County, Pa.was a 40-MW experi-
mental helium-cooled, graphite-moderated
reactor that operated from 1967 to 1974.
The other was the Fort Saint Vrain Gener-
ating Station in Colorado; it operated from
1979 to 1989, burned uranium-thorium fuel
at a high temperature, and was capable of
producing 330 MW. Fort Saint Vrains fuel
elements had a hexagonal cross section, and
their energy density was low enough that los-
ing the primary coolant did not result in an
immediate overheating of the reactor core.
Operators had several hours to shut down the
reactor before incurring damage to the core.
The Fort Saint Vrain site was converted to a
natural gas combined-cycle plant in 1996.
Other ongoing demonstrations of GFR
technology include Japans graphite-moder-
ated high-temperature test reactor (HTTR),
which reached its full power of 30 MW
th
in
1999. It uses long hexagonal fuel assemblies,
unlike competing particle-bed reactor (PBR)
Organizations supporting the development of
Generation IV reactors
The Generation IV International Forum
(GIF) was chartered in July 2001 to lead
collaborative efforts of the worlds leading
nuclear technology nations and to develop
next-generation nuclear plants capable of
meeting the worlds future energy needs.
Member countries and organizations
are the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Canada,
the European Atomic Energy Community
(Euratom), France, Japan, the Republic
of Korea, the Republic of South Africa,
Switzerland, the UK, the Peoples Repub-
lic of China, and the Russian Federation.
All have agreed on a framework for inter-
national cooperation to develop systems
that can be licensed, constructed, and
operated to provide competitively priced
and reliable energy. For more information,
visit www.gen-4.org.
The Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (www
.ne.doe.gov/NHI/neNHI.html) focuses on
the demonstration of economic commer-
cial-scale production of hydrogen using
nuclear energy.
The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative
was formed to develop fuel systems for
Gen IV reactors. For more information,
visit afci.sandia.gov or nuclear.energy
.gov/AFCI/neAFCI.html.
The Global Nuclear Energy Partner-
ship (GNEP, www.gnep.energy.gov), an-
nounced by Secretary of Energy Samuel
Bodman on February 6, 2006, is a com-
prehensive strategy to increase U.S. and
global energy security, encourage global
development of clean nuclear power, re-
duce the risk of nuclear proliferation, and
improve the environment. Because GNEP
is based on the principle that energy and
security go hand-in-hand, the focus of
the partnership is to develop and demon-
strate new proliferation-resistant tech-
nologies for recycling nuclear fuel and
reducing radioactive waste.
Helium
Control rods
Generator
Electrical power
Reactor
Turbine
Heat sink Heat sink
Compressor
Compressor
Intercooler
Recuperator
Pre-cooler
Reactor
core
2. The gas-cooled fast reactor. Source: DOE
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April 2008 48
NUCLEAR POWER
designs. Testing has shown that the core can
reach temperatures sufficient for hydrogen
production.
Separately, a 300-MW
th
pebble-bed modu-
lar reactor (PBMR) using a closed-cycle gas
turbine power conversion system is being de-
signed for deployment by the South African
utility Eskom.
Finally, a consortium of Russian insti-
tutes is designing a 300-30 MW
th
gas tur-
bine-modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) in
cooperation with General Atomics. The en-
tire GT-MHR plant (Figure 3) is essentially
contained in two interconnected pressure
vessels enclosed by a below-ground concrete
containment structure. The GT-MHR core is
being designed to use any of a wide variety
of fuels (including thorium/high-enriched
uranium and Th/U-233); it may even be able
to convert weapons-grade or reactor-grade
plutonium fuel to electrical energy.
The lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR). The
LFR (Figure 4) is a fast neutron spectrum re-
actor designed for electricity and hydrogen
production as well as actinide management.
Three key technical aspects of the LFR are its
use of lead for cooling, a long cartridge-core
life (15 to 20 years), and its modularity and
small size (potentially suiting it for deploy-
ment on small grids or at remote locations).
The LFR envisioned by DOE-NEs Gen-
eration IV program would be based on the
small secure transportable autonomous reac-
tor (SSTAR) concept. The main mission of
SSTAR development is to provide incremen-
tal energy generation to match the needs of
developing nations and remote communities
lacking a grid connection. LFR technologies
have already been successfully demonstrated
internationally. A prime example is Russias
BREST fast breeder reactor, which both
consumes reactor-grade plutonium as fuel
and produces it as raw material. BREST
technology builds on Russias 40 years of
experience with lead-bismuth cooling of the
reactors powering its Alfa-class submarines.
The molten salt reactor (MSR). The
MSR (Figure 5) is a liquid-fueled reactor
that can be used for actinide burning and
production of electricity, hydrogen, and
fissile fuels. In this system, the molten salt
fuel flows through graphite core channels.
The heat generated in the molten salt is
transferred to a secondary coolant system
through an intermediate heat exchanger,
and then through another heat exchanger
to the power conversion system. Actinides
and most fission products form fluorides in
the liquid coolant. The homogenous liquid
fuel allows for the addition of actinide feeds
without requiring fuel fabrication.
During the 1960s, the U.S. developed a
molten salt breeder reactor as the prima-
Reactor and power
production vessel
located below ground
Turbine converts
612F of temperature
differential and
633 psi at pressure
differential to
rotating energy
Common driveshaft
transmits turbine
rotation to generator
and compressor
Turbine outlet
950F
384 psi
Electricity
Turbine inlet
1562F
1017 psi
Recuperator
transfers most
of remaining
heat back to
the reactor
Pre-cooler
Intercooler
Power production vessel
Reactor vessel
Helium enters
core at 815F
Helium exits
core at 1582F
+
Generator
Compressor
3. The gas turbine-modular helium reactor. Source: General Atomics
Control rods
Header
U-tube heat
exchanger
modules (4)
Reactor
module/
fuel cartridge
(removable)
Coolant
module
Coolant
Inlet distributor
Reactor
Reactor
core
Generator
Electrical
power
Turbine
Recuperator
Heat
sink
Heat
sink
Compressor
Compressor
Pre-
cooler
Intercooler
4. The lead-cooled fast reactor. Source: DOE
April 2008
|
ry back-up option for a conventional fast
breeder reactor. Recent work has focused on
lithium and beryllium fluoride coolants with
dissolved thorium and U-233 fuel. The DOE
plans to continue its cooperative work with
Euratom MSR programs in the future.
The sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR).
The primary development goals of the SFR
(Figure 6) program are actinide management,
reduction of waste products, and more-effi-
cient uranium consumption. Future, lower-
cost designs are expected to not only produce
electricity but also supply thermal energy,
produce hydrogen, and possibly enable de-
salination as well. The SFRs fast neutron
spectrum could make the use of available fis-
sile and fertile materials, including depleted
uranium, much more efficient than it is in
todays LWRs. In addition, the SFR system
may not require as much design research as
other Generation IV systems.
A Gen IV technical readiness and oper-
ating experience comparison of the GFR,
LFR, and SFR systems led to the selection
of the SFR as the primary fast-reactor Gen
IV candidate for near-term deployment. The
decision was based on more than 300 reactor-
years experience with fast neutron reactors
in eight countries.
Important safety features of the SFR sys-
tem include a long thermal response time
(the reactor heats up slowly), a large margin
Control
rods
Reactor
Coolant salt
Generator
Electrical
power
Puried
salt
Chemical
processing
plant
Fuel
salt Pump
Pump
Heat
exchanger
Heat
exchanger
Freeze
plug
Emergency dump tanks
Turbine
Recuperator
Compressor
Heat
sink
Heat
sink
Intercooler
Compressor
Pre-
cooler
5. The molten salt reactor. Source: DOE
Cold plenum
Hot plenum
Control rods
Heat
exchanger
Steam
generator
Turbine Generator
Condenser
Heat sink
Pump
Secondary
sodium
Pump
Primary
sodium
(cold)
6. The sodium-cooled fast reactor. Source: DOE
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NUCLEAR POWER
|
April 2008 50
NUCLEAR POWER
between operating temperatures and the boil-
ing temperatures of coolants (less chance of
accidental boiling), a primary system that
operates near atmospheric pressure, and an
intermediate sodium system between the ra-
dioactive sodium in the primary system and
the water and steam in the power plant.
The supercritical water-cooled reac-
tor (SCWR). The SCWR (Figure 7) prom-
ises significant economic advantages for two
reasons: the plant simplification that it makes
possible and its increased thermal efficiency.
The main mission of the SCWR is to gen-
erate electricity at low cost by combining
two proven technologies: conventional LWR
technology and supercritical fossil fuelfired
boiler technology. Design studies predict
plant thermal efficiencies about one-third
higher than those of todays LWRs.
As the figure shows, an SCWRs balance-
of-plant systems and passive safety features,
similar to those of a BWR, are much simpler
because the coolant does not change phase in
the reactor. The supercritical water drives the
turbine directly without any secondary steam
system. An international effort, with Japan in
the lead, aims to resolve the most pressing
materials and system design uncertainties
needed to demonstrate the technical viability
of the SCWR.
The very high temperature reactor
(VHTR)/next-generation nuclear plant
(NGNP). The main mission of the VHTR/
NGNP (Figure 8) is to produce both elec-
tricity and hydrogen. The reference system
consists of a helium-cooled, graphite-mod-
erated, thermal neutron reactor. Electricity
and hydrogen are produced using an indirect
cycle in which intermediate heat exchangers
supply a hydrogen production demonstration
facility and a gas turbine generator. Process
heat also could be provided for applications
such as coal gasification and cogeneration.
The VHTR gets high economic marks for
its high hydrogen production efficiency and
high safety and reliability grades due to the
inherent safety features of the fuel and reac-
tor. It also gets good ratings for prolifera-
tion resistance and physical protection, and
a neutral rating for sustainability because of
Control rods
Supercritical
water
Reactor
Turbine Generator
Condenser
Heat sink
Pump
Electrical
power
7. The supercritical water-cooled reactor. Source: DOE
Power
conversion unit
Generator
Blower
Blower
Low-pressure
compressor
Primary heat
rejection
High-pressure
compressor
Recuperator
Heat
exchanger
Heat
exchanger
Heat
exchanger
Pebble-bed or
prismatic reactor
Pump
Power for
electrolysis
Commercial
power
Hydrogen
Hydrogen
8. The very high temperature reactor. Source: DOE
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April 2008 52
NUCLEAR POWER
its open or once-through fuel cycle. Although
the VHTR/NGNP requires R&D advances in
fuel performance and high-temperature ma-
terials, it should benefit from earlier GFR,
GT-MHR, and PBMR advancements.
The VHTR/NGNP is expected to be avail-
able for near-term deployment as early as
2015. The DOE-NE programs objective is to
have the other Gen IV systems available for
deployment by about 2030, when many of
the worlds nuclear plants operating licenses
will be at or near their expiration dates. Like
the Gen III+ program, the Gen IV program
coordinates with the DOEs Nuclear Power
2010 Programto ensure that the results
of all efforts complement the agencys new
risk-based and technology-neutral licensing
approach.
The VHRR/NGNP is also special for an-
other reason. Although the DOE is subsidiz-
ing research into several reactor concepts,
the VHTR/NGNP has top priority because
it was singled out in Sections 641 through
645 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. There,
$1.25 billion was earmarked for the design
and construction of a prototype NGNP proj-
ect at the Idaho National Laboratory by no
later than 2021. This prototype is expected
to have a thermal efficiency of 48%, produce
hydrogen as well as power, and make process
heat with a zero carbon footprint available to
a broad range of applications such as syngas
production and the conversion of coal to liq-
uid fuels.
The pluses
of particle management
Actinide management, common to all the
Gen IV alternatives, would reduce the vol-
ume of nuclear waste in the mid-term and
provide assurance of nuclear fuel availability
in the long term. This mission overlaps a na-
tional responsibility addressed in the Nuclear
Waste Policy Act, namely, the disposition of
spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. The
mid-term (30 to 50 years) actinide manage-
ment mission consists primarily of limiting
or reversing the buildup of the inventory of
spent nuclear fuel from current and near-term
nuclear plants.
Actinides may be a waste product for an
LWR, but they are fissionable in a fast re-
actor. As mentioned earlier, a transuranic is
a very heavy element with a higher atomic
number than uranium (92); it is formed ar-
tificially by neutron capture and possibly
by subsequent beta decays. Extracting these
long-lived radionuclides from spent fuel
and irradiating them in a closed fuel cycle
using fast reactors does more than generate
electricity. It also transmutes the long-lived
radionuclides that would otherwise require
isolation in a geologic repository such as
Yucca Mountain into shorter-lived radionu-
clides. Transmutation changes atoms of one
element into those of another by neutron
bombardment that causes neutron capture
and/or fission. In the longer term, the ac-
tinide management mission can beneficially
produce excess fissionable material, current-
ly supplied through mining and the enrich-
ment of natural uranium, for use in systems
optimized for other energy missions.
Making the most of uranium
Fast reactors play a unique role in the actinide
management mission because they operate
with higher-energy neutrons than LWRs and
thus are more effective in fissioning the ac-
tinides and transuranics recovered from an
LWRs spent fuel.
Theoretically, a fast reactor can recycle all
of the uranium and transuranic radionuclides.
In contrast, thermal reactors, such as LWRs,
use lower-energy neutrons and extract ener-
gy primarily from fissile isotopes. The only
naturally occurring fissile isotope is U-235,
which has only 0.7% natural uranium; en-
richment increases this natural concentra-
tion of U-235 to about 3% to 5%, which is
enough to enable operation of an LWR. But
because LWRs cannot be used for complete
recycling, over 99% of the uranium initially
mined ends up in their spent fuel and in the
residue from the enrichment process. Fast re-
actors maximize the use of uranium because
they support multiple fuel recycles that make
all of the fuels heat content usable.
Kick-starting
the hydrogen economy
Another feature of many of Gen IV reactors
is their ability to produce hydrogen as a by-
product. Realizing this potential could make
the use of fuel cells for transportation and
power generation more economic and envi-
ronmentally benign while reducing Ameri-
cas dependence on imported oil.
Sufficient quantities of hydrogen for
commercial use would be produced dur-
ing off-peak periods, improving the operat-
ing economics of nuclear baseload plants.
A long-term objective would require dedi-
cated Gen IV nuclear plants, operating at
higher temperatures, to produce hydrogen at
a steady rate for storage and subsequent use
by large (>1,000-MW) banks of fuel cells to
address daily peak demand.
James M. Hylko
(james.hylko@prs-llc.net) is an integrated
safety management specialist for
Paducah Remediation Services LLC
and a POWER contributing editor.
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April 2008 54
PLANT DESIGN
Turbine technology maturity:
A shifting paradigm
Selecting the right turbine(s) for a specific power project is a complex process
that poses two challenges. One is understanding which field experience
cited by suppliers represents proven technology; the other is evaluating
whether a turbine upgrade represents an evolutionary change or a revo-
lutionary transformation that warrants further study before deploying it in
the field. Heres how a leading EPC contractor makes technology-neutral
equipment selection decisions on behalf of its customers.
By Dr. Justin Zachary, Bechtel Power Corp.
D
etermining the relevance of power
generation equipments field experi-
ence requires special expertise and
dedicated research. The continuing evolution
of technology, manufacturing processes, and
quality control techniques demands updating
the old approach to validating proven tech-
nology. Because equipment manufacturers
product development never stops, it is diffi-
cult to determine what represents pertinent
operational experience.
For example, although two gas turbines
may have the same model number, they op-
erate differently if one has been modified in
the factory or in the field and the other has
not. How to accurately evaluate the results
of this experience when making a purchase
recommendation is the challenge faced by all
engineering/procurement/construction (EPC)
contractors.
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
have significantly improved the ratings of
prime movers, steam generators, and envi-
ronmental control systems over the past few
years. Thanks to technological breakthroughs,
combined-cycle power plants are now pushing
the 60% net efficiency (lower heating value)
barrier. Similarly, coal-fired plants powered
by boilers operating at supercritical and ultra-
supercritical steam conditions have increased
their thermal performance while decreasing
their output of pollutants.
These technology improvements are a
boon to power plant planners but represent
a dilemma for EPC contractors, who must
determine how to properly evaluate new and
upgraded hardware. On the one hand, using
the newest and most efficient turbine makes
it easier to cope with rising fuel costs and
growing pressures to reduce CO
2
emissions.
On the other, early adoption of advanced tur-
bine technology could put the reliability and
availability of a plant at riskand expose
the EPC contractor to penalties if the turbine
doesnt perform as advertised.
Power plant owners have always tried to
avoid ordering serial number one of any
device; for newer equipment, they have typ-
ically insisted on a track record of 8,000 to
16,000 operating hours before considering
it proven technology. But, as all power
engineers know, every plant is unique. In
many cases, equipment modifications and
supplier-recommended O&M practices con-
tinue to be implemented even after a plant
has been commissioned. How can a contrac-
tor make a reasonable evaluation of equip-
ment whose performance is a moving target
and that may have been customized to meet
site-specific needs?
Compared to what?
Technologies mature through incremental
changes, yet technology breakthroughs occur
only through revolutionary advances. For ex-
ample, when a gas turbine supplier introduc-
es a new model, it falls to the owner and EPC
contractor of a proposed plant to determine
whether the improvements incorporated in
the new unit are significant enough to war-
rant a fresh assessment of the risks and re-
wards of using that particular turbine line.
These decisions must be informed by very
specialized expertise. Ideally, they should
also be based on a comparison of the operat-
ing experience of the new model to that of
its predecessors. However, such comparisons
cannot be made if the new model or a similar
unit has yet to enter commercial service. To
further complicate matters, the cumulative
operating hours of a particular turbine model
as a measure of its technologys maturity
may be irrelevant to evaluating the latest gas
turbine uprate, because suppliers introduce
hardware modifications on a continual basis.
The situation is even more complicated in
the case of steam turbines. With the excep-
tion of the last three blades in its low-pres-
sure section, the hardware of a modern large
steam turbine is specifically designed to the
flow and pressure conditions of a given appli-
cation. Those steam conditions, in turn, are a
function of fuel and site conditions, such as
ambient temperature and humidity, and the
kind of condenser used.
Bechtel Power Corp. has developed a pro-
cess for evaluating gas turbines (GTs) and
steam turbines (STs) that fairly identifies
the risks and rewards of adopting new tur-
bine technologies. This article presents sev-
eral examples of such evaluationsand their
bases and established best practicesmade
in the course of developing and/or execut-
ing more than 30 advanced combined-cycle
power projects and five subcritical and four
supercritical steam plant projects over the
past seven years. The following discussions
should be helpful to OEMs trying to under-
stand how EPCs choose turbines and to plant
developers seeking guidance on making sim-
ilar decisions.
Technologies mature through incremental
changes, yet technology breakthroughs
occur only through revolutionary advances.
April 2008
|
PLANT DESIGN
Evaluating new gas turbines
The gas turbine has been a mainstay of U.S.
power generation for more than two decades
now. The fact that several makers of GTs
continue to introduce new and/or uprated
units suggests that demand for gas-fired
generators will continue. For large GTs, the
industry uses a letter designation to identify
the machines technology classan overall
measure of its air volumetric flow, its com-
pressor pressure ratio, and, most importantly,
its firing temperature. During the 1980s, E-
class gas turbines ruled the market. F-class
GTs became available in the early 1990s and
represent the majority of units operating in
the U.S. today.
The newest turbine classes, labeled G
and H, change the game of how the main
combined-cycle components interact. The
G and H technologies create an inseparable
thermodynamic and physical link between
a combined-cycle plants primary (GT) and
secondary (ST) power generation systems by
using steam (in lieu of air) in a closed loop
for turbine cooling. (See POWER, June 2007,
p. 42 for a tour of Siemens Power Genera-
tions G-class machine, and POWER, Sep-
tember 2007, p. 44 for coverage of the first
U.S. deployment of Mitsubishi Heavy Indus-
tries G1 unit.)
Significant uprates in power output and
thermal efficiency from one technology class
to the next are the result of major design and
manufacturing improvements. Figures 1 and
2 compare the improvements in power out-
put and heat rate, respectively, within and
between technology classes achieved by two
different OEMs. Both suppliers attributed the
uprates to the use of an evolutionary design
process with a proven, existing design base,
as well as to their accumulated experience.
That may be so, but such a broad explana-
tion does nothing to help prospective buyers
quantitatively evaluate turbine upgrades ei-
ther as they are announced or afterward.
Rating uprates
Gas turbine OEMs routinely release evo-
lutionary upgrades to improve the thermal
and/or mechanical performance of their ex-
isting fleet. Some upgrades are optional and
available at a price. Others are handled as
warranty items. In either case, the question
for a power project developer or contractor
attempting to evaluate an upgrade is whether
to consider it a mere tweak or significant
enough to constitute a brand-new model of
gas turbine.
Good examples of this quandary are the
GE 7FB and Siemens-Westinghouse 501 FD
turbines, each of which offers thermal per-
formance superior to that of the original F-
class machines. As Figures 1 and 2 indicate,
although the power output and heat rate im-
provements within the F class over a period
of 15 years amounted to less than 10%, they
were not insignificant. The major changes to
F-class machines included increases in airflow
and compressor pressure ratio, and higher fir-
ing temperatures made possible by the devel-
opment of advanced materials and their use in
turbine blades and nozzles. How should these
more revolutionary uprates be handled when
evaluating turbine alternatives?
Pieces of a whole
Whether an uprate is evolutionary or revo-
lutionary, the process for evaluating it must
remain the samethe separate vetting of
each turbine component affected, followed
by an analysis of the interactions between
them. Following are some examples that
illustrate the challenges facing anyone at-
tempting to do an appraisal of a complete
turbine system.
Compressors. One of the most common
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
100
35
C
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

