Powermag Feb 2009 PDF

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GLOBAL GENERATION INDUSTRY
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Vol. 153 No. 2 February 2009 www.powermag.com
Modern Distributed Computing
Building
the Electric Superhighway
Lasers Measure Boiler Slag
NERC Strengthens
Compliance Programs
CIRCLE 1 ON READER SERVICE CARD
February 2009
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POWER www.powermag.com 1
Established 1882 Vol. 153 No. 2 February 2009
www.powermag.com
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Cover photo courtesy of Emerson Process Management
COVER STORY: PLANT COMPUTING
30 ISA POWID: Where Power Computing Professionals Meet
Like just about everything else in our 21st-century world, power plants are becom-
ing increasingly reliant upon digital and wireless technologies. This overview of the
issues involved also updates you on POWERs newly enhanced partnership with the
leading industry association for this critical component of power plant management
and operation.
32 Distributed Control Technology: From Progress to Possibilities
Todays distributed control systems (DCS) are less proprietary and more like personal
computers than ever before. That means the latest DCS technology enables flexibil-
ity and possibilitieslike intelligent process optimizationthat were unimaginable a
mere decade ago.
36 Optimize Your Plant Using the Latest Distributed Control System Technology
Third-generation distributed control systems help power plants improve operational
efficiency and overall equipment effectiveness. They do so with tools that range from
object-oriented design technology, to process and asset optimization, to more realis-
tic simulation that enhances training opportunities.
40 Power Plant Automation: Where We Are and Where Were Headed
Hardware has gotten smaller while computing power has expanded exponentially.
One result: Plant automation platforms now enable operators to have real-time ac-
cess to experts far beyond their plant. In the future, control systems will no longer
control the processthey will supervise it!
44 Enhancing Plant Asset Management with Wireless Retrofits
Plant asset management (PAM) is about optimizing the performance, availability, and
reliability of specific plant assets. Wireless technologies can help your plant enhance
PAM by making the most of digital data that is otherwise being wasted, while emerg-
ing standards are making wireless adoption easier than ever before.
48 Wireless Technology Unlocks Possibilities
Wireless technologys advantages include easier gathering of field data, increased as-
set life through continuous monitoring, and improved personnel safety. That all adds
up to increased plant availability and lower costs. Heres what you should keep in
mind when shopping for a wireless network and supplier.
40
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2009 Verizon Wireless. All company names, trademarks, logos, and copyrights not property of Verizon Wireless are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Call 1.877.207. 3108. Visit verizonwireless.com/panasonic.
Stay connected in harsh conditions, with Americas largest and
most reliable 3G network and the rugged, ultra-mobile Toughbook U1.
Outt your workers with a rugged, reliable computer that lets them stay connected when and where they
need to on Americas largest and most reliable 3G network. The new, fully rugged Panasonic Toughbook U1
ultra-mobile computer is shockproof, weather resistant, compact, and lightweight, so crews dont have to
worry about challenging conditions. And with activation of Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In, eld
workers can wirelessly manage eets, dispatch crews, and access GPS mapping. Mobile Broadband Built-In
is also available on the fully rugged Panasonic Toughbook 19 and 30 notebooks.
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February 2009 4
54
10
FEATURES
COAL COMBUSTION
54 New Laser Technology Helps Reduce Coal-Slagging Headaches
A newly developed optical technology promises to allow power plant operators
to make rapid adjustments to prevent boiler slagging and fouling problemsand
thereby optimize the use of lower-quality coal. A successful pilot project demon-
strated the technologys ability to measure coal ash composition and predict coal
slagging potential.
TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
58 HTS Cables Speed Up the Electric Superhighway
There is likely at least one project or problem at most utilities where an HTS cable
could be considered a viable, if not preferred, solution, says Jack McCall, Ameri-
can Superconductor. Learn how high-temperature superconducting cables work,
where theyre used now, and what they could do for you.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
61 NERC Drives Development of Sustainable Compliance Programs
Does the prospect of million-dollar-per-day, per-violation fines get your atten-
tion? Good. Heres how to avoid those fines. Organizations that commit to creat-
ing a strong and sustainable compliance program to address the North American
Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) reliability standards will not only be able to po-
tentially reduce the cost of penalties, but they should also have far fewer viola-
tions over time.
