BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GLOBAL GENERATION
INDUSTRYSeptember 2009 Vol. 153 No. 9Vol. 153No. 9September 2009
www.powermag.comTop Plants: Six Innovative Gas-Fired Plants10 Water
Treatment Mistakes to AvoidGas Power Projects ThrivingCapturing
Carbon: Options and Costs, Part ISpecial: Map of North
AmericanGas-Fired PlantsCIRCLE 1 ON READER SERVICE CARDSeptember
2009 | POWER www.powermag.com1 Established 1882 Vol. 153 No.
9September 2009 www.powermag.comTKTKTKValve InventoryLarge (800)
[email protected] THE COVERIn
Italyfamous for Ferrari cars, Armani suits, and other symbols of
sophisticated styleits no surprise that the Livorno Ferraris power
plant building is an example of attractive, yet functional
architectural design. Behind the sleek exterior is a brawny 800-MW
combined-cycle plant. Courtesy: E.ONCOVER STORY:GAS-FIRED TOP
PLANTS26Edward W. Clark Generating Station, Clark County,
NevadaThis NV Energy plant has generated power since 1955, the year
the Las Vegas Strip
gotitsfirsthigh-rise,andhasgrownandevolvedwiththedesertdestination.
The areas recent growth spurt and increasing renewable generation
on the grid prompted the addition of peaking power capacity that
promises to keep the lights hot and the rooms cool.30Goodman Energy
Center, Hays, KansasWith 16% wind capacity, Midwest Energy blows
away the competition among Kansas utilities. Both to back up that
renewable generation and avoid the price penalty of pur-chasing
peak power, this cooperative determined that the best way to face
the future was with a gas-fired peaking plant. Nine Wrtsil engines
give Midwest the ultimate in flexibility with next to no
performance penalties.34Livorno Ferraris Power Plant, Vercelli
Province,
ItalyAnew800-MWSiemenscombined-cycleplant,thefirstplantbuiltbyanon-Italian
operator, promises to keep Italys industrial north humming. Livorno
Ferraris incorpo-rates not only the latest technologies for
generation and environmental performance, but it also illustrates
that Italians value design in all aspects of their culture. The
facil-itys low visual impact and clean lines prove that power
plants dont have to be purely utilitarian. 38Portlands Energy
Centre, Ontario, CanadaYoud think a power project located at the
edge of a major metropolitan area would take ages to build, but in
this case youd be wrong. This 550-MW combined-cycle plant fed power
to the grid less than two years after the EPC contract was signed.
Of course, it helped that Portlands was developed on land with
existing access to transmission
andgaslines,demonstratingthatrecyclingworksforpowerplantsaswellasfor
people.40Riverside Repowering Project, Minneapolis, MinnesotaXcel
Energys Riverside Repowering Project is the last of three projects
designed to significantly decrease power plant emissions in the
Twin Cities area and lower costs for customers. Given the plants
urban setting, a carefully orchestrated phased con-struction
approach, reusing as much of the existing equipment and systems as
pos-sible, and greater-than-usual utility involvement were the keys
to success.46Royal Pride Holland Commercial Greenhouse Cogeneration
Plant, Middenmeer, North Holland Province,
NetherlandsOneoftheNetherlandslargestcommercialtomatogreenhousesisthesiteofthe
worlds first installation of GE Energys new commercial 24-cylinder
gas engine tech-nology from Jenbacher. The two 4-MW J624 units
provide heat, power, and fertilizer from exhaust gas CO2.34CIRCLE 3
ON READER SERVICE CARDTKwww.powermag.comPOWER |September 2009
2INDUSTRY TRENDS50Map of Natural GasFired Generation in North
AmericaSPECIAL REPORTCARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGIES52Combined-Cycle
Carbon Capture: Options and Costs, Part
IEuropeanregulatorsareconsideringthepossibilityofregulatingCO2emissions
fromgas-firedplantsaswellascoal-firedones,andotherpartsoftheworldmay
follow. But making CO2 capture choices in a nascent technology area
is dangerous. A wiser approach is to consider accommodations
available today that require little plant modification. Part I
looks at the performance implications of the most promis-ing
options.FEATURESFUELS56New Natural GasFired Projects on an
UpswingIndustrialInfoResourcessummarizesthestatusofgas-firedpowerplantprojects
that are in the pipeline and considers what the future may hold for
gas-fired genera-tion in the U.S.INSTRUMENTATION &
CONTROL59Pressure-Sensing Line Problems and SolutionsSensing lines
in power plants may encounter a number of problems that can affect
the accuracy and response time of the pressure-sensing system.
Learn about a noise analysis technique for online detection of
these problems that could make your job a little easier.HUMAN
RESOURCES64Optimizing the Life-Cycle Cost of Human CapitalA Fluor
executive director discusses an approach that can help power plants
deter-mine which job functions are best handled by staff and which
are best to outsource.DEPARTMENTS6SPEAKING OF POWERDead Mans
HandGLOBAL MONITOR8Operation of Worlds First Supercritical CFB
Steam Generator Begins in Poland10Report: Costs for
First-Generation Carbon Capture Plants Will Soar12Nuclear
Developments in Europe13Swiss Solar Plane Prototype Designed to Fly
Day and Night13Scotland Officially Opens 100-MW Glendoe Hydro
Plant15Biomass Electricity More Efficient than Ethanol, Researchers
Say15DOE Funds Electrification of Transportation Sector15POWER
DigestFOCUS ON O&M18Avoid These 10 Mistakes When Selecting Your
New Water Treatment System20Accurate Online Silica Analyzers Ensure
Boiler Performance, Add Boiler Life24LEGAL & REGULATORYSWEPCOs
Construction Conundrum68NEW PRODUCTS76COMMENTARYTo Modernize the
Grid, Think SmallerBy Kurt Yeager, executive director of the Galvin
Electricity InitiativeVisit www.powermag.com/powerconnect to update
or add your informationIf you have any questions or are interested
in upgrading your listing, please contact Diane Hammes at
[email protected] or at 713-343-1885ITS TIMEto renew or add
yourcompanys listing in theMake the most of your listing and invest
in upgrade options:Want to stand out from the other
companies?DIncreased exposure year-round online and in the
POWERmagazine December Buyers Guide issueDAdd your company
logoDInclude additional categoriesDGain priority listing and jump
to the top of selected categories5025 E. BUSINESS 20 ABILENE, TEXAS
79601 325.672.3400 [email protected] FOR PEOPLE WHO
KNOW AND CARESourdough biscuits anchored chuck wagon meals, because
biscuits keptthe cowboys fed and on the job. Just as biscuits kept
things going on thefrontier, Rentech boilers can be depended upon
today. Whatever trail yourcompany is riding, our boilers can fit.