i
m
p
r
o
v
e
m
e
n
t

(
%
)
Gas turbine class
OEM 1 OEM 2
F FX H F FX G
0.0
4.84
22.00
0.00
9.66
34.69
1. Up the ante. These bars show the class-to-class gains in the power output of gas tur-
bines from two different manufacturers. The data are for turbine operation at ISO conditions.
Source: Bechtel Power Corp.
2. Pushing efficiency. This chart compares the class-to-class heat rate improvements of
gas turbines from two different OEMs. The data assume turbine operation at ISO conditions.
Source: Bechtel Power Corp.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
H
e
a
t

r
a
t
e

i
m
p
r
o
v
e
m
e
n
t

(
%
)
F FX H F FX G
OEM 1 OEM 2
Gas turbine class
0
1.61
4.85
0
4.37
6.95
|
April 2008 56
PLANT DESIGN
ways to increase the airflow through a GT
compressor is to open the units inlet guide
vane (IGV) angle slightly. Using detailed
data on compressor surge margins from op-
erating experience at various ambient tem-
peratures, many manufacturers have tweaked
IGV angles beyond their initial setting. Addi-
tional gains in compressor performance can
be achieved by modifying the aerodynamics
of the two stages following the IGVs. Though
this practice can increase a GTs power out-
put, it also may reduce the compressors surge
margin and negatively affect its performance
at high ambient temperatures.
The performance benefits of increasing
mass flow at 104F will not be as great as
those at ISO conditions (59F). In this case,
the gas turbine evaluator should consider per-
tinent only the experience of those turbines in
the fleet on which the compressor modifica-
tions have been implemented. Often, suppli-
ers published operating hours represent the
cumulative experience of all turbines with
same model number. They therefore do not
account for differences between the units, in
terms of either airflow or the status of recom-
mended hardware design modifications.
Another way to improve the efficiency
of a GT is to increase its compressors pres-
sure ratio. With the advent of sophisticated
computational fluid dynamics techniques, it
has become possible to raise pressure ratio
without increasing the number of compres-
sor stages. This option maintains the engine
length and bearing locations but requires the
use of better materials for the compressors
last-stage blades, which are exposed to
higher temperatures. However, a higher com-
pressor discharge temperature also requires
a detailed reevaluation of both combustion
system dynamics and the air-cooling circuits
of all turbine sections.
Combustion system. The dry low-NO
x
(DLN) combustor is another GT component
that suppliers are constantly seeking to im-
prove. Ever-lower air pollution limits have
pushed turbine OEMs to develop combus-
tion technologies that can now limit the NO
x

