Power Digital Edition November 2019

Digital Edition November 2019 Read Now

Cover Focus: Nuclear Top Plants Extended Power Uprate Is a Winning Strategy for Nuclear Plant The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is a POWER Top Plant award winner, thanks to a successful extended power uprate project that added 465 MW of generation capacity to the facility’s three units. The project is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plan for ensuring it can meet the power needs of the region for years to come. Evolutionary Triumph: China’s First ACPR1000 China has been building nuclear plants for only 30 years, but it has so far installed a stunning 47 reactors. Last year, it began commercial operation of its first indigenously designed third-generation reactor—the ACPR1000 at Yangjiang 5. The project, which also adopts a novel “nuclear-grade” distributed control system, was completed within just 58 months. Evolution of Nuclear Power Continues with Operation of First EPR Commercial operation of Unit 1 at the Taishan nuclear plant in China was a milestone for nuclear technology, as the unit is the world’s first operational Evolutionary Power Reactor, or EPR, to enter service. The EPR is a third-generation pressurized water reactor design. Energy Storage Stranded Nuclear Asset Provides Opportunity for Seawater Pumped Storage The closure of a nuclear power plant or other power generation site does not mean the facility has no future. Experts who have studied the closed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California think the location, with its existing infrastructure and geography, could be ideal for development of seawater pumped storage technology. Waste Heat to Power Innovative Technology Captures Energy from Waste Heat A novel new engineering design allows power generation from low-temperature heat sources ranging from 170F to 270F. This waste-heat-to-power technology converts various sources of energy into power including waste heat generated by small geothermal, biomass, concentrated solar, and process heat sources, as well as from internal combustion engine cooling water. Wind Power Is Small Beautiful? Maybe Not When It Comes to Wind Power Bigger is proving better for wind power, as larger turbines and blades, along with larger installation sites, are helping move the technology forward and provide for ever-increasing power generation capacity. Managing Risk When the Storm Strikes, Will You Be Ready? Every power plant and industrial facility needs a disaster preparedness plan. Implementing best practices for storm preparation helps ensure downtime and outages are kept to a minimum. Utilizing a service company to help with developing a plan can reduce the cost of storm preparation and restoration. Heat Recovery Steam Generators Operating HRSGs with Elevated Feedwater pH Combined cycle power plant owners and operators need to study several factors as they work to optimize the chemistry program and operation of each unit. The cycle-chemistry guidelines for these plants have evolved, and today’s maintenance levels for pH may cause problems with the operation of condensate polishers. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Biomass Energy Dependable Renewable Energy for the Power Grid A South Korean power plant that can burn multiple fuels, including several types of biomass, is a model for a new kind of renewable energy, much different than solar or wind. At the plant’s heart is an advanced circulating fluidized bed boiler.

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