2017 Gas Top Plant Award Winners: Power

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GLOBAL GENERATION INDUSTRY SINCE 1882
Vol. 161 No. 9 September 2017
2017 Gas Top Plant

Award Winners
POWER -ful Women

ISO-NE Evolves: More Reliable,
Cleaner, and Greener
Power Plant Insulation
Design Tips
break through
the
NOISE
Better Signal-to-Noise Ratio Means

Better Level Control Performance
While transmit pulse amplitude (signal size) has helped to make
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4.40
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Model 706
SNR
measurement, the fact is signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) represents a far
more critical indicator of level control performance. For superior SNR
in all process conditions, no other GWR device beats the Eclipse
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To learn more about the breakthrough ECLIPSE Model 706
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magnetrol.com 800-624-8765 [email protected] 2017 Magnetrol International, Incorporated

ON THE COVER
The stacks of the new Paradise Com-
bined Cycle Plant in Drakesboro, Ken-
tucky, are reflected in a pond near the
plant. The Tennessee Valley Authority fa-
cility began commercial operation earlier
Established 1882 Vol. 161 No. 9 September 2017 this year, with its gas-fired generation
partly replacing older coal-fired units at
the site. Courtesy: Kiewit
SPEAKING OF POWER
Power Market Deregulation Transforms Mexico 6
GLOBAL MONITOR
UK Power Group Set to Phase Out Coal 8
Integrated Solar-Hydro Project Takes Float 8
THE BIG PICTURE: Economic and Workforce Contributions 10
Tesla to Install Worlds Largest Lithium-Ion Battery Storage Project 12
TVO Gets Good News in Ongoing Dispute with Areva 13
POWER Digest 14
FOCUS ON O&M
Consider Automated Machine Learning for Wind Turbine
Asset Maintenance 16
LEGAL & REGULATORY
New York Net Metering Is Not Smart Enough for the Grid of the Future 18
By Nicholas A. Giannasca and Carlos E. Gutierrez, Davis Wright Tremaine
8
COVER FOCUS: GAS TOP PLANTS
The Highly Efficient Workhorse of Brunswick County 20
The Brunswick County Power Station in Freeman, Virginia, has been a stalwart
in Dominion Energys natural gas-fired fleet of power plants since coming on-
line in April 2016. It is Dominions largest gas-fired plant, and its construction
was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
Worlds Most-Efficient Combined Cycle Plant: EDF Bouchain 22

A power plant in France has a noteworthy distinction, and not just because it is
moving the country beyond its reliance on nuclear power. EDF and GE devel-
oped the Bouchain plant, installing the first commercial 9HA gas turbine, and
the plant has delivered a certified world record for combined cycle efficiency.
Grand Resilience: How a State Agency Pioneered

Gas Technology and Bolstered Critical Supply 24
The Grand River Dam Authority faced plenty of challenges while constructing
Unit 3 at the Grand River Energy Center in Oklahoma, but the project team got 12
the job done, successfully integrating the first J-series unit built and installed
in the U.S. with a custom-designed heat recovery steam generator.
Model of Gas-Fired Efficiency Rises in Heart of Coal Country 28

The Tennessee Valley Authoritys power generation portfolio continues to
evolve, and its latest project in partnership with Kiewit results in the most-
efficient gas plant in the utilitys vast fleet, a 1,100-MW facility designed to
partly replace coal-fired production at Kentuckys largest power plant.
Growing Community Seeks Attractive Power Plant 32

The Shakopee Energy Park does not look like a traditional power plant, and it
doesnt sound like one either. The 46-MW natural gas-fueled facility fits nicely
into the landscape of a Minneapolis, Minnesota, suburb, quietly providing
power to the towns residents and other communities.
Two SCE Gas-Battery Hybrid Projects Revolutionize Peaker Performance 34

A groundbreaking gas-battery hybrid technology, combined with upgrades
of emissions control systems and other environmentally significant improve-
mentsall done in a six-month windowmake two peaker plants in Califor-
nia worthy recipients of POWERs Top Plant recognition.
16
|
September 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 1
SPECIAL REPORT: WORKFORCE
What It Takes to Be a POWER-ful Woman 36
Women are underrepresented in the energy industry, especially when com-
pared to their percentage in the national workforce. Some influential women
in the industry sat down with POWER magazine to talk about how the dispar-
ity can be addressed, and how women can have a greater role when it comes
to energy.
FEATURES:
ENERGY MARKETS
36 Could Success Spoil ISO-NE?
ISO-New England (ISO-NE) celebrates its 20th year, with a track record of
42
performance in the face of many challenges. The future holds more issues
for the regional electric system, as coal plants retire, more natural gas needs
to be delivered, renewable sources of energy are added to the grid, and the
need for decarbonization continues.
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE

Upgraded Boiler Feedwater Pump Improves
Efficiency and Adds Flexibility 46
Baseload units used to come online and run at full load for days. Today those
units are cycled to accommodate for variable renewable energy. That can be
tough on equipment such as boiler feedwater pumps, but an Xcel Energy
plant in Colorado found an effective way to alleviate the problem.
FUNDAMENTALS
42 Useful Tips for Designing Thermal Insulation Systems
Thermal insulation is almost everywhere in a power plant, but determining
50
the most cost-effective insulation solution can be a challenge. A few calcula-

tions can help ensure safety and improve process optimization.
OCEAN ENERGY
Wave and Tidal Power Technology Near Commercialization Web
For decades, engineers have been trying to turn the immense potential of
ocean energy into electricity. Those efforts may be coming to fruition. The
European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), with test sites spread across Scot-
lands Orkney Islands, is kick-starting a marine renewables industry and
harnessing the power of Europes enviable wave and tidal resources. More
technologies have been tested at EMEC than anywhere else in the world, and
now trials have potentially yielded their first commercial-scale energy instal-
lation. (Visit powermag.com and search Wave and Tidal Power Technology
for this online-only exclusive!)
46 COMMENTARY
Fuel Cells: Key to Our Electric Energy Future 56
By Harry T. Roman
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Generation Group DTE Plans New 1,100-MW Gas Plant Near Detroit
2 www.powermag.com |
POWER September 2017
CONSTRUCTION DRIVEN
Backed by more than 130 years of experience, Kiewit is a leader
in the power industry with expertise across gas-ired generation,
power delivery, coal retroit and renewable energy markets.
From concept to commercialization, we offer clients a full suite

of EPC and start-up services. No job is too large or too small
we deliver world-class solutions to projects of every size.
KIEWIT.COM
9401 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219
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SPEAKING OF POWER
Power Market Deregulation
Transforms Mexico
Aaron Larson
exicos energy reform, which be- nected power systemssigned on January process. Yet, the rewards loom large. The
M gan in 2013, has opened up key

parts of the countrys electricity
sector to new market participants, foreign
7, 2017, by the Obama administrations
Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Fed-
eral Energy Regulatory Commission Chair-
IEA estimates that in order for energy
reform to be successful, investments of
$240 billion will need to be made in Mex-
investors, and innovative technology. Pri- man Norman Bay, and Mexicos Secretary icos power sector through 2040. It says
or to the reform, Mexico operated under of Energy Pedro Joaquin Coldwell, Energy another $130 billion will need to be in-
a traditional, vertically integrated model, Regulatory Commission Chair Guillermo vested in energy efficiency during that pe-
with the state-owned Comisin Federal de Ignacio Garca Alcocer, and National Cen- riod. Companies north of the border could
Electricidad (CFE) responsible for all power ter of Energy Control Director General Edu- reap some of the bounty.
supply functions from generation to distri- ardo Meraz Atecaas one development The benefits could emerge in a few
bution. But the new organization utilizes that could lead to more cooperation be- forms, for instance, by U.S. companies
a model similar to other wholesale elec- tween the two countries. lending their infrastructure expertise, in-
tricity markets used around the world. Of course, a reader couldnt be faulted vesting in joint ventures, electricity trad-
The International Energy Agency (IEA) for thinking: Yeah, but that was then, ing or even offering consulting services
published a report last year, as part of its and this is now. Former Texas Gov. Rick based on their experience with deregula-
World Energy Outlook series, predicting Perry has replaced Secretary Moniz, and the tion in the United States, Hinton said.
that Mexicos energy reform would sub- Trump administration has made no bones
stantially boost the nations clean energy about its America-First policy. However, Pinning Hopes on Natural Gas
efforts. The report suggests that more there is still hope for continued coopera- Natural gas is expected to play a large role
than half of Mexicos new power generation with Mexico on energy matters. in the power sector transformation. In-
tion capacity installed through 2040 will Secretary Perry met with Coldwell in spired by the United States shale boom
be renewables-based, tapping into the Mexico City on July 13. Reuters reported and the resulting decline in natural gas
countrys large wind and solar resources. that Perry promised to promote cross- prices, Mexico is now experiencing its own
The IEA expects that new investments in border electricity trade and investment dash for gas. Domestic natural gas pro-
renewables will help Mexico reach its goal during the meeting. Mexicos prosperity duction is set to ramp up; transportation
of producing 35% of its electricity from is inextricably intertwined with our pros- and storage infrastructure will be expand-
clean sources by 2024. perity, he was quoted as saying during a ed aggressively; natural gas-fired power
This is not a reform, its a revolution news conference. generation will grow significantly; fuel oil
on an unprecedented scale, Dr. Fatih Bi- power stations will be repurposed to run
rol, executive director of the IEA, said in a Economic Beneits Predicted on natural gas; and fuel oil will be essen-
press release launching the report. Energy reform is expected to help Mexico tially phased out of energy generation,
prosper. In a report titled Tracking the Robles wrote.
Opportunity Abounds Progress of Mexicos Power Sector Reform, Furthermore, the Mexican government
How will Mexicos energy reform affect which was published last year by the forecasts that natural gas will fuel 44% of
U.S. power companies? That remains to Woodrow Wilson International Center for power generation capacity additions through
be seen, but it could open a door to new Scholars Mexico Institutea nonpartisan 2030. When Robles compiled his data, CFE
opportunities. policy forum chartered by CongressAle- was constructing or had tenders out for nine
Any time a national government cedes jandro Chanona Robles, who was named combined cycle power plants with total ca-
control of an industry to the private sec- director general of planning and inter- pacity of 6.2 GW. It was also converting seven
tor, it opens up opportunitiesbut at the national affairs for Mexicos energy regu- power plants from oil to gas.
same time, considerable uncertainty, Mi- latory commission in January, wrote: So who stands to benefit most? The
chael Hinton, chief strategy and customer Mexicos Energy Minister has referred to physical power businesses located along
officer for the commodity trading and risk the power sector reform as the economic Mexicos border with the U.S. would have
management software company Allegro competitiveness reform. Access to reliable a geographic advantage, at least early on,
Development, told POWER in an exclusive and affordable power can give business- but the market could develop in fascinating
interview. Moves such as Mexicos decision es a competitive edge over their rivals, ways as the years continue to pass. If you
to deregulate the power market involve an stimulate job creation, and spur economic think about [the North American Electric Re-
extraordinary number of moving parts, and growth. The IEA agrees. Its main sce- liability Corp.s] current coverage of Canada
its almost a certainty that there will be at nario sees the Mexican economy doubling and the U.S., its not a tremendous reach to
least a few bumps in the road. in size by 2040. imagine the map including a considerable
Hinton pointed to an agreement de- However, whats happening in Mexico is part of Mexico, Hinton speculated.
signed to promote the reliability and still fairly new and is likely to be a years- Aaron Larson is POWERs
security of the U.S. and Mexican intercon- long endeavor. Risks are inherent in the executive editor.
UK Power Group Set to tions, but the companyas with others low during the first half of the year, with
Phase Out Coal in Britainsaw its bottom line hammered overall power generation flat. We now feel
The Drax Group operates the UKs largest by volatility in the value of the pound due we have completely adapted to a world
power station, and in a country where to currency hedging after the Brexit vote. where coal generation is not about hard
government leaders have said all coal Drax reported that 65 million of its loss running all year, she told investors.
generation needs to be retired by 2025, was due to hedging. Darrell Proctor is a POWER associate
Drax is moving forward with plans to con- In order to recoup some of its loss- editor.
vert its last three coal-fired units at the es, Thompson said the company would
3,960-MW power station near Selby in lobby the government for financial sup-
North Yorkshire to natural gas and bio- port for more conversion to biomass; Integrated Solar-Hydro
mass. Dorothy Thompson, the companys previous governments have rejected the Project Takes Float
chief executive, on July 19 told company companys requests for aid. Thompson at The combination of solar power and
investors We are looking at opportunities the meeting said Drax has been burning water is in use around the world, with
for a coal-free future. wood pellets on a trial basis in a fourth various solar arrays placed on lakes to
The plant (Figure 1) currently operates unit this year, but the unit would need provide renewable energy from the sun.
three coal-fired and three biomass units expensive modifications to run full time However, a project in Portugal has found
at the plant, with 68% of its power sup- on biomass, and it will run on coal this a new way to integrate solar energy and
plied by burning wood pellets. The Drax winter as the company considers whether hydropower. The premise: expand the
stations generating capacity is the sec- to invest in the switchover. generation capacity of hydropower facili-
ond highest in Western Europe, trailing The companys investment in natural ties by adding floating solar panels that
only the 4,400-MW Neurath Power Station gasfired generation includes the four are integrated with the existing hydro
in Germany. OCGT projects, scheduled to begin opera- plant, eliminating the need for expensive
Draxs plans to phase out coal perhaps tion in 2020, and Thompson said Drax also dam reconstruction.
sooner than anticipated have been trig- is looking at the feasibility of switching The Alto Rabago dam in Montalegre
gered by regulation and economics. The one of its last three coal-fired units at (Figure 2), in northern Portugal near
company at the investors meeting report- Selby to natural gas, with an eye toward the border with Spain, is the site of the
ed a pre-tax loss of 83 million ($108 mil- a switchover in the winter of 20232024. worlds first hydro-solar power station, or
lion) even though its earnings for the first The company already has submitted a hydro-plus-PV project. The water near
half of 2017 increased 73% after its pur- planning application for the change and the dam is outfitted with 840 floating so-
chase of Opus Energys assets in 2016. The is studying the technical requirements for lar panels, or floating photovoltaic (FPV),
company also late last year acquired four making the unit ready for carbon capture. covering about 2,500 square meters. The
open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) projects, Though the government has mandated project came online late in 2016 but was
with a total generating capacity of about the moves away from coal, Thompson said not dedicated until July 2017. The system
1.2 GW, from Watt Power, part of Noble it likely would have occurred regardless. She is a 220-kWp power plant equipped with
Group. Investors supported the acquisi- said coal generation at Selby was pretty a Hydrelio FPV system developed by Ciel
& Terre International, a French company
1. Turning green. The Drax Power Stations first 660-MW unit was commissioned in 1974. specializing in floating solar projects. The
By 1986, it had become the UKs largest power station with a total capacity of nearly 4,000 MW. dam is managed by Energias de Portugal
Built as a coal-fired facility, about 70% of its generation is now fueled by compressed wood pel- (EDP Group), which expects the project to
lets rather than coal. Courtesy: Drax Group generate 332 MWh annually.
Paulo Pinto de Almeida, EDPs CEO and
the projects manager, told Portuguese
media that the integrated solar-hydro
project has all the ingredients to suc-
ceed. EDP envisions the system being
used in many locations, including Brazil,
where EDP has operations under EDP in
Brazil, a 51%-owned subsidiary. More than
70% of Brazils power generation comes
from hydropower plants, and the Brazilian
government has forecast power demand
will triple by 2050.
The Portuguese government says about
60% of Portugals power annually comes
from renewable sources, though there
have been short periods of much-greater
renewable output, including in May 2016,
when all of the countrys electricity came
from renewable sources for a four-day pe-
2. A first of its kind. The Alto Rabago dam in Montalegre, Por-
tugal, near the countrys border with Spain, is the site of the worlds
first floating photovoltaic project in which the solar power is integrated
with generation from a hydropower plant. EDP Group, which operates
the project, says the solar power will add capacity to the 68-MW hydro
plant, which has been operating since 1964. Courtesy: EDP Group
Experts in Heat Exchange since 1920
YOU GENERATE
ENERGY
WE MAKE SURE
IT HAPPENS
EFFICIENTLY
riod. The largest hydroelectric plant is the 630-MW Alto Lindoso Urbanization, the scarcity of resources, and
dam, and the country has about 100 small hydro projects, with a
generation capacity of 256 MW. By comparison, hydropower ac- climate change present major challenges
counts for 6.5% of U.S. power generation, according to the U.S. when it comes to even greater efficiency in
Energy Information Administration. generating energy. Kelvion is the experienced
Alto Rabago is the first project where floating solar panels
partner at your side for all heat exchange-
work in tandem with the dams hydroelectric rotors. It differs
from other hydro-solar projects, in which power generated from related processes in both conventional and
floating solar panels is not integrated with hydropower. Other alternative energy systems with outstanding
projects in the same vein are being considered: Indias govern- reliability, availability, and an unyielding pur-
ment-run National Hydroelectric Power Corp. (NHPC) is working
on a 600-MW PV project at its 1,960-MW Koyna hydroelectric
suit to cut your life-cycle costs to the core.
plant (four dams) in the Satara district of Maharashtra. That FPV www.kelvion.com
would be combined with pumped hydro storage.
The Alto Rabago dam opened in 1964, and its standalone
generation capacity is 68 MW without the solar panels. The water
near the dam is about 200 feet deep. The project has additional
benefits for the area; the panels partly shield the water, slowing
evaporation and algae growth. The panels also reduce wave ac-
tion in the reservoir, which lessens erosion on the shore.
EDP, which operates the pumped-storage hydroelectric power
plant at the dam, wanted to ensure that the FPV would not in-
terfere with any of the existing operations at the site, where
the power plant sits on top of the 308-feet-tall dam wall. EDP
considered the possibility of an emergency drawdown of the res-
ervoirs water and had the floating solar array moored at a depth
of more than 60 meters, or about 200 feet.
EDP said the solar generation at the dam will help at times of
increased demand for power in the region, such as late afternoon
or early evening when people arrive home from work. Ciel & Terre
Reduced to the basics: Kelvion TOAC
said it developed its Hydrelio system for installation in a variety
Smart for the cost-efficient use in
of bodies of water, from larger reservoirs to lakes, or for use in standard industrial applications. The
irrigation canals or remediation or tailing ponds. new basic model in our transformer oil
The company first tested its system at a pilot project in France air cooler range allows the cost-effective
in 2011, and today it says it has more than 75 FPV systems in entry into the Kelvion TOAC class
without losing the proven benefits
place in 16 countries. The company also has started construc- of Kelvion and thats just one of the
tion on what will be the worlds largest floating solar plant, a product solutions Kelvion offers
70-MW installation in Chinas Anhui province for China Energy the power market!
Conservation and Environmental Protection Group, a renewable
energy project developer in China. The installation is scheduled
|
THE BIG PICTURE: Economic and
Workforce Contributions
The Edison Electric Institute, an industry trade group that represents all U.S. investor-owned power companies, the
American Public Power Association, an association for public power entities, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association, which represents the bulk of U.S. not-for-profit consumer-owned electric cooperatives, this August released a
report highlighting the economic and workforce contributions of the U.S. power industry. Here are its most significant
findings. Data used to conduct modeling came from U.S. government sources and the Center for Energy Workforce Develop-
ment. Source: Powering America: The Economic and Workforce Contributions of the U.S. Electric Power Industry (August 2017)
Copy and artwork by Sonal Patel, a POWER associate editor
AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE
* The power sector is the most capital-intensive industry in the U.S. In 2016, the industrys capital investments exceed-
ed $135 billiontwice what it was a decade ago.
* The industry invests more than $100 billion annually in the U.S. economy. In 2014, the power sector contributed
$274 billion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP)1.6% of the nations total economic output. In total, the industrys
economic impact is $880 billion annually, which is about 5% of the nations total GDP.
* Meanwhile, the electric power industry has more than $1 trillion in physical assets and equipment across the country,
including power plants, substations, towers, transmission and distribution lines, smart meters, and more.
THE U.S. POWER SECTOR SUPPORTS MORE THAN EMPLOYMENT BY OWNERSHIP Electric cooperatives
7 MILLION U.S. JOBS
About 491,000 workers are
2,662,000 4,418,000 14%
employed by investor-owned
DIRECTLY PROVIDED INDUCED*
electric companies, public
power utilities, electric Public power 19%
utilities
cooperatives, and indepen-
491,000 756,000 1,410,000 678,000 959,000 445,000 2,336,000
ELECTRIC CONTRACTORS & INVESTMENT INDUCED BY INDUCED BY INDUCED ECONOMY-WIDE
dent power producers. The
POWER SUPPLY CHAIN POWER CONTRACTORS & PUBLIC SECTOR RIPPLE EFFECT
power industrys contractors 67%
INDUSTRY INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN
EMPLOYEES EMPLOYEES
*Induced jobs are spread throughout the economy and include many positions that are the result of
and supply chain provide Investor-owned power
paycheck spending by workers and government spending to support the communities around those 756,000 jobs. companies
workers.
JOBS AND PAY