Your inspection of our engineeringand manufacturing facilities will
show you why our boilers have earneda reputation for dependability
from Dallas to Dubai. In a wide range ofapplications, our boilers
improve efficiency, reduce shutdowns and addressenvironmental
issues. Biscuits or boilers, reliability is paramount. Ours
willleave a good taste in your mouth.Fired Package Boilers /
Wasteheat Boilers / Heat Recovery Steam GeneratorsMaintenance &
Service Strategies / Boiler Repair Services / SCR and CO
SystemsSOURDOUGH BISCUITS WERE A STAPLE ON THE FRONTIER...Boilers
& BISCUITS?www.rentechboilers.comCIRCLE 4 ON READER SERVICE
CARDwww.powermag.comPOWER |September 2009 4Now incorporatingand
EDITORIAL & PRODUCTIONEditor-in-Chief: Dr. Robert Peltier,
PE480-820-7855, [email protected] Editor:Gail Reitenbach,
PhDSenior Editor:Angela Neville, JDContributing Editors:Mark
Axford;David Daniels;Bill Ellison, PE;Steven F. Greenwald; Tim
Hurst; Jim Hylko; Kennedy Maize; Douglas Smith; Dick Storm; Dr.
Justin ZacharySenior Writer:Sonal PatelSenior Designer:Leslie
ClaireSenior Production Manager:Tracey Lilly,
[email protected] Manager:Jamie ReesbyADVERTISING
SALESNorth American OfficesSouthern & Eastern U.S./Eastern
Canada/ Latin America:Matthew Grant, 713-343-1882,
[email protected] & Western U.S./Western Canada:Dan
Gentile, 512-918-8075, [email protected]
OfficesUK/France/Benelux/Scandinavia:Peter Gilmore, +44 (0) 20 7834
5559, [email protected] Germany/Switzerland/Austria/Eastern
Europe:Gerd Strasmann, +49 (0) 2191 931 497,
[email protected]:Ferruccio Silvera, +39 (0) 2 284 6716,
[email protected]/Portugal:Vibeke Gilland, +34 91 553 42
06, [email protected]:Katsuhiro Ishii, +81 3
5691 3335, [email protected]:Nartnittha Jirarayapong, +66
(0) 2 237-9471, +66 (0) 2 237 9478India:Faredoon B. Kuka, 91 22
5570 3081/82, [email protected] Korea:Peter Kwon, +82 2 416
2876, +82 2 2202 9351, [email protected]:Tony Tan, +60 3
706 4176, +60 3 706 4177, [email protected]
AdvertisingDiane Hammes, 713-343-1885,
[email protected] Buyers Guide SalesDiane Hammes,
713-343-1885, [email protected] DEVELOPMENTAudience
Development Manager:Terry BestFulfillment Manager:George
SeverineCUSTOMER SERVICEFor subscriber
service:[email protected], 800-542-2823 or
847-763-9509Electronic and Paper
Reprints:[email protected], 717-666-3052List
Sales:Statlistics, Jen Felling, [email protected],
203-778-8700All Other Customer Service:713-343-1887BUSINESS OFFICE
TradeFair Group Publications, 11000 Richmond Avenue, Suite 500,
Houston, TX 77042Publisher:Brian K. Nessen, 713-343-1887,
[email protected]:Sean GuerreACCESS INTELLIGENCE,
LLC4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850301-354-2000
www.accessintel.comChief Executive Officer:Donald A. PazourExec.
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer:Ed PinedoExec. Vice
President, Human Resources & Administration:Macy L.
FectoDivisional President, Business Information Group:Heather
FarleySenior Vice President, Corporate Audience Development:Sylvia
SierraSenior Vice President & Chief Information Officer:Robert
PaciorekVice President, Production & Manufacturing:Michael
KrausVice President, Financial Planning & Internal Audit:Steve
Barber BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GLOBAL GENERATION
INDUSTRYVisit POWER on the web: www.powermag.comSubscribe online
at:
www.submag.com/sub/pwPOWER(ISSN0032-5929)ispublishedmonthlybyAccess
Intelligence,LLC,4ChokeCherryRoad,SecondFloor,
Rockville,MD20850.PeriodicalsPostagePaidatRockville, MD 20850-4024
and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to POWER, P.O. Box 2182, Skokie, IL 60076. Email:
[email protected] Post PM40063731. Return Undeliverable
Canadian Addresses to: Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, ONN9A
6J5.Subscriptions:Availableatnochargeonlyforqualified
executivesandengineeringandsupervisorypersonnel
inelectricutilities,independentgeneratingcompanies,
consultingengineeringfirms,processindustries,andother
manufacturingindustries.AllothersintheU.S.andU.S. possessions: $59
for one year, $99 for two years. In Canada: US$64 for one year,
US$104 for two years. Outside U.S. and Canada: US$159 for one year,
US$269 for two years (includes air mail delivery). Payment in full
or credit card information is
requiredtoprocessyourorder.Subscriptionrequestmust include
subscriber name, title, and company name. For new or renewal
orders, call 847-763-9509. Single copy price: $25. The publisher
reserves the right to accept or reject any order. Allow four to
twelve weeks for shipment of the first issue on subscriptions.
Missing issues must be claimed within three months for the U.S. or
within six months outside U.S.For customer service and address
changes, call
847-763-9509orfax832-242-1971ore-mailpowermag@halldata.comorwritetoPOWER,P.O.Box2182,Skokie,IL60076.
Please include account number, which appears above name on magazine
mailing label or send entire
label.PhotocopyPermission:Wherenecessary,permissionis
grantedbythecopyrightownerforthoseregisteredwith the Copyright
Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive,
Danvers,MA01923,978-750-8400,www.copyright.com,
tophotocopyanyarticleherein,forcommercialuseforthe
flatfeeof$2.50percopyofeacharticle,orforclassroom
usefortheflatfeeof$1.00percopyofeacharticle.Send
paymenttotheCCC.Copyingforotherthanpersonalor
internalreferenceusewithouttheexpresspermissionof
TradeFairGroupPublicationsisprohibited.Requestsfor special
permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the publisher at
11000 Richmond Avenue, Suite 500, Houston, TX 77042. ISSN
0032-5929.Executive Offices of TradeFair Group Publications: 11000
Richmond Avenue, Suite 500, Houston, TX 77042. Copyright 2009 by
TradeFair Group Publications. All rights
reserved.www.rolls-royce.comStaying ahead of the
pack.ReliableandaffordableperformanceputstheRolls-Royce
Trent60attheheadofthepackwhenitcomestodeliveringindustrial power.
With its class-leading 64MW output in powergeneration or mechanical
drive applications, the Trent 60 is
themostefficientandpowerfulaeroderivativegasturbineintheworld. And,
builtupontheextensivelineageandglobalgasturbineexperienceofRolls-Royce,
itcomescompletewithunparalleledcustomerservices.