emissions of a turbine firing at 2,400F to
single-digit ppm levels.
Despite extensive validation programs,
this evolutionary process has been accom-
panied by many setbacks and field problems
(for example, combustion oscillations). Due
to the nature of lean premix combustion,
DLN burner systems are sensitive to even
minor changes in their geometry or cooling
air patterns. Implementation of any evolu-
tionary modification of this sort should be
accompanied by thorough rig testing and
field validation. Technology demonstra-
tions should address only the cumulative
experience of units with identical combus-
tion system geometry and the same control
software.
Firing temperature. The most common
way to increase the power output and efficien-
cy of a GT is to raise its firing temperature. For
many years, this was a gradual process marked
by step improvements of 20 to 30 degrees F.
Recently, however, even greater increases in
firing temperature have been made possible
through the use of sophisticated nickel-based
superalloys (single-crystal nozzles and blades)
and elaborate air-cooling schemes.
But determining whether a particular gas
turbine should be considered proven tech-
nology still requires obtaining performance
and availability data from units operating at
the same, or nearly the same, firing tempera-
ture. The problem here is that turbine firing
temperature (TFT) must be calculated (as
opposed to measured), and different turbine
suppliers define the turbine inlet temperature
(TIT) needed for the calculation differently.
For example, the European GT suppliers
Alstom and Siemens Power Generationuse
April 2008
|
PLANT DESIGN
the theoretical ISO 2314 definition of hypo-
thetical TIT, which assumes that the entire
compressor inlet flow enters the combustor,
making the calculation possible. Other manu-
facturers define the TIT as the gas temperature
at the inlet of the first turbine rotor. The cal-
culation of this TIT is more difficult, because
it is necessary to know several air-cooling
flows, which are considered to be manufac-
turers proprietary information. Because the
final TFT or the true TIT value is determined
during the final stages of GT commissioning
(both vary from engine to engine), a practi-
cal comparison approach should consider gas
turbines with a TIT range of 10F.
Dimensional scaling. Turbomachinery
manufacturers commonly use this time-sav-
ing technique to create different-size (usually
larger) components with the same positive at-
tributes as a previous part. If the basic rules of
scaling are followed (for example, using a lin-
ear factor of speed ratio for dimensions and a
square factor of speed ratio for flow), the new
components basic mechanical safety margin
and aerodynamic design remain unchanged.
Unfortunately, combustion dynamics and
heat transfer characteristics cannot be scaled.
As a result, critical areas of turbine subsys-
tem development (such as cooling schemes)
must be analyzed and validated in every
scaling casejust as mechanical tolerances,
surface finishes, and tip clearances must be.
An important criterion for evaluating a scaled
turbomachinery component is determining
how the implemented changes affect the in-
tegrity of the original design.
Validation methodology. The process
of developing a new GT requires individual
testing of all of its major components. De-
spite developers extensive multi-phase vali-
dation and integration programs, all new GTs
have presented many first-of-a-kind techni-
cal challenges upon their debut. OEMs, EPC
contractors, and insurance carriers have paid
a hefty price to correct turbine problems un-
der actual field operating conditions.
In response, several leading GT manufac-
turersAlstom, Siemens Power Generation,
and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI)
have built in-house testing facilities to evalu-
ate the performance of their new units at load
in a completely controlled environment, to
identify potential problems in a unit before
it reaches market prematurely, and to reduce
development time and cost. (See POWER,
October 2007, p. 32 for a full description of
MHIs full-scale test facility for integrated
gasification combined-cycle systems.)
Siemens and General Electric have also
pursued an alternative approach to gas tur-
bine testing: using a power plant as a vali-
dation site. In Siemens case, E.ONthe
owner of Irsching Station in Germany
Major OEM testing facilities for advanced gas turbines. Source: Bechtel
Power Corp.
Manufacturer Location Remarks
Alstom Birr, Switzerland In-house test facility with generator
Berlin, Germany In-house test facility with water brake
Cottam, UK Demonstration site
Unit 4 of E.ONs
Irsching Station, Germany
H-class demonstration site
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Takasago, Japan In-house verication plant with generator
General Electric Baglan Bay Power Station, UK H system validation site
Siemens Power Generation
|
April 2008 58
PLANT DESIGN
gives the company open access to Unit 4, a
530-MW combined-cycle facility to be pow-
ered by Siemens SGT5-8000H gas turbine
(Figure 3) when it comes on-line in 2011. In
exchange for the opportunity to road-test
and implement changes to the new GT be-
fore it is introduced, Siemens will possibly
offer commercial benefits to the host, E.ON.
The table (p. 57) locates the testing facilities
of the major GT manufacturers.
GT evaluators should be aware that many
of the improvements being incorporated into
H-class designs are already flowing back to F
and G class units. The most recent examples
are the GE 9FBs implementation of many GE
H system features (Figure 4), and the MHI
M701G2s incorporation of M501H techno-
logical enhancements, giving it performance
superior to that of the original M701G.
Even if small modifications made to a GTs
design are thought to have limited impact on
its performance or behavior, there is always
the chance of an unforeseen cumulative nega-
tive effect on both due to the mechanical and
3. Were number one. Siemens Power Generation is calling its new SGT5-8000H the worlds largest (340 MW) and most efficient gas
turbine. As part of a 1 x 1 combined-cycle configuration, it is expected to produce 530 MW at a thermal efficiency of more than 60%. The photo
shows an SGT5-8000H leaving Siemens factory in Berlin. Courtesy: Siemens Power Generation
4. Industry leader. A GE 50-Hz Frame 9FB awaits shipment to a project site in Spain. The 9FB sports thermal efficiency approaching 58%
in combined-cycle mode. Courtesy: GE Energy
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April 2008 60
PLANT DESIGN
thermodynamic interaction between individ-
ual components. Any evaluation process must
consider this possibility.
Field data is essential
A key goal of any GT evaluation must be a
thorough understanding of both the financial
objectives of the proposed project and its
desired performance levels (net power, heat
rate, emissions, reliability, availability, and
the like). Regardless of whether a new or up-
graded GT is being considered, the selection
process must include a technology review of
the offering to evaluate the nature and signifi-
cance of changes from previous models with
a good operating track record.
The analysis must include details of the
suppliers model validation process as well as
available data on the models performance. In
many cases, the review also covers various as-
pects of quality control in the engineering and
manufacturing processes. The performance
data offered by prospective suppliers of a
specific project must be normalized and cor-
related with the performance of the same type
of GT documented on previous projects.
Bechtel bases its GT evaluation on a per-
formance data bank that was created over
time and is constantly updated with infor-
mation from field tests (Figure 5). The es-
tablishment of a machines credentials must
be based not only on its model nameplate
but also on a complete list of implemented
modifications.
To understand why this is important, take
a close look at Figure 6, which shows the
thermal performance of 37 GTs from four
OEMs installed on various recent projects.
Note that eight units did not deliver the guar-
anteed power output, and that 11 did not
meet heat rate guarantees. These real-world
experiences must play a role in any purchase
decision.
Evaluating new steam turbines
The development of advanced steam turbines
is being driven by demand for combined-cycle
plants and for a new generation of solid fuel
fired plants. For combined-cycle applications,
STs have followed the same evolutionary path
as heavy-duty GTs. Today, the interdepen-
dency between gas and steam turbines has be-
come even more pronounced with the advent
of G and H class GTs (Figure 7).
Worldwide, most steam turbines destined
for power coal-fired plants are being designed
to operate at supercritical (SC) or ultrasuper-
critical (USC) temperatures and pressures. In
the U.S., all proposed coal plants have main
steam pressure and temperature values well
above supercritical conditions for the sake of
improved efficiency and to reduce the plants
carbon footprint. Most coal plant developers
5. Walking upright. The evolutionary scale of F-Class gas turbine technology. Source:
Bechtel Power Corp.
100
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
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1991 1993 1997 1999 2001 2005
Year
Power Heat rate Compressor ow Firing class
7. Low-end power. This low-pressure steam turbine from Siemens was installed at a
1,000-MW lignite-fired plant in Niederaussem, Germany. Courtesy: Siemens Power Generation
P
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1
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1
2
3
Number of gas turbines
Better heat rate
Better power output
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
Power output Heat rate
6. Difference of opinion. This chart compares combustion turbine guarantees from various
manufacturers actual test results for power output and heat rate. Source: Bechtel Power Corp.
|
April 2008 62
PLANT DESIGN
now seek net plant efficiency (high heating
value) in excess of 42%.
Early efforts to raise the overall efficien-
cy of a steam turbine focused on improving
its high-pressure (HP) and intermediate-
pressure (IP) sections. But increasingly,
manufacturers also aggressively sought to
upgrade the low-pressure (LP) turbine,
which in many cases accounts for 50% of
the STs power output. Today, a key de-
velopment objective is to increase the size
of the turbines last-stage blades (LSBs),
thereby reducing the number of LP modules
required and boosting power output at lower
condenser pressures.
On the one hand, the trend in advanced
ST design is toward greater standardization
of the number of modules and their sizes
as a way to reduce costs and accelerate de-
velopment schedules. But on the other, the
only way to improve thermal efficiency is
to custom design the blading of each turbine
section, with the exception of the last three
stages of the LP section. This can be accom-
plished only by using highly computerized
design and manufacturing methods.
Understanding what proven technology
means in the context of advanced steam tur-
bine design requires the supplier and cus-
tomer to discuss development trends and to
compare target ST specs to those of operat-
ing units. Legal and commercial agreements
between the parties must overcome the barri-
ers of proprietary information disclosure by
having a structure that protects turbine manu-
facturers but allows the release of sufficient
technical information to allow turbine buyers
to conduct a meaningful technical evaluation.
Several examples follow.
HP-IP blade design. The blades of an
ST are the components that receive the most
attention in any technical evaluation. Sig-
nificant effort is expended to optimize blade
design, which has a direct and powerful ef-
fect on the efficiency of a turbines HP and
IP sections.
It is now customary to use a full 3-D design
to account for all blade profile and leakage
losses and other secondary effects. Because
HP and IP blades are relatively short, large
end-wall losses occur at the hub and the
shroud. A stage efficiency improvement of 2
percentage points can be obtained by modi-
fying the conventional cylindrical blade de-
sign using 3-D design techniques to bend
and twist blades at their hub and tip. Another
way to improve HP-IP blading is to use vari-
able reaction for each stage in the blade path
length instead of constant reaction. Improve-
ments of 1 percentage point and higher in the
module efficiency have been reported.
HP-IP configuration. A key decision
centers on whether separate or integral HP-
IP modules should be used because the mod-
ule count has a big effect on overall ST cost.
Several manufacturers suggest that the use
of a single, opposite-flow combined HP-IP
module has cost and project schedule ad-
vantages. This type of arrangement has been
used successfully for STs rated at up to 600
MW (gross). If the rotor can be shipped pre-
assembled into an inner and outer casing, as
one design indicates, shorter erection and
commissioning times are possible. The ad-
vantages offered by integral HP-IP modules
give manufacturers an incentive to propose
this arrangement for STs with even higher
ratings, around 800 MW.
An important criterion for evaluating the
technology requires review of IP exhaust
losses at different operating and pressure-
setting conditions. In this configuration,
there is a single flow of steam in the IP sec-
tion, so the velocity of the exiting steam
risesas do losses. In some installations a
conventional double-flow IP flow will al-
low a more equitable flow distribution when
each IP flow will be connected to one dou-
ble-flow LP module.
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PLANT DESIGN
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Seals. In addition to using conventional,
noncontact labyrinth seals, ST manufactur-
ers have introduced new sealing technologies
in an effort to further reduce leakage losses.
Several sealing methodologies used in GTs,
such as abradable seals and brush seals, have
found their way into ST applications. Such
designs could reduce leakage flow by 20%,
compared to the use of uncoated seals.
In addition, brush seals are becoming stan-
dard features in advanced STsparticularly
in the HP and IP modules of SC and USC tur-
bines. In this type of application, the leakage
flow is reduced by 50%, compared with that
of a conventional seal. The absence of any
clearance between the brush and the surface
of the part reduces leakage by 70%, poten-
tially improving overall turbine efficiency by
one-half percentage point. End users are ad-
vised to evaluate the OEMs specific experi-
ence with brush seals in each turbine section.
LP turbine LSBs. The LP turbines last-
stage blades are a key element in ST design
because they determine the turbines perfor-
mance, dimensions, and number of casings.
Increasing the length of the LSBs would re-
duce the number of LP modules required.
To overcome the shortcomings of con-
ventional, subsonic LSB design, ST manu-
facturers have devoted considerable effort
to understanding and improving the design
of stationary and rotating blades. Changing
existing traditional design boundariessuch
as supersonic relative inflow at the tip of the
rotating bladehas been evaluated by exten-
sive analytical and experimental trials with an
eye to improving user acceptance. Mechani-
cal constraints also play an important role
in the development of the new generation of
longer LSBs. Market pressure to lengthen
LSBs has led developers to use titanium al-
loys instead of steel.
In many cases, to reduce cost and devel-
opment time, dimensional scaling was used
to convert the design from one rotational
speed to another. However, dimensional
scaling, as discussed above in the context of
gas turbines, cannot eliminate the need for
hardware validation in rig tests or for run-
ning actual field applications for a substan-
tial amount of time.
Two examples of behavior that affects
the integrity and performance of LSBs over
time are stress corrosion cracking (which is
induced by the combination of tensile stress
and the corrosive environment) and exces-
sive localized moisture content (the result
of coarse-grained water lagging the impact
of steam on the blade at high tip speed). For
these reasons, experience accumulated at one
rotational speed, either 50 or 60 Hz, may not
be considered relevant proof of technology
performance.
Reconciling performance figures
The continuous evolution of STs presents
many challenges for EPC contractors respon-
sible for selecting and functionally integrat-
ing them with other power plant systems and
components.
The EPC contractor must rely on the
experience and expertise it has gained on
equipment from many manufacturers in
many project settings. Similar to GT selec-
tion, the ST selection process includes an
independent technology assessment of the
equipments operating history, engineering,
and manufacturing processes. The ST per-
formance figures offered by OEMs bidding
for a specific project must be normalized and
reconciled with the past performance of vari-
ous types of equipment in a similar configu-
ration on other projects.
The two most difficult tasks for an EPC
contractor are to identify how proposed
hardware differs from that of similar units
in operation and to determine whether the
validation process for implemented modifi-
cations was appropriate. In many cases, this
process is hindered by the need to obtain
|
April 2008 64
PLANT DESIGN
very detailed information proprietary to the
OEM.
Figure 8 exemplifies the challenges of eval-
uating performance criteria. The bars show
the internal thermal efficiencies of the HP,
IP, and LP sections of three STs configured
differently by three OEMs. This is a typical,
supercritical 800-MW application with main
steam conditions of 3,800 psia and 1,075F.
As the figure indicates, all of the module
efficiencies are fairly high. However, the dif-
ferent values reflect the suppliers use of dif-
ferent technologies and their different design
emphasis on a particular module. For exam-
ple, Supplier A designed the IP module for
the highest efficiency (96%), whereas Sup-
plier C designed for a more equal distribu-
tion of efficiency values among the modules,
producing a narrow spread between 91.5%
and 92.8%.
It is the responsibility of the engineers
comparing these offerings to determine if the
stated module performance levels are indeed
achievable. As part of this evaluation, they
must take into account the field experience
of the individual modules in that suppliers
ST, as well as the extent to which technology
has been pushed to achieve these levels of
performance.
Many thanks to David Ugolini of Bechtel
Power Corp. for his valuable contributions to
this article.
Dr. Justin Zachary
(jzachary@bechtel.com) is senior principal
engineer for Bechtel Power Corp.
and an ASME fellow.
100
97
96
95
94
93
92
91
90
89
88
87
0
I
n
t
e
r
n
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t
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m
a
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e
f
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(
%
)
Supplier A Supplier B Supplier C
Manufacturer and modules conguration
1 integral HP-IP module,
4 LP modules
1 HP, 2 IP,
4 LP modules
1 HP, 2 IP,
4 LP modules
HP IP LP
8. Different strokes. Internal ST module efficiencies for a recent 800-MW supercritical
plant with main steam conditions of 3,800 psia/1,075F reveal the different design emphases of
three suppliers. Source: Bechtel Power Corp.
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April 2008 66
CYBER SECURITY
Time to get serious about security
Managing ongoing threats to power plants digital, telecommunications, moni-
toring, control, and automation systems is no longer just a good idea. Its
an essential element of superior plant operations and now a regulatory
requirement as well, thanks to new critical infrastructure protection stan-
dards recently approved by FERC.
By Timothy E. Hurst, PE, Hurst Technologies
F
or power plants, the unintended con-
sequence of going digital is dealing
with cyber security. Almost everything
that makes todays distributed control sys-
tems (DCSs) and software so powerful, con-
venient, and cost-effective also makes them
vulnerable to cyber attacks.
For years, the plants themselves were less
vulnerable to such attacks than corporate in-
stitutions or the public at large because DCSs
relied on proprietary protocols. But those
systems were pried open to make them more
interoperable, remotely accessible, and less
costly. Now they use open software standards
and protocols.
The opening up of plant systems has
blurred the distinction between them and cor-
porate information systems. Watching a plant
engineer use a cell phone or PDA to call up a
plants performance data and real-time oper-
ating parameters drives home the point. The
lines of communication are now many and
varied (see figure) and therefore vulnerable
to intruders.
Crazy cyber quilt
Most plants manage cyber security by mak-
ing a seemingly endless series of patches and
security updates to their control and informa-
tion systems. However, few plants have the re-
sources to track the rise of viruses, worms, and
other threats targeting them. Some plants rely
on automated services provided by their DCS
or software vendor. Thats convenient, but it
also creates additional lines of vulnerability.
Another level of complexity is introduced by
the many DCS operating requirements that do
not support the type of security models used
by the rest of the IT industry.
The future, unfortunately, is even more
complicated. New cyber security standards
for critical infrastructure protection (CIP)
that were approved in January by the Fed-
eral Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
have changed the landscape. In short, the new
standards (and other business drivers) will
force plants to be proactive, rather than reac-
tive, in their approaches to cyber security.
Asset managers seeking to counter the
cyber security threat face a multifaceted
challenge:
In the zone. Cyber security experts recommend dividing up the meta organization into zones requiring different protection schemes.
Source: Trent Nelson, Cyber SecurityWho Needs It? Idaho National Laboratory, Department of Homeland Security (April 18, 2007)
Wireless
access points
Controller/RTU/
PLC/IED
Field Comm Buss
Field locations
CS
modem
pool
Control system
Field device
Communications
Interface
Infrastructure
Data
acquisition
server
Applications
server Historian
Database
server
Conguration
server
HMI
computers
Engineering
workstation
Zone 1
Zone 3
Zone 4
Zone 2
Backup
control
center
Remote
business
peers
Dedicated
comm path
Internet
External
communications
infrastructures
External
VPN access
CS
rewall
External
business comm.
server
WWW
server DB/historian
Security
server
Authentication
server
Corp FDX
Corp
modem
pool
Corporate
rewall
Control system LAN
Compartmentalized CS DMSs
Corporate LAN
Compartmentalized corporate DMZs
Business
servers
Business
workstations
Web applications
servers
E-mail
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FTP
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DNS
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Web
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Authentication
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Wireless
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points
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|
April 2008 68
CYBER SECURITY
The realm of plant automation and control
is clashing head-on with that of corporate
IT (see table). Digital systems may ad-
vance rapidly, but they become obsolete
just as quickly. Each new technology para-
digm, such as the smart grid, potentially
adds another level of vulnerability.
Many plant staffs have already been pared
to the bone. Site expertise in cyber issues
is rare to nonexistent.
The new CIP standards (see sidebar)
which were developed by the North Amer-
ican Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC),
FERCs designated national electrical
reliability organizationare ambiguous
at best and arguably not even standards at
worst. FERCs authority to implement and
enforce mandatory reliability standards is
being challenged by many lawsuits. (For
a listing and summaries of the cases, go
to www.ferc.gov/legal/court-cases/pend-
case.asp.) The suits dont lessen the need
for CIP projects, even if those suits take
years to settle.
Corporate owners have to meet other ob-
ligations, such as public disclosure in
the event of revenue flow disruption as
a result of a cyber incident. Thats the
word from Effective Practices for Secur-
ing Distributed Control Systems in Power
Generation Facilities, a white paper pub-
lished by Symantec Enterprise Solutions
and downloadable from https://www4
.symantec.com/Vrt/offer?a_id=20174.
Many plants today are linked, through
wired or wireless connections, to central-
ized performance-monitoring facilities,
employees responsible for multiple sites,
mobile plant employees, corporate staff,
vendors providing outsourced services,
and even government agencies that moni-
tor stack emissions. This so-called meta
organization offers multiple points of
vulnerability exploitable by miscreants.
Plant assets include DCS or control sys-
tems of varying vintages, versions, and
variations, depending on past modifica-
tions at the plant level.
Beyond CIP compliance
Although space constraints preclude a deep
discussion of the details, the new CIP stan-
dards cover the following areas: critical cy-
ber-security asset identification, security
management controls, personnel and train-
ing, electronic security perimeters, physi-
cal security of critical cyber assets, systems
security management, incident reporting
and response planning, and recovery plans
for critical cyber assets. The full texts of the
standards are available at www.nerc.com.
Most governmental and quasi-governmen-
tal standards become the equivalent of the
minimum daily requirement for nutrition. That
is, they set the floor, not the ceiling, for com-
pliance. However, for the purposes of actually
protecting your revenue-producing assets, you
need to think beyond these standards. Secu-
rity experts note that many of the vulnerability
scenarios are not well-understood.
For example, suppose someone secretly in-
stalled viruses or worms on DCS systems at
multiple plants and synchronized their activa-
tion so controls or equipment would be dis-
abled at a specific time in the future. Think of
these lines of code as errant Y2K-like tickers
lurking in multiple systems. Suddenly, an as-
set that wouldnt be considered critical be-
comes critical because it is linked with other
assets that would be crippled at the same time.
This is the kind of scenario that keeps cyber
security experts up at night. Last fall, a video
marked Official Use Only was obtained by
the Associated Press. Thought to have been
produced by The Department of Homeland
Security and Idaho National Laboratory, it
shows an industrial turbine spinning out of
control and being destroyed after having been
commandeered by hackers in a mock attack.
Aspect IT systems DCS
Anti-virus/mobile code Common/widely used Uncommon/impossible to deploy
Support technology lifetime 35 years Up to 20 years
Outsourcing Common/widely used Rarely used
Application of patches Regular/scheduled Slow (vendor-specic)
Change management Regular/scheduled Rate?
Time-critical content Delays generally accepted Critical due to safety
Availability Delays generally accepted 24 x 7 x 365, forever
Security awareness Good in both private and public sector Poor except for physical
Security testing/audit Scheduled and mandated Occasional testing for outages
Physical security Secure Remote and unmanned
IT systems and plant distributed control systems (DCS) treat aspects of
cyber security very differently. Source: Trent Nelson, Cyber SecurityWho Needs
It? Idaho National Laboratory, Department of Homeland Security (April 18, 2007)
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April 2008
|
CYBER SECURITY
Another way for plants to approach the
new cyber security regime is to think like
a nuke. Conceptually, managing threats and
vulnerabilities, whether physical or cyber,
involves the same methodologies. Nuclear
plants have decades of experience in this area
that could be tapped to improve the security
of the U.S. fossil-fueled fleet.
Eventually, the NERC standards may get
everyone on the same page. In the meantime,
plants need to find some middle path between
conducting business as usual and trying to
meet the letter of a treaty that hasnt yet been
ratified. Some suggested actions for plant
managers to take while the industry waits for
more specific instructions from regulatory
agenciesor the courtsfollow.
Appoint someone to manage or be
responsible for cyber security. CIP is no
longer something that can be outsourced,
treated as a DCS vendor service, or tossed
over to corporate. The responsible entity
(FERCs jargon) must be given the resources
and the budget to get the job done.
Think of cyber security as another
function. Treat it as you would environmental
health and safety (EHS). Almost every plant
has an EHS department or an EHS coordina-
tor. The same should be true for cyber security.
At the very least, someone needs to follow
what happens to the NERC standards as they
wind their way through the legal challenges.
Conduct a security assessment of all
of your digital systems and equipment.
Also make sure you have the latest cyber se-
curity expertise on your team. That could be
accomplished in conjunction with a configu-
ration management (CM) program to identify
and bridge gaps between the DCS or plant
computer and the myriad software and per-
formance applications and communications
gateways.
The problem is, many DCS systems ei-
ther lack a CM tool, or what they provide is
incompatible with other constraints facing
the plant. CM is the control system equiva-
lent of having updated engineering drawings
of physical equipment, as opposed to as-
built drawings of the original plant design.
For most plants, cyber security represents a
new functional requirement that wasnt there
when the plant was designed. Note that CM is
absolutely essential at nuclear plants, which
have used it for years.
Begin to develop a set of written (or
documented) policies and procedures to
address cyber security issues. It is no lon-
ger enough to do things ad hoc or to rely on
word of mouth.
Timothy E. Hurst, PE (timh@hursttech
.com) is president of Hurst Technologies
(www.hcinc.com), a consulting engineer-
ing firm specializing in instrumentation
and control systems for nuclear and
fossil-fueled power stations. He also is a
POWER contributing editor.
New CIP standards leave much discretion to plant owner/operators
Critical infrastructure protection (CIP) standards developed by the
North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) evolved from be-
ing very specific in their initial drafts to being somewhat ambigu-
ous in their final, approved versions. For example, they require
risk-based assessments of asset vulnerability (POWER, March 2008,
p. 18) and are procedural, rather than prescriptive.
In fact, it is up to plant owner/operators to determine which
of their assets are subject to the CIP standards. NERC offers little
guidance here; it defines critical assets in the broadest terms as
generation resources that support the reliable operation of the
bulk electric system.
Heres where the taxonomy of CIP, as applied to power plants,
becomes complex and hard to navigate. Nuclear plants are exempt
from the standards because their security aspects are regulated by
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. And the standards only ap-
ply to systems using Internet protocol communications, and only
to NERC-registered entities. Confusing things even further, some
large owner/operators, such as the federal power authorities, deal
with cyber security using other regulatory frameworks, including
those promulgated by the National Institute for Standards and
Technology.
The CIP standards, on the one hand, purport to give plant own-
er/operators flexibility in meeting the standards and in assessing
vulnerabilities on a regional basis. At the same, they allow every
owner/operator to apply its own methodologies and definitions.
This is reminiscent of the flexible mark-to-market accounting
and other standards that merchant energy companies applied lib-
erally and that destroyed Enron and its employees nest eggs. One
has to ask, are the new CIP rules even standards in the conven-
tional sense of the word?
The definition of a critical asset becomes even more ambiguous
when you consider the fundamental design of the nations bulk
power system. For example, every NERC reliability region main-
tains a reserve margin of generating capability above the highest
expected peak daily demand. Given that, what generating resource
could be considered absolutely critical for bulk supply? Some utili-
ties argue that, because they already design their facilities to
meet the so-called N-1 contingency (the loss of any one element),
there are no critical assets from a cyber security perspective.
The other important aspect of the standards is that owner/op-
erators are expected to be in compliance and auditable by 2009,
less than a year from now.
For the most part, the CIP standards will require additional pro-
cesses, procedures, and documentation at power stations, at least
until some of the ambiguity is removed by challenges and law-
suits. So at this point, CIP compliance (for personnel training, for
example) would appear to include the following requirements:
A critical asset plant must maintain a list of personnel with
authorized cyber or authorized unescorted physical access to
critical cyber security assets and update that list quarterly
to add new contractors and service personnel and delete old
ones.
The plants responsible entity (RE) must establish, maintain,
and document a security awareness program.
The RE must establish, maintain, and document an annual cyber
security training program.
The RE shall put a documented personnel risk assessment pro-
gram in place.
From the plants perspective, the only conclusions that can be
drawn are: (1) paperwork requirements will increase, (2) the lawyers
have plenty more to argue about, and (3) the FERC-approved NERC
CIP standards, however ambiguous, at least will force everyone to
make cyber security improvement yet another continuous perfor-
mance improvement objective on which plants will be evaluated.
|
April 2008 70
PLANT DESIGN
Castejon 2: Ready to reign in Spain
The new, 424-MW Castejon 2 combined-cycle plant designed and built by Alstom
was recently given its provisional acceptance certificate. Alstom used its
Plant Integrator approach to fast-track delivery of a plant just like Castejon
1, which averaged 98% availability during its first three years of operation.
That kind of performance is crucial to generators operating in the Spanish
merchant power marketor any market.
By Peter Ladwein, Alstom Power
S
pain, the fifth-largest electricity mar-
ket in the European Union, expects
annual demand growth of about 3.5%
over the next five years. At the same time,
the country is committed to a 20% reduction
in its CO
2
emissions by 2012. Meanwhile,
Spains 100% merchant power market means
that producers need maximum flexibility
from their plants.
In 2005, HC Energaa combination
natural gas and electric utility that became
part of Portugals EDP Group the prior
yearawarded Alstom a contract to build a
400-MW combined-cycle plant adjacent to
the utilitys existing Castejon 1 unit.
An important requirement for HC Energa
was operational flexibilitythe ability to
operate in baseload or part-load mode or in-
termittently, with fast start-up and shutdown
times. Such flexibility is especially important
in the region of Navarra, where Castejon is
located. Navarra now has several wind farms
whose intermittent output must be backed up
by fossil-fueled capacitybut not by pure
baseload plants, as is the case in the U.S.
Spain uses combined-cycle plants in the re-
gion to take up the slack. Accordingly, they
must be able to operate at partial load when a
lot of wind power is being produced but also
be capable of ramping up to full load quickly
when wind speeds fall.
Leveraging the GT design
Castejon 2 (Figure 1) is powered by a single
combined-cycle system that Alstom calls the
KA26-1 because one of its two prime movers
is the companys GT26 gas turbine (GT). The
other is an Alstom STF15c steam turbinea
floor-mounted, two-casing, reheat unit that
shares a shaft with the gas turbine.
The third major subsystem of the KA26-1
is a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG)
that links the two turbines in a conventional
way. Hot exhaust gases leaving the gas tur-
bine at over 1,100F fire the HRSG, a triple-
pressure, natural circulation unit with a
horizontal internal arrangement.
1. Overachiever. High availability and reliability, as well as predictable O&M costs, were key
design requirements for Castejon 2. Courtesy: Alstom Power
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April 2008 72
PLANT DESIGN
However, it is the design of the GT-26
that makes the KA26-1 more fuel-efficient
when it operates at less than full load. Each
of the turbines two individually controlled
combustor chambers has three variable guide
vanes that can be manipulated to optimize
the air flow through them for maximum ef-
ficiency and minimum emissions. Moving
the vanes during low-load operation makes
it possible to reduce air mass flow to 60%
of the full-load level while maintaining the
turbines exhaust temperature at the nomi-
nal level. Doing so ensures that the thermo-
dynamic quality of overall combined-cycle
combustion remains nearly constant. As a re-
sult, the system efficiency of the KA26-1 at
50% load, for example, is about 12% higher
than that of a conventional combined-cycle
power plant.
Castejon 2 uses the latest version of the
GT26, which sports a higher power output
and an improved operational range in part-
load service. The KA26-1 has a net capac-
ity of 424 MW and a net plant efficiency of
58.5% at ISO conditions.
The GT26 gives HC Energa fuel flexibil-
ity as well as operational flexibility. Normal-
ly, Castejon 2 runs on natural gas, but it can
also automatically switch to oilthe backup
fuelif gas supplies are curtailed. The tur-
bine can burn gas of various qualities, within
certain parameters.
The shaft shared by the gas and steam tur-
bines also drives Alstoms hydrogen-cooled
TOPGAS generator. During start-ups, the
steam turbine is disconnected from the gen-
erator by activating a self-synchronizing
clutch.
The final notable feature of Castejon 2s
design is an inlet fogging system that in-
creases the GT26s output by as much as 10
MW when ambient temperature is high and
the plant requires additional cooling (Figure
2).
Ready for anything
For operational flexibility, the KA26-1 com-
bined-cycle system can be run at loads that
are less than 40% of its maximum rating.
This ability is important not just for back-
ing up wind farms; given the systems fuel
efficiency, it also enables HC Energa to turn
a profit from Castejon when market condi-
tions reduce the need for regional generation
(Figure 3).
The KA26-1s excellent part-load efficien-
cy and operational flexibility also allow the
utility to earn extra revenue by maximizing
the time that Castejon spends feeding its full
load into the local grid. For example, after an
eight-hour shutdown, full-load operation can
be resumed in less than one hour. From the
low load point, full load can be reached in a
matter of minutes.
Just as importantly, thanks to the GT26s
two combustion chambers, Castejon 2 meets
or exceeds regional air emission standards,
even at partial load. Commissioning tests
produced values that are well below the re-
quired levels at 100% load for NO
x
(50 mg/
m
3
), volatile organic compounds (2 ppmv),
and CO (10 ppmv). At 70% load, CO emis-
sions were 40 ppmv.
Construction challenges
Alstoms ability to design and build all of
Castejon 2s main systems in-house offered a
number of advantages. The main one was the
possibility of integrating the gas and steam
turbines, the HRSG, and other key equipment
in a way that maximizes the plants opera-
tional and fuel flexibility while minimizing
its emissions.
Because it was Castejon 2s engineering/
procurement/construction (EPC) firm as well
as its systems supplier, Alstom was also able
to overcome other project challenges, such
as reducing equipment lead time. This is the
main benefit of the companys Plant Inte-
grator approach.
The main challenge for Castejon 2 was
timely project completion, and it met that
challenge in just 24.5 months. The sched-
ule allowed for only week between signing
of the EPC contract and awarding of the
2. Versatile cooling system. Castejon 2s cooling tower can operate either in wet mode
or in hybrid (wet/dry) mode to eliminate troublesome plumes. Courtesy: Alstom Power
3. Works well with others. A key project requirement was excellent part-load perfor-
mance, to facilitate the plants dispatching on a grid that seeks to maximize wind power produc-
tion. Courtesy: Alstom Power
April 2008
|
projects notice to proceed. It also made no provision for a pre-en-
gineering phase. Meeting the fast-track deadlines required Alstom
engineers to think long and hard about constructability during the
design phase. During that phase, several system designs were opti-
mized with an eye to implementing and commissioning them easily
and quickly.
For example, the HRSG chosen has a 10-module heat exchanger
that usually requires a lot of piping work to be done on-site. To save
time, Alstom prefabricated the 10 modules prior to delivering them
to Castejon. Similarly, most control and electrical systems also were
supplied as prefabricated modules that had only to be interconnected
on-site. All gas turbine and steam turbine internal piping also was
prefabricated to the maximum possible extent.
Another tenet of Alstoms Plant Integrator approach is to tackle
civil worksespecially underground infrastructureearly. Doing so
minimizes interference with construction and erection activities per-
formed later in the project.
To save additional time and money, Alstom made several interfaces
to the existing Castejon 1 plant. Those interfaces enabled the use of
common systems (such as the balance-of-plant gas system and the
raw water and wastewater systems) and made it possible to use me-
dium-voltage boards for both plants (enabling separate panels to be
used for each). In designing the interfaces, a key goal was to minimize
the time that Castejon 1 had to be shut down while those interfaces
were installed. In fact, all of the interfaces were implemented during
a planned outage of the older plant, so there was no impact on its
commercial operation.
Another important enabler of fast-track execution was a system-
oriented approach to work that allowed the erection and commission-
ing of different systems at the same time. Safety was another focus of
construction activities. The Castejon 2 project was completed while
meeting all the demanding health and safety requirements of both HC
Energa and Alstom, without any serious accidents during more than
1 million man-hours of work.
The new plants noise was yet another consideration. Alstom mini-
mized it during the design phase by increasing the surface area of the
Castejon 2s air intake system and optimizing its air duct design.
Fast-track milestones met
Alstom signed the contract to build Castejon 2 on December 21, 2005,
and the projects notice to proceed was effective one week later. All
main foundation work was completed 10 months following project
kick-off, and all main structural steel was erected a month later.
Erection of the main equipment began 12 months after the notice
to proceed. The first big piece of equipment to arrive on-site was the
TOPGAS generator. It was followed by the GT26 gas turbine and
then, one month later, the STF15c steam turbine.
Cold commissioning began just 15 months after project kick-off.
Hot commissioning commenced just 20 months after contract signing.
Hoping for a repeat
During its first three years of commercial operation, Castejon 1
achieved 98% availability, on average. HC Energa has been quite
satisfied with that figureand with the plants great operational flex-
ibility and start-up reliability.
HC Energa expects that Castejon 2 will perform just as well. Al-
stom believes that that is indeed possible, and not just because it has
optimized the design and integration of the KA26-1 and its major sub-
systems. Indeed, the company will help determine whether Castejon
2 is successful by fulfilling its obligation under a separate contract to
provide long-term O&M support to the plant.
Peter Ladwein is the Castejon 2
project director for Alstom Power.
PLANT DESIGN
|
April 2008 74
The aging workforce:
Panic is not a strategy
Leaders in the utilities sector talk a lot these days about talent. On one hand,
they express concern about facing a shortage of knowledgeable staff as 76
million baby boomers exit the workforce. On the other, they worry about
where theyll find enough qualified people to remain competitive in light
of the fierce battle for engineering talent that globalization has created.
The antidote to these worries lies in reconfiguring HR practices.
By Jeff Akin, Booz Allen Hamilton
M
ost top utility managers treat their
aging workforce problem (Figure
1) as either a retention or a recruit-
ment crisis. If they focus on retention, they
may respond to the demographic challenge
with panic, offering unsustainable incen-
tives in the hopes of retaining older work-
ers. But incentive packages rarely take into
account the way career paths have changed,
the number of skilled retirees willing to do
contract work, or the decoupling of service
from location made possible by flexible grids
and a global talent pool. Failing to recognize
these choices, organizations run the risk of
saddling their companies with a labor force
incapable of adjusting to new paradigms of
utility service.
Leaders focused on recruitment often try
to deal with the aging workforce challenge
by hiring people to replace those who have
left, or by rehiring retirees (Figure 2). But
this recruit-to-replace approach simply puts
new bodies into the existing pipeline without
considering how automation and process in-
novation have already changed the nature of
utility work. Attempting to replace traditional
talent poolswhether craft workers or tiered
managersalso perpetuates inefficiencies
in the industry. Unfortunately, recruit-to-re-
place tactics are proving useful only as a way
for executives to lay low while waiting for
the climate to improve.
But neither panic nor laying low is ef-
fective in this environment, because both
responses are based on false assumptions.
Panic presumes that the current workforce
challenge is a singular event caused by a de-
mographic aberration, while waiting it out
presumes that the underlying cause is simply
a fluctuation in the business cycle.
In fact, the talent crunch is a tectonic shift
in the nature of the economy and in the ar-
chitecture of how work gets done. The real
problem that utilities face is a knowledge
crisisa transformation in how knowledge
is valued, leveraged, and distributed in the
marketplace.
This shift is fundamental and permanent.
It means that organizations seeking to build
forward-looking infrastructures must assess
2. Survey says. An AARP survey of 400 businesses in New York State conducted in late 2006
sheds light on the tactics companies are using to prepare for a workforce shortage caused by the
wholesale retirement of baby boomers. Most survey respondents said their firms have tried at
least one tactic tested in the surveymost often, improving technology. Very few are currently
offering incentives to delay retirement, but many are hiring older workers. About seven in 10 are
assessing their current workforce, increasing training opportunities, and hiring younger workers.
Source: Preparing for an Aging Workforce: A Focus on New York Businesses, AARP, May 2007
0 20 40 60 80 100
Institute succession planning
Re-hire retired workers
Change recruitment efforts
Conduct workforce planning
Offer alternative work arrangements
Hire younger workers
Increase training opportunities
Assess current workforce
Hire older workers
Improve technology
Percentage of responding companies
1. Brain drain. A large percentage of utility workers are expected to retire in the next few
years. Even more are eligible for retirement. Source: U.S. Department of Labor
Electrical technicians
Maintenance technicians
Pipetters & plumbers
Mechanical technicians
First-line supervisors
Power plant operators
Nuclear technicians
Reactor operators
Nuclear engineers
Electrical power linemen
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 100
Percentages of key utility workers, by specialty, expected to retire by 2012.
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April 2008 76
how the roles that people play in the enter-
prise are changing. Doing so is particularly
important for utilities because the nature of
the physical infrastructure that supports the
industry is changing. As smart technologies
facilitate the creation of highly efficient, de-
centralized, and flexible grids, the way that
people are organized to deliver services must
also be reconfigured. As the market reshapes
demand, talent in the utilities sector must be
aligned to reflect the operation of the post-
industrial grid.
Five steps forward
Making this realignment in a technological-
ly and process-savvy way requires leaders
to develop bold and comprehensive talent
plans based on the recognition that human
capital is the primary value in the post-in-
dustrial marketplace. These plans must sus-
tain structures that are fluid enough to permit
the smooth transmission of ideas and inno-
vations. At the same time, they must also
support the development and emergence of
leaders with the skills to match talent with
opportunity and to encourage entrepreneur-
ship at every level.
Such a shift would represent a radical de-
parture for utilities, which have traditionally
lagged in human capital innovation. Given
the scope of the challenge, the road ahead
might seem rocky. But Booz Allen Hamil-
tons experience working with industry lead-
ers suggests that the following five practices
can help utilities create a platform that ad-
dresses emerging talent demands.
Redefine knowledge management.
Knowledge management has traditionally
been considered an IT function, a way to ar-
chive competencies that can be plugged into
the larger structure. But knowledge embed-
ded in IT often cant adapt or grow to meet
changing needs. True knowledge manage-
ment does not reside in technology but in
what people know and do and how they share
their knowledge with others. Only a compre-
hensive mapping of individual capabilities
within the organization can accurately reveal
where knowledge resides and needs to be
adapted or retained.
Organizations talk about people being
assets, but the real asset is the knowledge
that people apply. To develop and retain this
knowledge, it must be woven into the insti-
tutional fabric of the organization. This can
only be done if an organization provides to
its business units a suite of practices that cap-
ture and develop the strengths of individuals.
These practices, whether craft-based appren-
ticeships or formal mentorships for managers,
must be flexible enough to serve the needs
of individual units yet consistent enough to
support the organizations culture. For that to
be the case, knowledge management must be
jointly owned by Human Resources and the
business units.
Foster flexibility. Smart grids allocate
power according to real-time demand, de-
livering service in response to constantly
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Senate taskforce advises removing age barriers
This February, chairman of the U.S. Senate
Special Committee on Aging, Herb Kohl
(D-Wis.), and ranking member Gordon H.
Smith (R-Ore.) released findings of the
Taskforce on the Aging of the American
Workforce. The taskforce was created at
the request of Senators Kohl and Smith
in an effort to expand opportunities for
older Americans who choose to remain in
the workforce and to develop proposals to
address the challenges and opportunities
of an aging workforce.
By 2025, labor force growth is ex-
pected to be less than a fifth of what it
is today, said Sen. Smith. The goal of
the taskforce is to prevent this dramatic
decline through strategies that encourage
extended work life and remove barriers
that hinder seniors from working longer.
This report is a good first step in what
must be an ongoing effort to ensure that
the door stays open for our seniors who
wish to remain an active part of the U.S.
workforce.
Launched in May 2006, the Taskforce
on the Aging of the American Workforce
was charged with identifying two different
kinds of strategies. The first is to enhance
the ability of older Americans to remain in
or re-enter the labor market by pursuing
self-employment opportunities. The sec-
ond is to encourage businesses to take full
advantage of this skilled labor pool. Sen-
ate hearings on removing institutional ob-
stacles that discourage older workers from
remaining in the workforce are scheduled
this summer.
The taskforces report is available at
www.doleta.gov/reports/FINAL_Taskforce
_Report_2-11-08.pdf.
April 2008
|
changing needs. Because demand for the
product deliveredelectricityis flexible,
the organizational and talent infrastructures
that support it must be flexible as well.
Cross-training and matrixing help pro-
mote collaboration because both practices
together constitute a flexible system for al-
locating workforce talent. Other helpful
practices include promoting career mobility
within the organization, job sharing, and pro-
viding semi-retired workers with a customer
for their skills: their former employer (see
sidebar).
By contrast, tenure-based systems that
promote talent based on seniority or quota-
based diversity equations inhibit an organiza-
tions ability to attract and retain talent. The
more receptive an organization is to a variety
of work arrangements, the more its structure
and operations will mirror those of the effi-
cient smart grid on the horizon.
Support transparency. The deregulation
of retail electricity markets has created de-
mand for more transparent utility businesses.
Just as buyers of products and services want
to know their options so they can make in-
formed choices, talented people want their
organizations to share information that could
affect their careers. Individuals who under-
stand the value of their knowledge want to
control their professional destinies. They
wont accept being told, I know better by
a boss.
As a result, companies with progressive
talent policies have begun posting job open-
ings across divisions in open forums. In these
organizations, people dont need to get per-
mission before responding to an opening in
another division; their own initiative or in-
terest is sufficient. Leaders in these organi-
zations recognize that scarce talent must be
optimized across business units, levels, and
functions, and that transparency is essential
to achieving that goal.
Such practices, however, are still uncom-
mon in the utilities sector. For example, one
large power provider recently lost a group
of highly skilled people in a unit that was
consolidating, even though equivalent posi-
tions were available in another unit across the
street. This company missed the chance to re-
tain a significant and highly trained pool of
talent because individual units did not share
their needs across the organization.
Decouple resources from location. Al-
though globalization makes markets less sta-
ble, it can actually make the supply of talent
more stable. Increasingly, mobile labor pools
are able and willing to migrate to wherever
their skills are in demand. The evolution of
smart and flexible information delivery sys-
tems also gives talented people access to the
tools that enable them to work in far-flung
locations.
To exploit these possibilities, organiza-
tions that rely on specialized talent must
adopt a global approach. Such an approach
responds to a shrinkage of local talent by
first evaluating how work actually gets done
and how people, processes, and technolo-
gies might become more efficient. After that,
the organization must consider the strategic
role that outsourcing could play in building
a flexible talent portfolio. Focusing too much
on building capacity or on buying talent in
specific localities can cause organizations to
miss the opportunities that the globalized la-
bor pool offers.
Although outsourcing has often been
considered a dirty word in the community-
based world of regional utilities, it can be
essential to providing the infrastructure
needed to establish robust talent alternatives.
This is especially true for firms seeking to
address scarcity in functions such as IT,
HR, procurement, and legal support. Many
have also noted that as the global economy
|
April 2008 78
has expanded, outsourcing has shifted from
being a way to lower the cost of labor to a
strategy for tapping into global centers of
excellence.
Create strategic partnerships. Utilities
have traditionally been structured as a series
of silos that rationalize the flow of informa-
tion up and down the chain of command but
permit little communication across func-
tions and levels. Transparency undermines
the power of silos by making it difficult for
them to hoard information and by encourag-
ing partnerships between and among previ-
ously isolated business units. In addition, the
collaborative architectures on which todays
technology and delivery systems are based
have begun to erode silos in even the most
hidebound organizations.
Collaborating with HR
The biggest obstacle to the development of a
true knowledge organization is the silo that
divides strategy from Human Resources. In
the new world of electric utilities, strategic
capacity and dexterity depend on the devel-
opment of flexible talent infrastructures.
Knowledge can become embedded in the
processes, practices, and fabric of the or-
ganization only if it is fully integrated into
business units. For this to occur in a coor-
dinated way, HR must become a partner in
developing the organizations strategy.
This requires a new mindset among
business unit leaders who have become ac-
customed to thinking of HR executives as
staff, expert only in their specific disci-
pline or domain. It also requires a mental
shift among HR managers who have be-
come comfortable being categorized in this
limited way. HR leaders seeking to break
down silos and gain credibility as strategic
partners must sharpen their business skills
and focus their efforts on actively promot-
ing the growth of the business. At the same
time, management of the transactional and
customer service aspects of the HR function
must continue, often with greater demands
than before.
HR is most effective when it models a
collaborative approach with business units
while emphasizing its commitment to peo-
ple. There are many tactical ways to achieve
this, including developing programs that sup-
port career mobility and deploying systems
for housing internal rsums that support
cross-referencing. On the strategic level, HR
should take the lead in identifying business
opportunities that result from the skillful le-
veraging of human capital and in positioning
itself as the standard-bearer for transforma-
tive change. HR should also work to do a bet-
ter job of selling this vision throughout the
organization.
A forward-looking strategic partnership
starts with a proactive evaluation of the criti-
cal workforce capabilities needed over the
next decade and the creation of maps that
identify talent gaps before they arise. These
maps can provide a basis for detailed plans
that identify which capabilities can be devel-
oped, added to the existing pipeline, or off-
shored.
No time to lose
As is often the case, the aging workforce
crisis is actually an opportunityfor util-
ity leaders to transform their approach to
the recruitment, management, and develop-
ment of human talent. Cultural change will
inevitably spark resistance that leaders must
counter by addressing leadership and suc-
cession issues to ensure that those in leader-
ship positions understand the scope of the
present transformation.
Its also critical that top managers under-
stand how quickly the transformation must
occur. Although the aging of the utility work-
force has long been on the industrys radar
screen, the need to address it is becoming
acute (see table). Nothing less than a fresh
understanding of how talent is leveraged will
ensure utilities sustainable competitiveness
in the years ahead.
Jeff Akin (akin_jeffrey@bah.com)
is a principal with Booz Allen Hamilton,
where he leads the firms
Human Capital Management business
for private-sector clients.
ITS ALL COVERED.
May 6 8, 2008
Baltimore Convention Center
www.electricpowerexpo.com
COAL. GAS.
NUCLEAR.
RENEWABLES.
Percentage distribution
of employment,
by age group, 2006
Age group Utilities All industries
Total
16 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 and older
100.0
0.4
3.3
15.5
26.1
38.2
15.3
1.2
100.0
4.3
9.6
21.5
23.9
23.6
13.4
3.7
That big boom youre hearing. Utili-
ties have higher-than-average percentages of
older workers and smaller-than-average per-
centages of younger workers, which leaves
them more vulnerable to the effects of baby
boomer retirements. Data are for electric
power generation, natural gas distribution,
and water and sewage utilities combined.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. De-
partment of Labor, Career Guide to Industries,
200809 Edition
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positioned to work both globally and locally
with our customers to deliver on the value
of EcoNomics. Our range of services and
technologies embed environmental, social,
and nancial sustainability into project delivery,
across the asset lifecycle.
www.worleyparsons.com
Write to: Power@worleyparsons.com for complete
information.
Interested in employment opportunities? Visit our career
development web site at: www.worleyparsons.com/employment
27,700
Personnel
34
Countries
105
Ofces
|
April 2008 80
EVENTS
ELECTRIC POWER 2008
offers access to the latest
products and services
If you enjoy POWER magazines New Products department, youre going to
love the ELECTRIC POWER 2008 Exhibition. Youll be able to see and feel
the latest tools of the trade and talk to the folks who provide them to the
generation industry. Heres a sneak peak at what awaits you on the exhibit
floor May 6 to 8 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
By Carey Buchholtz, TradeFair Group
PVC idler rolls
Innoveyor Inc. offers titanium-enriched
polyvinylchloride (PVC) idler rolls, which
are heavy-duty, lightweight rolls, branded
YeloRoll due to their color. The t-PVC-
based YeloRoll exceeds CEMA D standards.
In snow and ice, YeloRoll prevents buildup
that will damage the belt, slow productivity,
and eventually bring production to a halt. Its
smooth, nonporous surface rejects the grain-
ing and abrasion of steel can rolls. YeloRoll
also wont rust or corrode. It maintains a
smooth, nonstick surface that prevents belt
misalignment in any weather and offers a
250% longer shell life.
The heart of the working end of all Yelo-
Roll rolls is a high-quality, double-sealed,
self-lubricating ball bearing system. Unlike
the taper bearings used in conventional steel
can rolls, YeloRoll runs smoother, cooler, and
55% quieter. Its carbon-fiber Combi-Cap
aids in reducing noise as well as the shock
and vibration encountered in steel can sys-
tems. YeloRolls weigh 60% less than same-
sized steel can competitors.
Durable sling
Lift-It Manufacturing Co., Inc. has re-
leased three new products. The patented,
monofilament round sling cover of its in-
spectable round slings is transparent and pro-
vides for full inspection of the load-carrying
fibers, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Its available in 2,650- to 31,000-pound ver-
tical workload limits.
Dyneema is a super strong, ultralight,
polyethylene fiber that is very cut- and abra-
sion-resistant. The same yarn properties that
provide cut resistance in gloves were used
in the design of the CoverMax Sleeve, a
Slingmax solution providing the ultimate
in synthetic sling protection.
Have you ever dropped a conventional,
construction storage box? Call the manufac-
turer and youll soon discover that the box
was never designed or intended to be used to
transport materials by being lifted. Lift-It
engineered rigging boxes are specifically
manufactured for the transportation of goods
and materials as they are rigged and lifted to
the desired location.
Absorb spilled hydrocarbons
Peat Sorb is an environmentally and
user-friendly hydrocarbon absorbent that
is starting to be used by industry the world
over. Peat Sorb is a lightweight, nonbio-
degradable natural product that absorbs and
encapsulates hydrocarbons on contact, thus
rendering the hydrocarbon nonhazardous,
because it will not be released back into the
environment. This feature allows for its safe
disposal as ordinary garbage.
Peat Sorb will not pick up water but will
separate the hydrocarbon from the water. It
works on all types of hydrocarbons, such as
light and heavy oils, gasoline, diesel fuel,
polyester resins, and paints. Peat Sorb is a
fume suppressant and is nonabrasive, which
makes the workplace much safer. Clients are
reporting substantial cost savings by using
this product. Peat Sorb is available in loose
form, socks, pillows, and barrel tops.
Online corrosion coatings
life-cycle cost calculator
The American Galvanizers Association has
launched a new web-based software program
that automatically calculates the life-cycle
cost of common coating systems in compari-
son to the cost of hot-dip galvanizing. The cal-
culator, hosted at www.galvanizingcost.com,
debuted in May 2007.
For several decades, the galvanizing in-
dustry has been educating architects, engi-
neers, and specifiers about the considerable
lifetime maintenance costs of a project. Un-
til now, calculation of those costs has been
cumbersome and often completely avoided.
The new Life-Cycle Cost Calculator, based
on standard financial equations of net future
value (NFV) and net present value (NPV),
delivers a quick and detailed comparison of
initial cost, total project cost, and average
April 2008
|
EVENTS
equivalent annual cost (AEAC), all provided
in a one-page printout.
The Life-Cycle Calculator allows the
user to input variables such as environment
where a project may be located, coating sys-
tem type, shop or field application, cleaning
grade, size of project, and estimated interest
and inflation rates. This information can be
used to estimate the life-cycle cost of galva-
nizing your next electric/utility product.
Nondestructive on-line condition
assessment of T&D cable systems
CableWISE is a unique, nondestructive
on-line electrical system condition assess-
ment process that enables electric utilities
and a wide range of commercial/industrial
facilities to evaluate the condition of cable
systems, transformers, and switchgear with-
out removing them from service.
Knowing a cable systems weaknesses en-
ables owners, asset managers, and reliability
engineers to be proactive in finding and fix-
ing problems before they cause outages. Ca-
bleWISE technology can successfully detect
deterioration in cables, splices, and termina-
tions on both new and aged cable systems
while they remain energized. To date, over 50
million feet of cable system (predominantly
distribution- and transmission-class) has had
its condition assessed in the field. The tech-
nology is applicable to all cable types.
In January 2007, CableWISE was ac-
quired by UtilX Corp. to complement its
CableCURE technology and services.
Design/build services
Hohl Industrial Services Inc. will demon-
strate its comprehensive design/build ser-
vices for the power generation industry and
highlight recent work on the innovative Ni-
agara Generation LLC biofuels conversion
project. Hohl Industrials work will enable
the Niagara Generation coal-fired plant in
Niagara Falls, N.Y., to be powered by bio-
mass and tire-derived fuel.
Hohl Industrial takes complete respon-
sibility for the design, procurement, and
construction of design/build projects. Its
streamlined approach helps simplify the pro-
cess and results in dramatic benefits. These
include working with a single contract and a
single point for all communications to ensure
accuracy, simplicity, and speed. Minimal
staff are required on the customers part, and
the construction schedule is greatly improved
because design and construction activities
coincide for efficiency. No time is wasted
waiting for a complete design package, bid-
ding, walk-throughs, and bid reviews.
Hohl is an industrial contractor providing
field construction and shop fabrication ser-
vices across the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Projects are carried out at fossil fuel, nuclear,
hydro, biofuel, and wind generation sites.
Dual in-situ NO
x
/O
2
monitor
HORIBA Instruments INM-700 in-situ
monitor simultaneously captures NO
x
and O
2

