BY THE NUMBERS
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By Adam Picketts, Energy Ventures Analysis Inc
Natural-gas-fueled combined-cycle and renewables fleets will experience strong growth through 2018. Recent and impending EPA rulemakings require owners of coal-fired units to make significant capital investments on environmental controls. Faced with the decision to retrofit or retire, owners already have announced 45 GW of coal retirements from 2012 through 2018. Gas will be the primary source of replacement capacity as well as the top choice for new greenfield peakers and base-load resources. more
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Mark Axford, the Houston-based turbine consultant considered by many to 
be the leading independent expert on gas-turbine markets, predicted at the Western Turbine Users Inc’s (WTUI) 2013 Conference that US orders for GTs would increase by 25% this year compared to 2012. Worldwide, he expects only a 5% increase, with the Eurozone’s crippling recession a major factor in the downward pressure on orders (less than 800 MW last year). more
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By Salvatore A DellaVilla Jr, CEO, Strategic Power Systems Inc
On June 9, 1973, history was made in Elmont, NY, the town just outside of New York City famous for hosting the Belmont Stakes. That day, a crowd of 67,605 racing enthusiasts, plus another 10.9 million watching on TV, waited to see if a three-year-old thoroughbred named Secretariat, chestnut brown with a strong pedigree, would take the Triple Crown—a coronation that had not occurred since 1948.
Secretariat, would not disappoint in the “Test of Champions.” more
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USER GROUP ROUNDUPS
7EA Users Group
Clashing, controls, refurbishment of hot parts top topics for ageing fleet
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WHAT’S INSIDE…
- Clashing mitigation procedure
- TIL review
- ‘Business as usual’ controls strategy
- Metallurgy that translates to a stronger bottom line
- GTs, like people, sag with age more
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Combustion Turbine Operations Technical Forum
Impossible to pack more knowledge into four days
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WHAT’S INSIDE…
- Insurance concerns
- End-of-life assessments
- Rankine considerations
- GE legacy engines
- Inlet, exhaust systems
- Generator reliability
- NERC CIP compliance programs
- Catalyst maintenance more
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Combined Cycle Users Group
Extracting maximum value from generation assets
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WHAT’S INSIDE…
- The renewables challenge
- Fast start, fast ramp
- HRSGs have limits
- Turbocharge your GT
- High-energy piping
- Gauge steam-cycle health
- Controls, cybersecurity more
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Business partners
Industry buzz
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WHAT’S INSIDE…
- Tip grinding may not cure R1 blade-tip distress on 7FA compressors
- Believe it or not: Steam drain lines can overheat
- Calpine has a good year, to buy back more shares
- NV Energy: New assignments, EEI award
- Business briefs more
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FEATURES
PERSPECTIVE
Cybersecurity: Compliance is not protection
by Jason Makansi, Pearl Street Inc
Last August, 30,000 disc drives, representing 75% of the workstations of the petrochemical giant, Saudi Aramco, were hacked with a malicious virus called Shamoon. An image of a burning American flag replaced critical data on these machines. In the fall, according to a Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) report, control systems at two power stations were infected by malware delivered through USB drives. One of the plants was down for three weeks before it could restart. more
GAS TURBINE COMPRESSORS
Minimize the risk of catastrophic failure from contaminated inlet air
by John Molloy, PE, M&M Engineering Associates Inc
A typical F-class compressor ingests nearly 1000 lb/sec of air containing a spectrum of minerals, salts, and volatile organic compounds present in the ambient atmosphere. Locally high concentrations of corrosive compounds also may exist because of surrounding industries—or even from the powerplant itself, such as cooling-tower drift or water treatment effluent. more
WATER MANAGEMENT
Ensure a reliable sufficient supply of quality water to support generation assets
by By David Addison and Judy Weir, Thermal Chemistry Ltd
The purpose of any water treatment plant (WTP) for this industry is to produce a reliable and sufficient supply of product at the quality required by the host plant to support generation operations. Organizations such as EPRI and the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam have long advocated the need to maintain strict quality limits for both makeup and the steam/water cycle to avoid issues such as boiler tube failures and steam-turbine deposition and corrosion. more
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