Engineers, lineworkers, plant and field operators, and technicians make up 44% of total energy industry employees.
Engineers and technicians have the highest percentage of workers over 53 years of age, and these job categories have the
potential for significant retirements in coming years. On average, employees work in the industry for more than 15 years.
Engineering Jobs and Median Hourly Wages Power Plant and Field Operator Jobs and Median Hourly Wages
More than 35,000 engineers work for electric and natural gas distribution About 45,000 power plant and field operators run the nations
companies. Engineering jobs are projected to grow by 3.6% between 2014 power plants and compressor stations.
and 2024.
19K 7K 4.5K
Electrical Engineers Nuclear Engineers Architectural and
31K 8K 6K
Engineering Managers
$44 $50
$63 Power Plant Operators Natural Gas Plant Nuclear Reactor
Operators Operators
1.8K 1.5K 1.7K $35
$33 $43
Civil Engineers Mechanical Engineers Other Engineers
$44 $43 $43
AN AGING WORKFORCE
The power sector workforce is aging. Employees older than 30%
45 represent 58% of the power workforce compared to 45% 25%
nationally. However, data from 2015 showed retirement 20%
forecasts are trending downward as younger workers enter 15%
the workforce and training campaigns pay off. The Troops to 10%
Energy Jobs program, for example, has ramped up military 5%
veteran hiring, which accounted for more than 10% of new 0
hires in the power sector at the end of 2014. <24 2534 3544 4554 5564 >65
Age group
National workforce Electric power industry
to be finished in 2017, using 194,000 PV Tesla to Install Worlds It is hoped that the project will help
modules divided among 13 floating arrays. Largest Lithium-Ion address SAs problem with blackouts. Fa-
Japan was the first country to bring Battery Storage Project mously, in September 2016, a massive
FPV online in 2013, but the renewable en- A lithium-ion battery under development storm knocked out electricity to 1.7 mil-
ergy option has since been implemented by Tesla in South Australia (SA) will be the lion residents. Already in 2017, addition-
in several countries. The worlds largest worlds largest of its type when completed although less wide reachingpower
FPV farm came online in June of this year by the end of the year. Through a competi- outages have left tens-of-thousands of
in China, a 40-MW system on a lake near tive bidding process, Tesla was selected in residents without electricity during hot
Huainan. The worlds now-second-largest July 2017 to provide the 100-MW/129- summer days.
project came online in 2016; the 6.3-MW MWh Powerpack system. The September 2016 blackout was de-
Thames Water solar farm sits on the Queen The battery storage project (Figure 3) termined to be due in part to the states
Elizabeth II reservoir outside London, will store energy from the Hornsdale Wind large percentage of renewable energy gen-
near Heathrow Airport. Farm operated by renewable energy pro- eration. The generation mix now includes
FPV systems are cabled the same way as vider Neoen near Jamestown, SA. Work- increased amounts of non-synchronous
ground-mounted PV systems, except that ing in close collaboration with the South and inverter-connected plant. This gen-
the junction boxes on the floating arrays Australian Government and Neoen, this eration has different characteristics to
are connected to onshore inverters via a grid scale energy storage project is not conventional plant, and uses active con-
flexible marine direct current (DC) cable only sustainable, but will help solve pow- trol systems, or complex software, to ride
or normal DC cable, which is protected er shortages, reduce intermittencies, and through disturbances. With less synchro-
in a waterproof, sealed, floating conduit. manage summertime peak load to improve nous generation online, the system is ex-
The main electrical equipment is located the reliability of South Australias electri- periencing more periods with low inertia
onshore. Floating PV panels usually oper- cal infrastructure, according to a Tesla and low available fault levels, so AEMO
ate more efficiently, and can produce more press release. is working with industry on ways to use
power, than ground-mounted solar arrays The Hornsdale Wind Farm consists of the capability of these new types of power
due to the natural cooling effect of the roughly 100 wind turbines generating ap- generation to build resilience to extreme
surrounding water. proximately 1,050 GWh of renewable elec- events, according to a March 2017 Aus-
Darrell Proctor is a POWER associate tricity into the national power grid each tralia Energy Market Operator (AEMO) re-
editor. year. According to the project website, the port concerning the event.
wind farm is roughly 80% complete. Wind generation in the state is sig-
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The AEMO report says three transmission lines were damaged F INANCING A VAILABLE - Speak to your Truss Arch Specialist today.
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sion line, roughly 170 km apart. The damage to those transmis- TVO Gets Good News in Ongoing Dispute
sions lines caused them to trip, which set off a serious of faults with Areva
that resulted in six voltage dips on the grid in just two minutes. Finnish power company Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) in July cel-
As the number of faults on the transmission network grew, ebrated another win in ongoing legal proceedings with French
nine wind farms in the mid-north of SA exhibited a sustained nuclear company Areva. The two companies have been at odds for
reduction in power as a protection feature activated, the AEMO years concerning cost overruns and delays at the yet-to-be-com-
report explains. For eight of these wind farms, the protection pleted Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear reactor in southwest Finland.
settings of their wind turbines allowed them to withstand a pre- Julys partial award is the second to be decided in TVOs favor
set number of voltage dips within a two-minute period. Activa- by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Stockholm.
tion of this protection feature resulted in a significant sustained At issue is who should be responsible for the massive cost over-
power reduction for these wind farms. A sustained generation runs. So far, it looks like Areva is going to be footing the bill.
reduction of 456 megawatts (MW) occurred over a period of less The Areva-Siemens consortium is claiming 3.52 billion
than seven seconds. against TVO in relation to the delay and cost overruns of the
As the wind farms failed, demand was increased for imported project. The claim includes payments delayed by TVO under the
power flowing through the Heywood Interconnector, which al- construction contract, and penalty interest totaling about 1.45
lows for power flows between SA and Victoria. Approximately billion and 135 million in alleged loss of profit. TVO has coun-
700 milliseconds (ms) after the reduction of output from the terclaimed costs and losses of 2.6 billion to the end of 2018,
last of the wind farms, the flow on the VictoriaSA Heywood having revised its loss figure from 1.8 billion to the end of
Interconnector reached such a level that it activated a special 2014, the World Nuclear Association explained on its website.
protection scheme that tripped the interconnector offline, the OL3 (Figure 4) has been in the works since 2000 when TVO
report says. filed an application for the plant. In 2002 the plant was approved
The Tesla Powerpack project will be able to provide enough by Parliament. At that point, it was assumed the plant would
power for more than 30,000 homes. In addition, Teslas Power- be in service by around 2009, making it the first new nuclear
wall is now being installed for residential customers across Aus- reactor built in Western Europe in more than a decade. By 2003,
tralia and ramping up quickly. The same technology that can help the Olkiluoto site was secured, and Areva NP and Siemens were
stabilize the South Australian grid can also be used by homeown- contracted to build the 1,600-MW European Pressurized Water
ers to collect energy during the day so it is stored and made Reactor (EPR).
available day and night, providing uninterrupted power even if TVO, Areva NP, and Siemens in December 2003 finalized a turn-
the grid goes down, the press release says. key contract for 3.2 billion for the plant, which was scheduled
Abby L. Harvey is a POWER reporter. to come online in mid-2009. Construction began in 2005, but
|
presence in that country. The plants in-
4. Stuck in the middle. The Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor under development in southwest clude the 47.7-MW Mashiki, the 2.4-MW
Finland is at the center of a years-long legal dispute between Finnish power company Teol- Yamagata Asahimachi, the 1.3-MW Shi-
lisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) and a consortium of Areva and Siemens. The plant is delayed nearly
zuoka Tashiro, and the 1.1-MW Saitama
a decade and has suffered massive cost overruns. The International Chamber of Commerce in
July granted a partial award in the dispute in favor of TVO. Courtesy: TVO
Shiroishi facilities. Construction of the
plants was completed earlier this year.
Solar power from the plants is purchased
under a 20-year feed-in-tariff contract at
rates from 27/kWh to 36/kWh (24/
kWh to 32/kWh). Dr. Shawn Qu, chair-
man and CEO of Canadian Solar, said in
a statement: We are pleased to have
energized the 52.5 megawatts of solar
power plants in Japan. The 47.7-MW
Mashiki plant is the largest solar power
plant that we have built there, which
brings our total portfolio of projects in
operation in Japan to 112.7 MW. Cana-
dian Solar has said its long-term plan is
to operate more than 600 MW of solar
power across Japan.
India Identifies Another 5.5 GW of
Coal Power for Retirement. The Cen-
tral Electrical Authority (CEA) in India in
unfortunately for all involved, things did ever, as TVO notes: The arbitration pro- late July said it would phase out more
go as planned. The plant is now scheduled ceeding is still going on with at least one coal-fired power plants as part of its
for completion in December 2018, and the further partial award to come, before the commitment to retire coal plants more
price tag has reached roughly 8.5 billion. final award where the Tribunal will de- than 25 years old. The CEA, which has re-
TVO and the Areva-Siemens consortium clare the liabilities of the parties to pay tired about 4 GW of coal power over the
have been in disagreement about who compensation. past two years, said it has found another
should be paying for the overruns. From While liability is being decided, work 5.5 GW that it will mark for retirement,
the past two partial awards ordered by the continues at the plant, which completed although the group did not provide a
ICC, it would appear that TVO has the up- cold functional tests on July 1, 2017. timeframe. About 78% of Indias power
per hand. The OL3 EPR was procured as a This is an important step in plant com- comes from coal-fired plants, which ac-
fixed-price turnkey project from a consor- missioning. The hot functional tests count for nearly 60% of the countrys in-
tium (supplier) formed by AREVA GmbH, scheduled for autumn are the next major stalled power capacity (195 GW of 330
AREVA NP SAS, and Siemens AG. The sup- milestone. Once this stage has been suc- GW total), according to the CEA. The
plier consortium companies are jointly cessfully completed, OL3 will [fulfill] the country also is retrofitting some coal
and severally liable for the plant contract preconditions for the granting of the op- plants with emissions-reduction technol-
obligations, a TVO press release says. erating [license] in early 2018. There are ogy. Even as India retires older plants,
The July 2017 award addressed the still several important milestones to be state-run utility NTPC in July said it
preparation, review, submittal, and ap- met before the start of the regular elec- plans to invest $10 billion in new coal-
proval of design and licensing documents tricity production at the end of 2018, fired projects over the next five years.
on the OL3 project. This comprises the Jouni Silvennoinen, OL3 project director, Japan-Bangladesh JV Developing
key facts and matters that the supplier said in a release. LNG-Based Plant. The government of
relies upon in its main claim against TVO, The cold-run testing stage spanned Bangladesh is importing more liquefied
as well as certain matters that TVO relies roughly four weeks, with dozens of tests natural gas (LNG) and looking to estab-
upon in its claims against the supplier, being conducted at different pressure lish more import terminals as a Japan-
the release says. However, the award levels. During the testing, main coolant Bangladesh joint venture (JV) develops
does not take a position on the claimed pumps were started for the first time, and a 500- to 600-MW regasified LNG-based
monetary amounts. the pressure in the reactor coolant system combined cycle power plant in Matarbari.
The ICC issued another partial award in was increased gradually to the maximum The plant would be the countrys second
November 2016, which addressed the early design value, significantly exceeding nor- JV plant using imported regasified LNG.
period of the project including time sched- mal operating pressure. The JV includes Japans Mitsui and Co.,
ule, licensing and listenability, and system Abby L. Harvey is a POWER reporter. Ltd., and the Coal Power Generation
design. That award was also granted in fa- Co. Bangladesh Ltd. (CPGCBL). Md Abul
vor of TVO. TVO considers its claims to Quasem, managing director of CPGCBL,
be well-founded and has considered and POWER Digest told the Dhaka Tribune that Petrobangla,
found the claims of the supplier to be Canadian Solar Expands Solar Power the government-backed energy develop-
without merit. The partial award provides in Japan. Canadian Solar in July start- ment group, has deals and memoranda of
material confirmation for this position, a ed commercial operation of its latest understanding for six LNG import termi-
November 2016 press release says. group of photovoltaic solar power plants nals, and interest has been expressed in
This isnt the end of the fight, how- in Japan as it continues to build its solar more terminals. Mitsui and CPGCBL will
build and finance the plant on an equal fuelsmostly oil and liquefied natural Garona, Spains Oldest Reactor,
equity basis. CPGCBL also is building gasthat had to be imported, result- to Close Permanently. Spains Santa
two other plants in Matarbari: a 700-MW ing in higher costs for electricity. JXTG Maria de Garona nuclear power station,
coal-fired ultrasupercritical power plant has a 51% stake in the Kawasaki plant; a 40-year-old reactor owned by Endesa
in a JV with Singapores Sembcorp, and Tokyo Gas has a 49% share. and Iberdrola, will close permanently
a 1,200-MW coal-fired ultrasupercritical Work on Interconnector Linking after the countrys energy ministry re-
plant financed by the Japan Interna- Norwegian Hydro, and German Wind jected a request to extend its operat-
tional Cooperation Agency. and Solar Begins. Installation of Nor- ing license through 2031. Closure of
Japanese Companies Cancel Plan dLink, a 623-kilometer (km)-long high- the 466-MW reactor wont affect Spains
for Gas-Fired Units. Changes in the voltage direct current interconnector power system, Energy Minister Alvaro
economics of Japans power market between Norway and Germany with the Nadal said on August 1. Spains Nuclear
prompted Tokyo Gas and JXTG Nippon capacity to transport 1,400 MW, began Safety Council had given the boiling wa-
Oil & Energy in mid-July to cancel a on August 1. When completed as an- ter reactorSpains smallest and oldest
plan to build two additional gas-fired ticipated by 2020, the line will allow nuclear unitthe green light to operate
units at their jointly operated Kawasaki Germany to import hydropower gener- until 2019 pending certain safety up-
power plant. The companies in 2015 had ated by Norwegian hydropower plants grades that aligned to new requirements
announced a plan for the units, each when wind turbine and solar activity introduced in Fukushimas aftermath, but
with a capacity of 550 MW, that would is limited. The projects equal owners its owner Nuclenor shuttered the reac-
begin operation in 2021. The Kawasaki include Norwegian transmission system tor in December 2012 to avoid retroac-
plant currently has two gas-fired units operator Statnett and DC Nordseekabel tive tax charges. Nuclenor submitted a
of 840 MW in total. The companies cited GmbH & Co., which is a joint venture license renewal for Garona to the Min-
increased competition in the countrys between European grid operator TenneT istry of Energy, Tourism, and the Digi-
power sector after Japan deregulated and development bank KfW. DC Nord- tal Agenda in May 2014. Minister Nadal
its generation and retail electricity mar- seekabel is responsible for the construc- announced that the government decided
ket in 2016. Japan sought to change its tion and approvals on the German part not to approve the renewal for the reac-
market structure in the wake of the Fu- of the project. The link will include a tor after surveying several opinions from
kushima nuclear disaster in 2011, which 516-km-long subsea cable portion. Ten- stakeholders involved in the process.
moved the country from a reliance on neT said it is already installing under- Darrell Proctor and Sonal Patel,
nuclear power to greater use of fossil ground ducts for the cable. POWER associate editors.
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|
Consider Automated
Machine Learning for 1. Asset reliability vs. operational year. As shown here, as assets grow older,
maintenance costs show a corresponding, significant increase. Source: Stenberg, A.; Holttinen,
Wind Turbine Asset
H. (2010), Analysing Failure Statistics of Wind Turbines in Finland
Maintenance
The potential financial benefits from In-
dustry 4.0 are apparent to plant owners
in almost all sectors. The wind power in-
dustry is no exception, and existing ven-
dors such as GE (Predix/Digital Windfarm),
Siemens, and SAP are investing heavily in
research and development (R&D) in this
area. Given the number of sites and the
remote locations of wind farms, there is
compelling economic benefit from using
machine learning to predict asset failure.
Operations and maintenance (O&M) ac-
count for up to 30% of the levelized cost
per kWh produced over the lifetime of a
turbine. Although estimates vary, aver-
age forced or unscheduled wind turbine
shutdown is between seven and nine days 2. Wind turbine asset failure rate and downtime. There are several systems
a year. For example, unplanned turbine that must be monitored in wind turbines, with failure and downtime rates driven by rotor/blades,
shutdown caused by a faulty gearboxcan electric generators, balance of plant, and controls. But other, unknown factors can be the big-
result in four to eight weeks of turbine gest problem, and traditional predictive maintenance methods do not recognize patterns of
downtime, and could cost $130,000 to sensor or correlative behavior. Source: Peters, V.; Ogilvie, A.; Bond, C. (2012), CREW Database:
replace. More than 70% of wind turbine Wind Plant Reliability Benchmark, SAND2012-7328
downtime is for major repairs, with the re-
maining 30% split between minor repairs
(17%) and manual restart (11%).
The O&M costs on new turbines are rela-
tively low and typically covered by service
agreements. As shown in Figure 1, as as-
sets age, there is a significant increase in
maintenance expenditures.
Because of the remote locations of
most wind turbines, crane rental expenses
are a major component of asset and parts
replacement costs.In fact, it takes far less
time to repair a generator than it does to
transport it. Asset failure results in tur-
bine downtime during the waiting periods,
especially when weather conditions and
site conditions such as icing can impact
time-to-repair. based on SCADA data. First, PdM using the other category.
SCADA data is based on manually set In other words, there is no actual vis-
Traditional Predictive Mainte- control limits. The system will recognize ibility into the largest cause of downtime.
nance Limitations a change in machine vibration or tem- Only high priority and mission critical as-
The default asset maintenance solution perature only if it breaches the predefined set sensor data is monitored. Furthermore,
for wind turbines is the traditional pre- limits. However, abnormal sensor behavior there is no systematic way to identify the
dictive maintenance (PdM), or condition within the control limits is not identified. root cause of a failure.By monitoring each
monitoring (CM), based on supervisory Second, only the most critical asset asset independently, the traditional PdM
control and data acquisition (SCADA) sensor data is monitored due to band- method fails to recognize patterns of sen-
data. Sensor data from turbines is moni- width constraints. Figure 2 shows that sor behavior or correlative behavior.
tored, and if control thresholds are the four top identifiable drivers of fail-
breached, alerts are generated to opera- ure and downtime are rotor/blades, Unsupervised Machine Learning for
tional maintenance staff. electric generators, balance of plant, Asset Maintenance
There are two major challenges that and controls. However, the most signifi- Until recently, machine learning was in
wind farms experience when using CM cant contributing factor is unknown the domain of academia. However, the
application of artificial intelligence (AI)
and algorithms is now fueling advanc- 3. Automated machine and deep learning engine. Presensos automated ma-
es in the Industrial Internet of Things chine and deep learning engine selects optimal algorithms and hyperparameters without human
intervention, yielding hundreds of hyperparameters as it uses the computational power of the
(IIoT). The term unsupervised indicates
cloud. Courtesy: Presenso
that the algorithms do not need to be
trained on the underlying asset that is
monitored.There is no need to use a sim-
ulated clone of the physical asset, such
as a Digital Twin.
To apply machine learning to asset
maintenance, turbine asset sensor data
is continuously streamed to the cloud
where AI algorithms analyze it in real
time. Of course, this assumes real-time
communications links, which will need to
be considered for remote locations.
The algorithms are trained to detect
anomalies in all the assets signals. Cor-
relations and pattern detections among
signals are performed. Instead of look-
ing for breaches of manually set control
limits, the algorithms detect abnormal ferentiate whether the turbine is two maintenance cost as a percentage of re-
behavior that is indicative of asset deg- years old or 15 years old. placement asset value.
radation and failure. Vendor. Vendor information is not The unsupervised machine learning
relevant to the performance of the al- solution for asset maintenance applies
Automated Model Selection gorithm. Therefore, sensor data from the latest advances in AI to detect ab-
One of the challenges with machine learn- the following manufacturers can be normal data patterns throughout an en-
ing is the selection of the algorithm used analyzed: Acciona, Alstom, Dongfang, tire facility, thereby lowering the cost of
to detect the abnormal sensor behavior Enercon, Gamesa, GE Energy, Goldwind, reliability maintenance. A cloud-based
that is indicative of machine degrada- Nordex, Repower, Siemens, Sinovel, solution does not require new hardware
tion or failure. In the past, there was Suzlon, and Vestas. Note that both or sensors and can be deployed remote-
reliance on data scientists to select the GE (Predix) and Siemens (MindSphere) ly, without the need for human input
most relevant model from a library of algo- are also major players in the so-called from facility staff.
rithms.However, with the massive amount Digital Twin market.The impact is that Based on estimates from Germany, the
that must be analyzed in real time, the a single solution can be applied to all UK, and Denmark, O&M costs are estimat-
ability to automatically select an algo- turbine types without the need for mul- ed to be between 1.2 c and 1.5 c per
rithm is critical. tiple vendor-specific systems. kWh of wind power produced, over the to-
In the case of Presenso, our automated Part or asset type. All sensor data tal lifetime of a turbine. In the U.S., O&M
machine and deep learning(MDL) engine from all the following assets can be ana- costs are less expensive (best practice is
(Figure 3) selects the optimal algorithms lyzed, including blades, gearbox, genera- $0.01 per kWh). Between 43% and 54% of
and hyperparameters in a data-driven tor, and coupling and bolt tightness. this is allocated to overhead, administra-
way without any human intervention.The Onshore versus offshore. The algo- tive costs, insurance, and rental income.
auto-MDL includes dozens of machine rithm does not differentiate between Applying machine learning to the asset
learning algorithms, tens of preprocessing offshore and onshore facility location. maintenance mix to reduce replacement
methods, and all their respective hyperpa- part and labor costs has the potential to
rameters, yielding a total of hundreds of significantly impact the financial perfor-
hyperparameters. This process is enabled The Impact of Machine Learning on mance of a wind farm.
by computational power of the cloud. Asset Maintenance Costs The cost savings for maintenance and
As asset reliability increases, there is labor can be extensive. Using both U.S.
Machine and Sensor Agnostic less money spent on reactive mainte- and European data, a 20% reduction in
One of the overlooked advantages of un- nance.Conversely, an underinvestment in the repair and maintenance portion of
supervised machine learning is that it is predictive and preventive maintenance in- O&M (assumed to be between 46% and
machine or sensor agnostic.This means a creases the need for reactive maintenance 57% of overall O&M costs) would yield an-
wind turbine can have more than 8,000 caused by unplanned machine breakdown. nual cost savings of $11,383 for a 2.5-MW
unique components, ranging from hydrau- When machine learning algorithms turbine and $34,148 for a 7.5-MW turbine.
lic systems and power converters to fall detect asset degradation and breakdown Limiting O&M expenses is a high pri-
protection. As long as sensor data is gen- ahead of time, resources can be shifted ority for the wind power sector. If ex-
erated, the machine learning algorithm away from over-reliability investments ecuted effectively, wind farm operators
analyzes all the signal data and detects such as unnecessary maintenance. As as- can now use automated machine learn-
abnormal patterns without consideration set reliability investments are rational- ing to turn under-utilized sensor data
of the following: ized and the detection of degradation is into a way to lower overall turbine asset
improved, the frequency of unscheduled maintenance costs.
Asset age. The algorithm does not dif- downtime is reduced. This lowers total Eitan Vesely is CEO of Presenso.
|
New York Net
Metering Is Not
Nicholas A. Giannasca Carlos E. Gutierrez Smart Enough for
the Grid of the Future
n March 9, 2017, the New York Public Service Commission at the utility meter. Such values make up the Value Stack that
O (NYPSC) issued an order announcing a transition from a