DEPARTMENTS
8 SPEAKING OF POWER
Engineers Week Is Feb. 1521
10 GLOBAL MONITOR
10 TVA Containment Pond Bursts, Causing Massive Coal Ash Flood
12 Exelon Drops ESBWR for Victoria Plant, Weighs Options
13 Chinas Nuke Power Boom
13 Eastern Europe Prepares for Nuclear Revival
14 New Technologies Could Improve Solar Cell Efficiencies
16 An Energy-Generating Door
18 Sri Lanka Commissions Major Thermal Power Plant
18 POWER Digest
20 FOCUS ON O&M
20 FERC Focuses on Internal Compliance Programs
22 Preventing Boiler Code Violations Creates a Safer Work Environment
24 Converting a Pump to Use Mechanical Seals
28 LEGAL & REGULATORY
OilUnsafe at Any Price
64 NEW PRODUCTS
72 COMMENTARY
The Obama Administrations Energy Challenge
By Ronald Fisher, corporate transactional attorney with Blank Rome LLP
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February 2009 6
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Copyright 2009, Solvay Chemicals, Inc. All Rights Reserved
PRODUCTS
|
February 2009 8
SPEAKING OF POWER
Engineers Week
Is Feb. 1521
I
just renewed my professional society membership dues for
the umpteenth year, and while writing the check, I paused
to consider if I was getting good value from them. I expect
to receive another suitable for framing certificate this year,
as the number of my membership years ends with a zero, but I
wondered if there were other, more tangible benefits.
I should have walked away from the computer at that point,
but one question often leads to another, and so it was today.
Its been some time since I sat in a classroom (although I still
have this recurring dream about arriving unprepared for a final
exam), so I browsed over to look at engineering enrollment and
graduation trends. They seem to have improved since my under-
graduate days at San Diego State University, when my graduating
class of mechanical engineers numbered an even dozen, giving
me eternal bragging rights of having graduated in the top 10 of
my class. Barely.
The National Science Foundation, which has charted science
and engineering enrollments since 1972, reports that undergrad-
uate engineering enrollments generally declined in the 1980s
and 1990s, rebounding from 2000 through 2003, only to resume
a slow decline since then. Engineering degrees awarded were
just under 39,000 in 1976. They peaked in 1985 with 77,572,
then slowly declined to 59,258 in 2001, and slowly rose to just
over 68,000 in 2006accounting for 4.6% of all bachelor level
degrees awarded that year.
The engineering profession continues to offer many excellent
career opportunities, yet the academic challenges remain a for-
midable barrier for many.
Engineering Interest in Engineering
One of the leading organizations attempting to increase the
number of engineers is the National Engineers Week Foundation
(NEWF), a close coalition of more than 75 professional societies
in partnership with major corporations and government agencies.
Their dedicated purpose is ensuring a diverse and well-educated
future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and
interest in engineering and technology careers among young
students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and sci-
ence. For 2009, the cochairs are Intel and the National Society
of Professional Engineers.
NEWF reaches into K-12 schools to introduce the advantages
of a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) career
to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession. The
foundation, focused putting the E in STEM, is diligently working
to remove social, education, and economic barriers that deter
young students from engineering and technology careers.
NEWF has designated February 1521 as Engineers Week to
highlight its many outreach activities, such as the Discover E
project, through which 45,000 engineer mentors have worked
with five and half million students and teachers through class-
room visits and extracurricular projects in 2008; the Engineer
Your Life project, which encourages young women to explore
a career in engineering; and the Discover Engineering (www
.discoverengineering.org) project for middle school students.
Inspiring Junior Engineers
Many 7th and 8th graders have been introduced to the profes-
sion of engineering by the National Engineers Week Future City
Competition (www.futurecity.org), now in its 17th year and the
nations largest not-for-profit engineering education program.
For 2009, more than 30,000 middle schoolers nationwide will
work in teams with volunteer engineers in a semester-long
project to create their vision of a city of the future, complete
with infrastructure, energy systems, and skyscrapers.