Forhighreliability, coupledwithindustry-leadingvalueandperformance,
theTrent60isclearly at the head of the pack. Trusted to deliver
excellenceCIRCLE 5 ON READER SERVICE CARDwww.powermag.comPOWER
|September 2009 6SPEAKING OF POWERDead Mans
HandThestageisbeingsetfornegotiatingasuccessoragree-menttotheKyotoProtocol.TheU.S.istryingtoexert
some leadership in the international climate change debate
byattemptingtobuildconsensusforbindingcarbonemission
reductionspriortotheupcomingCopenhagenmeeting.Mean-while,carbonlegislationis,thankfully,stalledintheSenate,
and developing countries are rejecting our entreaties. You cant win
if other countries dont want to play.Trouble Begins at
HomeTheCopenhagenmeetingscheduledforearlyDecemberbegins the formal
negotiations of a follow-on agreement to the Kyoto
Protocol,theinternationalagreementdedicatedtoreducing
anthropogenicgreenhousegas(GHG)emissions.Developing nations, such
as China and India, were not included in any nu-merical emissions
limitations in the original Kyoto agreement.The Obama
administration has signaled that it supports devel-oping a
successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol but will sign a new
agreement only if China commits to making significant, robust
reductions of carbon dioxide. However, President Barack Obama can
strut his moral authority for demanding international reductions in
carbon emissions at Copenhagen only if the Senate passes and he
signs the bloated Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security
Act of 2009 (ACES) or some variant.However, ACES is a bad hand for
one specific reason: It
prom-isestoachieveonlytheslightestreductioninglobalambient
temperatures0.05C to 0.2C through 2050, depending on which source
you believeat the cost of trillions of dollar to the U.S.
economy.JohnMcCain,coauthoroftheLieberman-McCainCli-mate
Stewardship and Innovation Act that failed a 2007 Senate vote, is
quoted in the August 1 issue of The Wall Street Journal as saying,
[The Waxman-Markey] 1,400-page bill is a farce. They bought every
industry offsteel mills, agriculture, utilities.I would not only
not vote for it, he continued, I am op-posed to it entirely because
it does damage to those of us who believe that we need to act in a
rational fashion about climate
change.EvenclimatescientistJamesHansenstatesinaneditorial published
by Columbia University on July 13 titled Strategies to Address
Global Warming that The truth is, the climate course set by
Waxman-Markey is a disaster course. It is an exceedingly
inefficient way to get a small reduction of emissions. It is less
than worthless.India Points to Crisis of Credibility China and
India do not get a pass in the upcoming negotiations as they did
with Kyoto. U.S. carbon emissions have stabilized, yet the Center
for Global Development estimates that China sur-passed the U.S. in
carbon emissions from power generation fa-cilities in August 2008,
and that country now emits a fifth of the worlds carbon. India, in
third place behind the U.S., is rapidly closing the gap.There are
widely disparate views about which countries should share the
economic pain that would follow from the binding re-ductions in
carbon emissions sought in Copenhagen. The July 20
WashingtonPostreportedonSecretaryofStateHillaryClintons three-day
tour of India, during which she tried to arm-twist Indian
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh into agreeing to a binding limit
on carbon emissions. First to speak to the reporters was Clin-ton
during the post-meeting photo op. She described the meet-ings as
very fruitful and so on. Next, as dozens of cameras rolled
andClintonlookedon,Rameshplayedhistrumpcard:Indias position, let me
be clear, is that we are simply not in the position to take legally
binding emissions targets. Ramesh characterized
hisstatementasIndiasofficialpositiononthesubjectandas not a
debating strategy. China Says, You Buy, You
PayChinaspositiononcappingcarbonemissionsissimilartoIn-dias, with a
slight twist. China released a position paper on May 20 that
describes its views on any future climate change agree-ment. The
paper called on the richest countries in the world to reduce GHGs
by 40% below 1990 by 2020, give up to 1% of their GDP to help
poorer countries implement climate change mitiga-tion measures, and
announced their opposition to any binding limits on its emissions.
The paper also adds a new twist to the discussion: Countries that
buy goods from China should be held responsible for the carbon
dioxide emitted by the factories that make them. Rock and a Hard
PlaceSowheredoesthatleavetheU.S.goingintotheCopenhagen
negotiations?Ifthenegotiationswerepoker,thentheU.S.is all-in, and
China and India are calling our bluff. It looks to me as if were
likely to draw a pair of eights to go with ACES. Dr. Robert
Peltier, PE,
Editor-in-ChiefAtAmericanSocietyofBusinessPublicationEditorsbanquets
inWashington,D.C.,inmid-July,POWERwonthefollowing awards:Managing
Editor Gail Reitenbach and Senior Designer Leslie Claire won a
national bronze for the July 2008 Table of Contents.Senior Writer
Sonal Patel won the gold for feature stories in the Southeast
Regional division for Whistling in the dark: Inside South Africas
power crisis (Nov. 2008).Managing Editor Gail Reitenbach won the
silver for feature sto-ries in the Southeast Regional division for
Workforce manage-ment lessons from women in power generation (Nov.
2008).POWER Wins ASBPE AwardsGE EnergyI promise David Chapin, Lead
Product Manager, Filtration TechnologiesBoiler cleaning outages
whether planned or not are costly and disruptive. Now you can do
something about it. The Powerwave+ impulse cleaning system helps
reduce your annual outage time by keeping your boiler operating
longer and more efciently. Which means you spend less time in
scheduled outages, and maybe even eliminate unplanned outages due
to buildup or tube leaks. And thats not just a promise. Its the
promise of something better. Find out how Powerwave+ technology is
already hard at work for your peers at
ge-energy.com/powerwave.CIRCLE 6 ON READER SERVICE
CARDwww.powermag.comPOWER |September 2009 8GLOBAL MONITORGLOBALMONI
TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI
TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI
TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI
TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI
TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TORGLOBALMONI TOROperation of Worlds
First Supercritical CFB Steam Generator Begins in
PolandTheworldsfirstsupercriticalcirculating
fluidized-bed(CFB)steamgeneratorbe-gansuccessfuloperationattheLagisza
powerplantinPolandearlythisJuly,
accordingtopowerequipmentanden-gineeringfirmFosterWheeler.Thenew
CFBbelieved to be the worlds
largestreplaced1960s-erapulverizedcoalunits at the power plant
owned by Polish util-ityPoludniowyKoncernEnergetycznySA (PKE)
(Figure 1). Foster Wheeler provided turnkey supply of the boiler
island, including engineering and design, erection, civil work,
start-up, andcommissioning.Manyexistingplant systems, including
those for coal handling andwatertreatment,wererenovatedfor use with
the new 460-MW CFB unit. The unit incorporates a number of
ad-vanced design features, such as compact
solidseparators,INTREXsuperheaters,
andlow-temperaturefluegasheatre-coverythatcapturesvaluableheatthat
wouldotherwisebelost.Italsoem-ploysfor the first time ever in a
CFBBensonvertical-tubesupercriticalsteam technology.
Specifically,inrelationtotheolder, de-commissionedboilers,thenewCFB
burns less fuel and produces significantly
lowerlevelsofcarbondioxideandother emissions for each megawatt
generated, said Pertti Kinnunen, executive vice
presi-dentofengineeringandtechnologyfor the Finnish subsidiary of
Foster Wheelers GlobalPowerGroup.Kinnunenissaidto have been
responsible for conceptual de-sign of the boiler in 2003.
CFBtechnologyisacleaner-coalplat-form with a unique low-temperature
com-bustion process that efficiently burns both traditional fuels
and carbon-neutral fuels. Unlike conventional steam generators that
burn the fuel in a large, high-temperature flame, CFB technology
does not have burn-ers or a flame within its furnace. Instead, it
uses fluidization technology to mix and
circulatefuelparticleswithlimestoneas they burn in a
lower-temperature combus-tionprocess.Thelimestonecapturesthe
sulfuroxidesastheyareformed,while the lower burning temperature
minimizes the formation of thermal-nitrogen oxides.