traditional net energy metering (NEM) compensation
mechanism for certain energy resources to a new compensation
includes the following: energy value, installed capacity value,
environmental value, demand reduction value, and locational sys-
tem relief value.
scheme referred to as Value of Distributed Energy Resources Phase One Value Stack compensation will be available to all
(VDER). The VDER order is an integral piece of the NYPSCs grid projects and technologies that are presently eligible for NEM as
and market modernization initiative called Reforming the Energy well as energy storage when paired with an eligible VDER re-
Vision (REV). source. Thus, on-site generation that is exported to the grid on
REV represents New Yorks efforts to reinvent the states energy a net-hourly basis will receive compensation in accordance with
regulatory structure in order to modernize the grid and introduce the Value Stack methodology. Behind-the-meter generation that
a new energy economy with more distributed energy resources is instantaneously consumed on-site (that is, not exported to
and customer choice. New York is not the first state to pivot from the grid) will be treated as load reduction and will offset the
NEM. Since 2013, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, Maine, and Indiana customers consumption and volumetric charges associated with
have moved away from net metering. As other states grapple with that consumption. Importantly, if a customer seeks to avail itself
upgrading aging grid infrastructure, the continuation of NEM will of the Phase One Value Stack compensation, that customer must
surely be a topic of heated debate. have a meter capable of recording net-hourly injections to the
grid. If a customer has an insufficient meter, it will need to work
Net Metering with the interconnecting utility to obtain one.
Traditional NEM compensation awards an end-use customer with The order also grandfathers in the eligibility of existing proj-
a credit for each kilowatt-hour that the customers generating ects enrolled in NEM to retain the ability to bid into the Re-
unit injected into the grid. This one-to-one offset of kilowatt- newable Energy Standard Tier 1 solicitations issued by the New
hours, that is, volumetric crediting, proved to be a simple and York State Energy Research and Development Authority. However,
attractive incentive for users to add generation to their premises. projects that earn compensation from the Value Stack will not be
If the generation source was of a certain type, customers could so eligible.
also avail themselves of other incentive programs such as renew- The reason is that the environmental value of the generation
able energy credits, tax credits and, rebates. is already a component of the Value Stack and VDER compensa-
NEMs critics argue the offset of kilowatt-hours means that the tion. As such, the interconnected load-serving entities who com-
customer is not responsible for the delivery of the power being pensate customers for such environmental value will receive the
offset and, thus, the customer is not paying distribution charges. environmental credits.
Because the grid nonetheless needs to be maintained for all cus-
tomers, critics argue those who do not enjoy NEM benefits ef- Implications
fectively pay a higher share of distribution system maintenance. There are important, but opposing, implications related to the
In the order, the NYPSC acknowledged that NEM played an im- order. First, New Yorks efforts will certainly resonate with other
portant role in growing the distributed generation market in the states that are also grappling with the continuation of NEM, and
state. According to the order, the state must move to a smarter, some may adopt a VDER approach as a compromise to outright
more information-based compensation mechanism in order to abandonment of NEM. Thus, this could facilitate the continued
foster the continued growth of DERs. The NYPSC stated that NEM development of DERs in such states.
does not provide sufficient information to serve as a basis of effi- On the other hand, a move away from NEM to a more eco-
cient investment decisions or to identify and compensate for the nomically justifiable model such as VDER could discourage de-
values that can be provided to the system or costs imposed on velopment in renewable power as customers, developers, and
the system. In an effort to mitigate the potential market disrup- financiers become disenchanted with the complexity and vari-
tion of the shift to VDER, the order grandfathers certain projects ability of the Value Stack and resulting VDER values.
utilizing NEM under existing tariffs. How these two opposing influences ultimately impact renew-
able energy development remains to be seen. In the interim, states
VDER Methodology will continue to consider NEM when debating how to integrate
The VDER order establishes the Phase One foundational policies renewable energy resources into an aging electric grid.
of the VDER methodology to be utilized in the VDER Phase One Nicholas A. Giannasca is a partner and Carlos E. Gutierrez
Tariff. The complex VDER compensation methodology will rely on serves as counsel at Davis Wright Tremaine in the practices
the calculation of certain values applied to hourly net injections New York office.
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TOP PLANTS
The Highly Efficient Workhorse

of Brunswick County Courtesy: Dominion Energy
Dominion Energys massive new natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant in
Freeman, Virginia, has been servicing customers since April 2016. In its first year on-
line, the plant carried roughly 10% of Dominions total load, making it a workhorse
in the companys growing natural gas fleet.
Abby L. Harvey
Plant Specs
D
ominion Energy is sitting in a tricky rently the largest single ACC in the nation.
spot. Electricity demand is growing at The Brunswick County Power Station is Luckily, the size of the ACC was not a ma-
an aggressive rate, stressing an aging a 1,358-MW natural gas-fired 3 x 1 com- jor impediment to the project, as it is just
fleet of coal-fired power plants. To address bined cycle plant. It utilizes three Mitsubi- slightly larger than others that Dominion has
this challenge, Dominion has started to build shi M501GAC gas turbines and Mitsubishi installed recently.
a fleet of massive, highly efficient natural gas steam turbine. Theyre very large structures. Theyre
plants; the largest currently in operation We ran a competitive process, telling fairly labor intensive to install. So its just
the Brunswick County Power Stationis a people what our goals [were], one of them how do you plan for that? How do you plan
source of ongoing pride for the power com- being efficiency, one of them being the the startup? Even though its the largest, we
pany. amount of output, and of course the cost. So at Dominion have installed a few others,
There were coal plants being retired both we ran a competitive [request for propos- Mitchell said. We installed another one
within our system and across PJM in general. als] to pick Mitsubishi actually at Warren at our Warren County site that was slightly
Virginias pretty fortunate in that we do have County, Mitchell said, referencing a slightly smaller than Brunswick, and now, of course,
the regional growth, which continues, and we smaller natural gas plant in Fort Royal, Vir- weve installed Brunswick. Were actually
do have the need for power, Mark Mitchell, ginia, that has been in service since Decem- building another combined cycle right now
Dominions vice president of generation con- ber 2014. [Then we] decided to use them at thats a bit larger than Brunswick and it will
struction, told POWER. Based on that, this Brunswick County. It was through a com- have a slightly larger air-cooled condenser.
plant [is] a fairly large facility. Its one of the petitive process, but they were good partners,
largest and, we think, most efficient com- and they have very good equipment. Communication Is Key to Success
bined cycles in the world. Steam is produced by three GE/Alstom Construction on the plant began in August
Dominion projects load growth exceeding heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), 2013. Fluor completed the engineering, pro-
5,300 MW in its service territory over the each with 500 MMBtu of duct burning ca- curement, construction, and commissioning
next 15 years, with an annual growth rate of pacity. Each HRSG is equipped with selec- for the plant. All told, the plant was com-
1.7%. Dominion has or plans to retire more tive catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, as pleted ahead of schedule and under budget,
than 900 MW of coal in its fleet, just a frac- well as CO catalysts, ensuring strict environ- a feat that was achieved due to transparency
tion of the 19,000 MW of coal-fired capacity mental compliance. throughout the development process, Mitch-
in PJM that was retired from 2011 to 2015. The plant also has an enormous 72-cell ell said.
air-cooled condenser (ACC), which is cur- When youre starting off a project, before
TOP PLANTS
1. Trains and automobiles. The location of the Brunswick County Power Station re-
sulted in some difficulty when the plant was under construction. Components and equipment POWER POINTS
could be taken by train to within 12 miles of the plant, but to make it that last little way, roads
had to be closed. To reduce any inconvenience to the public, moving large components had to
Winning Attributes
occur at night on roads and bridges that had to be temporarily reinforced to handle the heavy
loads. Courtesy: Dominion Energy
The largest natural gas-fired
combined cycle power plant in
the Dominion fleet.
The highly efficient plant was
completed ahead of schedule and
under budget.
The facility utilizes a 72-cell air-
cooled condenser, the largest in
the nation.
panies were able to keep construction mov-

ing at an acceptable pace. In this case, it was
decided to modularize the pipe racks. When
you do that, that allows you to do some ma-
jor construction outside of the power block
where all the congestion is. It allows you to
do that in parallel, you can do that off-site,
you even get in the deal, you need to under- customers in that its very environmentally get that pipe rack kind of done and to the site.
stand what the drivers of that project are and friendly, [with] some of the lowest emissions, ... So you eliminate a lot of the work in the
communicate that, Mitchell said. So, when but when you talk about $1 billion in saving congested area.
were out looking at building a project, were over the life of that plant, thats a substantial In an effort to proactively address the
interviewing the type of companies that can amount of savings, Mitchell said. shortage of welders, Fluor and Dominion
do this before we ever issue the bid, and partnered with a local community college to
were making sure that they understand what Problems and Solutions put together a welding school. People can
we are needing out of a projectwhat the There are a million things that can go wrong make a good living off welding. Theyve
scope of that project is going to beso that while constructing a power plant. In building been able to train people that might not have
were aligned on what the goals are. Brunswick, Dominion dodged most of those recognized that as a skill they could use for
While cost is always a factor in selecting bullets, but it did run into some problems se- their lifetime, Mitchell said. Weve been
contractors, for the Brunswick project, effi- curing skilled labor and transporting compo- able to take people out of those welding pro-
ciency was also a key factor that bids were nents. grams and use them in our system. Were ac-
judged on. We wanted one of the most ef- Particularly, Dominion and Fluor encoun- tually using some on a plant were building
ficient projects in the world. We wanted it tered a lack of welders. How do you attract right now, and beyond that, theyve got a skill
at low cost for our ratepayers to install. So that talent? How do you keep them on site where they can go kind of anywhere in the
were giving the idea that cost is important, in the numbers that you need? Its something country and make a living.
thats one thing that were going to evalu- we watch very closely, and we did kind of Dominion is currently working on another
ate you on, but efficiency is important too, work our way through that. Sometimes you natural gas plant, just a few miles from Bruns-
Mitchell said. have to look at different options, to adjust wick. The Greensville County Power Station
To clearly communicate Dominions ef- the schedule or adjust different pieces of the will surpass Brunswick in size, weighing in
ficiency requirements, potential contrac- schedule, but that was definitely one of the at 1,588 MW.
tors were given criteria for efficiency and bigger pieces on this job is how we worked Another unique issue Dominion faced at
informed on how that would factor into the through that. the Brunswick plant was the transportation
overall bid process. Right up front, youre Dominion and Fluor took a multifaceted of large equipment and materials (Figure 1).
just aligning yourself on what the goals are, approach to fixing their staffing problem, Components could be transported by rail to
making sure you understand what the scope both dealing with the issue immediately at within 12 miles of the site, but from there
is youre asking for, and what theyre sup- hand, and trying to alleviate the issue for fu- transport had to make use of public roads.
posed to deliver. ture projects. Youve got your Plan A, which Because of the size of many of these compo-
It seems that this transparency paid off. is, Okay, lets get more labor in there, but nents, bridges and roads had to be temporar-
Mitchell cites the cost savings on the project youre always looking at what is Plan B, what ily reinforced, and much of the transportation
as the most impressive aspect of the plant. is Plan C, if you dont get more in there? Can had to take place at night to avoid closing
Because of the high efficiency of the plant, you go to two shifts, or can you use some- roads to public use.
fuel savings thus far total about $100 million. thing different? Can you do something dif- As Dominion continues to build its natural
Dominion projects an additional $1 billion in ferently? gas fleet, its safe to assume that Brunswick
customer savings over the life of the station, Between trying to set up shifts to make will remain a source of pride, even when the
compared to the cost of purchasing power the best use of the limited number of weld- larger Greensville plant opens just down the
from the market. ers they had and modularizing a significant road.
Obviously its a very good facility for our portion of the facilitys pipe racks, the com- Abby L. Harvey is a POWER reporter.
|
TOP PLANTS
Worlds Most-Efficient Combined

Cycle Plant: EDF Bouchain
Courtesy: GE
When you bring two power giants together to develop a new breed of combined
cycle gas turbine plant, you expect the results to be pretty good. When EDF and GE
installed the first commercial 9HA gas turbine in the Bouchain plant, the outcome
was great: A new world record for combined cycle efficiency62.22%.
Aaron Larson
I
f you know anything about Frances elec- fired plants, there are none better than EDF For those areas in the world where footprint
tricity grid, you probably know it relies Bouchain. The 605-MW unit has been rec- is an issue, this thing is significant in terms of
heavily on nuclear power. In fact, since ognized by Guinness World Records as the power density, said then-GE Power President
the late 1980s, uranium atoms have been most-efficient combined cycle power plant in and CEO Steve Bolze during a media event on
used to generate more than 75% of the na- the world, with a third-party verified net ef- June 17, 2016. It replaces a coal plant. It is on
tions electricitythe highest nuclear power ficiency of 62.22%. 25% of the footprint of the old plant. It gener-
percentage of any country in the world. But The plant was developed under a unique ates more power with 50% less carbon emis-
times may be changing. industrial partnership between EDF and GE. sions. This is a big deal, Bolze added.
Nicolas Hulot, the French energy minister The unit was constructed with the first com- The Bouchain site allowed the old plants
under recently elected President Emmanuel mercial GE 9HA gas turbine, a machine that aero-cooling tower to be reused, which limits
Macron, in a radio interview on July 10, has some remarkable capabilities beyond just the amount of water pumped into the nearby
said as many as 17 of Frances 58 reactors high efficiency. The plant can go from startup Scheldt River. Another big benefit was the
could be closed by 2025. The move is aimed to combined cycle operation in less than 25 ability to transmit the new units generation
at reducing the countrys reliance on nuclear minutes. It can also be turned down to as low via the existing 400-kV underground line.
power to 50%. as 30% of its top generating capability while
So, where is Frances power going to come still meeting emission requirements. The Delivering a Giant
from? The Macron administration pledged to flexibility is important for the industrys on- Construction began on the combined cycle
close the countrys five coal-fired power plants going efforts to increase the use of renewable plant with excavation work and soil prepara-
by 2022, so it wont be from that resource. energy and protect the environment. tion in 2012. Civil engineering work began in
The long-term goal is to double renewables to The Bouchain location had been host to 2013. That year, deep foundations were con-
32% by 2030, but variable wind and solar gen- two 250-MW coal-fired units, which were structed for the gas turbine, steam turbine,
eration requires a reliable backup. Therefore, retired in 2015. The new combined cycle unit and generator. It took three months to install
highly efficient natural gas-fueled plants could has reduced site CO2 emissions by 50%, re- all of the rebar and pour the 2,500 cubic me-
offer one dependable solution. duced SOx emissions by 95%, and cut par- ters (m3) of concrete needed for the power
ticulate emissions to zero. The new unit has train pedestal foundation.
First 9HA Gas Turbine Installed a footprint one-quarter the size of the coal The following year, the first heavy-lift
And when it comes to efficient natural gas- facility while generating more power. components began arriving on-site. They in-
TOP PLANTS
cluded the 300-ton main transformer, steam
1. Crawling along. The GE 9HA com-
condenser, heat recovery steam generator POWER POINTS
bustion turbine, affectionately nicknamed
(HRSG) parts, and steam turbine. The 320- HArriet, was loaded on a center stretcher
ton generator arrived in January 2015, and the supported by two tow platforms each with Winning Attributes
combustion turbine (CT) reached site in July. 14 rows of triple-tire axles. The 800-ton load
The process of moving the CT was no required four truckstwo pulling and two
World-record-setting combined
small job. The journey would span about 330 pushingto move it. This image was taken as cycle efficiency62.22%.
miles from Belfort, near Frances eastern bor- the centipede left Belfort, France, on June
der with Switzerland, to the Bouchain site. A 29, 2015, headed for the EDF Bouchain plant. First-of-a-kind installation that
steel centipede (Figure 1), that when load- Courtesy: GE overcame logistics challenges
ed measured 109-m long, 6.65-m wide, and to deliver one of the largest gas
5.7-m high, and weighed about 800 tons, was turbines ever built, going from
used for the first leg of the tripBelfort to factory to first fire in five months.
Strasbourg. The roughly 150-km drive ended
up taking more than a week, with speeds Ability to go from startup to
rarely breaking 15 km/hr. combined cycle operation in less
Once in Strasbourg, the CT was lifted and than 25 minutes and turndown
placed on a barge. The barge transported the to as low as 30% of maximum
generating capacity.
heavy load on the second leg of the journey,
beginning on the Rhine River and ending
seven days later within about a mile of the
construction site by way of the Scheldt River. impact on protected species. The objective
A smaller transport platform carried the CT of the measure is to maintain suitable habitat
through the final on-land stretch. It arrived at for protected species, and ensure a tranquil
its new home on July 15, 2015. and prosperous environment.
Meeting Milestones Market Evolution