The program inspires a respect for the role STEM plays in solv-
ing many of the pressing global and social needs we are all fac-
ing. And it helps possibly lay the foundation for many of them to
pursue a career in these areas, something they might never have
considered before, said Kathryn Gray, PE, National Engineers Week
2009 chair and past president of the National Society of Profes-
sional Engineers. The students create their cities using SimCity 4
Deluxe software and then build 3-D table-top scale models. This
years topic is Creating a Self Sufficient System Within the Home
Which Conserves, Recycles and Reuses Existing Water Sources.
Thirty-six regional competition winners from 1,100 middle schools
will then compete head-to-head for the overall title in Washing-
ton, D.C., during National Engineers Week this month.
Pay Your Dues
Recruiting the next generation of engineers and technologists is
important, so pay your dues. Theyre being put to good use.
Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
Engineers Week is Feb. 1521
Be Right
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February 2009 10
GLOBAL MONITOR
GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR GLOBAL MONI TOR
TVA Containment Pond
Bursts, Causing Massive
Coal Ash Flood
Just after midnight on Dec. 22, 2008, a
40-acre pond holding coal combustion
waste for a Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA) steam power plant ruptured, send-
ing a wave of wet ash across 300 acres
of rural land in Harriman County, Tenn.
It was the largest coal slurry spill in U.S.
historymore than three times the size
of the Martin Country, Ky., sludge spill of
2000, and about eight times that of the
1972 Buffalo Creek flood in West Virginia.
Unlike that flood, which killed 125 people
and injured scores others, this one, Ten-
nessee authorities reported, resulted in no
serious injuries or hospitalizations.
The reservoir was one of three contain-
ment areas at the 1,700-MW Kingston Fos-
sil Power Plant, one of several facilities
built in 1955 by the largest government-
run utility in the nation. On the day of the
rupture, the TVA said the pond contained
2.6 million cubic yards of fly ash and bot-
tom ashamounts well within guidelines
for the area, the TVA said.
Initially, the TVA and the Environmen-
tal Protection Agency (EPA) had estimated
the spill released 1.7 million cubic yards of
coal ash, but in the days ensuing, the of-
ficial estimate soared to 5.4 million cubic
yardsdouble that said to be contained
in the pond (Figure 1). Officials said that
heavy rains and freezing temperatures
could be to blame for the discrepancy:
On that winter night, temperatures for
the region had plunged to 14F, and the
plant had received an unseasonable total
of 6.48 inches that month.
Fly ash is the silt-sized residue that is
transported from the combustion chamber
by exhaust gases and collected by par-
ticulate emission control devices before
entering the boiler stack; bottom ash is
the coarse material taken from the bottom
of the boiler furnace in its dry form, or
as a slurry. The Kingston plant produces
390,000 dry tons of fly ash and 95,000
tons of bottom ash per year, the TVA said.
Both are typically pumped to an ash pond.
Once the ash settles in the ash pond, it
is pumped to dredge cellsengineered
and permitted facilities that are surround-
ed by dikes constructed using compacted
ash, and which incorporate engineered
drain systems, water runoff controls, and
monitoring systems. The water flows into
a settling pond.
The authority said it conducted compre-
hensive inspections of its ash containment
areas, including daily visual inspections,
quarterly solid waste and dike inspections,
and annual detailed inspections of the ash-
handling and storage dikes, but no signifi-
cant problems had suggested that the dikes
were unstable and on the brink of failure.
It admitted, however, that leaks were
not uncommon findings in the reports. In
the preliminary findings of its most recent
annual inspection (concluded in October
2008), a wet spot was found, indicat-
ing a minor leaking issue. And in a prior
inspection, which concluded on Dec. 4,
2007, an inspector had recommended that
the TVA should repair any dikes showing
signs of erosion on the pond side. More
serious breaches had been found in 2003
and 2006. In those years, the TVA report-
ed that the dike at Kingston experienced
smaller, localized seepage that released
some ash from one of the dredge cells. Af-
ter each incident, TVA said, it had made
changes and repairs to improve the con-
dition of the dike. The utility also noted
that these problems were in an area of the
dike southwest of the suspected location
of the current failure.