Thefuelandlimestoneparticlesarere-cycled over and over back to the
process, which results in high efficiency for burn-ing the fuel by
extending the combustion residencetime,capturingpollutants,and
transferringthefuelsheatenergyinto high-quality steam to produce
power.Successful operation of the first large-scale supercritical
CFB marks a milestone in the technologys history. The first
com-mercial CFB was built by Foster Wheeler in 1979. The 5-MW
boiler supplied to Suomen Kuitulevy in Pihlava, Finland, burned
wood residues and peat. It was soon followed by
a20-MWplantinKauttua,Finland.Over the years, CFB technology matured
and its
useexpanded.In2002,thefirst-genera-tiontechnologyreachedpeaksize,with
twonominal300-MWboilersbeingin-stalledatJacksonvilleEnergyAuthoritys
NorthsideGeneratingStationinFlorida, POWERs 2002 Plant of the Year.
Thefluidizedcombustiontechnology
optionscontinuetoevolve.Accordingto
theU.S.DepartmentofEnergy,amajor efficiency-enhancing measure for
second-generation pressurized fluidized bed com-bustors is the
integration of a coal gasifier (carbonizer)toproduceafuelgas.This
fuelgasiscombustedinatoppingcom-bustorandaddstothecombustorsflue
gas energy entering the gas turbine, which is the more efficient
portion of the com-bined cycle. The topping combustor must exhibit
flame stability in combusting low-Btu gas and have low-NOx emission
char-acteristics. To take maximum advantage of
theincreasinglyefficientcommercialgas turbines, the high-energy gas
leaving the 1.Polish power. The worlds first supercritical
circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) steam gen-erator began operating
this July at Poludniowy Koncern Energetycznys Lagisza power plant
in Poland. The project marks a milestone in the technologys
history. Courtesy: Foster WheelerSubscribe now to get your free
subscription to the electronicnewsletter from POWER magazine.Just
visit our web site www.powermag.comto subscribe.delivers headline
news for powergenerators weeklyStart your freesubscription
today!WANT POWER INDUSTRY NEWS MORE OFTEN?Chemical and
Phamaceutical GroupSolvay Chemicals, Inc.1.800.SOLVAY C
(800.765.8292)www.solvair.usCopyright 2009, Solvay Chemicals, Inc.
All Rights ReservedPRODUCTSFrom the earth to the skyTrona is the
natural way to clean the air. SOLVAir Select 200 trona is a
naturally occurring mineral mined in Green River, Wyoming by Solvay
Chemicals, Inc. When used to treat acid pollutants occurring in fue
gases, this underground mineral helps clean the air. Utilizing
simple chemistry, Select 200 efciently and cost-efectively removes
a variety of acid gases such as SO2, SO3 or HCl. Used in a low
capital cost injection system, Select 200 has shown the ability to
remove over 90% of the acid gases present. Power plants, both large
and small, have turned to the SOLVAir Group and its line of
products to fght for cleaner air. For more detailed information on
SOLVAir Select 200 trona and how it cleans acid gas in the stacks,
go to www.solvair.us, or e-mail [email protected] 7 ON
READER SERVICE CARDwww.powermag.comPOWER |September 2009 10GLOBAL
MONITORtopping combustor must be nearly free of
particulatematterandalkali/sulfurcon-tent.Also,releasestotheenvironment
fromthepressurizedfluidbedcombus-tionsystemmustbeessentiallyfreeof
mercury, an air pollutant for which federal regulations are in
limbo. CFB research and developmentalsofocusonreductionsof
bothcostandcarbondioxideemissions, so new sorbents are being
evaluated. Sor-bent utilization has a major influence on operating
costs, and carbon dioxide emis-sions streams can be used in the
produc-tion of alkali-based sorbents.
EffortsareongoingatthePowerSys-temsDevelopmentFacility(PSDF)in
Wilsonville,Ala.,toensurethatcritical components and subsystems are
ready for thedemonstrationofsecond-generation pressurized fluidized
bed combustion. The PSDFisoperatedbySouthernCompany
ServicesunderaDepartmentofEnergy
contracttoconductcooperativeresearch and development with the
industry.Report: Costs for First-Generation Carbon Capture Plants
Will SoarCarboncaptureandstorage(CCS)has
oflategainedsteamasthebestwayto mitigateemissionsofthegreenhouse
gascarbondioxide(CO2)fromfossilfuel
powerplants,despiteevidencethatthe approach would require much
energy and increasethefuelneedsofacoal-fired plant by more than
25%. A new study from Harvard Universitys Belfer Center for
Sci-ence and International Affairs now asserts
thatlevelizedcostsforaprecombustion
captureplantwithCO2compressionex-cluding costs of transport and
storage and anyrevenuefromenhancedoilrecovery
(EOR)aregoingtobemuchmorethan most people
realize.TheJuly3report,RealisticCostsof Carbon Capture, finds that
electricity pro-duced by the first coal power plants built
toemployprecombustioncaptureand compressiontechnologycouldcostabout
10/kWh more with capture than conven-tional plants (which the
report said ranged from 8 to 12/kWh). Costs of abatement
werefoundtobeabout$150permetric ton of carbon dioxide (tCO2), with
a range of $120 to $180/tCO2 avoided. But as the technology
matures, signifi-cant cost reductions are expected because
ofincreasedscale,lessonslearned,and
technologicalinnovationsforplantinte-gration. The additional cost
of electricity withCO2 capturecouldreportedlyplunge to about 2 to
5/kWh, with costs in the range of $35 to $75/tCO2. All costs in the
report were based on 2008 data, with costs of abatement calculated
with reference to conventional supercritical pulverized coal
plantsforbothemissionsandelectricity
costs.Theaveragetotalcostofelectric-ity produced from coal plants
in 2008 was 2.75/kWh, according to energy analytics firm
Ventyx.Thecostpremiumforgeneratinglow
carbonelectricitywithCCSarefoundto
bebroadlysimilartothecostpremiums
forgeneratinglowcarbonelectricityby other means, where midcase
estimates for costpremiumsoverconventionalpower
generationatpresentaremainlyinthe rangeofapproximately1025/kWh
(exceptforonshorewindpoweratgood siteswherecostpremiumsarelower),
the report says. These cost premiums are all expected to decline in
[the] future as technologies continue to
mature.Thisstudyslevelizedcostsforcarbon capture and compression
are significantly higherthanthoseestimatedinprevious
studies.AccordingtoaMay2009survey
bytheU.S.nonprofitgroupInstituteof
EnergyResearch,theEnergyInformation
AdministrationsAnnualEnergyOutlook 2009 puts levelized costs for an
advanced coal-firedpowerplantwithpostcombus-tion capture and
storage entering service in2016at$122.60/MWh(or12/kWh).