The fact that the gas turbine was not shipped The construction project peaked in 2015 with
until after completion of full-speed, full-load up to 600 people working on-site at the time.
testing meant that it arrived on-site a bit later tures, pressures, and outputs that result during The 400 million investment had a positive
than would have been optimal. The delivery operation. The new boiler design increased effect on the Bouchain region. As an opera-
timetable forced the project team to follow a flexibility and ensured quicker startup than tional facility, the plant now employs about
rather unusual installation and commission- had been achievable previously. In addition 40 full-time EDF personnel and another 20
ing schedule, but that didnt prevent them to material improvements, a welding exper- contractors performing various functions.
from meeting milestones on time. tise center was created to ensure all work was The 9HA gas turbine isnt a one-hit-won-
One enhancement that made a big differ- able to meet strict quality standards. der either. Today there are more than 10 HA
ence was the use of modularized auxiliaries units connected to the grid, with plants now
from the factory. This new process first im- High Safety and Environmental in France, Russia, Pakistan, and the U.S.
plemented during the Bouchain project saved Standards More than 60 HA gas turbines are on order
on-site construction time. In the end, the gas Completing work safely was a top priority around the world, with new units planned in
turbine went from factory to first fire in only for the construction team and continues to be Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, China, France,
five months. a focus for the power station. The Bouchain Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico,
The unit was first synchronized to the facility has implemented a zero-accident Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, and the U.S. Be-
power grid on January 21, 2016. Little policy, which is consistent with other EDF cause all the HA gas turbines use the same
more than a month later on March 1, 2016, sites. Some actions taken to raise safety technology, GE fully expects all units to meet
the plant operated for the time in combined awareness include: similarly high efficiency levels to those prov-
cycle mode. Trials were completed on July en at Bouchain.
26, 2016, and the unit entered commercial All newcomers to the site are required to But the company isnt resting on its lau-
operation. complete a welcome security session with rels. During the June 2016 media event, Joe
The Bouchain plant is an important dem- the sites environmental, health, and safety Mastrangelo, president and CEO of Gas
onstration of GEs latest digital power plant training staff. Power Systems, said the Bouchain plants
capabilities. Real-time data from more than Regular safety inspections are conduct- 62.22% efficiency mark is just a starting
10,000 sensor inputs is monitored and ana- ed throughout the facility with a goal of point for what the company hopes to attain in
lyzed to help personnel optimize plant op- verifying compliance with requirements the future. He suggested that GEs technol-
eration. In addition to delivering stable and as well as implementation of prevention ogy programs could propel efficiency toward
efficient control, the technology also pro- measures. 65% by the early 2020s.
vides predictive insights, which helps avoid Emergency exercises including the in- Mastrangelos team pointed out that the
unplanned downtime and leads to significant volvement of external assistance, such as company has invested more than $1 billion
maintenance improvements. firefighters and rescue personnel, are or- developing the HA gas turbine. Based on the
Utilizing the new 9HA turbine technology ganized on-site to test crisis procedures. success of EDF Bouchain, it appears to have
did create some HRSG design challenges. A been money well spent.
new generation boiler was developed to ac- An ecological compensation zone has Aaron Larson is POWERs
commodate the significantly higher tempera- been created on-site to reduce the plants executive editor.
|
TOP PLANTS
Grand Resilience: How a State
Agency Pioneered Gas Technology
and Bolstered Critical Supply
Courtesy: Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA)
Unit 3 at the Grand River Energy Center in Chouteau, Oklahoma, was the Grand Riv-
er Dam Authoritys first construction project in 30 years. Yet, the team put this dis-
tinct projectone of the largest and most efficient in the U.S.online as planned,
despite natural and technical challenges. For that and other reasons, it is a worthy
2017 Top Plant award winner.
Sonal Patel
T
he Grand River Dam Authority was to rely less on coal, and to maximize use never before installed in North America, but
(GRDA), a non-appropriated agency of abundant wind and hydro generation, the which is renowned for its high-firing tem-
founded by the Oklahoma Legislature agency told POWER in August. However, peratures (inlet temperatures hover at about
in 1935, has sought in recent years to diver- wind and hydro are intermittent and main- 1,600C or 2,912F) and its large capacity.
sify its power generating portfolio to ensure taining reliability 24/7 is challenging. At the time, MHPS had installed nine
it can continue to reliably supply power to After considering its options, GRDA deter- M501J 60-Hz turbines around the world,
some portion of 75 of the states 77 coun- mined that adding a new advanced-class com- accumulating more than 28,000 hours of
tiesincluding its direct customers, which bined cycle unit would offer customers the best operation. MHPSs key selling point was
include municipalities, a host of electric long-term value when integrated into its exist- the machines efficiency. At baseload, the
cooperatives, and 80 industrial and commer- ing portfolio. However, the project came with a M501J will provide over 61% combined
cial customers that are primarily clustered in challenging condition: Because the MATS rule cycle efficiency. In addition, at 50% output,
northeast Oklahoma. required the 1978-built 490-MW GREC Unit 1 youre still above 55% combined cycle effi-
Earlier this decade, as a bevy of coal gen- to discontinue coal use by April 2017, the new ciency, an executive from Mitsubishi Hita-
erators reassessed the economic viability of gas-fired Unit 3 would need to come online chi Power Systems Americas said in a press
their assets in the face of new, stricter fed- before the 2017 summer peak period to avoid release describing the contract signing with
eral environmental rules governing coal crippling power shortages. GRDA on March 21, 2014.
plant emissions, GRDA opted to discontinue For GRDA, the decision was rooted in the
use of coal at Unit 1 at its Grand River En- A High-Efficiency Determination technologys superior efficiency, but also
ergy Center (GREC)a 1,010-MW dual- Swiftly kicking off the process, GRDA imme- proven reliability, initial cost, and overall
unit coal-fired facility located in Chouteau, diately contracted Black & Veatch to provide long term value to GRDA customers. Fi-
Oklahomarather than install substantial its technical expertise as owners engineer. nancial viability was a key consideration, it
upgrades needed to meet the Environmental After evaluating competitive proposals from said. The new combined cycle unit would
Protection Agencys (EPAs) Mercury and an assortment of highly qualified bidders, need to have lowest operating cost for a
Air Toxics Standards (MATS). In part to sup- the agency in January 2014 chose to equip combined cycle unit in the Southwest Power
port that decision, GRDAs board of directors the plant with a state-of-the-art 495-MW Pool. Therefore, a very strong design effort
in 2013 approved a strategic plan to achieve Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) was made to maximize sustained efficiency
a more balanced portfolio. A key objective M501J gas turbine (Figure 1)a technology and capability. This included the use of [an]
REVOLUTIONARY
ENERGY
FIRST TO 99.5% RELIABILITY WINS.

GAME OVER.
Our M501JAC leaves the competition in the dust when it comes to reliability.
Thats because no other turbine manufacturer comes close to the testing we put our units through.
Saying our JAC leet has been put through the wringer is an understatement. Were talking more than 13,000 hours
of commercial operation with over 750 starts. All in real working power plants.
Dont settle for less. Join the revolution.
changeinpower.com
TOP PLANTS
1. First of its kind. The M501J gas tur-

construction plan identifying milestone con-
bine installed at the Grand River Energy Center struction events, blackout areas, delivery and POWER POINTS
is the first J-Series to be built at the Savannah storage areas, parking, site security, and other
Machinery Works in Savannah, Ga. It is paired key features necessary for coordinating these Winning Attributes
in combined cycle with a steam turbine, also three projects, the agency said.
supplied by Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems All proceeded as planned until July 2016, Project team overcame weather-
(MHPS). As part of the project, Grand River when Unit 2 suffered a severe lightning strike related difficulties, and the
Dam Authority signed a long-term service that caused catastrophic fire damage to its logistics challenges presented
agreement with MHPS. Courtesy: GRDA turbine generator. The event forced GRDA to by a concurrent retrofit to a co-
take the critical 520-MW unit offline, height- located units air quality control
system.
ening the agencys worries about how to pro-
vide regional reliability when Unit 1 would Highly efficient combined cycle
be unavailable due to the MATS in April plant replaced an aging coal-fired
2017. Restoration required 13 months of he- unit that would have needed
roic efforts by GRDA, Siemens, and General pollution control upgrades.
Electric, GRDA said.
Around the same timeand adding to its Successful integration of the first
tense situationprolonged rainfall in south- J-series unit built and installed in
ern Louisiana resulted in unprecedented the U.S. with a custom-designed
flooding, a declared state of emergency that heat recovery steam generator.
inlet air chilling system and built-in redun- delayed delivery of major components to
dancy appropriate for a long-term utility the Unit 3 project and threatened to derail dispatched into the Southwest Power Pool.
grade unit. it. GRDA, which only six months earlier According to GRDA, efficiency goals are
To maximize efficiency and reliability, had faced a similar deluge of rainfall that being met. Thermal efficiency exceeding
GRDA chose to couple the J-series gas tur- had pushed lake levels at Grand Lake and 60% has been demonstrated during sum-
bine with a heat recovery steam generator Lake Hudson to historic levels and forced mertime generation, it said. Charles Barney,
(HRSG) that was custom-designed by Noot- it to manage some of the largest floodwater an engineer who serves as GRDAs assistant
er/Eriksen. The triple-pressure, reheat-de- releases since construction of its Pensacola general manager for fuel and generation
signed HRSG includes duct-firing along with Dam in 1940, watched the situation with projects, added: Were excited that Unit
advanced emission control technology. The some dismay. 3 responds quickly to load changes while
St. Louisheadquartered company worked When the components finally arrived maintaining high efficiency.
very closely with design engineers to in- months later, teams regrouped and formed
tegrate the HRSG into the overall design, a detailed critical path plans to compen- Safety and Cooperation Is Para-
GRDA said. sate for the delays. That planning paid off, mount
By December 2014, GRDA had finalized and though night work was done when re- When asked about the projects most-win-
the key engineering, procurement, and con- quired, the plant was synchronized to the ning aspect, GRDA pointed to its stellar
struction (EPC) contract with Kiewit sub- grid by March 2017. project team. At the onset of the project, a
sidiary The Industrial Company (TIC). The team mission statement was developed that
agency broke ground on the project on Janu- An Emergency Order included objectives to achieve a new standard
ary 23, 2015, marking the first time in more Still, fearing more unseen debacles, and citing for efficiencyand that no one would get
than three decades that GRDA had begun a possible imminent shortage of generation hurt, the agency said. TIC/Kiewit led regu-
construction on a new power project. resources in its service area, GRDA urged the lar project teambuilding sessions to keep the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to issue project on track. More significantly, it noted:
Overcoming Multiple, Serious an emergency order allowing it to combust Construction team members achieved an
Hurdles coal at Unit 1 as required by the Southwest incredible safety record of over 1.2 million
Project developers had anticipated some Power Pool between April 16, 2017, and July man-hours worked without a serious injury.
technical challenges associated with integra- 15, 2017, when Unit 3 was expected to be GRDA also credited MHPS for first
tion of the first-of-its-kind combustion tur- operational. The DOE granted the request class support during construction and com-
bine and the HRSG. These challenges were under the Federal Power Actonly the sev- missioning, and Nooter/Eriksen for its close
overcome by assignment and commitment of enth time it has done soto secure power collaboration. Hitachi HVB, it added, provid-
the best A team experts from each project reliability, triggering the so-called reliabil- ed the transformers that have performed flaw-
partner, GRDA explained. The challenges ity valve that had been widely discussed lessly and were delivered ahead of schedule,
it couldnt anticipate, however, involved a since the EPAs MATS rule was still in the and Enable Midstream Partners provided a
double whammy by Mother Earth. draft stage. Although kept available, Unit 1 new gas pipeline to fuel the new unit, ahead
When crews began building Unit 3 and was utilized very little during this period, of schedule and under budget. For Jam-
an associated substation, GRDA was simul- GRDA said. mie Burrow, chief engineer at GREC, the
taneously executing a project to upgrade Meanwhile, under pressure to stay on achievement cannot be underscored enough:
air quality control systems at the 1986-built schedule, crews at GREC kept working to We had a schedule to meet that some said
coal-fired Unit 2, which involved replacing finish the project. Sellable power status was couldnt be done, but we needed to have this
the existing electrostatic precipitator with achieved just two months later on April 27, unit running for summer of 2017. Weve
a fabric filter and adding an activated car- 2017, less than 45 days after first fire. That achieved that!
bon injection system. This challenge was milestone was followed by extensive perfor- Sonal Patel is a POWER
resolved by first developing a general site mance testing, and the new unit is now being associate editor.
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TOP PLANTS
Model of Gas-Fired Efficiency

Rises in Heart of Coal Country
Courtesy: Kiewit
A partnership between one of the nations largest utilities and one of the worlds
largest construction contractors resulted in the 1,100-MW Paradise Combined Cycle
Plant in Drakesboro, Kentucky, next door to what has long been the states largest
power plant.
Darrell Proctor
T
he project began as an idea spurred The project was a huge success, Roger received in February 2015, and construc-
by government regulation: replace Waldrep, TVAs general manager for ma- tion began March 2, 2015. Combustion
two units of an aging coal-fired power jor projects, told POWER. It demonstrates gas turbine (CTG) delivery occurred in
plant on a winding Kentucky river with a what can be accomplished by partnerships, June 2015; heat recovery steam generator
state-of-the-art combined cycle facility. The teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of risk (HRSG) delivery followed in August 2015;
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) had done management and mitigation. The project and the generator step-up unit arrived
it previously, in neighboring Tennessee, and was much more than a 3 x 1 combined cycle in March 2016 (Figure 1). The turbines
was looking for similar success the second plant. This was a gas plant that would be built were first fired in October 2016, about six
time around. in the heart of coal country and would be re- months before the plant began commercial
There would be challenges. Government sponsible for carrying the legacy of TVA for- operation on April 7 of this year.
regulations had been updated; the deadline ward in the region. Kiewit and TVA had worked together pre-
to meet some emissions targets, the impetus viously on the John Sevier Combined Cycle
behind the project, meant even the generation Expanding Fuel Diversity Plant in Rogersville, Tenn., which has been
set-up would be reconsidered. Construction The 1,100-MW Paradise plant, completed operating since late April 2012. That plant
would have a tight timeline to meet those in April 2017, is part of TVAs commit- replaced the coal-fired John Sevier Fossil
government mandates. Teamwork would be ment to expand the utilitys fuel diversity. Plant. Kiewit completed the construction
essential; delays would put the entire project It is designed to partly replace the coal-fired scope of work on that project, but for Para-
at risk. And this is Kentucky, where more Paradise Fossil Plant, which came online in dise, Kiewit was a partner from the start.
than 80% of the states electricity comes 1963 and has been the states largest power This project was the first partnership
from coal. generation facility, distinctive with its three for TVA and Kiewit Power with Kiewit
TVA went to work, partnering with Kiewit large, natural-draft cooling towers, a feature Power in a full EPC [engineering, pro-
Power, to build the $1 billion Paradise Com- many people associate with nuclear power curement, and construction] role, said
bined Cycle Plant, near Drakesboro and the for- plants. Units 1 and 2 of the Fossil Plant, Waldrep. A lot of time was spent at the
mer mining town of Paradise along the Green each with a generation capacity of 704 MW, beginning with TVA learning how Kiewit
River. In a state better known for bluegrass, were retired earlier this year. The 1,150- performed their work, and Kiewit learn-
bourbon, and thoroughbreds, the two have MW Unit 3, which began operating in 1970, ing the expectations and requirements of
completed what now is considered the most- will remain online. TVA. This proved invaluable as the proj-
efficient gas plant in TVAs vast fleet, one being The contract for the new plant was ect progressed and risks and rework were
honored as a POWER Top Plant for 2017. awarded in May 2014, the air permit was avoided, key reasons, said Waldrep, why
TOP PLANTS
1. GSU arrives onsite. The generator step-up unit arrived at the Paradise construction
site in March 2016. The plant would be put into commercial operation 13 months later, in April POWER POINTS
2017. Courtesy: Tennessee Valley Authority
By the Numbers
2,472,019 Number of man-hours
worked to complete construction.
6,187 The net heat rate (BTU/
kWh) of the plant, making it the
most-efficient in TVAs fleet.
175 Height in feet of the plants
cooling towers, equivalent to an
18-story building.
11 Minutes (or fewer) it takes
for the 7FA.05 gas turbines to
startup.
the project was completed 12 weeks ahead pact TVAs ability to operate the transmission tions. This unique feature allowed the pipe
of schedule and about 20% under budget. system if there was a period without genera- rack to be designed with zero cross braces, a
There was about 18 months of upfront en- tion in the region. first for both Kiewit and TVA. To maximize
gineering and procurement work for the proj- This MATS date set an unofficial target for plant efficiency, the boiler feedwater pumps
ect in Lenexa, Kan., home base for Kiewits the project, said Waldrep. Not only did the furnished by KSB include variable-speed hy-
power group. The success of the Paradise project improve on the contractual completion draulic couplings designed and manufactured
project is entirely attributable to our project dates, it was able to meet the MATS date for by Voith. The couplings allow the pump to
team, said Kiewits Mike Wilkie, the project the coal units, helping TVA maintain the reli- slip, minimizing the brake horsepower con-
manager. Kiewit and its partners developed ability of the transmission system in the area. sumed by the pump at off-design cases.
a fully integrated, cohesive Paradise One- The Paradise plant is called the most-ef- The water intake system also required
Team defined by a spirit of collaboration in ficient gas plant in TVAs fleet, and not just innovation. Langstraat said TVA wanted
which all team members worked together to- for its electricity generation. Paradise Plant to avoid a lengthy permitting process and
ward a common goal. Manager Drew Reid said, The most-effi- some of the challenges involved with work-
cient claim is based on the lowest heat rate ing around the river, so it opposed a tradi-
Construction Challenges [net 6,187 BTU/kWh] in the TVA gas fleet, tional onshore intake structure. The partners
The goal was not reached without challenges. as well as the innovative work management worked out a technical solution, locating
TVA began wrestling with a solution for the efforts we have put in place. Those include a water intake structure inside the plants
Paradise Fossil Plant in 2012, said Waldrep, sitewide Wi-Fi, a communication system for boundary fence. The system includes an
with the utility mulling options for its coal- the plant through iPads, and electric vehicles underground intake pipe routed to the river,
fired units due to emissions regulations. [We to move around the complex, with charging with a suction screen on the pipe beneath the
were] considering additional environmental stations throughout. TVA also is using all surface of the water.
controls for Units 1 and 2 at the coal plant, LED lighting to save energy and improve The intake structure was constructed of
or replacing the generation with a gas-fired visibility and safety. a concrete caisson approximately 20 feet in
facility of either a four-unit simple cycle diameter that was sunk to a depth of nearly
configuration or a 3 x 1 combined cycle con- Technical Specifications 70 feet, said Langstraat. The team then
figuration. TVA initially selected additional The Paradise plant features three GE 7FA.05 used a micro-tunnel boring machine to drill
environmental controls as the solution in combustion turbines, a dual flow-down ex- the intake pipe into the river where the suc-
2012, but then reconsidered in 2013 as the haust Toshiba steam turbine with 48-inch tion screen was placed. Locating the raw
certainty of compliance became less and the last stage blades, three triple-pressure Vogt water pumps and related equipment within
cost of ownership [of the coal plant] contin- HRSGs with reheat and supplemental firing, the plant boundary yielded two distinct ad-
ued to rise. a TEI double-pass deaerating steam surface vantages: easy access for plant operators and
The plant was completed ahead of sched- condenser, and a 16-cell induced-draft me- minimal river work during construction.
ule, but the original end date was placed in chanical cooling tower. The 16-cell tower Wilkie said Paradise, now the states sec-
jeopardy at the beginning because of a six- is a back-to-back design, with essentially ond combined cycle plant in addition to the
week delay in issuance of the construction the same performance as a single-width 14- Cane Run Generating Station in Louisville (a
air permit. The delay caused TVA and Kiewit cell tower, according to Dan Langstraat, the 2016 POWER Top Plant), could be a model
to compress the construction schedule in or- Kiewit Engineering Project Manager. for TVA projects moving forward. In the
der to meet deadlines set by the Mercury Air The components are installed in a typical end, the project was completed on time and
Toxics Standards (MATS) rule, which said wet-cooled, 3 x 1 combined cycle configura- within budget in a way that formed the basis
the two coal units at Paradise could not legal- tion, said Langstraat. The Paradise pipe rack of a lasting partnership between Kiewit and
ly operate after mid-April 2017. Because the uses tube steel columns in a moment-frame TVA, he said.
new plant was replacing some of the genera- design. Because of the tube shape, the loading Darrell Proctor is a POWER
tion of the coal-fired plant, delays could im- capacity of the steel is the same in both direc- associate editor.
|
THE DAWN
OF PARADISE
ITS A NEW DAY FOR THE TVA PARADISE COMBINED CYCLE PLANT.
Vogt Power International congratulates Kiewit and TVA on receiving POWER Magazines
2017 Top Plant (Gas-Fired) Award for their Paradise Project! As the proud HRSG supplier,
we are thrilled to see our eforts to enhance equipment constructability and maximize
teamwork contribute to a successful project.
vogtpower.com
VOGT POWER
INTERNATIONAL
Excellence-in-Heat-Recovery
An HRSG Unit for Every Application
Vogt Power provides the most constructible HRSG unit for every
customers site-speciic application. Our modular designs
reduce overall erection costs, and installations are scheduled so
that they can help save customers time and money. The level of
pre-fabrication can be varied depending on the size of the HRSG,
transport alternatives to the job site, labor cost and availability.
Four Designs to Meet Our Customers Needs

1. MSG Module Steam Generators
Designed speciically for HRSGs behind gas turbines
between 20 and 70MW that allow for a single gas path width.
2. Enhances Constructability SMART (ECS)
For HRSGs where transport and weight limitations allow
for highest level of pre-fabrication. The main steel sup-
POWER YOU CAN RELY ON.
port structure is integrated and pre-fabricated with the
Vogt Power International Inc., a Babcock Power Inc. company, boxes in a design that is the ultimate in constructability.
is a global industry leader, specializing in the low-cost deliv- 3. The SMART-Box
ery of exceptionally high quality Heat Recovery Steam Semi-Modular Accelerated delivery Reduced cost Top sup-
Generators (HRSGs), Selective Catalytic Reduction Systems ported (SMART) is used when shipping constraints prevent
(as part of HRSG), Simple Cycle Exhaust Systems, and after- the use of the ECS design. Our SMART-Box design is highly
market services for use in power generation, co-generation, pre-assembled: modules, casing, interconnecting piping, and
enhanced oil recovery, and combined cycle power projects. some of the structural steel are all contained in each module box.
4. Bundle Design
Vogt Power brings technology to domestic and international utility Comes largely pre-assembled allowing the erector to start set-
and industrial companies wanting to simplify and streamline the ting the structure and casing prior to the arrival of pressure parts.
processes for on-site erection and commissioning. Our custom-
ers only need one company for product, installation, aftermarket, Aftermarket Solutions
and service. Vogt Power maintains a staff of highly trained engi- Beyond innovation, engineering excellence, and expertise,
neers and CAD personnel. Whether it be new HRSG purchases Vogt Power offers dedicated aftermarket products and ser-
or Aftermarket studies, our experts are available to exceed vices that are dependable and fast for all OEM HRSGs.
customers expecta-
tions. From North and Our aftermarket group provides the
South America, and most eficient and cost-effective turn-
across Europe, Asia, key service achieved through our
and the Middle East, expertise in consulting, inspections,
Vogt units are installed engineering, and project management.
around the world. We We continue to outperform others in
continue to outperform the industry because of our solid rep-
others in the industry utation for adhering to the smallest
because of our solid reputation for adhering to the small- of details in design, quality, vendor
est of details in design, quality, vendor qualiication, and qualiication, and vendor surveillance,
vendor surveillance, through to aftermarket-related services. including aftermarket-related services.
vogtpower.com
TOP PLANTS
Growing Community Seeks