In the weeks following, with the toxic
nature of fly ash played up, experts were
calling the coal ash spill the largest envi-
ronmental disaster of its kind. The failure
to prevent the ponds rupture also put into
question the TVAs procedures, renewing
1. Ash Thursday. On Dec. 22, 2008, the earthen retaining wall of an ash pond for the Ten-
nessee Valley Authoritys 1955-built Kingston Fossil Plant failed, spilling 5.4 million cubic yards
of fly ash and bottom ash. More than 60 pieces of large equipment, such as the amphibious
trackhoe pictured here, have been used to remove the ash from roadways and railroad tracks
near the Tennessee plant. Source: TVA
AREVA Inc.
4800 Hampden Lane, Suite 1100
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 301-841-1600
Fax: 301-841-1611
E-mail: cassie.hagan@areva.com
Web: www.us.areva.com
Hanes Supply, Inc.
55 James E. Casey Dr
Buffalo, NY 14206-2361
Phone: 888-426-3755
Fax: 716-826-2246
E-mail: rstreicher@hanessupply.com
Website: www.hanessupply.com
Trinity Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 568887
Dallas, TX 75356-8887
Phone: 214-589-8529
Fax: 214-589-8553
E-mail: don.wallace@trin.net
Website: www.trin.net
Corrections to
2009 BUYERS GUIDE
Ace Power, Sri Lanka
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2009 Caterpillar Inc. All rights reserved.
|
February 2009 12
GLOBAL MONITOR
calls for stricter regulation of ash ponds.
There are currently no federal standards
governing the disposal of coal combustion
waste, how impoundments are designed,
or how frequently they should be inspect-
ed. Regulation of ash ponds is essentially
left to states.
The New York Times suggested that this
lack of uniform regulation stemmed
from the EPAs inaction; that in 2000,
it had backpedaled in the face of an in-
dustry campaign that argued that tighter
controls would cost $5 billion a year. But,
the newspaper warned, an estimated 1,300
similar ash pondsmost with reaches up
to 1,500 acreswere scattered around
the U.S., and most of them were unregu-
lated and unmonitored, because of vary-
ing state requirements.
The EPAs management of coal combus-
tion waste is instead focused on recycling
fly ash and coal residuean important
aspect, considering that each year, about
43% of fly ash, flue gas desulfurization
materials, bottom ash, boiler slag, and
other power plant by-products are used
beneficially. According to the American
Coal Ash Association, of the 70 million
tons of fly ash produced each year na-
tionwide, 15 million tons will be used in
cement production, for example. Fly ash
is also used in geotechnical applications,
and it serves as filler in wood and plastic
products, paints, and metal castings.
Exelon Drops ESBWR
for Victoria Plant,
Weighs Options
A year after Exelon Nuclear ceremoniously
announced the selection of General Elec-
tric-Hitachis Economic & Simplified Boil-
ing Water Reactor (ESBWR) design (Figure
2) as its preferred technology for a pro-
posed two-unit nuclear facility in Victoria
County, Texas, the operator of the largest
nuclear power fleet in the U.S.and the
third-largest in the worldsaid it had
reconsidered its decision. The company
said it is now negotiating separately with
Toshiba and GE-Hitachi, both vendors
of the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor
(ABWR), and with Mitsubishi Heavy In-
dustries for its U.S. Advanced Pressurized
Water Reactor (US APWR).
The company said it came to that deci-
sion after an internal analysis conducted
[last] summer showed that technologies
other than the ESBWR provide the project
greater commercial and schedule certain-
ty. It wasnt because the reactor had not
yet received design certification from the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC),
said Exelon spokesperson Craig Nesbit.
We still like the ESBWR design, but it
remains very early in its development. We
decided to switch technologies when it
became clear that the ESBWR could not
support our existing project schedules,
he said. Both the ABWR and APWR theo-
retically can.
Exelon had filed a combined construc-
tion and operating license (COL) applica-
tion (prepared at a cost of $23 million)
with the NRC only two months prior to
its announcement this November. Though
it said it would decide on an alternative
technology by the first quarter of 2009
and revise that application accordingly,
the company stressed that it had not com-
mitted to building the facility. That deci-
sion would be made in 2010.