Thiscompareswith$103.50/MWhforan advanced coal plant of the same
capacity factor, but without CCS (Figure
2).TheHarvardstudyisoneofseveral significant CCS cost studies to
have been releasedrecentlyfromaroundtheworld. In November 2008,
McKinsey & Co. found fromitsassessmentofinformationgath-ered
from industrial CCS stakeholders that
costsfromthefirstdemonstrationCCS
projectsbuiltin2015couldrangebe-tween 60 per tCO2 avoided. That
cost can bereducedto30to40tCO2by2030
becauseoflessonslearnedfromdemon-2.CCScostcontroversy.AJulystudyfromHarvardsBelferCenterestimatesthat
electricity produced by the first coal plants to employ
precombustion carbon capture and se-questration technology could
cost 10/kWh more than estimates for conventional plants, which
range between 8 and 12/kWh. A survey of levelized costs in the
Energy Information Admin-istrations Annual Energy Outlook 2009 by
nonprofit group Institute of Energy Research finds that electricity
from an advanced coal plant with carbon capture and sequestration
(CCS) using postcombustion capture and entering service in 2016
will cost 12/kWh. Levelized costs for an advanced coal plant
without CCS at the same capacity factor are estimated at 10/kWh.
Note: Capacity factors for each technology differ. Courtesy:
Institute of Energy Research 2007 dollars per MWhNatural gas
advancedcombined cycle (CC)Natural gasconventional CCConventional
coalAdvanced coalAdvanced nuclearBiomassGeothermalHydroNatural gas
advancedCC with CCSAdvanced coalwith CCSNatural gas
advancedcombustion turbineNatural gas conventionalcombustion
turbineWindOffshore windSolar thermalSolar
PV450400350300250200150100500Transmission investment Variable
O&M (including fuel) Fixed O&M Levelized capital costL I Q
U I D L E V E L M E A S U R E M E N Tesigned for use in external
chambers, the all-new Model 7xGCaged Guided Wave Radar Probe is a
single rod probe thatcombines the unimpeded performance of a
coaxial with theviscosity immunity of a single rod.Engineered
exclusively for Eclipse level transmitters, the Model 7xGprobe is
available in three different diameters to dimensionally match
eitherexisting or new 2", 3", or 4" chambers. This creates a
perfectly matchedimpedance along the entire length of the probe for
error-free signals. Theprobe measures dielectric constants as low
as 1.4 in temperatures of up to+400 F (+200 C) and provides the
capability of an overfill probe with accu-rate measurement up to
the full point of a chamber. Because of its matchedimpedance
characteristics, the Model 7xG probe is also ideal for
interfacelevel measurement.To learn more about the all-new Caged
Guided Wave Radar probe, callus or visit
magnetrol.com.D1-800-624-8765 magnetrol.com
[email protected] the all-newEclipse Caged GWR probeThe
worlds only Guided Wave Radar Single Rodto combine all these
features in one probe:SIL 2Worldwide Level and Flow Solutionssm The
viscosity immunity of a Single Rod probe The unimpeded performance
of a Coaxial probe Measurement to the very top of the chamber
Measurement of dielectric constants as low as 1.4 Accurate
measurement of liquid interface levelCIRCLE 8 ON READER SERVICE
CARDwww.powermag.comPOWER |September 2009 12GLOBAL
MONITORstrationprojects,findsthestudy,CarbonCapture&Storage:
Assessing the Economics. Other studiesparticularly from companies
that are conduct-ing demonstration CCS projectsput costs even
higher than the Harvard study. Earlier this year, as an example,
StatoilHydro con-cluded in a master plan for a CCS demonstration at
Mongstad in Norway that CCS cost could up to 200 per tCO2. Nuclear
Developments in Europe Recent months brought several developments
in Europes much-touted nuclear renaissance. Spain Extends Life of
Nations Oldest
ReactorSpainsgovernmentonJuly2grantedafour-yearextensionto the
operating permit of the 466-MW Santa Mara de Garoa nu-clear power
plant (Figure 3). The decision follows a nonbinding recommendation
by Spains nuclear regulator in June to issue a 10-year operating
permit extension for the 38-year-old plant that
wasscheduledtobedecommissionedin2011onthecondi-tion that it is
modernized. That would cost operating companies Iberdrola and
Endesa an estimated 50 million, but it is an in-vestment they are
willing to make. The plant is by far the oldest remaining nuclear
plant in Spain. Lobbyists in the country have been pushing to
extend the plants operating life, saying that Spain needs nuclear
power to support the nations rapidly growing renewable energy
portfolio.
Environ-mentalists,meanwhile,havedemandedtheplantstotalshut-downbecausetheyclaimthereactorhassufferedfromsevere
cracking, and that corrosion has affected various components in the
reactor vessel. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
defended thegovernmentsdecision,sayingthatSpainneedstheenergy and
the Garoa area needs the economic activityeven though the plant
produces only about 1% of the countrys electricity, has aging
technology, and produces 50% more high-level waste than Spains
other five nuclear plants. Nuclear power produces 20% of Spains
electricity, but permits for running most of the other plants will
also expire by 2011or within the mandate of Zapateros government. A
decision to pro-longthelifeoftheGaroaplantontheEbroRiverisamajor
reversal for Zapatero, who, during general elections in 2004 and
2008, pledged to gradually phase out nuclear power.German Nuclear
Policy Depends on Upcoming ElectionNuclear power in Germany may see
new life following the Sept.
27generalelection.Thecountrysgovernmentin2000,under
ChancellorGerhardSchroeder,agreedtophaseoutallofthe
countrys17reactorsby2021.Buttheloomingpowergapof around 21 GWnearly
25% of the countrys overall power
pro-ductioncouldstrong-armChancellorAngelaMerkelsChristian
DemocratsandtheLiberalpartytopostponetheclosures.The Social
Democrats continue to push for the phase-out, however, in favor of
renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
TheelectioninSeptembercould,therefore,decidewhether or not the
phase-out continues. Reports from the nations po-litical media say
the race is too close to call but that opinion polls show Merkels
Christian Democrats and Liberals are gaining public favor. Bulgaria
Desperate for Investors to Save BeleneBulgarias center-right
government said in late July that if it does not find private
investors for its majority stake in the planned
Belenenuclearpowerplant,itwillbeforcedtoabandonthe
project.Owingtotightgloballiquidityandtherecession,the government
said it cannot afford to take on loans to fund its 51% stake in the
2,000-MW plant. The previous Socialist-led administration wanted to
build Be-lene the countrys second nuclear planton the Danube River
to recover Bulgarias position as a major power exporter in the 3.A
half life. Spains government in July granted a four-year exten-sion
to the 466-MW Santa Mara de Garoa nuclear power plant, a
38-year-old plant that is by far the countrys oldest nuclear plant.