Attractive Power Plant
Courtesy: Avant Energy
Nestled near the center of Shakopee, Minnesota, is the Minnesota Municipal Power
Agencys (MMPAs) Shakopee Energy Park. The plant, a 46-MW natural gas-fueled
reciprocating engine facility, powers the city of 40,000 and contributes to the overall
power supply of 11 other MMPA member communities.
Abby L. Harvey
T
o address growing power needs in a that we were up and running because they facility, and three natural gas facilities, in-
Minneapolis suburb, Minnesota Mu- didnt hear a thing, John Crooks, Shako- cluding the Shakopee plant. A solar installa-
nicipal Power Agency (MMPA) had to pee Public Utilities manager, said. The facil- tion is currently under development as well.
get creative. The utility not only wanted to ity uses silencers on each engine and it was The development of the plant is the re-
add clean, efficient generation to its portfo- constructed using sound absorbing building sult of a successful team effort. The plant is
lio, but also, due to the plants intended loca- supplies to prevent noise from reaching the owned by MMPA. The agency is composed
tion embedded in the community, the utility surrounding community. of 12 Minnesota member municipal utili-
had to make several other considerations. The This is just one of the reasons the Sha- ties including the cities of Anoka, Arling-
plant needed to be attractive and run quietly. kopee Energy Park is one of POWERs top ton, Brownton, Buffalo, Chaska, East Grand
Shakopee Energy Park [SEP] is part of natural gas plants for 2017. Forks, Elk River, Le Sueur, North St. Paul,
MMPAs commitment to clean, efficient Olivia, Shakopee, and Winthrop. SEP sup-
power generation, said Derick Dahlen, At a Glance ports the overall power supply of the agency.
president and CEO of MMPAs management The Shakopee Energy Park uses five 9.3-MW MMPA is managed by Avant Energy, a Min-
partner Avant Energy. We wanted to make Wrtsil fast-start, fuel-efficient reciprocat- neapolis-based energy management com-
sure SEP fit aesthetically into the community ing engines to produce energy for the MMPA pany with years of experience in the electric
and wouldnt cause noise issues for people member communities. Using this fast-start power industry.
who live nearby. We spent a considerable technology, the plant can start up in just a Shakopee Public Utilities (SPU) designed
amount of time designing the building to en- few minutes, making the plant an important and constructed the infrastructure for the
sure neighbors wouldnt hear the gensets, and complement to intermittent renewables. plants interconnection to SPUs substation and
weve been very pleased with the results. MMPAs energy portfolio currently con- also provided support during commissioning.
MMPA did such a good job designing the sists of 17% renewable energy generation, Wrtsil provided the engines, liquefied
plant to operate in the center of the commu- with an intention to increase to 25% renew- natural gas (LNG) tank, and aided in com-
nity that [w]hen speaking with residents, ables by 2025. The groups portfolio cur- missioning activities. Greystone Construc-
Ive been told that they did not even know rently includes two wind farms, a biomass tion provided building construction services,
TOP PLANTS
1. Open to the public. Through the construction and operation of the Shakopee Energy
Park, the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency has tried to maintain a mutually beneficial rela- POWER POINTS
tionship with the community. Courtesy: Avant Energy
Winning Attributes
Fast-start reciprocating engine
technology and liquefied natural
gas backup system offers
flexibility and complements
variable renewable resources.
Located near a residential center,

resulting in additional, unique,
design requirements.
Completed on time and under

budget in just 10 months.
and Azco Inc. and Parsons Electric served Beyond its unique design requirements, plants contribution to the local community.
as mechanical and electrical contractors for the plant is also unique in that it uses LNG Shakopee has been attracting large com-
power island equipment and the balance of as its backup fuel. The project team decided panies, such as Amazon and Shutterfly, in re-
plant equipment. to incorporate LNG in lieu of a firm gas con- cent years, increasing the demand for reliable
The plant broke ground in April 2016 and tract. In short, the plants primary supply of electricity access. The city is also home to an
was placed into commercial operation on natural gas may be curtailed during times of amusement park and a horseracing track,
February 14, 2017, just 10 months later. This high regional demand, such as very cold win- which is located directly to the north of the
extremely tight construction schedule re- ter days, which are all too common in Minne- plant. By connecting the energy park direc-
quired careful coordination, especially when sota. If this occurs, the facility can operate on tory to the local distribution system, MMPA
delivering major equipment. LNG by vaporizing the LNG to its gaseous was able to increase electric reliability for
We worked very closely with the city and state. Through this process, the engine per- these businesses.
local authorities to carefully coordinate ma- formance is the same as when operated on This facility is a great support to our lo-
jor equipment deliveries. Our deliveries of the primary fuel supply. cal distribution system and helps ensure re-
major equipment occurred during the middle The LNG is stored in a 99,000-gallon tank. liability on our system, which is especially
of the night, so there would be minimal im- The LNG housed in the tank provides enough important to many of the businesses in our
pact to the surrounding community, said fuel for the plant to operate for around 22 community, Crooks said.
Dave Urke, construction site supervisor at hours at full capacity. This unique fuel ap- The plant is also a part of MMPAs En-
Avant Energy. proach allows the Agency more flexibility in ergy Education Program, which has provided
Urke noted, in particular, the delivery of its operations strategy, according to MMPA. learning opportunities for nearly 13,000 el-
the LNG tank. The tank had to be transported The plant also utilizes efficient heat re- ementary school students through in-school
22 miles from the factory. Transportation and covery technology. Waste heat captured from assemblies and tours since 2010. An effort
setting of the tank took 10 hours. Crews the facilitys generators supports vaporizing was made to use local contractors and busi-
commenced work at midnight and tank set- the LNG, heating incoming natural gas, and nesses, such as Greystone Construction, in
ting was completed by 10 a.m. the next heating basic building systems. Recovered the construction of the plant, helping create
morning. Equally impressive, the hoisting on heat can also be supplied to local businesses. local jobs.
site by a 550-ton crane and a 450-ton crane The plant was opened to the public for a
to its final installed location took 14 minutes An Upstanding Citizen grand opening on August 1, 2017 (Figure 1).
from trailer to concrete piers, he said. MMPA and Avant are particularly proud of the During the dedication ceremony, Dahlen said,
Shakopee Energy Park is good for every
The facility is a great addition to our MMPA community because it provides power
supply flexibility and protects our members
growing community. Shakopee Energy Park against price volatility in the marketplace.
The facility is a great addition to our
provides our residents and businesses with growing community, Shakopee Mayor Bill
[a] long-term, efficient, competitive, and Mars said. Shakopee Energy Park pro-
vides our residents and businesses with [a]
reliable electrical supply ... our communi- long-term, efficient, competitive, and reli-
able electrical supply, which is delivered by
tys future economic development and sus- Shakopee Public Utilities. In turn, our com-
tainability goals are supported. munitys future economic development and
sustainability goals are supported.
Shakopee Mayor Bill Mars Abby L. Harvey is a POWER reporter.
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TOP PLANTS
Two SCE Gas-Battery Hybrid
Projects Revolutionize
Peaker Performance
Courtesy: Southern California Edison (SCE)/General Electric (GE)
For deploying a novel, groundbreaking gas-battery hybrid technology along with

