power plant

This February, a federal appeals court tossed out the Clean Air Mercury Rule and its cap-and-trade program and ordered that mercury be regulated more stringently as a hazardous air pollutant. Adding insult to injury, the court made its ruling effective one month later. While the EPA regroups, state energy and environmental regulators will have an opportunity to look closely at recent power plant permits for guidance. This article reviews the technology options and regulatory approach for mercury control used on recently permitted and currently operating coal-fired plants.

Siemens to build combined-cycle plant in Portugal. Siemens Energy
is to build two turnkey combined-cycle units for ElecGas S.A. at Central Termoeléctrica do Pego in Abrantes, northeast of Lisbon. ElecGas S.A. is a joint venture of the independent power generation company International Power plc and the Spanish utility Endesa S.A. Following the units’ start-up, tentatively set for 2011, Siemens will also assume responsibility for maintenance of the power train for a period of 25 years. The order, including the long-term service agreement, is valued at about $947million.

The Japanese earthquake,combined with aging facilities in the UK and unplanned outages in Germany,caused a general slump in global nuclear generation in 2007 of 3.6%,from 2.8 billion MWh in 2006,according to Nucleonics Week.

U.S. reactors, on the other hand, set a record for output, surging to 843 million MWh and utilizing an average 91% of reactor capacity. National total nuclear generation was 2.4% higher than in 2006 and 2.3% higher than in the previous record year, 2004.Though the total number of operating U.S.commercial reactors (104)remained below 1990 levels, generation was 40% higher than the 577 billion kWh produced in that year.

Clean energy powers on—and is projected to escalate exponentially—in spite of a sluggish economy. According to a new report from Clean Edge Inc., revenues for the renewables industry surged 40% in 2007, with returns for solar photovoltaics, biofuels, and wind surpassing the $20 billion mark for the first time. Global revenues for solar photovoltaic products, wind power, biofuels, and fuel cells collectively shot up from $55 billion in 2006 to $77.3 billion in 2007.

Carrying out detailed internal inspections of gas turbines is critical to any routine power plant maintenance program, but it has to be achieved without affecting production targets. Many companies have tight outage schedules and face the prospect of high penalties for longer than expected equipment downtime.

Against this backdrop, operators of power plants frequently use remote visual inspections of machinery and pipework during brief shutdowns. However, it is argued within the industry that such inspections have limited effectiveness because fiber scope and video scopes used to carry out the work can lack flexibility, and these remote visual inspections may fail to provide accurate condition monitoring, as they are unable to get close enough to potential equipment problems.

A growing list of nuclear power plants throughout the world face obsolescence problems with their instrumentation and control (I&C) systems. Plants designed a generation ago Struggle to maintain their original analog or electromechanical I&C systems, if they have experienced technicians. Upgrading with advanced, digital-based controls is the obvious solution, but that's not always a straightforward exercise for many stations because of the complexity and regulatory oversight.

Gas engine sets by Deutz Power Systems GmbH are increasingly utilized in power generation applications in Far East countries, and to support the growing importance of the Asian energy market, Deutz Power Systems recently announced a new local subsidiary in Singapore that joins the one located in Beijing.

A power plant that gasifies coal, produces hydrogen, and seguesters carbon is the DOES answer to the question, "How will the U.S. reduce its greenhouse gas emissions without signing the Kyoto Protocol?" But unproven technologies, an aggressive schedule, and the energy industry's historical inability to cost-share raise questions about the program. Is this just another pie-in-the-sky federal boondoggle or the coal-fired plant of the future?

By Dr. Robert Peltier PE, Editor-in-Chief POWER