Spains primeministersaidthecountryneedstheenergy,eventhoughthe
plantproducesabout1%ofthenationselectricity.Courtesy:Foro
NuclearCIRCLE 9 ON READER SERVICE CARDSeptember 2009 |
POWERwww.powermag.com13GLOBAL
MONITORBalkans.ThecountryhadcontractedRussiasAtomstroyexport,
Frances Areva, and Germanys Siemens to build Belene. Then it
picked, with much fanfare, German utility RWE for the remaining 49%
in the 4 billion Belene plant. Since then, analysts estimate that
project costs have surged to more than 6 billion. The previous
administration had even ne-gotiated a 3.8 billion state loan with
the Russian government, but the new government says it is not
willing to provide any state guarantees for loans. Financial Crisis
Impacts Russias Grand Nuclear PlansRussian state nuclear
corporation Rosatom said in mid-July that the global economic
slowdown has affected its extensive nuclear
powerplantconstructionprogram.Accordingtotheso-called Master layout
plan for energy-producing capacities projected up to 2020, the
current approved schedule in April 2007 (and then amended and
re-endorsed in March 2008) calls for 36 new nuclear reactors to be
built in the next decade. The program envisaged starting up one
unit per year from 2009, two from 2012, three from 2015, and four
from 2016. Nuclear capacity was expected to almost triple by 2020.
Today, under crisis conditions, the time frame when we will need
three to four [nuclear plant equipment] sets [per year] will be
pushed back, but it will not be cancelled, just pushed back, taking
into account the changing demand in energy. As we come out of the
crisis, we will be needing all of this again, Rosatom
headSergeiKiriyenkoreportedlytoldjournalistsinMarchthis year. This
July, he confirmed that in the face of the financial crisis and
declining energy demand, the nation had decided to put off
thepeakoftheprogramforseveralyears.Wehadplannedto
constructtworeactorsperyear,butwehavenowrevisedthe program and now,
in the coming years, we will build one reactor per year, he said.
Swiss Solar Plane Prototype Designed to Fly Day and NightThe first
aircraft designed to fly day and night propelled solely by solar
energy was unveiled at Dbendorf airfield, Switzerland,
inlateJune.TheSolarImpulsehasthewingspanofaBoeing 747-400 and the
weight of an average family car (1,600 kg)
(Fig-ure4).Morethan12,000solarcellsmountedontothewings will power
four electric motors with a maximum 10 horsepower each. During the
day, the solar cells are designed to also charge lithium-polymer
batteries (400 kg), which will allow the airplane to fly through
the night. Adventurer Bertrand Piccard, who unveiled the Solar
Impulse along with Solar Impulse CEO Andr Borschberg, retraced the
his-toryoftheprojectsinceitwaslaunchedin2003.Theysaidit took six
years of calculations, simulations, and tests for the
70-personteamtocompletetheaircraftprototypeHB-SIA.The
prototypesmissionistodemonstratethefeasibilityofacom-plete
day-night-day cycle, running on nothing but solar energy. This year
and next year the plane will make its first test flightsincluding a
complete night flight over Switzerland. Based on the results of
those flights, the prototype will be improved.
TheSolarImpulsesinventorshopethatstartingin2012,
asecondexperimentalplane,HB-SIB,willcircumnavigatethe
worldinfivestagesalbeitslowly.Withonly40horsepower, the aircraft
takes off at 22 mph and then accelerates at altitude to an
estimated speed of only 44 mphas fast as an average scooter.
Scotland Officially Opens 100-MW Glendoe Hydro
PlantInlateJune,ScotlandofficiallyopenedtheGlendoeHydro Scheme, a
100-MW project whose construction near Loch Ness in
theScottishHighlandswastheregionsbiggestcivilengineer-ingprojectinrecenttimes.Planningfortheprojectbeganin
2001, and it took three years to build. Today, the project has the
highestheadthedropfromthereservoirtotheturbineof
4.Soaringonsolar.AnaircraftprototypeunveiledthisJune
runssolelyonsolarenergyvia12,000solarcellsmountedontothe wings. The
plane, which features a wingspan of a Jumbo Jet and the weight of
an average family car, has been designed to fly day and night.
At40horsepower,itmovesslowlyhowever,acceleratingtoonly44 mph at
altitude. Courtesy: Solar ImpulseCIRCLE 10 ON READER SERVICE
CARDwww.powermag.comPOWER |September 2009 14GLOBAL
MONITORanyhydrostationintheUK,allowingit to generate more energy
from every cubic meterofwaterthananyotherfacilityin
thecountry,saysprojectownerScottish and Southern Energy (SSE).
Thereservoirwasformedbythecon-structionofa960-meter-long,35-m-highdamontheRiverTaff(Figure5).
Theprojectsmorecomplexconstruction
phasewasmarkedbydigginganexten-sivetunnelsystem,whichmeasures16 km
in total. In order to carve the tunnels
outoftheunderlyingbedrock,a200-m-longboringmachinewasused.SSEsays
that in one instance, the machine entered the hillside in summer
2006 and emerged abouttwoyearslater,havingcreated8 km of tunnels.
The actual power station is housed in a cavern 250 m below ground
levelrough-ly 2 km from the banks of Loch Ness. This cavern stands
adjacent to a smaller cavern that contains the main transformer.
Theprojecthasbeenmuchpublicized
andwell-receivedQueenElizabethher-self declared it openand SSE is
already consideringtwonewlargepumpedstor-age schemes in the Great
Glen, plans that the company is expected to make public in 2011.
For those reasonalong with con-sideration of the UKs frenzied
preparation to meet stringent carbon goalsthe
Scot-tishmediaarespeculatingthatGlendoe may just be the beginning
of a new era for hydropower in the Highlands. Some point
toalistof102hydropowerdevelopment 5.Highland hydropower. The 100-MW
Glendoe Hydro Scheme near Loch Ness in Scot-land officially opened
in late June. The projects owner, Scottish and Southern Energy,
says it has the highest drop from the reservoir to the turbine of
any hydro station in the UK, which allows it to generate more
energy from every cubic meter of water than any other facility in
the country. Courtesy: ScotaviaBiomass Handling EquipmentComplete
Engineered SystemsPulverized Coal Boiler ConversionsCFB Boiler Feed
SystemsUSA: CORPORATE HEADQUARTERSJeffrey Rader Corporation398
Willis RoadWoodruff, SC, USA 29388Phone: 864.476.7523Fax:
864.476.7510CANADA: Montreal, QuebecJeffrey Rader Canada2350 Place
Trans-CanadienneDorval, QuebecH9P 2X5 CanadaPhone: 514.822.2660Fax:
514.822.2699CANADA: Vancouver, BCJeffrey Rader CanadaUnit 2, 62
Fawcett RoadCoquitlam, BCV3K 6V5 CanadaPhone: 604.299.0241Fax:
604.299.1491SWEDEN: StockholmJeffrey Rader ABDomnarvsgatan 11, 163
53 SPNGAStockholm, SwedenPhone: +46 8 56 47 57 47Fax: +46 8 56 47
57 48For information on how Jeffrey Rader Corporation can solve
your Biomass Handling needs, visit us at
www.jeffreyrader.com/powSilosWood HogsDisc ScreensOpen
StorageClosed StorageTruck DumpersChain ConveyorsBucket
ElevatorsScrew ConveyorsScrew ReclaimersPneumatic ConveyingMaterial
Handling for Biomass Power GenerationUNI TEDSTATESCANADASWEDEN
UNITED STATES CANADA SWEDENSee our Biomass video at
www.jeffreyrader.com/videoBCIRCLE 11 ON READER SERVICE
CARDSeptember 2009 | POWERwww.powermag.com15GLOBAL MONITORprojects
proposed by a 1946 regional hy-droelectric board. These ranged
greatly in size,buttheyencompassedalmostevery water course in the
region. Biomass Electricity More Efficient than Ethanol,
Researchers SayBiomassplantmatterthatsgrownto
generateenergyconvertedintoelec-tricitycouldresultin81%moretrans-portation
miles and 108% more emissions offsetsthanethanol,accordingtoU.S.