environmentally significant upgrades within a tight installment window, and de-
spite logistical hurdles, Southern California Edisons Center Peaker and Grapeland
Peaker plants are especially deserving of POWERs Top Plant recognition.
Sonal Patel
I
n October 2015, a major injection well son International and a prime power supplier Gas Turbine (Hybrid EGT), fully integrates
rupture at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas to most of Southern California, was already a 10-MW/4.3-MWh battery energy storage
Storage Facility north of Los Angeles, working to improve the operational flexibil- system (BESS) developed by GE energy
California, led to almost 100,000 metric tons ity of its peaker fleet, including the 50-MW startup Current with a 50-MW GE LM6000
of uncontrolled natural gas being released Center Peaker in Norwalk (see opening im- aero-derivative gas turbine (Figure 1). Under
from the underground reservoir before it was age) and the 50-MW Grapeland Peaker in normal conditions, GE noted, some gas tur-
sealed more than 15 weeks later. That event, Rancho Cucamonga. bines must run at minimum loads to provide
which forced thousands of evacuations and is The Aliso Canyon emergency pushed us spinning reserves to the grid, forcing them to
thought of as one of the worst environmental to think that combining our flexibility up- burn gas even when the energy is not really
disasters in U.S. history, left regional gas- grades with energy storage could provide a needed. The EGT provides spinning reserves
fired generators in a lurch. unique opportunity to expand economic and using the battery while also responding
In California, which had embarked on a environmental benefits, Vibhu Kaushik, quickly to any changes in power demand, al-
drive to boost gas-fired generation capac- SCEs principal manager for asset manage- lowing the gas turbine to operate in coordina-
ity to back up its surge of renewable gen- ment and generation strategy at the com- tion with the battery.
eration, the dilemma was especially dire. panys generation division, told POWER in According to Wellhead Power, at a high
But rather than pushing to reestablish gas August. Thats why SCE evaluated a propos- level, the EGT promised to add 10 MW
supplies alone, and in an attempt to thwart al, submitted by technology conglomerate of high-speed capability into the existing
the increasing risk to the electric system General Electric (GE) and Wellhead Power LM6000 operating range, not on top of the
from disruptions in gas supply, the Califor- Solutionsa subsidiary of Sacramento- existing operating range. This allows the
nia Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) based independent power producer Wellhead EGT to provide high speed energy, ancillary
in May 2016 expedited the approval of Electric Co.that combined a lithium-ion and grid support services, at a lower cost and
utility-owned and third-party battery stor- battery with an existing gas turbine, and smaller [greenhouse gas (GHG)] footprint
age in Southern California Edison (SCE) which sought to operate it using an integrated than traditional thermal resources and with-
and San Diego Gas and Electric territories control system. out the energy neutrality issues associated
(see Battery Storage Goes Mainstream in with stand-alone storage, it explained.
POWERs May 2017 issue). An Innovative, Groundbreaking
When the CPUC issued its emergency res- Technology The Birth of Twin Projects
olution, SCE, the largest subsidiary of Edi- That technology, called a Hybrid Enhanced For SCE, the benefits were clear. The pres-
TOP PLANTS
output system. The HCS is groundbreaking,
1. Plant of the future. The LM6000
he added,because it is the first time an HCS
Hybrid Electric Gas Turbine systems installed POWER POINTS
at the two Southern California Edison peaker
integrates a gas peaker and battery together to
plants in California integrate a 10-MW/4.3- bring the benefits of each into one seamless Winning Attributes
MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage sys- and interoperable system.
tem developed by GE and Wellhead Power Deploying a first-of-its-kind gas-
Solutions. Courtesy: SCE Speedy Installments battery hybrid technology at two
Yet another winning aspect of these projects peaker plants
is their rapid completion. The CPUC emer-
gency resolution required each BESS to be in Upgrading the plants emissions
service by December 31, 2016, which meant control systems, resulting in big
that SCE had little time to sign contracts after water savings
evaluating proposals. Development of each
projects storage component spanned rough- Completing the storage
ly five months, and following deployment of projects within a tight six-month
the storage components, the turbine upgrades timeframe
and their controls integration with the battery
were completed in about three months. Vastly boosting plant efficiency
This was achieved despite many logistical and flexibility while slashing
ence of the BESS unlocks tremendous value hurdles. To begin with, we were building two greenhouse gas and particulate
in the two peaker plants by making the Hy- critically important projects simultaneously, emissions
brid EGT instantaneously available around in separate local permitting jurisdictions
the clock, providing spinning reserves even dozens of miles apart, in a notoriously-bad
while the gas turbine is offline. This reduc- Los Angeles area traffic corridorand using tions have improved startup time from about
es greenhouse gases and other emissions essentially the same team on both projects, 10 minutes to less than five minutes in the
by up to 60% even if never called upon to SCE said. Obtaining permits and regulatory hybrid configuration. Once online and syn-
close a short-term gas supply gap, Kaushik approval from cities, counties, special dis- chronized, the turbine only needs two to
explained. The resultant broader operating tricts, and multiple state agencies for both three minutes to ramp up to full load. With
range has allowed the units to be much more facilities would have typically taken a year, instantaneous response capability, each
operationally flexible. or even several years, but SCE had a very plant can now participate in [the California
The company worked with Wellhead and tight window of less than a month, Kaushik Independent System Operators (CAISOs)]
GE to integrate equipment upgrades to the said. To address comments from the agen- spinning reserves markets 24-7, with no fuel
proposed solution to address its multiple cies, we had to modify plans, including some consumption or emissions while the turbine
goals of achieving water savings, GHG emis- construction details, within this short plan- is offline, said Kaushik.
sions reductions, and particulate reductions ning and construction window. Each projects battery-and-turbine pair
at the two peaker plants. SCE also shaved internal and external ap- has also been invaluable in supportinggreen
While the peaker units were originally proval requirements that would have been energy variability by filling in the gaps with
designed to achieve air pollutant emissions triggered if the projects expanded beyond their immediate response capability. The cas-
standards while at close to full load, the SCEs property lines by insisting that each cading benefits to California residents span
companys upgrades included changes to the BESS fit within a relatively small footprint environmental benefits as well as cost sav-
turbines water injection algorithm, adding and that other improvements be contained ings owing to a generally more efficient re-
an enhanced new selective catalytic reduc- within both physical and regulatory boundar- source dispatch stack, which could work to
tion system with optimized ammonia injec- ies. For example, the improved replacement tamp down wholesale prices for customers.
tion, and a new carbon monoxide oxidation catalyst needed to fit into the same enclosure Finally, while the control algorithms devel-
catalyst. A crucially significant achievement as the original, said Kaushik. oped for the various use cases were designed
of these upgradesparticularly because the specifically for these projects, the underly-
plants are sited in drought-stricken South- A Model for Future Installments ing concept, which can be modified to work
ern Californiais that a lower water rate for Today, operators monitor and control all with other generation assets large and small,
nitrogen oxide emissions control is poised, functions at the Center Peaker and Grapeland is certain to have countless applications
based on operating forecasts, to reduce water Peaker plants from a secure remote SCE fa- throughout the electric utility industry. GE
consumption at each peaker by about 45%, cility. GE is under contract to maintain the is actively pursuing further applications of
saving up to two million gallons of water an- BESSs and assure the units perform to con- the technology with power generators world-
nually per site. tractually guaranteed performance standards. wide. SCE, too, is exploring similar hybrid
Also notable is that at the core of each proj- As each BESS is always online and synchro- deployment within its own fleet.
ect, the team built an advanced hybrid control nized with the grid to provide immediate It is no longer enough to build capacity,
system (HCS), which ensures that the plant response, the system is already paying off CAISO Vice President Tom Doughty said at
delivers the expected power output by optimiz- for SCE. The company expects a 50% re- the Center Peaker ribbon cutting in March,
ing battery and turbine outputs. According to duction in the number of turbine starts and a perhaps best surmising the Hybrid EGTs
Kaushik, the HCS can also manage external 60% drop in turbine operating hours. Over- future appeal. The new coin of the realm
requirements (such as not-to-exceed limits) to all, this leads to roughly a 60% reduction in is flexibility. That is exactly what this plant
further determine optimal blends for specific GHG emissions and particulate emissions, provides us.
operations, including the turbines water in- Kaushik said. Sonal Patel is a POWER
jection system, sync-idle control, and power Meanwhile, the gas turbine modifica- associate editor.
|
WORKFORCE
What It Takes to Be a
POWER-ful Woman
Its no secret that women are underrepresented in the energy industry. Accord-
ing to the Department of Energy, less than a quarter of U.S. workers in the
electric power generation field are women, compared to an average of
46.8% in the national workforce. Some influential women in the industry
share their thoughts on how to address this disparity.
Abby Harvey
T
he Department of Energys (DOEs) 1. Women needed. The energy industry could use the input of women, Nancy Pfund
latest U.S. Energy and Employment (left), founder and managing partner of DBL Partners, told POWER. Courtesy: The Hawthorn
report covers four sectors of the U.S. Club
economy: the electric power generation and
fuels sector; the transmission, distribution,
and storage sector; the energy efficiency sec-
tor; and the motor vehicles sector. The report
found that These energy-related sectors are
relatively less diverse compared to the over-
all national workforce. Women are a smaller
portion of the workforce in these sectors,
ranging from 22 to 34 percent, compared to
the overall economy, where women make up
47 percent of the workforce.
According to the DOE report, in general,
the electric power generation sector employs
more women than the fuel sector. For exam-
ple, coal electric power generation employs
more women than coal fuels, with women
comprising about 37% of the generation
workforce. This carries into the oil and gas
sector, with about a third of workers in gen-
eration being women. Roughly a third of the
combined heat and power generation sector
is comprised of women. Nuclear generation
has a relatively high proportion of female sented the largest annual jump to date, mov- velopment (USAID) in 2014 released a re-
workers, with almost four in ten employees ing from 24% to 28%, the report says. port looking specifically at renewables. The
reported to be women, the report says. That figure only gets more dismal when report notes that In two countries that have
Nancy Pfund (Figure 1), founder and man- looking at women in leadership positions. uniquely monitored these numbers, womens
aging partner of DBL Partners, suggests that According to a 2016 analysis conducted by employment was estimated several years ago
the energy sector needs to attract more wom- international advisory firm Korn Ferry, only at 26% in Spain (in 2010) and 24% in Ger-
en for their unique contributions. We need 6% of energy industry CEOs are women, many (in 2007).
more women in this sector. The perspective 10% of industry chief technology officers are The USAID report goes on to suggest that
and integrative approach that women bring to women, 35% of chief information officers are women might find the renewables sector
investing and business is especially valuable women, and 13% of chief marketing officers more inviting. The renewable energy sec-
in this sector because of the combination of are women. Only in the role of chief human tor is perceived to be less discriminatory than
technical and social forces at work in each resources officer do women outnumber men the fossil fuels industry because it is a new
company, she told POWER. at roughly 57%. All told, the analysis finds and non-traditional field. And there is some
Women are gaining a foothold in the so- that women fill 24% of C-Suite positions in evidence that women are drawn to choose
lar industry, according to the Solar Founda- the energy sector. career paths in line with their worldview or
tions annual jobs census. Women represent that they believe will make a difference in the
a greater proportion of the solar workforce The Global Perspective world, the report says.
than in previous years, having risen steadily The global situation is harder to parse, as This rings true for Trude Sundset, CEO
from 18.7% in 2013 to the 28% reported in comprehensive data is not available. The of Norways state-run carbon capture and
2016. The increase from 2015 to 2016 repre- United States Agency for International De- storage (CCS) enterprise, Gassnova. I feel
WORKFORCE
Im at the point in my life where I can de-
2. Take on new challenges. Trude Sundset, CEO of Norways state-run carbon capture
cide to do things that are not just a job, it
and storage enterprise, said yes to any challenge thrown her way throughout her career, she
really means something more, so I would told POWER. Courtesy: Gassnova
like to do my best to make sure that we suc-
ceed in CCS, she told POWER in an April
2017 interview.
According to the USAID report, there is
less of a gender divide in Vietnam in engi-
neering training, and women fill up to 40%
of the workforce in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) positions.
At the other end of the spectrum, the report
notes Social stigmas prevent female engi-
neering graduates in Sri Lanka from being
placed in engineering jobs. At a recent re-
newable energy conference in India, of the
200 participants only four were women, who
cited caste status as a prerequisite for either
women or men participating.
In the Boardroom
The picture isnt any better in the boardroom,
where only 16% of all board members in the
worlds top 200 power and utility companies
are women, according to an annual report
produced by multinational professional ser- instituted quotas for publicly traded com- a researcher but felt drawn to management
vices firm EY. This is unfortunate in light of panies. Norway, for example, was the first very early on. I think Ive always wanted to
studies finding that having more women in country to institute a gender quota, requir- have a broader scoop on things, so Im not
leadership increases profitability. ing that the board of any publicly traded sure I was a very good researcher to be hon-
When we examined the profitable firms company is composed of 40% women. est because I can easily get bored if I have
in our sample (average net margin of 6.4 Germany, France, Belgium, Iceland, and to do the same thing over and over again,
percent), we found that going from hav- Italy also have mandatory quotas. The U.S. she said. To be leading researchers, I love
ing no women in corporate leadership (the has no such requirement. doing that, to stimulate them, to make sure
CEO, the board, and other C-suite positions) that they have the right surroundings, the
right resources, I always loved doing that
I believe this is how I can contribute most.
Sundset (Figure 2) attributes her success
in part to her willingness to take on new chal-
lenges. What is typical for me is that when
Only 16% of all board members in the they ask me to do things, a new challenge,
worlds top 200 power and utility compa- I always say yes, she said. If you do that,
if you say yes to some challengesand I
nies are women, according to an annual re- think I could have been better at asking to
get these opportunities myselfbut for me,
port produced by multinational professional it has worked. I have been asked to do things
services firm EY. This is unfortunate in light and then I just kind of, you just have to say
yes, and thats maybe where women tend to
of studies finding that having more women be too afraid to say yes. We should say yes
more because my experience is you always
in leadership increases profitability. find a way, you always figure out a way to
do things.
Lynda Clemmons, vice president of sus-
tainable solutions at NRG Energy, gradu-
ated with liberal arts degrees in history and
to a 30 percent female share is associated Powerful Women French, and a minor in business. She went
with a one-percentage-point increase in net So, how do women get into these positions on to work at an investment bank before be-
marginwhich translates to a 15 percent of power, and even more importantly, what ing recruited by Enron, which she calls the
increase in profitability for a typical firm, can we learn from the experiences of those little energy company down the street that
according to a Peterson Institute for Interna- who have broken through the energy sectors later became a household name for all the
tional Economics working paper published in glass ceiling? wrong reasons. From there, she took control
February 2016. Perhaps the first lesson to learn from these of her own career. I had the opportunity and
To address the underrepresentation of women is that there is no one way to the top. the good fortune to start two businesses dur-
women on boards, some countries have Sundset, for example, started her career as ing my time there and then left to go start my
|
WORKFORCE
Southland, reported various annoyances and
3. Camaraderie is key. For women working in the energy industry, it is important to make
challenges for women that men in the field
supportive connections with fellow women. One group working to help build these connec-
tions, the Hawthorn Club, of which all of the women included in this article are members, bills may not even notice. Oh, where to start;
itself as the only international network for professional women in the energy industry. Heres there are seemingly little things like no wom-
a fun fact for youthere are more men named John on the boards of U.S. energy companies ens bathrooms out in the plant to obviously
than there are women, Hawthorn Club CEO Meade Harris (back row, fourth from the right) told larger things like limited female role models
POWER. Courtesy: The Hawthorn Club who are actually doing a job a few steps above
you in an organization. Or other small things
like safety milestone achievement tee shirts
that apparently only come in mens shirts and
other big things like being the only woman
in the room who is six months pregnant and
feeling vulnerable, she told POWER.
Didlo went on to note that while the small
things are annoying, its those bigger issues
that are holding women back. All in all, I
firmly believe it is up to each of us to tolerate
the little things but take many firsts steps to
change the big things, she said.
Lack of Role Models. With so few
women in leadership positions in the energy
industry, many of the women interviewed
noted a lack of female role models as a dis-
appointing reality.
Woolf found a role model in economist
Sally Hunt. Hunt worked for 20 years at
National Economic Research Associates
own company with a few partners. Backed been trained in system operations. As a (NERA). When I couldnt understand what
by an insurance company out of Bermuda, result, I got the job of advising the Nation- was being said, I used to follow her into
we built a trading and insurance division al Grid when the industry in England and the ladies toilet and ask her dumb ques-
focused on managing financial weather and Wales was restructured and the competitive tions! She always made me feel that it was
energy risks for corporations. We were suc- wholesale market was implemented. the dumb questions that sparked her best
cessful and had a lot of fun, but after three Woolf led a team of 38 lawyers, advising thoughts! Woolf said.
years I was ready to start a family and enjoy on, drafting and negotiating over 700 agree- For Woolf, it was up to her to stand up as
a change of pace from constant travel, she ments and codes for the restructuring and pri- a role model for the women working below
told POWER. vatisation of The National Grid Company plc her. The job was so inter-disciplinary and
For seven years Clemmons consulted on including the legislation, ancillary services different to anything that any of us had done,
everything from emission credits and weath- agreements, the Grid Code, transmission ac- that we all needed and helped each other. It
er derivatives to private equity investing and cess and pricing and the regulatory regime, was a huge collaborative effort, but I did have
trading software before joining NRG. I according to her website. to encourage some of the girls in my team
jumped in at a sales level with no manage-
rial responsibilities. While catching up on the
power sector, I also went back to school and
finally earned that masters degree in finance
I had wanted for 20 years. Today, I lead three When they ask me to do things, a new
teams at NRGa renewables sales team, a
sustainability team and a put-steel-in-the- challenge, I always say yes. ... We should
ground project management team.
Dame Fiona Woolfs career has gone
say yes more because my experience is you
in many, many different directions. She always find a way, you always figure out a
is currently an energy lawyer with CMS
Cameron McKenna and has previously way to do things.
served as Lord Mayor of London (one of Trude Sundset, CEO of Gassnova
only two women to do so). Woolfs back-
ground in banking and project finance for
infrastructure, most notably on the Channel
Tunnel, resulted in her being asked to help
an electricity company in Northern Ireland Challenges for Women in the and make sure that they felt supported.
persuade the government not to allow a pri- Industry However, being one of the only women at
vate, lignite-fired power station. That com- Once in the industry, many women report is- her level was stressful. I wished that I had
pany taught Woolf how they operated their sues, some big, some small, that they believe other women at my level to talk to. It was
power system in the Belfast control room, men in the field dont have to consider. For challenging to build a business and inspire a
and she became the only lawyer who had example, Jennifer Didlo, president of AES young teamI did have a lot of women
4th Annual
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www.westernpowersummit.com
30584
WORKFORCE
and I was so busy that I struggled to find the of your kids. ing STEM degrees, and in turn, working in
time to help them develop because we were She also noted that this flexibility in work- STEM career fields. In the United States,
all client-focused, she said. life balance does not lead to decreased pro- only 11% of working engineers are women.
Didlo notes that her first role model in the ductivity. When you give people flexibility Among women who earned engineering de-
industry was not a woman, but her father. they also give something back. I can always grees, over a third (38%) quit engineering or
Growing up I watched my father, an engi- trust my employees, if they say theyre going never even entered the profession, according
neer for GE, go to work energized and ex- to deliver, they do so, she said, going on to to the fact sheet.
cited about work nearly every day, she said. state that it doesnt matter if her employees Even when women do enter technical in-
However, what really drew her to the in- complete their work at home after their chil- dustries, theyre much more likely than men
dustry was an event that brought like-minded dren have gone to bed, or during the work to leave those industries quickly. Women
women together. When I was in high school day, as long as it gets done. If you want who start out in business roles in tech-in-
I attended a women in engineering day at to have a life outside, if you want to talk to tensive industries leave for other industries
[the University of Southern California] and
was fascinated by the interesting work these
women did and also felt an amazing sense of
community being among these accomplished
women. This sense of community is rare in
the working world; for me, I have experi- In Norway, new parents may take 46 weeks
enced it either while working on a very high-
ly functioning team and in organizations and
of maternity leave at full pay or 56 weeks
groups that are focused on bringing women at 80% pay. Fathers are allowed to take up
together, she said. Didlo went on to note
that industry groups for women, such as The to 10 weeks of paternity leave. ... According
Hawthorn Club (Figure 3), have been instru-
mental in keeping that feeling of camaraderie
to a recent study by Expert Market, Norway
throughout her career. is the second-most-productive economy in
Finding a female role model is easier for
some. Of course its a challenge, you dont the world.
have that many, but Norway had, very early
on, a female prime minister, Sundset said,
speaking of Gro Harlem Brundtland. She
always talked about you can do anything,
and then you had all this focus politically on
health care, on maternity leave, on kindergar- your kids and see them play handball or foot- at high rates53% of women, compared to
ten, and all this, so I think thats one of [my ball, you have to get your job done quickly 31% of men, according to the fact sheet.
role models]. enough so that you can do that and thats very This migration of women out of the en-
Child Care and Maternity Leave. An appreciated in Norway. ergy industry is particularly interesting to
ongoing challenge for women in every in- This kind of flexibility is nothing to scoff Clemmons. For entry-level positions, the
dustry in the U.S. is a lack of mandated paid at. According to a recent study by Expert ratios are roughly equal men to women, but
maternity leave. According to a 2015 article Market, Norway is the second-most-produc- once you get into the next level or two of
in The New York Times, Paid leave raises the tive economy in the world. management, women become scarce. Then,
probability that mothers return to employ- Corporate views on child care issues at higher levels, women often return in lead-
ment later, and then work more hours and in the U.S. are rather shortsighted, Clem- ership roles, hired from outside of the indus-
earn higher wages. Paid leave does not neces- mons said, noting that she is thankful that try. I think theres a great opportunity for the
sarily help businessesbut it does not seem she was working as her own boss when she power sector to take a look at why women
to hurt them, either. had her children. Challenges around taking in their mid-20s to mid-30s arent sticking
Sundset finds that living in a country care of familywhether children or aging around to grow, she said.
that supports working mothers significantly parentsstill fall mostly on women. And Citing a report by the Center for Talent
improves the productivity of workers. In corporations often view onsite childcare Innovation, the fact sheet claims Isolation,
Norway, new parents may take 46 weeks of or even lactation rooms as a big expensive hostile male-dominated work environments,
maternity leave at full pay or 56 weeks at perk, which to me is as ridiculous as it is ineffective executive feedback, and a lack
80% pay. Fathers are allowed to take up to 10 shortsighted. And lets be clear, its not of effective sponsors are factors pushing
weeks of paternity leave, but if they choose limited to the energy industry, she said. I women to leave [Science, Engineering, and
not to take it, it is subtracted from the total didnt have to worry if my job would still be Technology] jobs.
parental leave for the family. This way, fa- there for me after a short term of corporate The key to succeeding in the energy
thers are encouraged to be as active in child maternity leave, and I didnt have to worry industry, according to these POWER-ful
rearing as mothers. about burning out only a short while after women, is relatively simple, though perhaps
That makes a big difference in how car- returning and trying to juggle everything. easier said than done: find something that
ing for children is viewed in the workplace, you love to do and stick with it, dont let
Sundset says. You can be in a meeting and Where Do We Go From Here? anyone tell you that you dont belong, and
say, Well, I actually have to leave because I So, what is there to be done? According to a dont underestimate the value of a support-
have to pick up my kids at 4 oclock, thats December 2016 fact sheet released by Cata- ive role model.
accepted. ... It is accepted that you take care lyst, women still lag behind men in pursu- Abby Harvey is a POWER reporter.
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30561
ENERGY MARKETS
Could Success Spoil ISO-NE?
Independent System Operator-New England celebrated its 20th anniversary
last July with a solid record in its energy and capacity markets, turning
around a fragmented regional electric system. Can it repeat that perfor-
mance in the face of new challenges: retiring coal, oil, and nuclear plants;
gas deliverability problems; the rise of renewables; and the need for de-
carbonization?
Kennedy Maize
O
n July 1, the Independent System Op- New Englands electric market in the
2. Covering a six-state region. The
erator-New England (ISO-NE), head- 1990s, dominated by vertically integrated ISO-NE serves six states, from Maine at its
quartered in Holyoke, Massachusetts monopoly electric utilities, was a mess. northern end, to Connecticut and Rhode Is-
(Figure 1), marked 20 years as a wholesale, Consumer rates were high. Generation was land in the south. Source: FERC
competitive market covering Connecticut, dominated by oil, coal, and nuclear. Little
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New electric system investment was occurring in
Hampshire, and most of Maine (Figure 2). the region. Reliability was problematic. Then
When the ISO began operations, competitive FERC unleashed its experiment in wholesale
wholesale markets were a bold experiment electric market competition.
for the 1990s, fostered by the Federal Energy The experiment was extremely success-
Regulatory Commission (FERC). The foun- ful, ISO-NE CEO Gordon van Welie told
dation was FERCs belief, based in classical POWER in an interview shortly after the
economics, that market competition would anniversary. The aim of restructuring was
produce superior results compared to the con- more efficient production and greater reli-
ventional model of the state-regulated, verti- ability. We can check both those boxes. We
cally integrated monopoly electric companies. also needed to attract investment in the re-
FERCs theory was that separating elec- gion. That box also got checked.
tric generation, which had seen competition ISO-NE claims the following benefits
arise as a result of the 1978 Public Utility have been realized:
Regulatory Policies Act and the appearance
of nonutility generation companies, from Wholesale energy prices (which translate Some 14,000 MW of newmostly gas
transmission and distribution would lower into consumer prices) have dropped 44% combined cyclegeneration has replaced
consumer prices, introduce new investment, since 2004, which was the first year of the older coal- and oil-fired generating capac-
and spur innovation. It was called restruc- ISOs energy market. 2016 saw the lowest ity, a private investment of about $14 bil-
turing. There were plenty of skeptics. wholesale electric prices since 2003. lion. Another $8 billion of private-sector
investment has gone into new high-volt-
1. At the controls. The control room of Independent System Operator-New Englands age transmission, with another $4 billion
(ISO-NEs) headquarters in Holyoke, Massachusetts, is the nerve center for the groups op- coming along.
erations. Those manning the controls are responsible for ensuring the reliability of a grid that The new generation has slashed regional
receives power from a mix of natural gas, nuclear, coal, oil, hydro, and renewables such as wind air pollution. Nitrogen oxide emissions
and solar. ISO-NE was designated a Regional Transmission Organization in 2005, and given
decreased by 68%, SO2 emissions plunged
broader authority over development of the regions transmission system. Courtesy: ISO-NE
95%, and CO2 emissions dropped 24% be-
tween 2001 and 2015.
New technology and efficiency has ar-
rived, including wind, solar photovoltaic,
demand response, and energy efficiency.
The changed generating profile of the

region illustrates the generation transition
that has occurred in a system that now totals
30,500 MW in capacity. According to the
ISO, in 1990, the region saw nuclear power
as the dominant generating source, at 36%,
followed by oil at 34%, coal at 16%, hydro
at 7%, natural gas at 6%, and pumped stor-
age at 1.7%. That general profile remained
the case for more than a decade, but thats
changed. Today its a much more reliable
ENERGY MARKETS
Brayton Point, From Coal to Oil, Back to Coal, to Done