concentrations at high temperatures using a
unique zirconium oxide sensor and nonex-
tractive point measurement. The analyzers
rugged, compact design allows for placement
indoors or out. The probe may be mounted
directly in the stack or close to combustion
sources through a single port.
The INM-700 enables easy installation and
operation for accurate measurement of NO
x
/
O
2
for real-time monitoring and control. It is
ideal for use in coal-fired boiler applications
such as point combustion emissions readings,
or for selective catalytic reduction systems
control, and is an inexpensive alternative to
complex shelters. Combustion modification
techniques such as low-NO
x
burners, over-
fire air injection, gas re-burn systems, boiler
tuning, or combustion optimization programs
used in emissions compliance strategies are
only a few applications suited to this ana-
lyzer. The INM-700 is the right choice for
a broad spectrum of applications spanning
cogeneration facilities, industrial processing,
and large, centralized utilities.
New PRB stacker reclaimer
Salt River Project of Phoenix, Ariz., has
awarded BRUKS Rockwood the contract
to supply two circular overpile stacker/re-
claimers (COSR) handling Powder River
Basin coal at its Springerville Generating
Station.
Rockwoods COSR is specially equipped
to handle the challenges often presented by
PRB coal. Critical performance/cost benefits
of the COSR include:
A heavy-duty design that can withstand
harsh operating conditions.
100% live storage and a fully automated
system.
Reduced operating and maintenance
costs.
Improved dusting control as compared
with other methods.
Complete U.S. supply and manufacture
for its U.S. customers.
The Rockwood COSR system has proven
its performance around the world handling
a wide range of bulk materials in extremely
harsh environments. This machine will be an
instrumental component in the Springerville
process when it begins commercial operation
in December 2009.
Generator gas manifold system
E/Ones new Generator Gas Manifold
(GGM) system is one of a range of stan-
dard or custom-designed products. From the
point where hydrogen gas is received from
the plants bulk supply or bottle manifold,
E/Ones compact GGM monitors critical H
2