researchers.Inaddition,theelectricity option would be twice as
effective at re-ducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The study,
published in the May 22 is-sueofthejournalScience,wasbasedon two
criteria: square miles of cropland and GHG offsets per area (in
square miles) of cropland. In both cases, scientists consid-ered a
range of feedstock crops (corn and switchgrass) and vehicle types
(small car, midsize car, small SUV, and large SUV).University of
California Merced Assistant Professor Elliott Campbell, along with
Chris-topherFieldoftheCarnegieInstitutions
DepartmentofGlobalEcologyandDavid
LobellofStanfordUniversity,firstlooked
athowmanymilesarangeofvehicles poweredbyethanolcouldtravelversusa
range of electric vehicles fueled by electric-ity. Second, they
examined offsets to GHG emissions for ethanol and
bioelectricity.Theyalsoconsideredlandusewhen
evaluatingeachmethod,sayingthat globally, the amount of land
available to grow biomass crops is limited. Using
ex-istingcroplandsforbiofuelscouldcause increases in food prices
and clearing new
land,ordeforestation,canhaveanega-tiveimpactontheenvironment,they
said in a statement. Theauthorsarecarefultopointout that their
study did not examine the per-formance of electricity and ethanol
or oth-erpolicy-relevantcriteria.Wealsoneed to compare these
options for other issues such as water consumption, air pollution,
and economic costs, Campbell said. Theresultssuggestthatinvestment
in an ethanol infrastructureeven if the
ethanolisderivedfromamore-efficient cellulosic processmay be
misguided. In addition, the study notes that it would be possible
to capture and store carbon diox-ide emissions from biomass power
plantsan option not available for ethanol. DOE Funds
Electrification of Transportation Sector On August 5, President
Barack Obama an-nouncedthat48newadvancedbattery and electric drive
projects will receive $2.4 billion in funding from the Department
of EnergyundertheAmericanRecoveryand
ReinvestmentAct.Theannouncement marksthesinglelargestinvestmentin
advancedbatterytechnologyforhybrid and electric-drive vehicles ever
made. DOE funds will be matched by another $2.4 bil-lion from the
award winners.Fourcompanieswereselectedinthe advanced vehicle
electrification catego-ry. The largest amount, $99.8 million, will
gotoElectricTransportationEngineering
Corp.(eTec),asubsidiaryofECOtality Inc., to undertake the largest
deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging in-frastructure
in U.S. history. In partnership with Nissan North Amer-ica, eTec
will deploy EVs and the charging
infrastructuretosupportthem.Theproj-ect, which will use the Nissan
LEAFa ze-ro-emission electric vehicle, will develop, implement, and
study techniques for opti-mizing the effectiveness of charging
infra-structure that will support widespread EV deployment. The
project will install elec-tricvehiclecharginginfrastructureand
deploy up to 1,000 Nissan battery electric vehicles in strategic
markets in five states: Arizona,California,Oregon,Tennessee,
andWashington.TosupporttheNissan
EV,theprojectwillinstallapproximately 12,500 Level 2 (220 V)
charging systems and 250 Level 3 (fast-charge) systems.The project
will collect and analyze data to characterize vehicle use in
diverse top-ographic and climatic conditions, evaluate the
effectiveness of charge infrastructure, and conduct trials of
various revenue sys-tems for commercial and public charge
in-frastructure. OnAugust2,Nissanintroducedthe LEAF (Figure 6),
which the automaker calls the worlds first affordable,
zero-emission
car.Designedspecificallyforalithium-ionbattery-poweredchassis,theLEAFis
amedium-sizehatchbackthatseatsfive adults and has a range of 100
miles. The carwilllaunchintheU.S.inlate2010. U.S. production will
begin in 2012, at Nis-sansmanufacturingfacilityinSmyrna,
Tenn.NissanchiefCarlosGhosnhassaid theLEAFwillcostaboutthesameasa
gasoline-powered car.POWER DigestNewsitemsofinteresttopowerindustry
professionals.Hitachi Power Systems to Supply
Boil-erSystemsforMeigsCountyProject. AmericanMunicipalPower(AMP)on
July 13 awarded a contract for the design and supply of two
supercritical, coal-fired steam-electric generating power blocks to
HitachiPowerSystemsAmericaforthe American Municipal Power
Generating Sta-tion(AMPGS)projectunderdevelopment
inMeigsCounty,Ohio.Eachpowerblock consists of a pulverized coal
boiler power-ing a steam turbine generator and the
as-sociatednitrogenoxideemissioncontrol
equipment.Theboilersystemswillalso utilize Hitachis selective
catalytic reduc-tion technology. The contract was award-ed
following an extensive bid and analysis
processthatincludedAMPstaff,Bechtel 6.The electric car, take two.
When Nissan rolls out its all-electric LEAF in 2010, it will become
part of the largest test project involving electric vehicles and
charging infrastructure. Courtesy: Nissanwww.powermag.comPOWER
|September 2009 16GLOBAL MONITORPower (the EPC contractor for the
project), R.W. Beck (the proj-ects owners engineer), and Burns
& Roe (an independent con-sultant reviewing the contract and
bid evaluation).
TheAMPGSfacilitywillalsousePowerspansECO-SO2emis-sion control
technology for the control of sulfur dioxide (SO2), with
co-benefits for the control of mercury and particulate mat-ter. The
project will be the first large-scale commercial
deploy-mentofthetechnology,which,inadditiontocontrollingSO2 at best
available control technology standards, shows promise for the
efficient capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the future.
PowerspansCO2controltechnologyiscurrentlybeingtested
withacommercialpilotatFirstEnergysR.E.Burgerplantin Shadyside,
Ohio. GLE to Evaluate Laser-Based Uranium Enrichment Technol-ogy.
Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) on July 30 announced the start-up of
a test loop to evaluate the laser-based uranium en-richment
technology that GLE is developing to increase the U.S. supply of
enriched uranium for nuclear power plants worldwide. GLE, a
business venture between GE Hitachi Ltd. and Canadian
uraniumproducerCameco,planstousethetestloopsresults
todeterminewhethertocommercializelaser-basedenrichment technology
at a full-scale enrichment facility in Wilmington, N.C. GLE
anticipates gleaning sufficient data from the test loop by the end
of 2009. Start-up of the test loop comes less than a month after
GLE announced it had completed its license application to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build the full-scale
facility. The NRCs estimated 30-month application review
processofficiallybeginsoncetheagencyformallydockets,or accepts, the
GLE application. AccionaInaugurates50-MWParabolicCylinderPlantin
Spain. Spanish energy firm Acciona in late July inaugurated a 50-MW
concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in Alvarado, Spain. The 236
million plant uses parabolic cylinder technologythe same as
Accionas Nevadas Solar One CSP plant, which has been
inoperationsinceJune2007.TheAlvaradoICSPplantcovers more than 130
hectares. Solar energy is reflected by 184,320 mir-rors aligned in
rows to 768 solar collectors with a total length of around 75 km.