Exelons 10 nuclear stationswith 17
reactorsrepresent approximately 20% of
the U.S. nuclear industrys power capac-
ity, and nuclear energy currently makes
up 19.4% of the companys own genera-
tion portfolio. Exelon said recently that it
filed the Victoria County COL application
having considered a Department of Energy
(DOE) projection that U.S. electricity de-
mand would surge 25% by 2030, which
meant the nation needed hundreds of new
power plants. Based on DOE forecasts,
maintaining nuclear energys share of the
nations generation would require building
three reactors every two years, starting in
2016.
But, in order to build new facilities,
securing financing was imperative, Ex-
elon said. Federal loan guarantees, which
would pick up costs caused by regulatory
delays, could help potential builders raise
the necessary fundsbut there arent
nearly enough funds to go around. In
late September 2008, 17 companies had
responded by the close of a first-phase
solicitation period for federal loan guar-
antees with proposals to build 19 new
reactors at 14 proposed sites. Altogether,
the companies had asked the Energy De-
partment to provide $122 billion in loan
guaranteesalmost seven times the $18
billion originally allocated by the DOE.
Among the DOEs selection criteria is
the speed with which technologies can
be commercialized. Only two of five reac-
tor designs submitted for consideration to
the DOE are currently certified by the NRC:
GE-Hitachis ABWR and Westinghouses
AP1000 pressurized water reactor. Design
approval for the ESBWR is expected this
year, with certification following next
year. The NRC only received Mitsubishis
US-APWR design certification application
in December 2007, and it expects to is-
sue its final decision in September 2011.
A certification application for the final
reactor design, AREVAs US-EPR, was also
received by the NRC in late 2007.
Exelon was one of four companies (along
with Detroit Edison, Entergy, and Domin-
ion) that had specified the ESBWR as the
preferred technology for planned sites. It
is not the only one to reconsider the de-
sign: In mid-January, reports surfaced that
Entergy had asked the NRC to stop ESBWR-
specific work on its COL applications, and
Dominion was soliciting bids from other
firms to lead the construction of another
reactor technology. The three single-reac-
tor COL applications in question were for
2. Heavy options. Exelon recently said it has reconsidered its selection of GE-Hitachis
Economic & Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (shown here) for a proposed two-unit nuclear
plant in Victoria County, Texas. The company is in talks with GE-Hitachi and Toshiba for the Ad-
vanced Boiling Water Reactor, as well as with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for its U.S. Advanced
Pressurized Water Reactor. Courtesy: GE Energy
February 2009
|
GLOBAL MONITOR
Dominions North Anna plant, Entergys
River Bend plant, and the Entergy-NuStart
Grand Gulf plant.
Exelon confirmed to POWER that it was
considering the ABWRa design the NRC
certified in 1997because 12 of its exist-
ing 17 reactors were Boiling Water Reac-
tors. The US-APWR was also in the running
because its other five existing reactors are
Pressurized Water Reactors. Exelon is also
taking into account that the 1,700-MW US-
APWR design, which evolved from Westing-
house technology, was developed from a
reactor that will soon be built in Japan.
Additionally, the company is consider-
ing the benefits of sharing scarce regional
human and technical resources: ABWR is
the same reactor design designated for
the proposed South Texas Projects Units
3 and 4 in nearby Matagorda County, while
Luminant has chosen the US-APWR for
its planned Comanche Peak Units 3 and 4
in north Texas Somerville County. Ulti-
mately, our technology selection will be
the one that gives us the best opportunity
for success, Nesbit told POWER.
Chinas Nuke Power Boom
China has put its nuclear power plans on a
fast track, kicking off a construction fren-
zy worth billions of dollars. In the latter
months of 2008, the nation inaugurated
construction of seven reactors, and in
2009, work will begin on another 10.
In November, work began on a six-reactor
nuclear power plant in the eastern coastal
province of Fujian. The first two reactors
(each 1,080 MW) of the $14.6 billion fa-
cility will become operational in 2013 and
2014. In mid-December, the China Guan-
dong Nuclear Power Group started construc-
tion on the $10.1 billion Yangjiang nuclear
power plant (Figure 3) in Dongping Town,
Yangjiang City. The first of six domestically
engineered CPR-1000 pressurized water
reactors (each 1,080 MW) is expected to
come online by 2013, with all units being
completed by 2017.