|
April 2008 82
and CO
2
supply pressures and regulates the
hydrogen supply to the appropriate machine
gas pressure.
Manual isolation valves, arranged for easy
end-user access, allow operators to control
all facets of the purge process from a single
location. A safety spool is an integral fea-
ture of the GGM and ensures that danger-
ous mixtures of H
2
and air are avoided. The
GGM system is typically incorporated into
an E/One Gas Station (also available as a
stand-alone system) and is combined with a
standard Generator Auxiliary System (GAS)
display or a customized configuration that
can include a range of annunciator points
relating to both the gas and seal oil system.
Local display of critical values in the hazard
area, and interface with the turbine/generator
control system, are both standard features in
any of E/Ones GAS displays.
Ladder alleviates
suspension trauma
FrenchCreek Production Inc., a custom
manufacturer of quality fall protection and
rescue/recovery systems, has introduced the
U-RES-Q, which is designed to not only al-
leviate suspension trauma in the event of a
fall but also to allow a capable worker the
option of climbing back to the working plat-
form. The U-RES-Q is available as an op-
tion to many FrenchCreek shock-absorbing
lanyards, but it is also available as an add-on
option for any standard shock-absorbing lan-
yard and anchor.
It is common knowledge in the fall protec-
tion industry that every minute in suspension,
after a fall, is crucial. At the slightest of falls,
the lightweight U-RES-Q pouch releases
into rescue mode by automatically ejecting
a high-strength, 16-foot synthetic rescue
ladder. At that point a worker can attempt to
climb back to the working platform or sim-
ply stand on the ladder to relieve 100% of the
harness pressure, increase blood flow, and
ensure enough time for emergency response.
The U-RES-Q is to be used in conjunction
with a full-body harness and a complete fall
prevention/rescue program.
Maximize clinker grinder service
life and availability
Helmick Corp. announces multiple options
for establishing enhanced clinker grinder
availability and dependable service life. One
retrofit available is the HelMAX outboard-
mounted mechanical seal.
Helmick offers a proven mechanical seal
conversion for clinker grinders that should
exceed the lifespan of the original packing
configuration. HelMAX seals offer proven
savings, demonstrated by a 20-year history
of successful performance. Extend the life of
your clinker grinder installation by convert-
ing to HelMAX seals and eliminate the pack-
ing problems that use up your manpower and
maintenance budget.
Shaft deflection is no longer an opera-
tional concern, as the HelMAX seal attach-
es to and moves with the shaft. HelMAX
seals are installed with an 18-month service
guarantee.
Real-time baghouse data
Midwesco Filter Resources Inc. has a
new Black Box product that is an integral
part of streamlining the dust collection pro-
cess. Midwescos Black Box is designed to
be a portable and/or permanent diagnostic
system that spans the entire baghouse or dust
collector application scenario, from monitor-
ing airflow to troubleshooting and broken
Rotalign
ULTRA
OPTALIGN
smart
ALIGNEO
The right tool

for every user,
job and budget
305-591-8935 www.ludeca.com
W
a
tc
h
V
ID
E
O
O
n
lin
e
Shaft
Alignment
See us at Electric Power 2008
BOOTH #605
EVENTS
To meet our customers steam and power needs,
Indeck provides a multi product line of boilers
ranging from firetube to utility grade field
erected boiler systems. Indeck can also provide
auxiliary equipment, erection and turnkey
support to complete the race to meet your
steam and power needs.
1.800.446.3325 www.indeck.com
The Power to Deliver the Solution
More Than a Rental Company.
Coal & Wood Fired Boilers
HRSGs
Package Boilers
Water Treatment Systems
Control Systems
Coal & Wood Fired Boilers
HRSGs
Package Boilers
Water Treatment Systems
Control Systems
booth 1145
V
isit U
s A
t
B
O
O
T
H
11
4
5
Visit Indeck at booth 1145 for information about
our Keystone...Indeck Boiler...Volcano...Erie City...
International-LaMont and IBW lines as well as
custom designs for your specific needs
|
April 2008 84
EVENTS
bag detection that integrates with real-time
data. This is a vital asset for those who are
still working to achieve MACT compliance.
Strategic decisions regarding your bag-
house or dust collector require real-time data
analysis, said John Brown, hardware and ac-
cessory product manager. In our on-going ef-
fort to provide our customers with innovative
solutions to increase their plant productivity
and meet the latest market demands and short-
en their time to market, we wanted to release
the Black Box immediately. The Black Box
will enable hundreds of thousands of plant and
maintenance managers in organizations large
and small to deliver accurate real-time bag-
house/collector data in order to make strategic
decisions for continued plant operations.
Submersible drainage pumps
Grindex, the worlds third-largest supplier
of submersible drainage pumps, has imple-
mented a comprehensive restructuring as part
of its company growth strategy. The new
Grindex will soon launch an entirely new
product series of extremely hard-wearing
and service-friendly pumps. The new Grin-
dex will be a marketing and sales company
making better use of the cooperative oppor-
tunities available within the ITT group, said
Grindex Managing Director Peter Schmid.
Examples of this include research and de-
velopment and aspects of production. Our
customers will benefit from a stronger part-
ner providing high availability in terms of
products, support and service.
With our own sales company and a well-
developed global network of distributors we
shall widen our usefulness as a dewatering
partner, now being able to provide packages
that include service and technical support.
The new generation of pumps will be an im-
portant step in our new efforts in this direc-
tion, Schmid said.
Grindexs marketing of its submersible
electric pumps is focused primarily on drain-
age, sludge, and slurry pumping. Company
products are used wherever excessive water
needs to be transported. The most important
customers are construction and rental com-
panies, mines, and larger retailers.
Thermodynamic modeling tools
General Physics Corp. has released a new
version of its VirtualPlant Software for
solving power plant performance problems.
VirtualPlant 2 provides power plant profes-
sionals with new thermodynamic modeling
tools that are tightly integrated with GPs
EtaPRO System.
VirtualPlant is a first-principle-based
software simulation solution enabling us-
ers to accurately model the performance of
their fossil, combined-cycle, and nuclear
power plants in both real-time and off-line
environments. VirtualPlant users can easily
compare actual plant performance with de-
tailed model predictions to quickly identify
performance gaps.
VirtualPlant has established itself as an
easy-to-use, operations-oriented tool for
quickly assessing plant performance prob-
lems, evaluating boiler and turbine upgrades,
and forecasting plant capacity, said Richard
DesJardins, director of performance engi-
neering services. Our customers are finding
more and more uses for this powerful tech-
nology, which continues to provide addition-
al value for their EtaPRO Systems.
Membrane separation technology
for water purification
Itasca Systems Inc. will highlight water pu-
rification technology using membrane sepa-
ration. Itasca will emphasize its hollow fiber
ultrafiltration (HFUF) membrane systems,
reverse osmosis (RO) single- and double-
pass systems, and electrodeionization (EDI)
module systems.
HFUF membrane technology enables the
use of surface water supplies as power plant
feed streams. It is capable of filtering par-
ticulates down to 0.03 micron. The process
800.878.6806
www.stanleyconsultants.com
Excellent Career Opportunities Available
Feasibility Studies/Siting/Permitting
Power Plant Engineering & Design
Plant Upgrades/Retrots
Construction Management
Start up and Commissioning
Owners Engineer
Power Delivery
Visit us in Booth 1244
at Electric Power
|
April 2008 86
EVENTS
is very efficient and has high recovery rates.
The rugged PVDF membrane is resistant to
acid cleaning, caustic cleaning, and disinfec-
tion with chlorine dosing.
An RO systems cleaning ability, with a
minimum of operator time and maximum
flexibility, is an important part of design for a
power plant. Itascas custom design approach
allows for the plant engineers input on this
and all aspects of the design.
An EDI system can minimize (or elimi-
nate) the amount of acid and caustic used
for water purification in a power plant. The
EDI system will also require less space than a
conventional automatic deionizer, which will
save capital building cost.
Ion exchange resin cleaning
process
Recirculation Technologies Inc. initiated
the patent application process for its novel
cleaning chemical and process, ReStore+,
for removing organic foulants from anion ion
exchange resins. In full-scale cleaning pro-
grams at pulp and paper mills and chemical
plants, organically fouled anion resins had
substantially better capacity and salt split-
ting capacity as compared to a conventional
brine and caustic treatment called a brine
squeeze. The throughput of the anion res-
ins doubled, thereby decreasing regenerant
chemical usage by 50%.
With a product like synthetic ion ex-
change resin, which has been produced for
over 50 years, innovations are tough to come
by, said Robert Finley, president of Recir-
culation Technologies. I am proud that Bill
Bornak, a co-founder of our company, has
been able to develop a new ion exchange
resin cleaning chemical and process so novel
that we have applied for a patent. Used in
conjunction with our years of expertise in
cleaning resins, our excellent group of tech-
nical field specialists can bring a water treat-
ment system back to efficient operation.
Low-flow pumps
Gas Equipment Co. Inc., in conjunction
with Corken (a Division of Idex Corp.) will
display the newest addition to its small-flow
aqueous ammonia forwarding pumps. The
new additions are the low-flow (below 0.25
gpm and up to 3 gpm) magdrive gear pumps
operating at motor speeds. Construction ma-
terials can be either poly or stainless steel.
These gear pumps enable extremely sim-
ple and cost-effective maintenance when
required. Gas Equipment and Corken have a
long relationship of providing solutions for
ammonia-handling equipment for anhydrous
ammonia or aqueous ammonia to NO
x
-re-
duction programs.
Motor and generator service
Once known as primarily a northern New Jer-
sey company, Longo, the largest electrical-
mechanical sales and service company in the
tri-state area, is heading south. Long known
for its expertise in a broad range of products,
from motors and pumps to switchgear and
drives, Longo has established a Philadelphia
area Servicenter to provide its resources to
companies along the Philadelphia-Baltimore
corridor.
Longos scope of operation begins with
on-site testing, diagnosis, and repair. Where
necessary, field service teams are fully trained
and experienced in the removal and reinstal-
lation of even the largest and most complex
motor and pump assemblies. In-shop repairs
continue Longos tradition of quality repair
and remanufacturing.
While Longo routinely handles motors in
the thousands of horsepower and pumps with
capacities of 100,000 gpm, it also offers more
sophisticated engineering capability. Its tech-
nicians are factory-trained in the complex
service and repair of high-speed, oil-free air
compressors.
Longo is also looking ahead and moving
upward300 feet to be exact. Applying 60
years of motor/generator experience to wind
generator service is just another natural ex-
tension of Longos capabilities.
Internal joint seal
Miller Pipeline Corp. offers WEKO-
SEAL, the internal joint seala trench-
less system for internally and economically
resolving joint leakage or infiltration. Seals
are available for any pipe sized 16 inches
in diameter and larger with penetration dis-
tances in excess of 1,000 feet. The WEKO-
SEAL comes in a variety of widths but can
also be used for continuous coverage of any
distance through the company's Sleeve/Seal
capabilities. These seals are flexible rubber
leak clamps that ensure a noncorrodible, bot-
tle-tight seal around the full inside circum-
ference of the pipe-joint area. Their unique
design incorporates a series of proprietary
and patented lip seals that create a leakproof
fit on either side of the joint.
WEKO-SEAL installations are handled
by the companys confined-space-trained
experienced technicians who have handled
more than 260,000 failure-free installations
in locations throughout the U.S., Canada,
and Mexico. Hundreds of gas utilities, mu-
nicipalities, and industrial plants have made
them a vital part of their water, wastewater,
and gas pipeline maintenance and rehabilita-
tion efforts.
Advanced silicon carbide delivers
high wear resistance
Blasch Precision Ceramics InVinCer silicon
carbide parts offer excellent wear; chemical,
oxidation, and thermal shock resistance; high
thermal conductivity; and high-temperature
operation.
Blaschs new reaction bonded silicon car-
bide (SiSiC) offers the highest thermal con-
ductivity to its maximum use temperature of
1,380C. Available products include burner
nozzles, pump components, mechanical seals,
micronizers, and cyclones. Custom shapes
are also available upon request. Highly abra-
sive wear and corrosion applications include
flue gas desulfurization nozzles, burner liner
blocks, pipe bend liners, and other power
generation applications.
Blaschs recrystallized (RSiC) silicon car-
bides maximum use temperature is 1,610C.
Available products include burner nozzles
and specialized structural members, as well
as custom-shaped parts.
Innovative seal for
low-maintenance
boiler seal replacement
Expansion Joint Systems seal that allows
for minimal gas losses without high installa-
tion costs is now available. The Penetration
Slider Seal (PS Seal) may not only reduce
gas leaks on your boiler but also reduce
maintenance costs.
The PS Seal uses a floating ring design
with patented stainless steel flow. The seals
are compressed on assembly to provide mini-
mal gas leakage during operation. As particu-
lates build up in the seal and further restrict
passage of gas, the gas leakage in the seal
reduces over time. The stainless steel wire
mesh seal can be replaced easily during shut-
|
April 2008 88
EVENTS
downs, eliminating the need to replace the
entire unit.
Because these seals may be disassembled
and repaired without cutting metal piping or
welds, there is no need for specially trained
on-site service technicians to perform the
replacements. Standard sizes, 4 to 18 inches
nominal diameter, are currently available.
Axial movement is unlimited and standard
seals are designed for -inch and 1-inch
lateral movements. These units will also ac-
commodate the angular movement frequently
present from pipe distortion.
Coal car topper system stops
PRB dust emissions
Sometime this year, BNSF is expected to an-
nounce guidelines requiring the IDV.2 (In-
tegrated Dust Value Version 2) levels to be
no greater than 300 for all trains leaving the
Powder River Basin region. Spraying coal in
conjunction with better profiles is now the
railroad industrys answer to coal dust prob-
lems. Topper agents will reduce dust at lev-
els approaching 100%. These guidelines are
meant to reduce the IDV.2 levels down to 300
(which means 85% to 95% reduction in dust
levels) on all coal loads.
Midwest Industrial Supply manufac-
tures a customized Coal Car Topper System
that extends over railcars to apply Soil-
Sement on coal and other materials to keep
them from blowing into the air. The Coal Car
Topper System can have electronic detectors
on the arm that can be automated to raise and
lower as a train approaches and leaves and
efficiently apply dust suppressant to the coal.
Midwests Coal Car Topper Systems have
been successfully utilized for several years to
treat railcars at coal mines in extreme Cana-
dian temperatures.
Soil-Sement is an environmentally safe
chemical-dust-suppressant topper agent. In
order to be included in the BNSF Coal Car
Topper Study, it was subjected to and passed
the following tests: Simpson Weather Asso-
ciates Laboratory Testing, BNSF Corrosion
and Safety Testing, BNSF Performance Stan-
dards Testing, and Southern Company Burn-
ability Testing.
Hydrodynamic seal
Sulzer Pumps will be displaying its Balanced
Stator seal, an ultra-high-performance car-
tridge unit that provides lifespan and leakage
control unmatched by conventional seals.
Employing patented flexible stator geometry,
the Balanced Stator seal automatically com-
pensates for pump shaft deflections. Leakage
is predictably controlled to less than 0.03
gpm (0.11 liter/min). Maintenance-free peri-
ods extend from four to eight years.
The hydrodynamic seal design has three-
stage seal redundancy that hydrostatic seals
simply cannot match. The Balanced Stator
seal is available for any reactor coolant or
recirculation pump. Sulzer provides replace-
ment mechanical seals for other manufactur-
ers reactor coolant pumps (RCP) and installs
the Sulzer Balanced Stator seal in RCPs from
all the major original equipment manufactur-
ers. Sulzers updated Balanced Stator seal is
a proven product, ready to solve seal reliabil-
ity, maintenance, and cost problems. Sulzers
seal development and testing experience dates
from 1961, and the seals field-proven perfor-
mance through all types of transients is a mat-
ter of record. The company's on-site services
and product development capabilities make it
proficient at providing retrofit solutions.
Fast degassing
The Lectrodryer Fast Degas CO2 Evapo-
rator system allows for quick degassing of
the generator while preventing lines from
clogging due to ice formation as a result of
CO
2
expansion. The Fast Degas CO2 Evapo-
rator system helps reduce the time and cost
involved during outages by allowing the
generator to be degassed and brought back
on-line much more rapidly. This system also
provides an important safety benefit by rap-
idly blanketing the generator with inert gas
in times of upset conditions or emergency
situations.
The Lectrodryer Fast Degas CO2 Evapo-
rator system allows the generator to be fully
degassed in less than 20 minutes. The CO2
Evaporator controls the CO
2
pressure and
heats it. This system is designed to maintain
a minimum temperature where the CO
2
is
completely evaporated and at a state where
further depressurization will not form solid
particles or extremely low temperatures.
Thermal spray systems defend
against erosion and corrosion
Advancements in material manufacturing
technology have lead to the development of
PENNGUARD
Block Lining System

Phone: 412 928 4693
sales@hadek.com
www.hadek.com
PROTECTING POWER
PLANT CHIMNEYS
An FGD plant fire could destroy your chimney.
Pennguard
linings protect chimneys from fire.