New England Electric Co. (NEECO) in 1957 began construction
in Somerset, Massachusetts, of what would become the largest 3. A long and storied history. Brayton Point began service
fossil-fueled generating plant in New England, at a 300-acre site in 1963, running for more than 50 years before closing May 31, 2017.
called Brayton Point on the Taunton River (Figure 3). It was de- The power plant on the Taunton River in Massachusetts had a series
signed as a coal-fired plant, with a generating capacity from four of owners and also several different generating fuels. It was origi-
nally designed as a coal-fired plant, but was converted to oil soon
units of more than 1,500 MW.
after it opened, before later being converted back to coal. Courtesy:
On May 31, 2017, Brayton Points four units shut down for good, Dominion
having made a transition from coal to heavy fuel oil and back
to coal over the years. During those years, it also saw a series
of owners, starting with the conventional, investor-owned New
England Electric, and ending up a property of Houston-based mer-
chant generator Dynegy.
The first Brayton Point unit went into service in 1963 and the
others followed quickly. Coal was cheap, but during the 1960s,
coal prices were rising and oil prices were a bargain, particularly
the heavy residual oil at the bottom of the crude oil refining pro-
cess. In 1969, New England Electric converted the baseload plant
to oil, which had become the dominant fossil fuel for electric militant in the coal industrys battle with the U.S. railroads over
generation in the region. transportation rates. His move toward foreign coal is intended to
Then the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo hit, as Arab oil producers cut serve notice on the rails that coal customers have some weapons
off exports to the U.S. in a political move against U.S. support to fight rail rate increases.
for Israel. Oil prices soared astronomically. Throughout the de- During the 1990s and into the new century, Brayton Point
cade, the utility saw its costs and customer rates riseand profits faced a series of environmental challenges, including adding NOx
fallfrom Brayton Point. controls in 2006 and closed-cycle cooling in 2011 to replace
In 1981, newly hired executive Glenn Schleede, who had been once-through cooling. As the years progressed and environmen-
the No. 3 in the Reagan administrations Office of Management tal costs and political protests dogged the plant, it continued to
and Budget, honchoed the conversion of Brayton Point back to be a profitable enterprise.
coal. With customary showmanship, Schleede brought the first Over that period, when electric restructuring led to the sepa-
shipment of coal to the plant from an Exxon-developed mine in ration of generation and transmission from formerly vertically
Colombia. The South American nation was developing a small coal integrated companies, Brayton Point went through multiple
industry and Schleede bought the coal from the new El Cerrejn ownerships: PG&E Corp. (transformed into USGen New England),
mine. Schleede told me at the time that he was sending a signal to Dominion Resources, to Energy Capital Partners, to Dynegy
to U.S. coal producers that they did not have a monopoly on in 2014.
supplying coal to U.S. utilities. El Cerrejn has since become the During that game of business musical chairs, fracking hap-
largest coal strip mine in the world, according to Sourcewatch. pened, stunning the fuel market with enormous and cheap
org. Colombia is now the fifth-largest coal producer in the world, supplies of new natural gas. Gas prices fell so low that even a
according to Reuters. paid-off coal plant couldnt compete in the ISO-NEs wholesale
In 1984, New England Electric brought coal from British Co- market. The Dynegy purchase of Brayton Point included a provi-
lumbia. I reported at the time that the surface-mined coal was sion to retire the plant in May 2017. The plant took its final
transported 780 miles by rail to Vancouver, shipped down the shipment of coal in February.
Pacific Coast, through the Panama Canal and across the Caribbean A Dynegy spokesman in Houston told the Fall River, Massachu-
to Massachusetts, at a price competitive with Appalachian coal. setts, Herald News, Were removing all of the combustible energy
I wrote, This move was instigated by Glenn Schleede, president sources. Operations will discontinue.
of NEECOs fuel subsidiary, New England Energy, and the leading Kennedy Maize
system, cleaner and greener, said van Welie. dominatedoil. in the years ahead, according to van Welie.
At the moment, New England faces an Coal and oil capacity will slide (see side-
Changing Generation Mix oversupply of electric generation, as van bar). For nuclear, Entergys 640-MW Ver-
During the mid-2000s, the generating mix Welie acknowledged, which he said was mont Yankee plant shut down in 2014 and
changed rapidly, driven largely by the rise temporary overcapacity. New market entry, the companys 690-MW Pilgrim nuclear
in natural gas produced by horizontal drill- mostly gas, he said, cleared a bit more than plant on Cape Cod will be out of the mix in
ing and hydraulic fracturing. By 2015, we needed. Demand reduced slightly, and 2019. That leaves only Dominions two-unit,
natural gas held the dominant market share we are expecting to see more [retirements of 2,000-MW Millstone station in Connecticut,
at 49%, followed by nuclear, renewables, older coal and oil capacity]. the largest generating plant in New England,
coal, andbadly trailing a market it once The market profile will continue to change and NextEra Energys single unit, the 1,200-
|
ENERGY MARKETS
MW Seabrook in New Hampshire, success- timeline for the plan is to circulate it and get
4. Confronting new challenges.
fully bidding into the ISO-NE market. various views, and vote on it in December.
Gordon van Welie, CEO of ISO-NE, acknowl-
Dominion failed to get Connecticut lawmak- The plan would then require FERC approval. edged the group faces many issues in an ev-
ers to adopt a Millstone subsidy similar to what Orvis and Gimon are not high on the two- er-evolving power generation landscape, but
Illinois and New York adopted to keep marginal stage auction schemes (PJM has proposed a said he is confident we will continue to make
nuclear units able to bid into the competitive ca- somewhat different two-stage plan). In ISO- wholesale markets work. Courtesy: ISO-NE
pacity markets. These zero emissions credits NE, they wrote, if resources dont clear in
(ZECs) give a value to avoided carbon dioxide the second stage of the market but are built
emissions from nuclear power in order to boost anyway due to state policy, too much capaci-
the ability of the nuclear plants to bid into the ty will be built. That would add to ISO-NEs
competitive markets. problem of excess generating capacity, not
Several independent analyses, including a alleviate it.
study by the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- In addition to the two-step auction, the
nology, said Millstone is profitable. Domin- ISO is also looking for a way to build carbon
ion has said it fears the plant will become a prices into its processes. Van Welie would
money-loser. NextEra has made no similar like to do that, and there is a mechanism in
statements about Seabrook. In the future, place that could do the job: the multistate
said van Welie, we expect economic pres- Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
sure on both nuclear stations. We would love to use RGGI, he said. But
the states, which govern RGGI, wont go
Subsidies Distorting the Market along with folding RGGIs carbon price pro-
While ISO-NE has not faced the issue of sub- cess into ISO-NEs markets.
sidized nuclear units bidding into the market, Analysts Orvis and Gimon like carbon ad-
as in PJM and the New York ISO (NYISO), ders (which NYISO and PJM are considering)
New England states are subsidizing wind and better than the two-stage auction plan. Since soaredand so did prices bid into ISO-NEs
solar generation, distorting the competitive the marginal unit typically has higher-than- energy market, resulting in spiking electric-
market. ISO-NEs proposed solution, drafted average emission intensity, a [carbon adder] ity prices and considerable public consterna-
earlier this year and unveiled prior to a FERC increases the incentive for energy efficiency, tion and opposition. There was little ISO-NE
technical conference in May, is a two-part providing the largest efficiency incentive in could do about it.
auction process. hours when carbon emissions are highest. The obvious solution for the long term is
The first stage would be a capacity auction But there is a carbon adder downside. The to build more gas pipelines from gas fields
run just as it is today, including a minimum key vulnerability of a [carbon adder] is the to New England, and add more gas storage.
offer price rule (MOPR). The minimum need for agreement on setting and changing But attempts to bolster gas deliverability to
price rule would likely mean that the subsi- the [carbon] price. Thats the problem that the region have failed.
dized generation wouldnt clear the market ISO-NE would like to solve through RGGI, Most recently, at the end of June, En-
and get capacity payments. A second, sub- but cannot. bridge shelved a $3.2 billion pipeline proj-
stitution auction would then follow, run ect to bring enough gas to power 5,000 MW
without the MOPR. Winners in the first auc- Gas Deliverability a Challenge of generation. Enbridge cited an inability to
tion that are open to retirement could pair up Another generating challenge for ISO-NE is line up financing in the face of hostility from
with subsidized resources not selected in the natural gas deliverability. While gas has en- Massachusetts toward the idea that electric
first auction. abled a major transition away from coal and customers would pay for the pipeline. A Mas-
Analysts Robbie Orvis and Eric Gilmon of oil, it has brought on its own problems. New sachusetts state court in 2016 ruled against
the Energy Innovation firm, writing in Util- Englands gas infrastructure is built around putting the cost of the project into electric
ity Dive, offer a hypothetical example of how serving heating load. Most of the year, theres distribution rates. Last year, Kinder Morgan
the ISOs two-step process would work. If enough gas to supply electric generation. also dropped a planned $5 billion pipeline,
a coal plant cleared the first auction at $10/ But when winter hits hard, residential users which would have brought Marcellus Shale
kW-month and acquired a forward capac- have preference for pipeline gas, and electric gas to New England.
ity obligation. Then the same plant cleared generators are last in line. The result is cur- According to van Welie (Figure 4), the
the second auction at $2/kW-month, it could
decide to retire and make a profit of $8/
kW-month from transferring its capacity ob-
ligation to a new unit and permanently ex- Add all those [renewables] up, and you see
iting the market. A retiring 500-MW plant
could see nearly $50 million as a result. The
very low marginal cost and very low prices.
analysts noted, The goal is to pair units that Gordon van Welie, ISO-NE CEO
are willing to retire with other resources that
are not selected in the first auction, in a pay-
for-retirement scheme. ISOs van Welie tailment of gas-fired power and a complex ISO has largely given up on the idea of bring-
calls this a severance payment. Others have search for alternatives to keep the lights on. ing more gas to the region, in the face of the
called it cash for clunkers. That happened in January 2014, with the inability of pipeline developers to win sup-
The two-round capacity auction is on the polar vortex plunging most of the east- port for their projects. The problem now, he
drawing board, said van Welie. We will talk ern U.S. into record low temperatures. New said, is how to get efficient electricity pro-
to our stakeholders, he said, noting that the England was hit hardest. Natural gas prices duction during winter, assuming we see no
ENERGY MARKETS
further investment in gas infrastructure. He state issued a new request for proposals for shown a record of success in the face of nu-
added, Fuel has to come from somewhere 400 MW of offshore wind generation, which merous challenges. Now it faces new chal-
when the existing pipelines are constrained. could grow to about 800 MW, according to lenges: retirement of coal, oil, and nuclear
The need to keep the lights on during the an analysis by Washingtons Pierce Atwood baseload generation; the rise of renewables
winter clashes with the ISOs desire to re- law firm. Rhode Island has announced a plan and how to fit them into the region-wide gen-
tire the regions old and inefficient oil-fired for 1,000 MW of renewables in 2020. Solar erating system while continuing to provide
steam plants, which burn heavy residual fuel investment is going on all over New England, reliable service; and the potentially game-
oil. They generally dont run, but when win- most of it rooftop solar. Add all those up, changing role of energy storage, if it actually
ter slams the region, ISO-NE has to replace said van Welie, and you see very low mar- becomes economically competitive. In the
gas with oil-fired capacity. The regions oil- ginal cost and very low prices. background is a growing resistance to whole-
fueled units represent 23% of the total re- The Northeast electricity blackout of 1965, sale markets, led by utilities with substan-
gional generating capacity. But in 2016 (with which turned out the lights on 30 million tial nuclear and coal-fired generation who
a warm winter), oil made up only 0.5% of the Americans in a region that spanned from east- are seeking state subsidies to essentially put
years generation. ern Canada to Pennsylvania, was the impetus their thumbs on the scale of the competitive
We are studying that problem right now, for the 1990s federal restructuring of much wholesale markets.
van Welie told POWER. The study is looking of the U.S. electric market. In New England, I am confident we will continue to make
at retirements, additions of renewables, and hardest hit by the blackout, the initial response wholesale markets work, said van Welie, who
imports, mostly from Canada and New York. was the 1966 formation of the Northeast Power has been working for ISO-NE since 2000 (and
There is surplus capacity in upstate New Coordination Council. In 1971, the regions was inducted into the National Academy of
York, including a lot of wind. New York has utilities formed the New England Power Pool Engineering this year). Thats not going to be
north-to-south transmission constraints but (NEPOOL), which operated as a power coordi- without big challenges. But New England has
not east-to-west. nator for the six-state region. a good history of working through issues. He
When FERC began serious restructur- said he hopes the region can begin a long-run
Renewables on the Rise ing of wholesale markets 25 years later, direction to how to decarbonize, adding that
Renewables are booming in New England, NEPOOL became the foundation of the new this is not just about carbon reduction, but
which means that the issue of subsidized independent system operator. (NEPOOL re- economic development.
power and capacity may grow. Massachu- mains, largely as a trade association for the Kennedy Maize is a long-time
setts is in the process of procuring 1,200 regional utilities.) energy journalist and frequent
MW of onshore wind. At the end of June, the Over its 20-year history, ISO-NE has contributor to POWER.
|
Upgraded Boiler Feedwater
Pump Improves Efficiency
and Adds Flexibility
Times have changed. Not long ago, baseload units came online and went
straight to full load for days on end. Now, those same units are being
asked to cycle operations to accommodate for variable renewable ener-
gy resources. That can take a toll on equipment such as boiler feedwater
pumps. One plant found that upgrading its pumps was the most-effective
way to adapt to new operational realities.
Leif Bothun and Robert Aronen
1. Fort St. Vrain Generating Station. The Fort St. Vrain nuclear power plant ceased
A
s wind and solar power supplies have
increased, conventional power plants operating in 1989 and was decommissioned from 1992 to 1996. The station was repowered as
have been asked to vary output to a natural gas-fired facility in stages between 1995 and 2009. Courtesy: Leif Bothun/Xcel Energy
accommodate for intermittent renewable
generation. For many units, that has also
resulted in more cycling operation of boiler
feedwater pumps.
At the Fort St. Vrain Generating Station in
Colorado, greater pump cycling raised a few
concerns. The plants original boiler feed-
water pumps were not designed for frequent
starts and stops, which created a higher risk
of internal metal parts galling and increased
the potential for pump seizure.
The Fort St. Vrain facility has a unique
history. It was originally commissioned as
a nuclear power station with an innovative
high-temperature gas-cooled design. Unfor-
tunately, the cutting-edge design created ex-
cessive operating costs and the nuclear plant
shut down in 1989.
But that wasnt the end. The plant was re-
commissioned in 1996 as a combined cycle
gas-fired power station (Figure 1). The plant
uses the original General Electric D8 nucle-
ar steam turbine and three General Electric
7F-Class gas turbines feeding three Vogt
heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs). water pumps (Figure 2) running at a typi- are relatively long and thin. When the pump
The plant has dual exhaust stacks for simple cal operating temperature of approximately is not running, there can be a significant
cycle or combined cycle operation, which 260F and pressure of 2,700 psig. The pump shaft deflection (rotor sag) at the center of
allows extraordinary flexibility in output internal seals (wear rings, center bushing, and the pump. The rotor sag creates potential for
from approximately 70 MW to more than throttle bushing) were originally constructed contact and galling at the internal seals, es-
1,000 MW. This flexibility allows the plant using stainless steel rotating and stationary pecially during a pump start. Once the pump
to follow load swings that result as solar and parts. These components separate the high- is running, differential pressure across the
wind power output rise and fall through the pressure from low-pressure areas within the internal seals creates a hydraulic force called
average day. pump and directly impact pump efficiency the Lomakin Effect, which stabilizes the ro-
and rotor stability. tor and minimizes the contact between the
Motivation for the Retrofit The original design also created a risk for internal seals.
Each of the three HRSGs uses two 100% galling or seizure at the internal seals. Be- The plants versatility is highly valuable
redundant, 10-stage, axially split boiler feed- cause these are 10-stage pumps, the shafts to meet system demand; however, it creates
2. Fort St. Vrain boiler feedwater pump. Each of the plants three heat recovery
steam generators has two 10-stage, axially split boiler feedwater pumps. Courtesy: Leif Bothun/ The Importance of the
Xcel Energy Coefficient of Thermal
Expansion
A very low coefficient of thermal ex-
pansion is required for a reliable
upgrade to composites in boiler feed-
water service because of the operating
temperature and potential contact be-
tween rotating and stationary parts in
the pump. The low coefficient of ther-
mal expansion allows for dimensional
stability as the pump heats up to oper-
ating temperature.
More importantly, when contact oc-
curs between rotating and stationary
parts, frictional heat is generated. A
typical plastic with a high coefficient
of thermal expansion will grow, reduc-
ing the clearance between the parts,
some challenges. For example, the pumps in shop was also requested to consider potential increasing the contact, and generat-
the boiler feedwater system are often forced performance upgrades. ing more heat in a rapid cycle toward
to cycle multiple times per day. Because of One option was to continue using metal component failure. A truly engineered
the rotor sag, metal-to-metal contact can oc- parts and standard clearances, but increase composite with a very low coefficient
cur at each start or stop of the pump, creat- the difference in hardness between the ro- of thermal expansion can withstand this
ing the risk of a pump seizure. Adding to the tating and stationary parts to reduce the frictionally generated heat, allowing the
challenge, the original equipment manufac- risk of galling. Another option was to up- pump to survive through transient con-
turer (OEM) informed plant personnel that grade the stationary wear components to a
ditions without galling or seizure.
the pump was not originally designed for composite material called DuPont Vespel
cycling operation. Rather, it was designed CR-6100 and continue running stainless
for steady-state operationbeing online for steel rotating parts. That option would
weeks or months at a time. eliminate the metal-to-metal contact points prevents rotation of the insert. No additional
Therefore, during a recent rebuild of the in the pump and effectively eliminate the anti-rotation pins or screws are needed.
31A pump, plant engineering and manage- galling and seizure potential. The inserts follow the metal part because
ment requested that the repair shop evaluate With the risk of seizure minimized, the the press fit creates a residual compression
and provide upgrade options that would al- clearance between wear parts could also be stress in the insert. The inside diameter of the
low the pump to better handle the constant reduced, providing an additional benefit of insert will decrease at very close to a 1:1 ra-
cycling and avoid galling. Furthermore, if the higher efficiency and lower operating costs. tio with the press fit. For the Fort St. Vrain
pumps were going to be modified, the repair Due to the frequent cycling of the boiler feed pumps, the press fit on the case rings was
pumps and the potential for performance 0.026 inch; therefore, the inside diameter of
gains, the plant selected the composite mate- the insert decreased by 0.026 inch during the
3. A marriage by design. To account
rial for the stationary wear parts. press fit.
for the difference in the coefficient of ther-
As the pump is brought up to the 260F
mal expansion between Vespel CR-6100 and
pump base metal components, the compos- Accounting for Thermal Expansion operating temperature and the metal holder
ite material is press fit into metal holders. Differences thermally expands, the Vespel CR-6100 ef-
Courtesy: Boulden Co. In order for the application to be successful, fectively mirrors the thermal expansion
important design details needed to be ad- properties of the metal holder because the
dressed. The first issue was accounting for compression stress created by the press fit is
the difference in thermal expansion between reduced. The end result is that the composite
the metal components and the composite ma- insert expands at the same rate as the metal
terial. The coefficient of thermal expansion part and maintains the installed clearance at
of Vespel CR-6100 is approximately 60% normal operating temperatures.
less than the coefficient of thermal expansion
of the base metal components in the pump Addressing Differential Pressure
(see sidebar). Requirements
The way to design for the difference is to A second design requirement is for the com-
install Vespel CR-6100 inserts with a press posite insert to be able to withstand the dif-
fit into metal holders (Figure 3). The press fit ferential pressure across the component. To
allows the composite insert to follow the account for that necessity, the metal hold-
metal part as it thermally expands, and it also ers were machined with a shoulder on the
|
4. Lean on me, when youre not Table 1. Original design clearance versus upgraded design. By reducing
strong. A shoulder machined on the low- the clearance, significant efficiency gains were achieved (mm = millimeter). Source: Boulden
pressure side (right side of this cross-sec- Co.
tional view) of the metal holder supports
the composite insert (shown in blue on the Component Original Clearance Upgraded Clearance Reduction
drawing), holding it in place against differential Wear rings 0.020 inch (0.50 mm) 0.012 inch (0.30 mm) 40%
pressure (P). Source: Boulden Co.
Center bushing 0.011 inch (0.27 mm) 0.009 inch (0.22 mm) 18%
Throttle bushing 0.011 inch (0.27 mm) 0.009 inch (0.22 mm) 18%
Table 2. Comparing performance. Fort St. Vrain rebuilt pump 41B to original equip-
ment manufacturer specifications and upgraded pump 31A with composite seals, which offered
tighter clearances. Testing at maximum flow confirmed that the upgraded pump was nearly
10% more efficient while providing the same flow and higher head. Source: Boulden Co.
Pump 41B Pump 31A

Parameter Units (original design) (upgraded design)
Capacity gallons/minute 1,210 1,210
Head ft 6,099 6,290
Brake horse-
HP 2,923 2,608
power
5. PERF-Seal design applied to Efficiency % 59.30 68.50
the center-stage bushing. In some
instances, high differential pressure can force
the composite insert (Figure 5). Before the results of the upgrade were
fluid into the press-fit interface between the
composite insert and the metal housing. The The holes balance the pressure between clear, the site rebuilt another boiler feed
PERF-Seal design uses a pattern of holes the outside diameter and inside diameter of pump, opting to return it to OEM specifi-
drilled through the composite insert to elimi- the insert. This essentially eliminates radial cations. Having two newly rebuilt pumps
nate the problem. Courtesy: Boulden Co. deformation of the composite insert, allow- offered a great opportunity to compare per-
ing the reliable use of composites at much formance between the original model and
higher differential pressures. the upgraded design. The results are shown
The design has been validated using finite in Table 2.
element analysis and in subsequent field tri-
als up to 2,320 psi differential pressure. Fur- Benefits Continue
ther laboratory testing has also shown the Since the upgrade, plant operators have been
design to reduce leakage across the seals by happy with the pump. There have been no is-
an additional 25% compared to a plain seal sues starting and stopping the pump repeat-
and to increase the rotor-dynamic damping edly when the plant is asked to cycle. After
coefficient of the seals by a factor of three to two years of operation, there has been no
four times when compared to a plain seal at noted increase in power consumption or de-
typical running speeds. crease in performance of the upgraded pump.
Furthermore, Fort St. Vrain has experi-
How Reduced Clearances Affect enced at least one added benefit. Previously,
low-pressure side of the Vespel CR-6100 in- Pump Efficiency boiler feedwater pump motors would bump
sert to prevent the composite material from The internal seals in the pump separate the into and sometimes surpass their full-load
being extruded by the differential pressure high-pressure from the low-pressure regions. rated amperage during hot summer days.
(Figure 4). Due to the differential pressure, there is sig- Occasionally, the motors would overheat
In the case of the center and throttle bush- nificant leakage across these parts, which de- and trip. However, with the upgraded pump
ings in the Fort St. Vrain pump, the maximum creases pump efficiency. drawing less current, it has added a signifi-
differential pressure across each component By upgrading to composite materials cant safety factor between full load and a
is 1,000 psi. Experience with composite ma- and eliminating the metal-to-metal contact tripped pump when it is needed most.
terials over the years has revealed the pos- inside the Fort St. Vrain pumps, it was pos- The savings in house power shouldnt be
sibility that high-pressure fluid can penetrate sible to reduce the clearance at all of the in- discounted either. For a 3 x 1 combined cycle
the press fit interface between the composite ternal sealsthe wear rings, center bushing, facility, if the operating pump in each of the
and the metal housing. Even though this is a and throttle bushing. Original and upgraded three units is upgraded, the savings in elec-
rare occurrence, if it happens, it can create ra- clearances are shown in Table 1. tric house power alone is nearly 1 MW. For
dial deformation of the composite insert and As noted earlier, testing of the PERF-Seal a utility to add this power to the grid instead
lead to premature failure. design has shown an additional 25% reduc- of consuming it adds to plant profitability.
To add a safety factor against this potential tion in leakage across the components com- Leif Bothun is senior operations
failure mode, the principals from the mate- pared to plain, smoothbore components. The manager at Xcel Energys Fort St. Vrain
rial supplier, Boulden Co., invented a patent- combination of reduced clearance and the Generation Station and Robert Aronen
pending solution called the PERF-Seal, PERF-Seal design in the upgraded pump led is managing director with Boulden
which uses a pattern of holes drilled through to a significant efficiency gain. International.
Industrial Water Use and
Treatment Guidebook
Industrial uses of water are many: in cooling
towers, condensers and boilers, as process
and wash fluids and more. Treatment of
water is often needed, to prevent corrosion
for example, and for reuse or disposal.
With water scarcity as a serious global
challenge, efforts to conserve, treat
and reuse water, as well as to reclaim
water via desalination are leading to
new technological advancements.
This collection of articles from
POWER magazine presents
Industrial
a timely and informative
Water Use
overview of global efforts
and
Treatment on industrial water-related
Guidebook topics. It includes articles on
cooling water, boilers,
water conservation,
wastewater treatment, some
of the latest technological
advancements and more.
Articles include: A Primer on Reverse Osmosis Advantages Gained in Automating

Wastewater Sludge Centrifugation Technology Industrial Wastewater Treatment
Before Drying Mitigate Corrosion in Plants
Biological Wastewater Treatment: Condensate-Return Systems How To Properly Size A
Maintaining the Needed Beware of Flow-Accelerated Steam Trap
Microorganism Population Corrosion Modern Water-Treatment
Cooling Towers: Managing Tighter Water-Saving Strategies for the CPI Challenges
Water-Discharge Regulations The Financial Benefits of Water Challenges of Drying Sticky
Water Takes the Stage at Achema Treatment Wastewater Sludge
Cooling Towers: Estimate Troubleshooting and Solving a Using Sensor Technologies to
Evaporation Loss and Makeup Sour-Water Stripper Problem Optimize Maintenance of Power
Water Requirements Plant Water Systems
Understanding Boiler Circulation
Superheater Problems in Desalination Expands, but Energy
Biological Wastewater Treatment: Challenges Remain
Steam Generators Selecting the Process
Pressurized Piping: Sampling Plus much more
Treating Wastewater for Industrial
Steam and Water Reuse
Learn more at store.powermag.com