This year, the nation will start work on
four nuclear power stations, in Haiyang,
Rongcheng in eastern Shandong province,
Sanmen in eastern Zhejiang province, and
Yaogu in southern Guangdong province.
The Haiyang and Sanmen stations will
use Westinghouses AP1000 technology.
The Yaogu station in Guangdong will use
AREVAs EPR. The Rongcheng station, devel-
oped by China Huaneng Group, will use a
high-temperature, gas-cooled technology.
According to The China Daily, the nations
plans are being fueled by a new energy
blueprint proposed by the National Devel-
opment and Reform Commission, which
was spurred by rapid growth in demand and
consequent power shortages.
The most populated nation in the world
is at the same time trying to tackle air
pollution problems stemming from its
widespread use of fossil fuelsabout 80%
of its electricity is produced from coal. The
new blueprint puts Chinas nuclear power
capacity target at 60 GW by 2020a 50%
jump from an earlier goal. That means
the nation, whose 11 reactors currently
produce a combined 9 GW at capacity (or
about 1.3% of the nations total power),
must add about 44 new reactors by 2020
or about four reactors every year. And if
China sticks to its plans, it could source
about 130 GW of nuclear power from about
100 reactors by 2030.
The recent announcements are only the
beginning. They are part of Chinas 10th
economic plan, which calls for 25 new re-
actors to start operations between 2010
and 2016. Another 18 have been ordained
by the more recent 11th economic plan;
these should come online between 2014
and 2017.
All new reactors will use third-genera-
tion technology, with domestically engi-
neered designs taking priority. Of particular
prevalence is the CPR-1000, or improved
Chinese Pressure Water Reactor, a French-
derived three-loop unit with 157 fuel as-
semblies. This technology is even being
used in the nations first plant expansion,
which was announced at the end of 2008.
The two CPR-1000 reactors with a total
capacity of 2,160 MW officially entered
the construction phase at Fangjiashan,
near the existing Qinshan power plant in
Zhejiang province. These are scheduled to
begin operations in 2013 and 2014.
China plans to fuel its expanding nucle-
ar fleet in the short term with domestic
supplies, even though its uranium ore has
been deemed low-grade and production is
inefficient. In the long runand to oth-
erwise balance shortfallsthe nation will
import uranium from Kazakhstan, Russia,
Namibia, and Australia.
China has also considered and set up
solutions for nuclear waste management:
It already has a closedfuel cycle strat-
egy for spent fuel, and it has built a cen-
tralized spent fuel storage facility with a
storage capacity of 550 tons that can be
doubled. As well as hosting a pilot repro-
cessing plant using the Purex process, the
country has also signed an agreement with
AREVA to determine if it is feasible to set
up a reprocessing plant for used fuel and
a mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication. This
800 ton/year facility will likely be Gansu
province, and it will be operated by AREVA
from 2025 onward.
Eastern Europe Prepares
for Nuclear Revival
Despite hostilities that linger as a re-
sult of the 1986 nuclear nightmare at
Chernobyl, Ukraine, and pressure from
the European Union to shut down old-
er-generation plants, Eastern European
countries from the Baltic to Bulgaria
are renovating existing nuclear plants or
building new ones. If these projects be-
come reality, the region will be able to
3. Yangjiang nuke. An artists rendering of the Yangjiang nuclear power plant currently
under construction in Yangjiang City, in southern Chinas Guangdong province. The facility will
comprise six units, each with a capacity of 1,000 MW. China is looking to build several large
nuclear projects in 2009. The countrys target is to increase nuclear capacity from 9 GW to 60
GW by 2020. Courtesy: China Guandong Nuclear Power Group
|
February 2009 14
GLOBAL MONITOR
secure its power supplies as well as cover
the ongoing shortages in countries such
as Greece, Macedonia, and Albania.
