2011 Best Practices Awards
>> This year’s awards program is the most robust to date, featuring innovative ideas to improve safety, reliability, and efficiency straight from the plant. Entries are divided among eight categories:
- Design
- Environmental Stewardship
- Management
- Safety Equipment and Systems
- Safety Procedures and Administrations
- O&M Balance of Plant
- O&M Business
- O&M Major Equipment more
Feature Articles
BY THE NUMBERS
Gas and wind dominate announced US capacity additions
>>The the emergency of “game changing” shale gas, inframarginal rent in both the gas and power industries has changed dramatically. This phenemon has had a significant impact on plans for new generating capacity. by Adam Pickets, Energy Ventures Analysis Inc
more
‘And you thought the housing market was lousy.’
>> Those were the first words Mark Axford spoke at his annual January sit-down with the editors to review the US and global markets for gas and steam turbines. more
Changing duty cycles and gas turbine reliability — a look back
>> In June of 1892, a jubilant Charles Scott, the young Westinghouse engineer who had assisted Tesla when he’d first come to Pittsburgh, announced this first commercial use of the whole Tesla system, including the long problematic induction motor, in the Electrical Engineer. – by Salvatore A DellaVilla Jr, CEO, Strategic Power Systems Inc more
Generator condition monitor critical to avoiding catastrophic loss
>> Generator monitoring capability historically has been limited, with many common failure mechanisms monitored imperfectly or not at all. -by Clyde V Maughan, Maughan Generator Consultants more
HRSG CYCLING
Comparing ASME, European boiler codes and their impacts on design and operation
>> In today’s competitive electric generation marketplace more and more plants are cycling, which brings with it the likelihood of increased damage to powerplant equipment. – by S Hampson, D G Robertson, and S Simandjuntak, European Technology Development Ltd (UK) more
MODS AND UPGRADES
Air attemperation protects HRSGs against damage at low loads
>> Most owner/operators of gas-turbine-based generating assets–combined cycle and cogeneration–are painfully aware of the beating their heat-recovery steam generators take in cycling service. more
PACESETTER PLANT AWARDS
CHP facilities dominate 2010 Pacesetter Plants
>> The prolonged turndown in the US economy suffocated construction of new generating plants in 2010 Electricity suppliers had spent the previous two years convincing themselves things weren’t as bad as they seemed and that a rebound was overdue. more