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Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia Show Preview

December 2, 2017

The Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia (TPS) is a vital industry event, a forum for the exchange of ideas between rotating equipment engineers and technicians from across the globe. From the first symposium in 1972, TPS (http://tps.tamu.edu/) has been known for its impact on turbomachinery, pump, oil and gas, petrochemical, power, aerospace, chemical, and water industries through both its technical program and its exhibit hall, where 360 companies exhibited their products and services in 2016. This year’s event, held December 12–14 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, promises to be the perfect forum for exchanging ideas and forging new relationships. TPS is organized by the Turbomachinery Laboratory, part of Texas A&M University. A sampling of the exhibitors, and their products and services, are highlighted in this section.

High-Pressure, Rotary Gear Pumps for Severe Applications

Northern Pump manufactures high-pressure, heavy-duty, positive-displacement, rotary gear pumps for industry, designed to perform in severe applications. Among those applications are for seal oil, lube oil, fuel oil, hydraulic oil, coating, and many others.…

California PUC Will Rule Soon on Diablo Canyon’s Future

November 28, 2017

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The fate of Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E’s) Diablo Canyon Power Plant is expected to be decided by year-end, with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) set to hear final arguments about the plant’s future on November 28.

The 2.2-GW nuclear plant has operated near Avila Beach, California, since 1985. A judge in early November supported PG&E’s plan to retire the plant’s two Westinghouse-designed 4-loop pressurized-water reactors when their federal operating licenses expire in 2024 and 2025.

PG&E has said several factors entered into its decision to shutter the plant, which is the last operating nuclear facility in California. On its website, the utility says, “California’s energy landscape is changing dramatically. State policies that focus on renewables and energy efficiency, coupled with projected lower customer electricity demand in the future, will result in a significant reduction in the need for electricity produced by Diablo Canyon Power Plant past 2025.”

Proponents of keeping the plant in operation argue it was built to last a century.…

Exelon’s Digital Transformation [PODCAST]

November 26, 2017

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GE and Exelon announced a multi-year agreement to deploy GE’s portfolio of Predix software solutions across the energy company’s six electric utilities to further enhance reliability and efficient service to its more than 10 million customers. Exelon’s six utilities will use these advanced analytics to further strengthen transmission and delivery systems. POWER Executive Editor Aaron Larson interviewed Brian Hurst, vice president and Chief Analytics Officer for Exelon Utilities; Brian Hoff, head of the Exelon corporate innovation team; Lisa Howard, Exelon’s external communications director; and Ankush Agarwal, director of infrastructure analytics for Exelon Utilities on October 26 during the GE Minds + Machines Conference in San Francisco, California. The group discussed some of the innovative things Exelon is doing with the latest technology.

The post Exelon’s Digital Transformation [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER Magazine…

GE Power Falters on Underperformance of Alstom Investment

November 24, 2017

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Weak earnings associated with General Electric’s (GE’s) underperforming $ 10.1 billion investment in Alstom have prompted the giant conglomerate to rejigger its power business and lean more heavily on other segments.

GE Power, the company’s long-standing and lucrative business unit that has installed 1.6 GW of the world’s installed capacity over its 125-year history, has also suffered costly operational misses owing to softer markets for new capacity and an energy transition unfolding worldwide, company executives said in a November 13 investor call.

While the GE Power franchise remained “good,” even in the face of a “tough market,” GE had “exacerbated the market situation with some really poor execution,” GE CEO John Flannery said.

GE, a company renowned for technology breakthroughs will now seek to reinvent itself with a number of broad changes, including shrinking its board from 18 to 12, shaking up leadership, and shifting its focus to cultivate more earnings for shareholders.

At GE Power, specifically, the changes relate to costs, capital allocation, working capital and operations, governance, and culture.…

More U.S. Coal Units Closing Despite Possible Market Pricing Change

November 22, 2017

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U.S. utilities continue to announce closures of financially troubled and older coal-fired power plants even as government officials work on a bailout plan to keep them operating.

Owners of a coal plant in Montana that has only been online since 2006 informed the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) last week of plans to shutter the facility early next year if they can’t find a buyer. The news comes at the same time Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E-KU) said it would close two long-running coal-fired units at the E.W. Brown Generating Station near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, in February 2019.

The announcements are the latest in a series of closures announced in recent months, including three large coal-fired plants in Texas—two operated by Vistra Energy and another by Luminant, a Vistra subsidiary—that generate about 4.2 GW of electricity, or about 12% of the state’s coal-fired generation capacity. Another large Texas plant, CPS Energy’s 840-MW Deely station in San Antonio, is scheduled to close in 2018.…

Dominion to Seek 80-Year Lifetime for North Anna Nuclear Reactors

November 20, 2017

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Dominion Energy will formally ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to relicense its two reactors at the North Anna Power Station for 20 more years—effectively extending their operating lives up to 80 years.

Dominion Energy Virginia notified the federal regulatory body of its intent to relicense the two reactors in Louisa County, Virginia, which it will file in 2020. The company in November 2015 notified the NRC of its intent to seek a 20-year license renewal of its two units at the Surry power station, in southeastern Virginia, during the spring of 2019.

The 1,892-MW North Anna plant’s Unit 1 began commercial service in 1978 and Unit 2 in 1980. The 1,676-MW Surry plant’s Unit 1 began commercial service in 1972 and Unit 2 in 1973. All four units’ licenses were renewed for 20 years in March 2003. The North Anna’s units are currently authorized to operate until between 2038 and 2040. At Surry, the reactors are licensed until 2032 and 2033.…