So why take unnecessary risks?
The Pennguard
Block Lining System is an innovative

chimney lining with proven performance. Made of acid-
resistant borosilicate glass, this lightweight and highly
insulating lining is applied directly to flue interiors.
And it makes FGD chimneys safer.
Fire tests by Hadek show that Pennguard
linings
protect chimneys in case of fire. At temperatures
of over 500C (932F), alloy-clad flues are at risk
of collapse, and FRP flues are likely to catch fire,
even with fire retardants.
In 1996, an FGD fire at one US power station caused
1,000C (1,832F) temperatures inside a steel chimney.
The Pennguard
lining successfully protected the

chimney from collapse.
Pennguard
linings could save your chimney from

fire. Contact Hadek for your copy of the Test Report:
412 928 4693, sales@hadek.com.
Pennguard is a registered trademark of Henkel KGaA and is used
with their permission. This advertisement is not to be considered
a warranty concerning product performance.
Pennguard
linings protect
chimneys against fire. Why
take unnecessary risks?
Hadek is the expert on power plant
chimney and ductwork protection,
and a global distributor of the
Pennguard
Block Lining System.

We deliver:
Research and feasibility studies
Detail engineering
Installation supervision
Lifetime Performance
Monitoring System
10 year limited warranty
|
April 2008 90
the next generation of twin-wire electric arc
spray wires for the thermal spray coating in-
dustry to assist clients with run length reli-
ability of equipment.
Nooter Construction Co. (NCC) has
more than 110 years industrial experience. Its
affiliate companies are St. Louis Metallizing,
with 50-plus years in the shop-applied coat-
ing industry, and ArcMelt, manufacturers of
proprietary spray wires and powders. Togeth-
er, they are now capable of field-applying
high-quality thermal coatings on equipment
and components. With NCCs ability to apply
thermal coatings using the twin-wire electric
arc process, they can offer clients a highly ef-
ficient and cost-effective field-applied alter-
native to weld overlay for the protection of
equipment.
A significant advantage of using a ther-
mal coating instead of weld overlay is that
there is no heat-affected zone or metallurgi-
cal impact to the base material or substrate.
And, because there is no degradation of the
substrate, coatings maybe applied numerous
times without affecting the integrity of the
substrate material.
Collapsible workbasket
Since 1988, Lisbon Hoist Inc. has been
manufacturing equipment in the U.S. This
past year the company announced two new
products.
The 143-200/143-210 Series collapsible
workbasket (patent pending) is easy to tear
down into 11 parts. The workbasket will fit
through openings that are 18 inches round,
14.5 by 14.5 inches square, or 18 by 12 inch-
es rectangular. Assembled weight is 100 to
105 pounds, depending on whether you pur-
chase a low-headroom or standard model. Its
capacity is 500 pounds, and its available in
powder-coated yellow and blue.
The 144-010 bosun chair/bucket holders
are designed around the companys Spirit
hoist. Construction is welded aluminum, and
it is powder coated with pneumatic wheels
(or optional foam fill wheels). Bucket hold-
ers and wheels are adjustable in 1-inch incre-
ments. Bucket holders come with a padded
high-back seat for comfort, weigh 52 pounds
with bucket holders and 37 pounds without,
and have a capacity of 500 pounds.
Work chairs
United Groups new IRONHORSE Seat-
ing 4000LT sets the new standard in execu-
tive class, ergonomic seating. The companys
target was to design and engineer the finest
ergonomic chair on the market today, using
only the finest materials. The heavy-gauge,
tubular steel frame is robotically welded for
consistent quality. The easy-to-adjust, heavy-
duty automotive recliner locks the backrest
into place.
The laser-cut, 14-gauge steel seat pan pro-
vides total support for the anatomically con-
toured foam cushion. The premium grade,
high-density foam cushions are injection
molded for total tolerance control. The finest
Italian leather hides are cut on a Gerber CNC
cutter and then precisely tailored. Multi-den-
sity foam is sewn into the covers for a soft yet
POWER magazine has served
the generation industry for more
than 125 years. Now POWER is
making it easier than ever for
industry professionals to fnd
career opportunities and for
hiring authorities to fnd the best
candidates for open positions.
The Careers-in-POWER job board
on powermag.com allows visitors
to post resumes anonymously,
view the latest job positions, post
job listings, and set up personal
job alerts.
JOB SEEKERS:
Access the most recent
positions available to engineers,
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managers, and corporate and
general managers at coal,
nuclear, combined-cycle, and
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EMPLOYERS/RECRUITERS:
Attract highly qualifed candidates
by posting open positions on the
Careers-in-POWER job center.
Visit Careers-in-POWER on
powermag.com to become
part of the fastest growing site
dedicated to connecting power
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employees.
Where Does the
Industry Find Its
Best People?
EVENTS
|
April 2008 92
EVENTS
supportive feel. You will not sink into these
chairs but they will feel soft when you first sit
and remain supportive for the entire day.
The 4000LT features a full 45 degrees of
total recline. The fully articulating headrests
have received accolades as the chairs best
feature. These chairs will accommodate indi-
viduals of 6 feet, 6 inches and 350 pounds.
Environmentally safe spill
response and retrieval systems
C.I.Agent Solutions complete C.I.Agent
Rapid Response Systems are easy-to-use and
easy-to-store packages containing a variety
of spill-response materials and equipment
designed to meet hazmat needs on land and
water.
Unlike the traditional commodity spill kit,
which requires additional dollars for proper
disposal, C.I.Agent is nontoxic, noncarcino-
genic, and nonhazardous. It solidifies liquid
hydrocarbons such as gasoline, oils, diesel,
and sheen upon contact into an inert solid
rubber-like mass that floats. C.I.Agent Rapid
Response kits come in standard and custom-
ized sizes.
C.I.Agent is listed on the EPA, NCP Prod-
uct Schedule and has been pre-authorized for
use on oil spills, in free form, by the RRTs
in EPA Regions IV, III, and the Caribbean
(other regions pending). This listing does
not mean that the EPA approves, recom-
mends, licenses, certifies, or authorizes the
use of C.I.Agent on oil discharge. This list-
ing means only that data have been submitted
to the EPA as required by subpart J of the
National Contingency Plan, 300.915.
Wind energy composites
With more than 40 years of experience,
Fibergrate Composite Structures Inc. is
the leading manufacturer of fiberglass rein-
forced plastic (FRP) products for industrial
and commercial use globally. The company
is now involved in the manufacture and sup-
ply of composite wind turbine blades and
nacelles. It is also involved in providing
composite solutions for coal-fired power
plant scrubber systems, including various
internal components for both cross-flow and
Chiyoda jet bubbling reactor flue gas desul-
furization scrubbers.
Fibergrate has supplied the electric power
industry over the past 40 years with tradi-
tional FRP products such as grating, hand-
rail, ladder, and structure used for filters,
screens, catwalks, walkways, decking, and
water treatment.
Joining the StonCor Group, an operating
company management unit in the industrial
division of RPM International Inc., in 1997
added a key element to a group of companies
dedicated to combating caustic and corrosive
environments. RPM is the world leader in
specialty coatings serving both industrial and
consumer markets.
Inspections, education, and
metallurgical analysis
Long-time industry leader in boiler inspec-
tion services and educational training, United
Dynamics Corp. is coupled with the wide-
ranging metallurgical processing services of
David N. French Metallurgists. Their com-
bined services provide organizations within
the power industry complete all-inclusive
services resulting in reduced EFOR rates.
Clients experience effective results with
the availability of dual services provided
by the experience and expertise of the two
companies, which are industry leaders in
boiler inspection, education, and metallur-
gical analysis. One current client said, We
are enjoying a great year from a boiler reli-
ability standpoint and realize you contributed
to this in a major way. We appreciate what
you do and look forward to working with you
again. Another commented, We have seen
the proven track record in EFOR. Our rate
has improved from 2.43 average in our plant
in 2002 to .97 at current. We value this work-
ing relationship.
Reduce flyash loss on ignition
SAS Global Corp.s Total Solution Approach
(TSA) is a custom-tailored solution based
upon the customers specific goals. SAS works
closely with customers to identify potential
opportunities in combustion improvements
that can directly lead to reduced flyash LOI
(50% or more), reduced NO
x
emissions (20%
or more), reduced slagging, reduced fuel costs
and opacity, increased boiler efficiency and
generation, and increased flame stability using
the companys patented in-line diffusers.
One case historys specific improvements
for a Babcock & Wilcox 650-MW cell burner
with 48 DZB-4R burners fed by six MPS-89
mills firing an eastern fuel were as follows:
pre-TSA: O
2
(%, dry) = 4.5, NO
x
(lb/MBtu) =
0.463, flyash LOI (%) = 10.2; post-TSA: O
2

(%, dry) = 3.8 (16% improvement), NO
x
(lb/
MBtu) = 0.399 (14% improvement), flyash
LOI (%) = 3.1 (70% improvement)
The primary goal was flyash LOI reduc-
tion so that the ash could be sold. The pre-
TSA NO
x
was measured with SNCR and
OFA; the post-TSA NO
x
was measured with-
out OFA and SNCR. These results have been
maintained for over six months.
Stator windings
National Electric Coils high-voltage gen-
erator stator windings are available for any
configuration or brand of machine. NEC sup-
plies replacement stator windings for current
machine designs, and it specializes in the sup-
ply of windings for outdated or legacy brands
that are no longer supported by the OEMs
factories. NEC also supplies replacement
coils of the most complicated technologies,
such as a 900-degree Rebel transposition in
an inner gas-cooled winding for a 600-MW
generator, an inner water-cooled winding
for a 900-MW base-loaded generator, or an
unusual concentrically wound winding with
external transpositions for a legacy machine.
NECs new turbogenerator rotor wind-
ings are made with edge-bent or fabricated
corners. Slot sections may be made with ra-
dial, axial, and/or diagonal cooling passages.
In some cases, old copper can be refurbished
and reinsulated.
NECs proven design and manufacturing
process is ISO 9001-certified.
Water treatment
SAMCO Technologies Inc. has entered into
a licensing agreement with Rohm and Haas
Chemicals LLC (NYSE:ROH), a world
leader in the manufacture, application, and
use of ion exchange resins. The licensing
agreement grants SAMCO certain exclu-
sive marketing and manufacturing rights to
Rohm and Haas revolutionary and innova-
tive Advanced Amberpack technology for
deionization, dealkalization, and softening
of water for industrial applications. This
process utilizes a patented fractal distribu-
tion system in a packed bed countercurrent
ion exchange system that results in a near-
perfect plug flow regime and exceptional
ONE HITACHI...
ONE HITACHI...
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AQCS
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Hitachi Power Systems America, Ltd. 645 Martinsville Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 Tel: 908.605.2800
... vertically integrated to meet your
total power and environmental generation needs.
|
April 2008 94
EVENTS
separation of waste fractions during the re-
generation cycle.
SAMCO Technologies is a single-source
provider of solutions for water, wastewater,
and process purification and separation. It
supplies equipment, systems, and turnkey
facilities including a complete line of mem-
brane, ion exchange, thermal, and physical/
chemical separation capabilities. SAMCO
provides innovative, cost-effective solutions
to industrial customers by combining engi-
neering, technology, integration, manufac-
turing, and project management talent with a
unique business system design.
Aqueous ammonia
forwarding pumps
Gas Equipment Company Inc., in conjunc-
tion with Corken (a Division of Idex Corp.),
will display the newest addition to its small-
flow aqueous ammonia forwarding pumps.
The new additions are the low-flow (below
0.25 gpm and up to 3 gpm) magdrive gear
pumps operating at motor speeds. Construc-
tion can be of either poly or stainless steel.
These gear pumps offer extremely simple
and cost-effective maintenance when re-
quired. Gas Equipment and Corken have a
long relationship of providing solutions for
ammonia handling equipment for anhydrous
ammonia or aqueous ammonia to NO
x
-reduc-
tion programs.
Hazardous application LED lights
Unimar has released new LED area lights:
LEDBright (standard) and SafeSite Series
(hazardous locations fixture). Their rugged
solid-state design creates a new era in which
failed lamps and expensive relamping costs
become a thing of the past. These fixtures
will replace traditional high-pressure sodium
(HPS), metal halide (HID), and fluorescent
lighting fixtures to achieve a better, whiter
grade of lighting with an instant On feature
so they can be used as needed, thus provid-
ing higher quality lighting while eliminating
wasted energy.
The first of its kind, SafeSite is designed
to replace 75-W to 250-W HID light sourc-
es in hazardous location applications. The
fixture provides better quality light, higher
fixture efficiency, and 30% greater energy
efficiency than traditional HID light source
technology. The SafeSite and LEdBright
fixtures are perfect for applications where
shock and vibration are present, which
shortens the life of traditional lights. They
provide extremely long life (estimated 15
years) before service is required. With the
great reduction in power needed to operate
these new fixtures, they will also assist in
efforts to reduce energy use and greenhouse
gas emissions.
Return idler guard
The ASGCO SAFE-GUARD line that works
on CEMA B, C, and D series idlers up to
7 inches in diameter has been expanded to
include CEMA E & F return rollers. The
transverse support of the new heavy-duty
SAFE-GUARD is angled to provide a more
robust design that prevents bending and is
See videos of FLIRs thermal security cameras
at www.ir.com
Heat Cant Hide
See tonight and every night with FLIR
Copper theft from remote, and often unattended, power stations has reached
epidemic proportions. But the cost of a metals theft goes beyond the loss
in materials companies lose operating revenue, must repair damaged
infrastructure, and deal with stations being off-line while they repair the damage.
But with FLIR thermal security cameras, even an unattended station isnt
unprotected. FLIRs thermal cameras provide a 24/7, single-camera security
solution. They help power facility personnel see clearly at night, keeping facilities
secure and guarding against theft by seeing an intruders body heat.
FLIR helps you stay secure at night because no one can hide their heat.
The World Leader in Thermal Security Cameras
1.877.773.3547
VSR-6 at $3,499.00
Visit martin-eng.com
800- 544- 2974 or 309- 594- 2384
Fax: 309- 594- 2432
MARTI N ENGI NEERI NG
THINK CLEAN
Cleaner, Safer, More Productive

Coal Handling
MARTI N ENGI NEERI NG
guaranteed to cut dust by 98%
...And they di d i t!
Mike Schimmel pf ennig
Ameren Energy Fuels & Servi ces
At AmerenUE s Meramec Power St at i on,
we handl e t hree t o four mi l l i on t ons of
PRB coal a year. But we needed t o i n-
crease the flow rate, and control the dust.
So we decided to get some new engineered
chutes. We looked at them all...
Martin Engineering was the only supplier
to give us the written guarantee we wanted.
MARTI N
I NERTI AL FLOW
Tr ans f er
Chut es are cust om- engi neered t o mat ch
our coal, our conveyors, and our operating
requi rement s. These comput er- model ed
hood- and- spoon chutes mi ni mi ze i mpact,
control air flow, and reduce dust.
And Mar t i n Engi neeri ng guarant eed t he
new chut es woul d cut our dust l evel s by
98%. We coul dn t bel i eve they woul d put
that i n wri ti ng.
Now, fl ow rate i s up, ti me needed to fi l l
the bunkers is down.
And the before-and-after testing shows the
dust has been reduced by more than 98%.
Just like they said. They did what they said
they would do. Thats the real stor y.
Mike Schimmelpfennig
General Executive - Coal Operations
Ameren Energy Fuels & Services
St. Louis, Missouri
|
April 2008 96
EVENTS
sized to fit over CEMA E & F return roller
brackets. Both the mounting brackets as well
as the end plates are made from powder-coat-
ed A-36 steel.
ASGCO has long recognized the impor-
tance of ensuring safety in the workplace.
The lightweight, ASGCO SAFE-GUARD
return idler guard was designed to prevent
injuries from pinch points and to catch the
return idler if it should fall. Installation of
SAFE-GUARD on a conveyor belt return
idler helps to protect workers from the hazard
of contacting the exposed idler.
The durable UHMW slotted cage is de-
signed to prevent material build-up and
enable easy clean-up. Removing just two
stainless steel pins to drop open the side of
the cage gives full access to the roller and
allows for ease of replacement and mainte-
nance. All ASGCO SAFE-GUARDs are fully
adjustable for a wide range of idler sizes and
belt widths up to 96".
Investment Banking Services
announces new director
Investment Banking Services (IVS), a sis-
ter company of BIC Alliance, is proud to an-
nounce Tom Hudgins recent addition to the
company as a managing partner. Hudgins,
a veteran investment banker, in his new po-
sition will collaborate with IVS President
Thomas Brinsko and Managing Director
John Zapalac based out of the companys
new, expanded Houston office. Hudgins will
interface with existing clients and will focus
on deal structuring with Zapalac.
IVS offers investment banking services
to the heavy process and power industries.
In the past two years, IVS principals have
closed four deals with an aggregate value of
$70 million and have three deals under letter
of intent that have an aggregate value of $75
million. IVS is in the business of connecting
business and industry for the betterment of
all by offering complete investment banking
services to help buy, sell, or grow companies
in the industrial marketplace.
Magnets for
contaminant separation
Eriez, the pioneer of permanent magnets, has
a new line of Suspended Permanent Mag-
nets with operating advantages never before
available. Suspended Magnetic Separators
are designed for applications where ferrous
contaminants are to be removed from bulk
products, either on a moving conveyor belt
or chute.
The CP 20/80 utilizes a permanent magnet
circuit to provide a continuous and uniform
magnetic field across the feed belt to opti-
mize separation efficiency of damaging tramp
iron. The self-cleaning feature supplied with
the unit provides for automatic removal of
accumulated tramp metal. Features include
low operating cost, no electrical maintenance
on the magnet, no costly shutdowns, uninter-
rupted magnetic protection, simple installa-
tion, powerful magnetic field, and no power
requirement.
Eriez is recognized as a world author-
ity in advanced technology for magnetic,
vibratory, and inspection applications. The
companys magnetic lift and separation,
metal detection, x-ray, materials feeding,
screening, conveying and controlling equip-
ment have application in the process, met-
alworking, packaging, recycling, mining,
aggregate, and textile industries.
Real-time software
for plant optimization
NeuCo Inc., a leading provider of optimiza-
tion software solutions to the electric power
industry, has successfully completed a four-
year optimization software development and
demonstration project at Dynegys Baldwin
Energy Complex in Baldwin, Illinois. The
$19 million Clean Coal Power Initiative
project was a cost-shared effort between
NeuCo Inc. and the DOE. Dynegys Baldwin
plant now hosts the nations most significant
integration of real-time asset optimizers for
coal-fired power generation.
The projects objective was to improve
coal-based generations emission profile, ef-
ficiency, maintenance requirements, and plant
asset life. Separate but integrated real-time
software products were developed for com-
bustion, sootblowing, SCR operation, unit
processbarron
Find out how we can streamline your plant:
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Upgrading to the right sized fan or a more
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April 2008
|
EVENTS
thermal performance, and plantwide avail-
ability optimization. While the individual
solutions provide stand-alone functions and
benefits, they are essentially configurations
of a common, distributed platformenabling
synergies between the optimizers.
Results at Baldwin include reduced NO
x