Construction of the plant began in February 2008 and involved
shifting more than a million cubic meters of earth. An average of
350 people worked throughout the 18-month con-struction period. A
team of 31 will make up the plants operation and maintenance team.
FluorCorp.toConductFEEDWorkforScottishandSouth-ern Plant in
England. Fluor Corp. on July 21 said it had been
selectedtoconductfront-endengineeringanddesign(FEED) work for a
nitrogen oxide reduction program at the Fiddlers Ferry Power
Station in Warrington, Cheshire, England. Fluor is currently
performingpreliminaryengineeringandconstructionplanning services
for selective catalytic reduction of emissions at Scottish and
Southern Energys (SSE) four-unit coal-fired power plant as well as
providing client technical support and project cost esti-mation.
Fluor began a feasibility study in late 2008; FEED work
isexpectedtobecompletedduringthethirdquarterof2009. SSE is
competitively bidding the EPC contract for this clean air
initiative. Wrtsil Wins Power Plant Orders from Greece and
Cyprus.Wrtsil on July 20 said it won 40 million in separate orders
to supply power generation equipment to the island of Lesvos,
Greece, and to Cyprus from the Greek state-owned Public Power Corp.
The contracts, representing a total of 72 MW, are for an extension
to an existing power plant, with the extra 22 MW ca-pacity needed
to meet the huge increase in demand that occurs during the tourist
season. In addition, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC), a
public utility, has ordered a power plant with
threeWrtsil18V46engines,withacapacityof50MW.The new plant is
located in Dhekelia, near the town of Larnaca, in Cyprus
SCE&EPicksShaw,WestinghouseforNuclearPlantMain-tenanceandEngineering.TheSouthCarolinaElectric&Gas
Co. (SCE&G), the principal subsidiary of SCANA Corp., on July
28 awarded the Shaw Groups power group and Westinghouse Electric
Co. a long-term alliance contract. The group will provide nuclear
maintenance, modification, refueling outage, and design engineering
services to SCANAs V.C. Summer Nuclear Station Unit 1, in
Jenkinsville, S.C. The contract is an extension of the
rela-tionship established by Shaw and Westinghouse to provide EPC
services for two new AP1000 nuclear power unitsV.C. Summer Units 2
and 3, operated by SCE&G and the South Carolina Public Service
Authority (Santee Cooper).
UKGovernmentGrantsVestas6MillionforWindEnergy R&D. The UKs
Department of Energy and Climate Change on July 27 said Danish wind
turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems would be granted over 6 million
for research and development work on the Isle of Wight. The grant
is made under the UK governments 1 billion program to set up
onshore wind farms in the next three years. More than 3 million of
Vestass total grant will come from
theSouthEastEnglandDevelopmentAgency.Thesumwillbe paid out to the
unit Vestas Technology UK Ltd., which runs an R&D center on the
Isle of Wight. The Danish company will receive the subsidy despite
its decision to close its wind-blade factory on the small island,
which generated large media attention and protests against more
than 600 job losses there. By Sonal Patel, POWERs senior
writer.ASHROSS RUMig-Rail CarLow prole, high speed railcar
unloading system.In-ground system meant for stationary use.ASHROSS
RUM-Rail CarRailcar unloading machine, train drives over the RUM,
walks off the track by itself.Unloads anywhere, anytime with speed
and efciency.ASHROSS RC-ReclaimerCoal reclaimer.Use with dozer or
other equipment.Moves the entire pile of coal and reclaims the coal
in a fast and efcient manner.ASHROSS 1260 C-TruckSelf-propelled,
mobile, towable drive over unloading system for belly dump and end
dump trailers.ASHROSS ST-TruckStationary drive over unloading
system for belly dump and end dump trailers. 530 South 250 West
Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062801-785-6464 Fax; 801-785-6486
www.ashross.com email: [email protected] AvailableCOAL
HANDLING EQUIPMENTUnload railcars fast and inexpensivelyCall
today!801-785-6464CIRCLE 12 ON READER SERVICE CARDMAGENTA (MI) -
ITALYvia Robecco, 20Tel. +39 02 972091Fax +39 02 9794977e-mail:
[email protected] www.stf.itBURMEISTER & WAIN ENERGY A/SDK - 2820
Gentofte.Denmarkjaegersborg Alle 164Tel. +45 39 45 20 00Fax +45 39
45 20 05e-mail: [email protected] www.bwe.dkCIRCLE 13 ON READER SERVICE
CARDwww.powermag.comPOWER |September 2009
18FOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUSONO&MFOCUS
ON O&MWATER TREATMENTAvoid These 10 Mistakes When Selecting
Your New Water Treatment SystemThereareanumberofreasonswhyyour
plant might be looking at new water
pre-treatmentequipmentinthenearfuture.
Onecommonreasonistheadditionof
newgeneratingcapacity.Formanyutili-ties, adding generation to an
existing site has proven to be far simpler than obtain-ing the
permits for a greenfield site. The added generation might be in the
form of simple-cycle combustion turbines for peak
powerdemands(seepp.26and30for examples) or a high-efficiency
combined-cycle power plant. Regardless of the type
ofnewgeneration,youcanbesurethat it will require additional
high-purity water forprocessesrangingfromdirectsteam
generationtopoweraugmentation,NOx control,andwashingthebladesofthe
combustion turbines.Anotherreasontoconsidernewwater pretreatment
equipment is that plant staff arefindingexistingionexchangeunits
arebecomingincreasinglydifficultto maintain and expensive to
operate. These problems may be compounded by a plant
watersupplythathaschangedsincethe water treatment equipment was
originally specified. Typically, the current water
sup-plymayhavehigherlevelsofsuspended solids and dissolved solids
than the equip-ment was originally designed to handle. Reverse
osmosis (RO) systems have be-come a favorite in more and more
installa-tions and are being successfully used with
someverypoorquality(high-turbidity, high-salt, high-organic)
waters. The major equipment companies continue to improve RO and
ultrafiltration (UF) systems, increas-ing the water production
rates and reduc-ing the equipment footprint (Figure 1).
Ifyouareinthemarketforawater treatmentsystemretrofitorupgrade,or
perhaps are preparing specifications for a new water treatment
plant, it pays to learn fromothersmistakes.HereismyTop10 list of
design mistakes made when new wa-ter treatment equipment is
specified.1.Improperlyspecifyingorcharacteriz-ingthemakeupwatertotheequipmentparticularlythesiltdensityindex(SDI)
onanRO.Icantoveremphasizetheim-portanceofproperlycharacterizingthe
incomingwatersupplybeforepreparing
equipmentspecifications.Takemultiple
samples,atdifferenttimesoftheyear
andundervariousoperatingconditions. Remembertomeasurethetemperature
ofthewaterandtotalsuspendedsolids (TSS), or, better yet, SDI on
each sample.2.Failingtomatchtheproductwater
withtheneed.Noteverypieceofpower plantequipmentrequires18M(0.56
S/cm)waterwith10M (