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Nearly every utility in the world has embarked on their own journey of digital transformation, using data to help make processes faster and more efficient. Traditionally, utility data has been […]
The post How Utilities Can Activate Data to Improve Asset Management appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The post Improve Wind Turbine Safety with a Piston Accumulator Retrofit appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Wind turbines are designed to maximize power production based on the predicted wind speeds found at the plant site. However, excessive wind speeds are experienced at times, so it is crucial to limit power generation at those times to avoid spontaneous runaway turbine situations that may cause damage to the turbine rotor or other parts of the driveline or generator. Wind turbine brake systems are a vital safety system. A critical component in the hydraulic braking system is an accumulator, which provides a supplemental flow of hydraulic fluid during emergency braking operations. Diaphragm-style accumulators are standard, although catastrophic failures in the rubber diaphragm are not uncommon. An attractive and more reliable alternative is the piston-style accumulator that is not susceptible to this failure mode.
By: Tom Ulery and Jeff Sage of Parker Hannifin
Wind turbines are designed to operate reliably over their typically 20-year design life.…
How you can improve your chances of getting a job WTOL
TOLEDO, Ohio — There are currently over 150,000 job openings in the state of Ohio, which means there is no lack of employment opportunities. Although there …
GE Power said its 9HA.02 gas turbine reached a new milestone by exceeding 64% efficiency in combined cycle power plants. The company attributes at least part of the achievement to advances in additive manufacturing (3-D printing).
“The HA is our most advanced gas turbine technology, and we’ve never stopped pushing the boundaries of what it can do,” Joe Mastrangelo, president and CEO of GE’s Gas Power Systems, said in a press release announcing the accomplishment.
It was only 18 months ago that the EDF Bouchain facility—the first 9HA gas turbine to enter commercial operation—received recognition from Guinness World Records as the most-efficient combined cycle power plant in the world with a third-party verified net efficiency of 62.22%. (The unit was also recognized as a POWER Top Plant award winner in 2017.) The latest improvement, announced on December 4, is worth millions in fuel cost savings for customers, according to GE Power’s estimates.…
Although it’s not widely publicized, a majority of the energy used to generate electricity is wasted in the form of heat discharged to the environment. For better or worse, that’s just the way a typical thermal power plant works.
Fuel, such as coal, biomass, natural gas, or uranium (in the case of nuclear plants), is used to heat water, producing high-temperature and high-pressure steam. The steam is admitted into a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity. However, not all of the energy stored in the steam is converted to useful work through the process.
In order for the cycle to continue, the steam exhausted from the turbine must be returned to its liquid form inside a condenser. In a fairly standard arrangement, the condenser is cooled by river, lake, or ocean water. The cooling water from the condenser is often simply released back to its source, and with it, the energy that was transferred inside the condenser.
The average U.S.…