emissions; improved fuel efficiency; commen-
surate reductions in greenhouse gases, mer-
cury, and particulates; reduced SCR ammonia
consumption; more reliable cyclone boiler op-
erations; and faster discovery, prioritization,
and diagnosis of plant equipment issues.
New weld-purge systems
COB Industries Inc. has introduced, for the
first time in the U.S., the latest technology
and design advancements for the fastest pos-
sible weld-purge systems on the market. The
Argweld brand has been known for many
years to offer some of the best weld purging
systems and purge monitors in the industry,
and the Quick-Purge Systems that were intro-
duced a couple of years ago immediately be-
came high-demand items at liquefied natural
gas sites, power plants, and other applications
involving the welding of larger-diameter stain-
less steel pipe across the U.S. and Europe.
Using valuable input from users in the
field, a new generation of Quick-Purge Sys-
tems has been developed. The latest ver-
sions of the Quick-Purge Systems offer new
features and technology, including multiple
exhaust ports for faster purging, additional
relief valves to prevent overinflation, and
multiple fill lines for use with varying flow
rates. This all adds up to the fastest, most ef-
fective, and user-friendly system available.
This translates into huge cost savings in time,
manpower, and gas.
New boring mill capacity
Penn Iron Works Inc.s Nuclear Quality
Fabrication/Machining facility has been up-
graded with the addition of two new CNC
horizontal boring mills. The first is a floor-
type 6-inch machine with vertical capacity of
138 inches and horizontal capability of over
34 feet. The second machine is a table-type
5-inch mill with an operating envelope of 98
inches by 98 inches.
These new additions will enhance our ob-
jective of providing quality machined fabrica-
tions meeting 10CFR50, Appendix B; ASME
Section III NPT and NS; ASME Section
I S; ASME Section VIII pressure vessel
U; NBIC R; government, military Mil-I-
45208 and Mil-Q-9858; DOE (10CFR830);
and commercial requirements for pressure
vessel and structural components.
The companys extensive materials ex-
perience includes carbon steels; martensitic
steel; stainless, duplex, and super duplex
stainless; 6% moly; aluminum bronze and
nickel aluminum bronze; hastelloy; inconel
and incoloy; nickel; monel; and copper-
nickel alloys.
End use of the companys fabrications
includes a wide variety of processing lines,
pump and compressor applications, munici-
pal utility systems, government sites, U.S.
Navy ships, and numerous nuclear and fossil-
fuel electric power plants around the world.
Energy-absorbing dynamic
restraint
LISEGAs new E-BAR technology provides
unique energy absorption for seismic and
whip restraint applications. Utilizing new
patented technology, LISEGA has developed
and installed the E-BAR, a new-generation
dynamic restraint thats ideal for both nuclear
and fossil generating plants.
The E-BAR is fully integrated into the
LISEGA line of dynamic restraints and ac-
cessories. Using the E-BAR as a gapped
restraint significantly reduces the number
of snubbers required for seismic protection.
Unlike snubbers, the E-BAR does not require
operational readiness testing per ASME-
ISTD, which saves time and money. E-BAR
meets ALARA requirements during outage I-
S-I activities. NRC safety evaluation of the E-
BAR Topical Report has found it acceptable
for referencing in licensing applications.
The E-BAR can be custom designed to go
plastic at a predetermined load through de-
formation of the outer metal housing. Acting
as a fuse, it controls pipe displacement and
stresses to acceptable values while limiting
structural loads to as little as one-eighth of
that seen using conventional restraints.
Two E-BARs installed at 90 provide the
ultimate pipe whip restraint, absorbing ener-
gy in all directions perpendicular to the pipe
axis, unlike conventional U-bolt designs,
which limit pipe displacements in only one
direction.
Bearing repair
Kingsbury Repair & Services Division
recently opened the doors for a new repair
facility for the western states. It is a full-
service facility capable of handling repair
sizes over 110 inches. The company is also
offering bearing repairs for replacement up-
grades. Older bearings have had design im-
provements made over the years and should
be looked at to see if a better fix is available.
Kingsbury can offer these services because it
has been involved daily in new product de-
sign and research for almost 100 years.
Kingsbury also offers a turbine-generator
bearing failure analysis program that enables
customers to track repairs; see machined
tolerance; view individual drawings and as-
|
April 2008 98
EVENTS
sembly drawings; and see inspection reports,
shipping reports, and pictures. These are all
available on the companys web site with the
customers password.
Upstream approach to SO
3
control
By employing Fuel Techs upstream ap-
proach using the Targeted In-Furnace
Injection (TIFI) process, multiple sig-
nificant performance benefits in addition to
blue plume control can be achieved. Recent
data indicates that this innovative approach
to SO
3
control reduced fuel and operating
costs, resulting in greater than 4 to 1 return
on investment.
Utilizing the TIFI program for SO
3
control
leads to better slag and fouling control. As
a result, a cleaner furnace not only produces
less SO
3
, it also improves heat transfer, boiler
efficiency, and clinker grinder performance.
Reduced slag and fouling also reduces out-
age cleaning times, helps decrease the need
for load shedding, reduces clinker growth,
and improves ash handling characteristics
while reducing the total toxic release.
Absorbent beads
Award-winning Drain Protection Sys-
tems (DPS) from Imbibitive Technologies
America are designed to allow rainwater to
drain but automatically seal the leak path in
the event of an oil release. Imbiber Beads,
used by the DPS, selectively remove or-
ganic liquids, including PCBs, from water.
Imbiber Beads are discussed in the Design
Guide for Oil Spill Prevention and Control
at Substations, USDA-REA (RUS) Bulletin
1724E-302, the USEPA final rules for SPCC
compliance, 40 CFR Part 112 (2002) as well
as in the IEEE Guide for Containment and
Control (IEEE Std. 980).
Imbiber Beads are the only true absor-
bent (ASTM F716) engineered for organic
chemicals. They are not an adsorbent, and
they are not a thickener/solidifier. Imbiber
Beads will not dissolve in excess liquid. Wa-
ter can not be absorbed by Imbiber Beads, as
they are hydrophobic.
Imbiber Beads Imbicator spill mainte-
nance products (booms, blankets, pillows,
and packets) are also available for capturing
and containing compatible organic chemical
(fuels, solvents, mineral oil) releases.
Portable emissions analyzers
Advanced engineering, superior innovation,
and over 40 years of measurement know-
how have produced the finest portable emis-
sions analyzers for the power industry. The
Testo 335 combustion analyzer delivers the
power of large suite-case analyzers in a rug-
ged, convenient, handheld. The flexibility
to test virtually any combustion application
coupled with state-of-the-art software make
it an essential tool for combustion tuning and
troubleshooting. Quick set-up, user-defined
soft keys, and intuitive easy-to-understand
pull-down menus make it a breeze to use.
Precalibrated, true plug-and-play sensors
are the keystone features of Testo analyzers.
Special features like the special gas paths
provide the convenience of in-the-stack
start-up (and zeroing), thereby eliminating
the hassle of repeated probe removal. The
wide array of probes and hoses are designed
for any test scenario.
Coal-blending software
SABIA Inc., a leader in bulk material el-
emental analysis, has teamed up with Ready
Technologies Inc. to provide power plants
with a seamless interface between their ex-
isting control systems and their fuel man-
agement systems to automatically achieve
targeted coal qualities to improve operational
efficiency and profitability by delivering the
right fuel blend at the right time.
Ready, a global leader in automated blend-
ing systems and integration services, has in-
stalled its CoalFusion blending software
at NRGs Limestone Power Plant in Jewett,
Texas, where SABIAs Model XC-5000 ana-
lyzer is also in operation.
SABIA is a privately held, venture-backed
firm established in 2000 by the scientists and
engineers who originally commercialized
prompt gamma neutron activation analy-
sis (PGNAA) technology in the late 1980s.
Customers use SABIA analyzers for run-
of-mine, sorting and blending applications
and for quality control. SABIA introduced
its flagship line of on-belt analyzers in 2003
in response to the demand for affordable,
real-time information of the quality of bulk
materials in the cement, coal, and coal-fired
power industries.
Engine-starting battery charger
La Marche has released a new ESCR en-
gine-starting battery charger product line.
This product line incorporates micropro-
cessor-controlled SCR technology and is
suitable for various types of batteries, such
as flooded lead-acid, VRLA, and NiCad.
Along with its easy-to-use control panel and
informative LCD display, the charger meets
NFPA110 requirements.
The two-line LCD displays volts, amps, and
alarms. Automatic input sensing for 120/240
60 Hz (optional 50 Hz) does not require any
tap changes, and multi-output (12V/24V)
makes this product line flexible and conve-
nient for multiple jobs. The 0.5% regulation,
temperature compensation, battery check,
equalize timer, and adjustable output voltage
and current limiting ensure longevity and per-
formance for your batteries. This economical
solution equipped with rich features also in-
corporates La Marche quality and reliability.
Clean renewable energy
technology for gas turbines
LPP Combustion LLC recently demonstrated
natural gaslevel emissions using bio-derived
ethanol (ASTM D-4806), palm oilbased
biodiesel, and soy oilbased biodiesel during
gas turbine combustor testing. Emissions of
nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur di-
oxide, and particulate matter (soot) were the
same as natural gaslevel emissions achieved
using current dry low-emission gas turbine
combustion technology. In addition, the com-
bustion of these liquids produced virtually no
net carbon dioxide emissions.
The successful demonstration using these
renewable fuels shows the LPP System is
an enabling technology that allows for the
cleanest possible use of biofuels in combus-
tion devices without the use of post-com-
bustion pollution control equipment. The
LPP System is a viable alternative for power
producers to create renewable energy for gas
turbines and to help meet renewable power
supply mandates.
The Carpenters
International
Training Center
Look! Up at the site! Its a
graduate of the Carpenters
International Training Funds
Superintendent Career Training
Program. He can leap between
tall tasks in a single bound!
CITFs 18-month, university-level Superintendent Career Training Program is available only to our signatory partners.
Now, you can empower your best team
members to become the superintendents
you need to perform heroic feats on the
job. Just enroll them in CITFs four-part,
customized Superintendent Career
Training Program, which focuses on:
Roles, responsibilities and attributes
of professional superintendents
Time and cost management, project
planning and documentation, and
computer applications
Leadership, communication, motivation
and negotiation
On-the-job experience and professional
mentoring
Visit www.ubcsuperintendents.com
today for more information about the
planets strongest training program,
and learn how to get a Super T-shirt!
Where Superintendents Get Their Powers
|
April 2008 100
NEW PRODUCTS
TO POWER YOUR BUSINESS
Hybrid safety harness
The ExoFit XP Rescue Harness from DBI-SALA combines fall-
arrest harness components with features that make it suitable
for rope-access positioning and suspension. Its
X-shaped construction from a single piece of
material, concept-based to ensure no tangles, is
reinforced with a sub-pelvic strap to absorb
forces in the event of a fall. The ExoFit
XP also features connection points
on the waist and chest to provide
attachments for high- and low-angle
rope rescue, and a handy 5-inch hip-pad
with tool rings for carrying equipment.
To provide maximum comfort while
suspended, the harness has leg and
shoulder straps with removable padding
and flexible vertical straps. The vest-
style harness with breathable mesh
lining and removable padding prevents
uncomfortable chafing and rubbing. The
spring-loaded stand-up dorsal D-ring and
quick-connect buckles allow for easy wear,
adjustment, and removal. The harness
meets all applicable industry standards,
including OSHA and ANSIZ359.
(www.capitalsafety.com)
Heavy-duty push camera
The VeriSight push camera is Envirosights latest video
inspection system for pipelines. The 1.8-inch thick self-
leveling camera is designed to capture upright color footage
from challenging lines such as S-traps, P-traps, and tees. The
VeriSight is equipped with a SONDE transmitter that operates
at selectable frequencies of 512 Hz, 640 Hz, or 33 kHz for
locating distances up to 12 feet and is fitted with a dimmable LED
that is 20% brighter than in similar systems.
The VeriSight digital controller features an 8-inch LCD display and
can store up to 45 hours of MPEG inspection video in its 60-GB internal
hard drive. It also features a USB 2.0 port to facilitate footage upload,
a text-writer with a sealed QWERTY keyboard, and a 16-page memory to
display inspection notes and camera distances onscreen.
Sustained by a welded stainless-steel reel, the cameras pushrod,
12 millimeters in diameter, is available at lengths of 100 feet or 200
feet and is reinforced with Kevlar and epoxy to ensure a 4,000-pound
breaking strength. Envirosight also offers a VeriSight mini-system with a
compact stainless-steel coiler, a 1.3-inch self-leveling camera, and a 10-
millimeter pushrod measuring 100 feet or 200 feet long.
(www.envirosight.com)
Digital voltmeter
HD Electric Co. recently added the DVM-25T
to its DigiVolt series of digital voltmeters
and phasing sets designed to take voltage
measurements and perform phasing
applications on system voltages up to 80
kV. The DVM-25T is a high-accuracy single-
stick voltmeter with a capacitive test-
point mode and a ground lead. Capable of
measuring voltages up to 25 kV, it can be
used in both overhead and underground
applications and includes an overhead
hook probe and carrying case.
(www.hdelectriccompany.com)
Movers and Shakers
Since1903
Roberts & Schaefer leads the world in creating innovative
bulk material, coal preparation, and fuel handling/blending
systems. We provide total solutions for a wide range of fuels,
including PRB, bituminous, lignite and anthracite coal;
woodchips and petroleum coke; as well as limestone and
gypsum handling, and limestone grinding and transport
systems. For complete system development, upgrades or
modifications, call the original movers and shakers.
Roberts &
Schaefer Company
222 South Riverside Plaza
Chicago, Illinois 60606
312/236-7292
www.r-s.com
Offices also in
Australia,
Indonesia,
Poland and
Salt Lake City.
|

April 2008 102
NEW PRODUCTS
Inclusion in New Products does not imply endorsement by POWER magazine.
Solid welding technology
ESAB Welding & Cutting Products has acquired the exclusive worldwide
license to manufacture and distribute friction-stir welding machines
using MegaStirs technology for ferrous alloys, nonferrous alloys, metal
matrix composites, and super alloys.
Friction stir welding is a solid-state joining process that lowers
total heat input and eliminates solidification defects associated with
arc welding. Because joining occurs below the materials melting
point, the wrought-equiaxed grain structure produced creates a high-
quality weld requiring little or no post-process cleanup. The process
eliminates the need for filler metals or shield gases, making it an
environmentally viable option for manufacturers.
Whereas friction stir welding was previously limited to low-melting-
temperature materials such as aluminum, brass, and copper, MegaStirs
technology now enables melting of ferritic steels, stainless and duplex
stainless steels, and nickel-base alloys by using tools made from polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, polycrystalline diamond, and
abrasive materials such as metal matrix composites. (www.esabna.com)
Saddle up your conveyor belt
The belt conveyor, while a revolutionary invention that has alleviated labor-
intensive tasks and reduced handling costs, has from its inception been prone
to various forms of damage. The belt may be perforated or abraded by jagged
materials, or ripped by debris jammed in the conveyor structure. The impact
of loaded material may also damage idlers and even the conveyor support
structure itself. Solutions engineered to lessen these damages are not always
successful in the long run. Impact idlers installed in load zones, for example,
do not protect the full width of the belt, and conventional idler designs lead to
stretching and flexing of the belt in the gaps between idler rolls.
To address such shortcomings, Richwood has developed the Combi-Pact
Impact Saddle, a bolt-in replacement for conventional idlers, distinguished
by a curved surface that supports the whole area of the belt in contact. Built
with a unitized steel frame for strength and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene impact segments that match the conveyors
trough exactly, the Combi-Pact Impact Saddle is easily installed in arrays and can replace impact beds or cradles of many feet
in length. Segment density is instrumental in preventing particles from becoming embedded in the belt carcass, and the Saddle
directly controls the compression and elongation of the belt to prevent ripping or failure. (www.richwood.com)
Diaphragm pumps
cast in iron and steel
Energy-efficiency solutions provider Ingersoll Rand Industrial
Technologies has expanded its ARO Pro Series portfolio
of diaphragm pumpspreviously offered exclusively in
aluminumto include 2- and 3-inch ported pumps constructed
of cast iron and stainless steel.
The new models, like their aluminum counterparts, employ
patented air-valve technology that eliminates pump stalling
via an unbalanced design. Under an optimal pressure
differential, even under low air-inlet pressures, air valves do
not center. Unbalanced valves reduce production loss and
downtime by providing better shift signals and delivering
faster trip-over with more flow (172 gpm and 237 gpm for 2-
and 3-inch models, respectively).
Sturdily constructed with a variety of material options,
the pumps are leak-tight. This integrity is further ensured by
the utility of O-rings and U-cups, which prevent air leaks by
providing a positive seal as the air valve shifts.
(www.fluids.ingersollrand.com)
Plant of the Year: Iowa
Marmaduke Award:
New Hampshire
Top Plant, Gas: Canada
Top Plant, Coal: Japan
Top Plant, Nuclear: Michigan
Top Plant Renewables:
Nevada
IS YOUR PLANT
A WINNER?
You wont know unless you
nominate it for POWER
magazines annual awards.
Plants anywhere in the world
have three chances to win!
The Power Plant of the Year award will be
presented to a plant that leads our industry in the
successful deployment of advanced technology
maximizing efciency while minimizing environmental
impact. In short, the Power Plant of the Year, featured
in the August issue of POWER, is the best of class over
the past year.
The Marmaduke Award, named after the legendary
plant troubleshooter whose exploits have been
chronicled in POWER since 1948, recognizes
operations and maintenance excellence at existing
power plants. The Marmaduke Award winner will also
be proled in the August issue.
Top Plants Awards recognize the best in class over
the past year in each of four generation categories:
combined-cycle (September), coal-red (October),
nuclear (November), and renewable (December).
Award nalists and winners will be selected by the
editors of POWER based on nominations submitted by
you and your industry peerssuppliers, designers,
constructors, and operators of power plants.
Download entry forms from
www.powermag.com/awards
Nominations are due May 23, 2008.
April 2008
|
Management Technical Contract
Nuclear Fossil Renewable T&D
SanfordRoseAssociates
265MainSt.AkronOH.44308
888-333-3828 Fax 330-762-6161
resume@SROCPower.com
Best Recruiters in Power!
Opportunities in Operations and Maintenance,
Project Engineering and Project Management,
Business and Project Development,
First-line Supervision to Executive Level Positions.
Employer pays fee. Send resumes to:
POWERPROFESSIONALS
P.O. Box 87875
Vancouver, WA 98687-7875
email: dwood@powerindustrycareers.com
(360) 260-0979 l (360) 253-5292
www.powerindustrycareers.com
Ray Dauria Associates
Specializing in recruiting for
power sector positions with a focus on
Electric Generation and Transmission
rdauria@rdpowerjobs.com
www.rdpowerjobs.com
POWER PLANT
POSITIONS
Progress Energy Florida has expanded its
generation and is currently seeking high-
ly qualifed Combined Cycle Combustion
Turbine Technicians to operate and maintain
state of the art Combined Cycle units at
Hines Energy Complex located near Bartow,
Florida. For more information or to apply visit
our website at:
http://www.progress-energy.com/aboutus/
employment/postings/jobs.cfm
keyword Bartow
PLANT MAINTENANCE
SPECIALIST
REQ# 618 BREMOND, TX
EnergyCo is looking for a Plan Maintenance
Specialist to join their Twin Oaks Plant Maintenance
team.
The ideal candidate will under general supervision,
leads plant maintenance and related engineering
activities and provides assistance related to plant
equipment, systems, and devices in a safe manner
to assure maximum effciency and availability.
Bachelors degree in mechanical or electrical
engineering or related discipline, with at least
three years of related experience in plant mainte-
nance, plant engineering, operations, equipment
troubleshooting, and management philosophies,
or equivalent combination of education and/or
experience related to the discipline.
TO APPLY: If you have a proven track record as
a Plant Maintenance Specialist, we invite you to
review a full description of the job requirements
and apply online at:
h t t p s : / / j o b s . e n e r g y c o l l c . c o m/ p s p /
pj vj obs/ EMPLOYEE/ HRMS/ c/ HRS_HRAM.
H R S _ C E . G B L ? P a g e = H R S _ C E _ H M _
PRE&Action=A&SiteId=20
Resumes must be received no later than April
30, 2008.
EnergyCo and its affliates are Equal Employment
Opportunity employers. Women and minorities are
encouraged to apply.
PLANT MAINTENANCE
SPECIALIST
POWER PLANT BuyERS MART
READERSERVICENUMBER201
Combustion, Energy
and
Steam Specialists Ltd.
Surplus Power Plant
Specialists in the Valuation,
Marketing, Sourcing, and
Relocation of Surplus Power
Plant & Auxiliary Equipment
Tel: +44 (0)1856 851177 Fax: +44 (0)1856 851199
E.mail: enquiries@cess.co.uk Web: www.cess.co.uk
NEEd CabLE? From StoCk
CopperPowerto69kv;BareACSR&AACConductor;
UndergroundUD-P&URD,PILC-AEIC;InterlockArmorto
35kv;CopperInstrumentation&Control;Thermocouple
BaSic Wire & caBle
Fax(773)539-3500Ph.(800)227-4292
E-Mail:basicwire@basicwire.com
WEBSITE:www.basicwire.com
Peaking or Intermediate
Power Supply Resources
Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) is
soliciting for a long term unit specifc capacity
and energy supply agreement for up to 600
MW. Proposals must be able to offer capacity
and energy no later than 2011. In addition
to unit specifc capacity and energy supply
agreements, AECI will consider the purchase
of existing generation facilities or new facilities
constructed for sale to AECI. Responses to the
RFP must be received by AECI by no later than
May 15, 2008. For a complete version of the
RFP, please visit http://www.aeci.org/rfp or
contact Tyson Bourbina at tbourbina@aeci.org
or (417) 885-9353.
AECI Request for Proposal
April 2008
|
Request foR PRoPosals
0408 Power Classified.indd 105 3/24/08 2:07:06 PM
|
April 2008 106
Power Plant Buyers Mart
Boiler Cleaning Professionals
Explosive Deslagging ServicesCameraAssistedOn-lineBlastingDetonatingCordandOverhead
HazardBlastingIntroducingOn-lineVideoInspection/RecordingofBundle,PendantandWallDeposits
Grit-Blasting ElectrostaticPrecipitatorFieldCleaningUTandBoiler/VesselOverlayPreparation
On-lineRadiantRecoverywithShatterBlastBeadImpactDeslagging
Big Water High Pressure Washing AirPre-heaterBaskets,Furnace+BoilerWashing
HeatExchanger/CondenserHydro-Laze,PipelineCleaning
Vacuum Services, Wet + DryFlyAsh,Sludges,Silo+VesselEvacuation
Number One In Safety and Compliance. Privately Owned and Operated
24/7 Emergency Response From Many US Locations
800-866-6247 www.naisinc.com
e-mail: naisinc@naisinc.com
POWER
EQUIPMENT CO.
444 Carpenter Avenue, Wheeling, IL 60090
wabash
24 / 7 EMERGENCY SERVICE
BOILERS
20,000 - 400,000 #/Hr.
DIESEL & TURBINE GENERATORS
50 - 25,000 KW
GEARS & TURBINES
25 - 4000 HP
WE STOCK LARGE INVENTORIES OF:
Air Pre-Heaters Economizers Deaerators
Pumps Motors Fuel Oil Heating & Pump Sets
Valves Tubes Controls Compressors
Pulverizers Rental Boilers & Generators
847-541-5600 FAX: 847-541-1279
WEB SITE: www.wabashpower.com
FOR SALE/RENT
Providing 30+ years of wide-range metallurgical processing
for those seeking the most effective and effcient results
possible. We wrote the book...
Metallurgical Failures in Fossil Fired Boilers.
Full Service Metallurgical Lab
David N. French Metallurgists
We specialize in boiler tube failures.
2681 Coral Ridge Road Brooks, KY 40109
502.955.9847 www.davidnfrench.com
Life Assessment Condition Assessment Failure Analysis
Metallurgical service solutions with unsurpassed results!
George H. Bodman
Pres. / Technical Advisor
Offce 1-800-286-6069
Offce (281) 359-4006
PO Box 5758 E-mail: blrclgdr@aol.com
Kingwood, TX 77325-5758 Fax (281) 359-4225
GEORGE H. BODMAN, INC.
Chemical cleaning advisory services for
boilers and balance of plant systems
BoilerCleaningDoctor.com
Myla Dixon
Phone: 832-242-1969 Ext. 311
Fax: 832-251-8963
mylad@powermag.com
POWER
Classifieds
Get More Attention When You Add Color!
To inquire about Classifed
Advertising, please contact:
April 2008
|
2 ea. 100 MW and 2 ea. 200 MW
Steam Turbine-Generators,
Gas Fired Boilers,
and All Plant Auxiliaries
Any or All Components Available

