Watchstanding Principles: Standing an Active, Thoughtful Watch When shift changeover happens and the off-going crew leaves, does the oncoming shift have a plan for the shift? If a procedure is in progress, … Read More
Mercury Removal from Coal-Fired Powered Plants Coal is a mined material. Because it naturally occurs, it has a lot of contaminants that are mined with the coal. Radioactive isotopes, silica, arsenic, … Read More
Thermal Energy Storage Systems Thermal Energy Storage Systems are used to collect thermal energy and use that the energy at a later time for heating, cooling, or power generation. … Read More
Control Systems Training and Operational Excellence Operational excellence is a term that has been used for some time to describe a business philosophy of producing consistent, reliable results. Operational excellence programs … Read More
The Path to Better Maintenance Qualifications & Procedures I recently saw a poster in a buddy’s garage that said, “Every 20-minute job is a broken bolt away from becoming a 3-day ordeal” and … Read More
Guide to Gas Turbine Training There are a wide variety of gas turbines in service and planned in the power utility industry. That variety includes: Read More
VARs Explained in 300 Words, Without Equations or Vector Analysis In my experience working at Power Plants, operators generally fall into two categories when it comes to understanding reactive power (VARs): This who sort of … Read More
Coal and Fossil Fuel Plant Emissions Controls Many would say that the coal industry is under attack. The Environmental Protection Agency, politicians, the media, etc., are all trying to make coal clean. … Read More
Emissions Targets and De-Carbonization Drive In August of 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put into effect a Clean Power Plan (CPP) as an emission guideline for states to follow … Read More