30362
FUNDAMENTALS
Useful Tips for Designing Thermal
Insulation Systems
Thermal insulation is installed on almost every piping system and much of the
plant equipment at power generation facilities. It not only saves energy,
but also protects workers, reduces noise, helps protect against freezing,
and more. However, determining the most cost-effective thermal insula-
tion solution can be difficult. Completing a few calculations can help en-
sure systems and personnel are adequately protected while optimizing
process variables.
S. Zaheer Akhtar, PE
T
hermal insulation is mainly used to handbook, is similar with a slight change in hc is the outside convective film coefficient
limit heat loss from hot surfaces and the value of X and A, as shown below: (Btu/hr-ft2-F); kpipe is the thermal conductivity
heat gain on cold surfaces. In addition, of pipe material (Btu/hr-ft-F); and kinsulation is
thermal insulation also serves to provide con- Q = k x A2 x (T1 T2) / (r2 x ln (r2 / r1)) the thermal conductivity of insulating mate-
densation (anti-sweat) control, protection for rial (Btu/hr-ft-F).
personnel, freeze protection, fire protection, where Q is the heat loss or gain (Btu/hr); k Convective Heat Transfer and Radiant
noise control, and process control. is the thermal conductivity (Btu-in./hr-ft2-F); Heat Transfer from Outer Surface of In-
This article explains the basic calcula- T1 T2 is the temperature difference (F); A2 is sulated Pipe. The convective heat transfer
tions associated with the design of thermal the area of outer surface (ft2); r2 is the radius coefficient and the radiant heat transfer coef-
insulation for hot and cold pipes, including of outer surface (in.); and r1 is the radius of ficient determine the heat loss or gain from
surface temperature and freeze protection inner surface (in.). the outer surface of the insulation (or pipe, if
calculations. Energy savings estimates and The above equations for heat loss and uninsulated) to the ambient atmosphere. The
the specific requirements for cold insulation gain through a flat slab and a hollow cyl- heat loss equation from the 2013 ASHRAE
and jacketing are also presented. inder are based on conductive heat transfer handbook is given by:
only. However, the heat transfer from the
Basic Heat Transfer Calculations surface to the environment involves convec- QCR = (hc + hr) x A3 x (Tsurf Tamb)
Heat flows in the direction of the temperature tion and radiation as well. This is shown in
gradient and the relationships governing heat the equation below for heat transfer through where QCR is the convective and radiant heat
flow depend on whether the heat transfer is an insulated pipe. transfer (Btu/hr); Tsurf is the temperature of
occurring by conduction, convection, or radi- Total Heat Transfer Through Insulated the surface in contact with ambient (F); Tamb
ation. These mechanisms for heat transfer are Pipe. The basic heat transfer equation for is the ambient temperature (F); hc is the con-
discussed below with sources of equations, heat loss based on conduction through the vective heat transfer coefficient (Btu/hr-ft2-
such as the American Society of Heating, Re- metal pipe and insulation, and convection at F); hr is the radiant heat transfer coefficient
frigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers the inside fluid film and the outside insulation (Btu/hr-ft2-F); and A3 is the outer surface
(ASHRAE), appropriately noted. surface air film is given as follows, obtained area (ft2).
Conductive Heat Transfer Through a from the Mechanical Engineering Reference The convective heat transfer coefficient
Flat Slab. The basic equation for conduc- Manual for the PE Exam, 12th Edition, writ- (hc) for the outside air film can be calculat-
tive heat loss or gain through a flat slab is ten by Michael R. Lindeburg, PE: ed by several methods. The most common
given by the following equation, which can method is to use a correlation involving di-
be found in the 2013 ASHRAE Handbook: mensionless numbers in the Nusselt equation
Fundamentals, I-P Edition: in the following form:
Q = k x A x (T1 T2) / X Nusselt No. = C x (Grashof No. x Prandtl

No.)n
where Q is the heat loss or gain (Btu/hr); k
is the thermal conductivity (Btu-in./hr-ft2- wherein the convective heat transfer coeffi-
F); A is the area of heat flow (ft2); T1 T2 is where Q is the total heat loss (Btu/hr); L is cient hc is a parameter within the Nusselt No.,
the temperature difference (F); and X is the the length of pipe (ft); Ti is the temperature of and C and n are constants.
thickness of material (in.). fluid inside pipe (F); To is the temperature of However, a more convenient form for
Conductive Heat Transfer Through a outside environment (F); r1 is the inside radi- calculating the convective heat transfer
Hollow Cylinder. The basic equation for us of pipe (ft); r2 is the outside radius of pipe coefficient is given in the 2001 ASHRAE
conductive heat loss or gain through a hollow (ft); r3 is the outside radius of insulation (ft); Handbook: Fundamentals, I-P Edition, as
cylinder, also found in the 2013 ASHRAE hi is the inside film coefficient (Btu/hr-ft2-F); follows:
FUNDAMENTALS
surface of the insulation to the ambient air. ductivities. However, the calculation for Tsurf
For cold insulation, the heat flow from the requires a trial-and-error solution, and the
ambient to the outer surface of the insulation maximum value for Tsurf is generally limited
equals heat flow through the insulation. to 140F (or preferably 125F) to prevent per-
The thickness (X) of insulation required sonnel injury from irreversible burns.
where hc is the convection heat transfer coef- to achieve a desired surface temperature can Insulating for Freeze Protection of Pip-
ficient (Btu/hr-ft2-F); C is a constant ranging be determined from the following energy ing. During cold weather, piping exposed to
from 0.89 to 1.79 depending on the shape and balance, where h is the combined convective low temperatures is subject to freezing. Use
orientation of heat flow; d is the diameter of plus radiant heat transfer coefficient. of insulation can extend the time to freeze,
the pipe (in.); Tavg is the average temperature Heat transfer Q (Btu/hr) for a flat insula- but the pipe under no-flow conditions will ul-
of the air film (R), that is, Tavg = (Tamb + Tsurf) tion surface as noted in the 2013 ASHRAE timately reach the freezing point. In such cas-
/ 2; T is the temperature difference between handbook is equal to: es, heat tracing plus insulation can be used
Tsurf and Tamb (R); and Wind is the air speed to prevent pipes from freezing, even during
(miles/hr). For flat surfaces and large cylin- extended periods of time under no-flow con-
ders (d > 24 in.), use d = 24 in. ditions at below-freezing temperatures.
The radiant heat transfer coefficient (hr) The heat lost through the insulation must
found in the 2013 ASHRAE handbook is be compensated for by heat added using heat
given by: For a radial surface of unit length, the left- tracing tape or elements. Typical low-power
hand side (LHS) of the flat-surface equation heat trace tape wattage is between 3 watts per
after substitution becomes: linear foot and 10 watts per linear foot. The
heating cables are self-regulating with power
output responding variably to temperature.
Increasing the insulation thickness can de-
where is the surface emittance; is the crease the heat trace load. Nevertheless, a
Stefen-Boltzmann Constant (0.1714 x 10-8 point is reached when additional insulation is
Btu/hr-ft2-R4); TSurf and TAmb are tempera- not cost-effective.
ture (R). where ro is the outside radius of insulation In the case of flowing lines, heat is con-
Energy Savings Due to Insulation. The and ri is the inside radius of insulation. stantly being added by inflow of warmer
heat loss in still air from a bare hot pipe with The above formulation for the radial sur- fluid, and in most cases freezing is not an is-
a temperature difference in the range of 300F face equation is arrived at by substituting the sue. However, fluid can reach a potentially
to 450F is expected to be around 1,0002,000 following from Lindeburgs manual: problematic low temperature if the length of
Btu/hr-ft2. By providing insulation on such a the pipe is long or if any drop in process tem-
pipe, the heat loss can be reduced to an ac- perature is intolerable.
ceptable level of around 100 Btu/hr-ft2. To calculate the time to freeze of a non-
The desirable heat gain in cold piping flow line, ASHRAEs 2013 handbook pro-
(except chilled water) is generally limited vides the following equation:
to around 10 Btu/hr-ft2 depending on energy
costs while somewhat higher values (around
40 Btu/hr-ft2) are used for chilled water. With
cold insulation meeting these requirements,
it is likely that this will also prevent surface
condensation most of the time. The surface and
condensation will be prevented as long as the
surface temperature remains above the dew
point temperature. The surface temperature where is the time to freezing (hr); is the
can be calculated as shown below. density of water (lb/ft3); Cp is the specific
Surface Temperature Calculation. In heat of water (1.0 Btu/lb-F); D1 is the inside
addition to minimizing heat loss or gain, diameter of the pipe (ft); ti is the initial water
thermal insulation provides several other use- temperature (F); ta is the ambient air temper-
ful functions. One such function is to limit ature (F); tf is the freezing temperature (F);
the surface temperature. In the case of hot As a result, the energy balance equality: and RT is the combined thermal resistance of
insulation, the surface temperature must be the pipe wall, insulation, and outside air film
limited to below 140F (or more preferably (ft-F-hr/Btu). Ice formation occurs when the
125F) to protect personnel from potentially temperature reaches the freezing point and
irreversible injury. the fluid loses additional heat in the form
In the case of cold insulation, the surface of latent heat of fusion for ice (144 Btu/lb)
temperature should be sufficiently higher through the insulated pipe.
than the ambient dew point if surface con- In addition to the above equation for de-
densation is to be limited or retarded. termining time to freeze, ASHRAE provides
The surface temperature can be calculated tables showing insulation thicknesses for var-
by considering a steady state energy balance. provides the relationship for calculating the ious pipe sizes and time to cool still water to
For hot insulation, the heat flow through the insulation surface temperature Tsurf for vari- freezing. The tables are based on initial water
insulation equals the heat flow from the outer ous insulation thicknesses and thermal con- temperature of 42F with ambient at 18F and
|
FUNDAMENTALS
using insulation with thermal conductivity are used to isolate insulation sections and If jacket corrosion is an issue, other ma-
of 0.025 Btu/hr-ft-F. For cases with flowing limit the area of damage, if it occurs. Also, terial such as thermoplastics, fabrics, or
water, the tables also show the water mass a vapor retarder jacket is used but it must synthetic rubber can be utilized. The vari-
flow rate per unit length of exposed pipe to be continuous and sealed at all seams and ous jacket materials have different emissiv-
prevent freezing based on initial water tem- joints to provide effective protection against ity and this has an effect on heat transfer
perature of 42F. In case it becomes impracti- moisture ingress. performance. Polished metals have lower
cal to avoid freezing with insulation alone, emissivity whereas plastics, such as PVC
heat tracing is utilized to compensate for the Insulation Jacket (polyvinyl chloride) or fabric-mastic layer,
heat loss through the insulation. The insulation jacket provides the outer have higher emissivity.
covering for the insulation and functions to High emissivity results in higher heat
Cold Insulation protect the insulation from mechanical dam- loss from the hot-source pipe or equipment.
Cold insulation refers to insulation installed age and moisture ingress. The commonly In low-temperature systems, higher emis-
on piping and equipment operating below used material for the insulation jacket is sivity jackets result in higher heat gain by
ambient temperatures. The main difference aluminum. However, aluminum has a low the cold pipe. For anti-sweat insulation and
between hot and cold insulation is that with melting point and therefore is not suited for personnel protection insulation, high-emis-
cold insulation there is the possibility of use under fire conditions. For cases where sivity jackets tend to reduce the required
creating a water vapor pressure gradient, fire risk is present, stainless steel jacketing insulation thickness.
which could drive the water vapor through is used, which has a significantly higher Thermal insulation is also important for
the insulation to the cold metal surface. This melting point. noise control and for fire protection. Sound
could lead to accumulation of water within Aluminum jacketing is available with attenuation is a natural attribute of insula-
the insulation and on the surface of the pip- various surface finishes such as smooth, tion material and jacketing. For fire protec-
ing, which could degrade the insulation and stucco-embossed, or corrugated. Ingress of tion, metal jackets and bands, as mentioned
pipe surface. water has the potential to corrode the alumi- previously, are made of stainless steel, and
To counter the effect of water vapor minum jacket from the inside. Therefore, alu- they are fixed to ensure that they can with-
gration, closed-cell insulation material is minum jackets are often provided with an stand the impact from a firefighting water
recommended for cold insulation applica- inner layer of nonpermeable material (mois- stream.
tions so that it resists moisture absorption or ture barrier), which protects the jacket from S. Zaheer Akhtar, PE is principal
wicking. In addition, moisture vapor stops moisture corrosion from the inside. engineer-mechanical with Bechtel Corp.
2018
SOLAR
POWER Content Licensing for
Every Marketing Strategy
EVENTS
Solar Power Northeast | Feb. 5-6 | Boston, MA
Marketing solutions it for:
Outdoor
Direct Mail
Print Advertising
California Solar Power Expo | Mar. 27-28 | San Diego, CA Tradeshow/POP Displays
Social Media
Solar Power Southeast | May 14-15 | Atlanta, GA Radio & Television
Solar Power Texas | June 4-5 | Austin, TX

Logo Licensing | Reprints
Solar Power International Eprints | Plaques
Co-located with: Energy Storage International
Leverage branded content from Power Magazine to
Sept. 24-27 | Anaheim, CA
create a more powerful and sophisticated statement
Solar Power Midwest | Fall 2018 | Chicago, IL about your product, service, or company in your
next marketing campaign. Contact Wrights Media
Solar Power New York | Dec. 11-12 | New York, NY
to ind out more about how we can customize your
LEARN MORE | events.solar acknowledgements and recognitions to enhance your
marketing strategies.
POWERED BY
For more information, call Wrights Media at 877.652.5295
or visit our website at www.wrightsmedia.com
EVENTS
PROCO PENSEALS STATICALLY SEAL
ANNULAR SPACE
The pipe penetration seals (PenSeal) from Proco Products, Inc.
have been designed to assist in achieving an efficient, low-cost
mechanical seal between any pipes passing through walls,
floors, tanks, pipeline casings and vaults. The PenSeal has
also been designed to provide a gas and watertight seal. The
PEN-SEAL is available in EPDM or Nitrile material with carbon
steel or 316L hardware. All sizes have been tested to withstand
a hydrostatic seal up to 20 psig or 40 feet of head pressure in
addition to withstanding temperatures up to 250F. For more
information, please visit the Proco Products, Inc. website.
www.procoproducts.com | 800-344-3246
AUMA LAUNCHES NEW COMPACT PART-TURN

GEARBOXES
Electric actuator manufacturer AUMA has launched a
new range of part-turn gearboxes that combine compact
design with superior quality and reliability. Engineered and
manufactured in Germany, the new GQB gearboxes are
designed for basic 90 applications such as butterfly and ball
valves. The gearboxes expand the application range of AUMAs
proven multi-turn actuators, deployed for valve automation in
a wide variety of processes within power plants.
Clever engineering considerably reduces the parts count and
materials inventory without compromising performance. Drive
components are hardened to increase wear resistance, and the
housing is protected by AUMAs extremely corrosion-resistant
two-layer powder coating system. A patent-pending overload
protection guarantees safety in case of excessive torque.
GQB gearboxes are available in three sizes covering a torque
range of 21,00084,000 Nm, with further sizes to follow.
www.auma.com
|
ADVERTISERS INDEX
Page Page
AUMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Magnetrol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2

www.auma.com www.magnetrol.com
Chanute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

www.chanutemfg.com www.changeinpower.com
Clear Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Paharpur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

www.clearspan.com www.paharpur.com
Fluke Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Proco Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

www.fluke.com www.procoproducts.com
Hamon Deltak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 PSEG Fossil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

www.deltak.com www.pseg.com
Henkel Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sulzer Turbo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 4

www.na.henkel-adhesives.com/protectivecoatings www.sulzer.com
Kelvion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Young & Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

www.kelvion.com www.yf.com
Kiewit Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Vogt Power a Babcock Power Inc. Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 31

www.kiewit.com www.vogtpower.com
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POWER PLANT PRODUCT
Showcase
BUYERS MART
POWER PROFESSIONALS ctrdh.com

Layup Desiccant Dehumidification &
Filtration Units for long term corrosion
control during long or short term layup of
power generation equipment.
For over 35 years of drying solutions contact:
Visit us at:
Tom Haarala Todd Bradley
612-202-0765 810-229-7900
www.PowerIndustryCareers.com
[email protected] [email protected]
NEED CABLE? FROM STOCK Turbine Controls

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Parts and Service
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FOR SALE/RENT
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WE STOCK LARGE INVENTORIES OF:
Air Pre-Heaters Economizers Deaerators
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WEB SITE: www.wabashpower.com
wabash POWER
EQUIPMENT CO.
444 Carpenter Avenue, Wheeling, IL 60090
CONDENSER OR GENERATOR AIR COOLER TUBE PLUGS

THE CONKLIN SHERMAN COMPANY, INC.
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Tel: (203) 881-0190 Fax:(203)881-0178
E-mail: [email protected] www.conklin-sherman.com
OVER ONE MILLION PLUGS SOLD
|
COMMENTARY
Fuel Cells: Key to Our
Electric Energy Future
Harry T. Roman
or more than 20 years, I have been championing the use of about 45 kW to 50 kW in size. That capacity is much more
F fuel cell powered cars to connect the natural gas distribu-

tion network of this country with the electric distribution
network, making them partners in providing clean, safe, elec-
than an average home needs. So I ask a simple question:
Why cant your car power your house both during normal
conditions and when the utility system is unavailable due to
trical energy at the point of use, and for export back into the widespread outages?
national grid. Some early patents were awarded, but they were Go one step further. Why not have all cars generate power
way ahead of their time. wherever they are parked? Most people only drive their car
The technological foundation for this concept remains strong about 4% to 6% of the daymostly for commuting. The rest
and vitalrepresenting a disruptive force aimed at the heart of the time it just sits there. It could be put to work during
of traditional utility system operations. However, there seems that downtime.
to be a potential partnership that can be forged between auto You see, your car follows you everywhere, and everywhere
manufacturers, electric utilities, and natural gas utilities to you go you need energy. If parking lots were suitably de-
make this all happen. signed with natural gas and electrical connections, your car
could be turned into a portable power plant whenever you
Outage Risk = Opportunity park it. It could provide you with the energy you need and the
In the U.S. there are two centralized energy systems: the excess could be sold into the market.
electric utility grid and the natural gas network. Both systems The really nice part of this is that fuel cell powered cars
together touch just about every home. Surprisingly, most peo- can do it 24/7/365. No vagaries of the wind, no clouds to
ple never think about combining the two systems to create a block sunshine, just lots of clean power generated all the
resilient hybrid system, immune from major storm disruptions time. It is the natural gas network and the electric grid work-
and terrorist attacks. We hear a great deal today about the ing together.
smart grid. Such a hybrid system can be about as smart as it
gets, and quite flexible and sophisticated too. By the Numbers
When a big weather event strikes, the above-ground electric There are more than 250 million registered vehicles in the U.S.
utility system can take an awful beating. Dont expect that to If even 10% of those were 45-kW fuel cell powered cars con-
change anytime soon, because it is simply too expensive to nected to the electric grid, it would be equivalent to adding
retrofit all those lines underground (some estimates suggest at 1,125 GW of power capacity to the system. Thats more than
least 20 times as expensive as overhead construction). On the the total generating capacity currently installed in the U.S.
other hand, when was the last time your natural gas service The implications of this are staggering. How would this dis-
was taken out during any kind of stormwinter or summer? ruption affect electric and natural gas utilities, automobile
Wouldnt it be reasonable to ask if there was a way to con- manufacturers, the oil industry, companies operating fleets of
vert your homes reliable natural gas service into electricity vehicles, and others?
for your household? The best way to do this, in my opinion, is Because the electric utility industry will always be vulner-
using a fuel cella device that can electrochemically convert able to large outages, this natural gas-electric concept could
natural gas into a useable fuel by stripping off the hydrogen be significant. The fuel cell is the energy transformer between
portion of the methane molecule and combining it with oxy- the two systems. Fuel cell powered cars make it possible to
gen to generate clean electricity and some waste heat. instantly decentralize the grid, if under attack by Mother Na-
Fuel cell technology is very attractive. It has relatively ture or terrorists. For those of you committed to alternative
high conversion efficiency (32%42%); produces very small energy sources, you can still have them if you wantin fact,
waste byproducts and some low-grade waste heat; comes in a fuel cell powered cars are the ideal back up for them.
highly modular design, allowing for size expansion; is proven Is this a disruptive technology? You bet! Could it be done?
technology; and uses a native and abundant resourcemeth- I think so.
aneavailable from natural and man-made sources. Harry T. Roman is a retired engineer, research and
development project manager, teacher, inventor, and author.
Fuel Cell Car Power Plants He has 12 patents to his credit and is a past recipient of the New
What if we used fuel cell powered cars in a very different Jersey Inventor of the Year Award, given by the
way than for just transportation? A typical car fuel cell is New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame.
2ND ANNUAL
FEBRUARY 27-28, 2018

Marriott City Center | Charlotte, NC
Hosted by:
While some other events may touch on new data-driven analytics products and services, the Connected Plant Conference is the
only event focused exclusively on technology designed for the power generation sector. POWER is planning an event that gives
you everything you need to get a firm grasp on this new digital operating environment.
This is the only event dedicated to the latest digital monitoring, diagnostic, analytics, Industrial Internet of Things, and
decision-support technologies for the power generation industry. New for 2018: Chemical Engineering will host a co-located
conference for the chemical process industries.
Register by September 30 and save with the Loyalty Rate!

Learn more at connectedplantconference.com
30526
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BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GLOBAL GENERATION INDUSTRY SINCE 1882

Vol. 161 No. 9 September 2017

2017 Gas Top Plant

POWER -ful Women

Better Signal-to-Noise Ratio Means

magnetrol.com 800-624-8765 [email protected] 2017 Magnetrol International, Incorporated

Worlds Most-Efficient Combined Cycle Plant: EDF Bouchain 22

Grand Resilience: How a State Agency Pioneered

Model of Gas-Fired Efficiency Rises in Heart of Coal Country 28

Growing Community Seeks Attractive Power Plant 32

Two SCE Gas-Battery Hybrid Projects Revolutionize Peaker Performance 34

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE

the most cost-effective insulation solution can be a challenge. A few calcula-

@POWERmagazine U.S. Wind Generation Grew By More Than 8,000 MW In 2016

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