For More Information,
please go to this website
www.ci.austin.tx.us/vss/Advantage
and follow these steps:
Click on Public Access
Click on Business Opportunities
Click on Search for Solicitations
Look for IFB-MLG0049 and click on it
Click on Attachments and download
all of the sections
(be sure to click next to get them all)
POWER PLANT FOR SALE
Established in 1979 UDC stands as an industry
leader in outage management, professional boiler
inspection services, and educational training. Driven
by the demand for experience and expertise of
quality continuing education we developed our
inplant training seminars. UDC offers excellence in
educational training for organizations in the power
industry aspiring to achieve proven and effective
results. Each individual seminar focuses on issues
experienced at your plant. All seminar sessions are
conducted on-site at your location.
Seminar topics include Inspection Techniques and
Practical Solutions for Prevention of Tube Failure.
We are enjoying a great year from a reliability
standpoint and realize United Dynamics Corpora-
tion contributed to this in a major way. We appre-
ciate what you do and look forward to working
with you again. Current UDC Client
Elevate your inspection team to its greatest potential.
Schedule your In House Seminar today!
United Dynamics Corporation
2681 Coral Ridge Road
Brooks, KY 40109
502.957.7525
www.udc.net
BODYGARD, LLC
SHINNSTON, WV 26431
800-525-1980
Fax: (304) 592-1985
NON BREAKABLE SAFETY
WINDOWS FOR SURGE
PILE EQUIPMENT
We Save
Lives!!
Norm Harty-TheFirstandLastWordinProfessionalDynamiting,
servingyousince1964.Wehavepioneered,perfectedandproven
themethodsofexplosivecleaningtheworstofs\lagorashoutin
a matter of hoursin all boiler areas. We specialize in Electric
Utility work and have over 4000 jobs to our credit. Call the
NUMBER ONE COMPANY for the quickest response and most
effcientjobforyouremergencyneedsandscheduledoutages.
N.B. Harty General Contractors, Inc.
Phone: 573-624-4645 or 573-624-4588
l
Fax: 573-624-4589
E-mail: norm@nbharty.com l

www.nbharty.com
Power Plant Buyers Mart
visit PLCANYWHERE.COM since 1984
from INTERNET anywhere (hotel,airport)
w/ no spec software / wireless options
REPORTS / maint FLEET notebooks
WinCC ,Wonderware , RsView , FIX
201 - 400 6771 add live VIDEO
CONDENSER OR GENERATOR AIR COOLER TUBE PLUGS
THE CONKLIN SHERMAN COMPANY, INC.
Easy to install, saves time and money.
ADJUSTABLE PLUGS- all rubber with brass insert. Expand it,
install it, reverse action for tight ft.
PUSHPULLPLUGS-are all rubber, simply push it in.
Sizes 0.530 O.D. to 2.035 O.D.
Tel: (203) 881-0190 Fax:(203)881-0178
E-mail: Conklin59@aol.com www.conklin-sherman.com
OVER ONE MILLION PLUGS SOLD
JOHN R. ROBINSON INC.
Condenser & Heat Exchanger Tools
Tube Cleaners, Plugs & Leak Detectors
CELEBRATES 100
th
ANNIVERSARY
www.johnrrobinsoninc.com
e-mail jrrinc@earthlink.net
Tel. (718) 786-6088 Fax (718) 786-6090
|
April 2008 108
Need a Thorough Mix?
Ash, coal, sludges, what do You need to mix?
Get a thorough mix with:
Pugmill Systems, Inc.
P.O. Box 60
Columbia, TN 38402 USA
ph: 931/388-0626 fax: 931/380-0319
www.pugmillsystems.com
GEGU's - 750 KW Guascor - natural gas fred
- 3/60/480 volts (Qty 2)
GTGUs - 20 MW Brown Boveri oil fred cheap
BOILERS - 200,000#/HR Combustion Engineering
package - 600# steam pressure - gas fred
- 25,000#/HR ABCO - 150# steam pressure -
natural gas and propane fred (Qty 4)
We buy and sell transformers, boilers, steam tur-
bine generator units, gas turbine generator units,
diesel engine generator units, etc.
INTERNATIONAL POWER MACHINERY CO.
50 Public Square - Terminal Tower, Suite 834
Cleveland, OH 44113 U.S.A.
PH 216-621-9514/FAX 216-621-9515
Email: kernx06@sbcglobal.net Web: www.intlpwr.com
READERSERVICENUMBER221 READERSERVICENUMBER218
April 2008
|
PRODUCT Showcase
Visit www.powermag.comto
explore a great way to search for
numerous companies, products,
and services online.

Information on hundreds of companies

Easy to navigate and use

Printed in the December issue
of POWER magazine

Best of all, its FREE
LOOKING FOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES?
Look to the
by visiting www.powermag.com and clicking on the Buyers Guide link.
High Performance
Valve/Fan/Damper
Actuators
PrecisionActuatorSystems
EngineeredtoOrder
ExceptionallyHighThrusts
LightningFastAction
ShortandLongStrokes
ComplexFailureModes
HighlyAccuratePositioning
SpecialandDiffcultApplications
NeworReplacementUnits
908-479-0003
dalestepanek@stistrumentazione.com
www.stistrumentazione.com
STINORTHAMERICA
Call or Write for a Quote Today
SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION
SYSTEM FOR PACKAGE BOILERS
Nationwide Boiler offers a new six-page bro-
chure describing the design confgurations,
principle of operation and performance of
their selective catalytic reduction system,
CataStak. Suitable for use with package
boilers to 250K lb/hr., CataStak reduces
NOx emissions to 6ppm and lower. Brochure
includes comments from users from
different industries regarding their experience
withCataStak.info@nationwideboiler.com
Airfloat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 . . . . . . . . . 8
www.airfloat.com
Amarillo Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 . . . . . . . . 36
www.amarillogear.com
Ansul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 . . . . . . . . 39
www.ansulinfo.com/p4
Applied Bolting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 . . . . . . . . 42
www.appliedbolting.com
AREVA NP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 . . . . . . . . 24
www.us.areva.com
ATCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 . . . . . . . . 37
www.atconoise.com, www.higg-kane-atco.com
Babcock and Wilcox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 4 . . . . . . . . . 3
www.babcock.com
Babcock Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 . . . . . . . . 22
www.babcockpower.com
Bechtel Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
www.bechtel.com
Benetech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 . . . . . . . . 43
www.plant-professionals.com
C-B Energy Recovery/Cleaver-Brooks, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .103 . . . . . . . . 65
www.hrsg.com
Caldwell Energy Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . . . . . 7
CD-adapco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 . . . . . . . . 25
www.cd-adapco.com
CH2MHILL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 . . . . . . . . 44
www.ch2mhill.jobs
Chicago Tube & Iron Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 . . . . . . . . 28
www.chicagotube.com
Conoco Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2 . . . . . . . . . 1
www.lubes.conoco.com
Day & Zimmermann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . . . . . . . 6
www.dayzim.com
Diamond Power International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 . . . . . . . . 30
www.diamondpower.com
Fisher/Emerson Process Mgmt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 . . . . . . . . 56
www.fishersevereservice.com/p
Flir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 . . . . . . . . 60
www.flir.com
FMC Corporation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 . . . . . . . . 19
www.fmcenterra.com
GE Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 . . . . . . . . . 5
www.ge-energy.com/oc
GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 . . . . . . . . 15
www.ge.com/phasorxs
Graycor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 . . . . . . . . 58
www.graycor.com
Hach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . . . . . . . 4
www.hach.com/power
Hadek Protective Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 . . . . . . . . 57
www.hadek.com
Haldor Topsoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 . . . . . . . . 33
www.topsoe.com
Hitachi Power Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 . . . . . . . . 59
www.hitachi.com
Horiba Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 . . . . . . . . 26
www.environ.hii.com
Hurst Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 . . . . . . . . 32
www.hursttech.com
Hypercat Advanced Catalyst Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 . . . . . . . . 14
www.hypercat-acp.com
Indeck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 . . . . . . . . 53
www.indeck.com
Kiewit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 . . . . . . . . . 9
www.kiewit.com
Kingsbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 . . . . . . . . 40
www.kingsbury.com
Layne Christensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 . . . . . . . . 21
www.laynepower.com
Lincoln Electric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 . . . . . . . . 41
www.lincolnelectric.com
Ludeca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 . . . . . . . . 52
www.ludeca.com
Martin Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 . . . . . . . . 61
www.martin-eng.com
Matrix Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 . . . . . . . . 10
www.matrixservice.com
Mobil Industrial Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 3 . . . . . . . . . 2
www.mobilindustrial.com
Otek Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . . . . . 12
www.otekcorp.com
Paharpur Cooling Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 . . . . . . . . 47
www.paharpur.com
Parkline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 . . . . . . . . 45
www.parkline.com
Power Systems Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 . . . . . . . . 35
www.powermfg.com
Process Barron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 . . . . . . . . 62
www.processbarron.com/power
Proton Energy Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 . . . . . . . . 50
www.protonenergy.com
Roberts & Schaefer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 . . . . . . . . 64
www.r-s.com
Rockwood Materials Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 . . . . . . . . 38
www.rockwood.net
Scientific Process Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 . . . . . . . . 17
www.sps2test.com
Siemens Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31 . . . . . . . . 23
www.siemens.com/us-sppa
SOR Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 . . . . . . . . 20
www.sorinc.com
Stanley Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 . . . . . . . . 54
www.stanleyconsultants.com
Karl Storz Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 . . . . . . . . 49
www.karlstorzindustrial.com
Sturtevant, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 . . . . . . . . 34
www.sturtevantinc.com
Superbolt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 . . . . . . . . 29
www.superbolt.com
TDC Filter Mfg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 . . . . . . . . 11
www.gtairfilters.com
Teledyne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . . . . . . . 13
www.teledyne.com
Thermo Scientific. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 . . . . . . . . 48
www.thermo.com/coal
Turbine Energy Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 . . . . . . . . 55
sales@turbineenergysolutions.com
Turbocare Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 . . . . . . . . 46
www.turbocare.com
United Brotherhood of Carpenters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 . . . . . . . . 63
www.carpenters.org
Utility Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 . . . . . . . . 18
www.ue-corp.com
Wrtsil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 . . . . . . . . 31
www.wartsila.com/power
Worley Parsons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 . . . . . . . . 51
www.worleyparsons.com
Yuba Heat Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 . . . . . . . . 27
www.yuba.com
Zolo Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 . . . . . . . . 16
www.zolotech.com
ADVERTISERS INDEX
Enter reader service numbers on the FREE Product Information Source card in this issue.
Page
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Pages 105109, To place a classified ad, contact:
Myla Dixon, POWER magazine, 832-242-1969,
mylad@tradefairgroup.com
|
April 2008 110
Gain information on the latest innovations in instrumentation, automation,
security and business systems technologies in the power industry
The Pathway to Power Automation
for the 2010 Decade
18th Annual Joint
ISA POWID/EPRI
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and the
51st ISA POWID
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Register Today!
813 June 2008: POWID Symposium
Visit the website to view the Symposium Program
www.isa.org/powersymp
Standards
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American Electric
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|
April 2008 112
COMMENTARY
T
he advent of the Smart Grid will bring a new driver for
value creation to the electric power industry: economies
of connection. In the future, the Smart Grid may offer our
industry improved returns more typical of Internet-based busi-
nesses like eBay, Amazon, and Google to replace the diminishing
returns typical of traditional steel in the ground projects that
relied on economies of scale.
The Internet fundamentally changed the way people did
business, and so will the Smart Grid. To understand the com-
ing changes, it is important to understand the significance of
economies of connection.
Economies of connection are related to Metcalfes Law, which
states that the value of a network grows proportionally to the
square of the number of active nodes on the network. Kevin
Kelly, author of New Rules for the New Economy, explains, As the
number of connections between people and things adds up, the
consequences of those connections multiply out even faster, so
that initial successes arent self-limiting but self-feeding.
The changes that have transformed the telecom industry are
an example. Just as the rise of the Internet created new opportu-
nities for innovative switch companies (Cisco) and entirely new
businesses (AOL, Google, and eBay), we might expect analogous
innovation when every generator, transmission line, substation,
consumer, and wholesale market is connected through the Smart
Grid. The consequences for the power industry are profound.
Google, founded 10 years ago, has a larger market capitalization
than the five biggest U.S. utilities combined.
The U.S. electric gridtens of millions of wired miles con-
necting thousands of generatorsis a marvel of engineering,
but it is a marvel of the last century. When it was constructed,
economies of scale ruled and the grid was a spectacular success.
Today, economies of scale in the power industry have largely
run their course due to physical, environmental, and societal
constraints. Economies of scale result in arithmetic increases in
value in good times but, ultimately, they obey the law of di-
minishing returns. Paradoxically, recent efforts to increase the
scale of the grid by increasing the interconnections between our
balkanized transmission networks has increased the likelihood of
domino-effect blackouts, as we saw in 2003.
North America urgently needs a Smart Grid capable of process-
ing and transmitting information among physical assets on the
grid and energy consumers. A new market will emerge. To realize
the promise of the new economies of connection, it will be im-
perative that utilities, regulators, and suppliers allow informa-
tion from the grid to empower consumers and producers.
Self-balancing Smart Grid
The real-time flow of information from the Smart Grid will trans-
form our electrical system into a self-balancing network, because
the Smart Grid will put information in the hands of consumers.
If we engage consumers, we can count on them to actively help
manage the grid. We know they will react to price signals and
modify their behavior if they are given access to real-time in-
formation.
A Smart Grid will help in other ways as well. Real-time condi-
tion monitoring of transmission and distribution assets such as
transformers can extend the life of aging infrastructure by allow-
ing dynamic rating and de-bottlenecking during periods of con-
gestion. And we cant count all the new opportunities we havent
even thought of yet. No one imagined eBay before the Internet.
The fed as a catalyst for change
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will acceler-
ate the Smart Grid, just as the Department of Defense incubated
the Internet by creating Arpanet. The act appropriates $100 mil-
lion per year from 2008 through 2012 to support development of
the Smart Grid. Under this act, the government pays up to 50%
of any utilitys demonstration project for the Smart Grid and pro-
vides federal matching funds of 20% for any Smart Grid imple-
mentation. The act also mandates that Smart Grid investment by
utilities be included in their rate base. Perhaps most importantly,
the legislation created the Smart Grid Advisory Committee to
report on a regular basis to the secretary of energy on progress
and challenges.
Our industry can benefit from this federal support for the
Smart Grid. It is also imperative that Smart Grid appliance and
software suppliers collaborate to create standards to accelerate
the adoption of new technologies.
The time is now to embrace the Smart Grid and unleash the
economies of connection. Not tapping grid information is tanta-
mount to using rotary-dial, party-line telephones when the In-
ternet and cell phones are available. Samuel Insull, the original
architect of the grid, drew graphs of demand with pencil and pa-
per. If he could see the tools we now have to process and exploit
masses of data, he might remind us that the information hiding
within the grid is the means to our own salvation.
John A. Moore is the CEO of Acorn Energy, a publicly traded
holding company for emerging energy ventures. Acorn
created Comverge through the acquisition of Lucent
and Scientific Atlantas energy intelligence assets.
Economies of connection
By John A. Moore
North America urgently needs a
Smart Grid capable of processing
and transmitting information
among physical assets on the
grid and energy consumers.
Power plant turbines are built to run. But what if they could y?
New turbines are placing increased demands on oil. Productivity is at stake. And Mobil Industrial Lubricants has responded.
With Mobil DTE 700 and Mobil DTE 800. Both are specially formulated for demanding gas and steam turbine applications. And
designed to help the latest generation of high efciency turbines not just run, but y. Visit www.mobilindustrial.com for more.
2008 Exxon Mobil Corporation. The Mobil logotype and the Pegasus design are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
We call these tangible
renewable energy credits.
Consider biomass as an energy source for electric power production. Energy from biomass is dependable,
dispatchable and readily available. In addition, biomass is CO
2
neutral and can reduce plant emissions.
Diversify your fuel portfolio and earn renewable energy credits.
Call 1-800-BABCOCK or visit www.babcock.com.
2007 The Babcock & Wilcox Company. All rights reserved.

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