Romania in November signed a nucle-
ar deal to build two more reactors at its
plant in Cernavoda, on the River Danube,
by 2015. Work at that plant has been on-
going for 30 years. The Canadian-built
plants first CANDU unit went online in
1996, and the second in 2007. The two
new units are each expected to add 720
MW to the 1,310-MW facility. When com-
plete, the Cernavoda, owned by a con-
sortium of partnersGDF Suez, German
power giant RWE, Czech utility CEZ, and
Italys Enel with 9.15% each, plus Spains
Iberdrola and a local unit of steel giant
ArcelorMittal with 6.2% eachwill supply
40% of Romanias power needs.
Also in November, Slovakia inaugurated
construction of two new reactors at its ex-
isting Mochovce facility that would cover
22% of the nations power needs after com-
pletion in 2012 and 2013 (Figure 4). The
2.8 billion project continues work begun
in 1986. Slovak government officials said
the 880 MW of new capacity was neces-
sary after terms in the countrys accession
agreement with the EU forced the closure
of two 400-MW Soviet-built reactors.
Slovakia and Hungary were the two
most hard-hit countries when Russian
natural gas exporter Gazprom cut sup-
plies to Europe because of a row between
Moscow and Ukraine. The two countries
import more than 60% of their gas from
Russia, making up more than 40% of to-
tal energy consumption. In early January,
Slovakia declared a state of emergency,
and Prime Minister Robert Fico said that
if gas supplies were halted for a longer
time, the country would consider restart-
ing the 440-MW unit at its older nuclear
power plant, Jaslovske Bohunice, which it
had shut down at the end of 2008.
Poland, a country with no existing
nuclear power plants, is considering con-
struction of at least two. The government
has acknowledged it would in 2009 work
toward obtaining necessary financing.
The country will soon announce the first
plants probable location, which it has
said will depend on economic factors and
capacities of the Polish power grid. The
government confirmed in January that a
private consortium had been identified,
and that France had pledged its support in
the plants development.
Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia are also
studying building a new nuclear power
plant near Lithuanias existing Ignalina
nuclear plant, to be operational by 2018.
As an EU accession condition, Lithuania
had agreed to shut down Ignalinathe
last Soviet-era, Chernobyl-type reactor fa-
cility in the EUby January 2010. But be-
cause the plant provides about 70% of the
regions powerand despite the European
Commissions efforts to allocate billions of
euros and connect the region to Western
gridsthe Lithuanian government said it is
worried about its future electricity supply.
Meanwhile, Bulgarias state-owned elec-
tricity company sealed a deal with RWE in
December, granting the German company
a 49% stake in the Belene Nuclear Power
Plant project. The 2,000-MW two-reactor
plant will be built by Russian company At-
omstroyexport with AREVA and Siemens as
subcontractors. The project has suffered
several delays; construction was originally
expected to begin in mid-2009, with the
first reactor operational by 2014. Govern-
ment officials have said the project is criti-
cal to securing power supplies for Bulgaria
and the Balkans. Bulgaria was a primary
power supplier to the region until it was
forced to close down four of six reactors at
its only nuclear plant at Kozloduy in 2006
as a condition to joint the EU.
New Technologies
Could Improve
Solar Cell Efficiencies
Declining oil prices, supply issues, and
dwindling financing may have battered
solar energy in recent months, but the in-
dustry seems to have sparred well in the
research arena. An assortment of institu-
tions separately announced breakthroughs
in their quests to boost the efficiency of
solar cells. The technological advance-
ments ranged in approach, from the de-
velopment of an antireflective coating to
the formulation of more efficient solar cell
materials, but all point to promising pos-
sibilities for the industry.
Super-Absorbent
Antirefective Coating
In November, researchers at New Yorks
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute said they
had discovered and demonstrated a new
antireflective coating that boosts the
amount of sunlight captured by solar pan-
els by allowing the panel to absorb the en-
tire solar spectrum from nearly any angle.
The project, funded by the Department
of Energy and the U.S. Air Force, involved
stacking seven layers of antireflective
coatingeach with a height of 50 nano-
meters to 100 nanometersin such a way
that each layer enhances the antireflec-
tive properties of the layer below it (Fig-
ure 5). The seven layers were made up of
4. Slovak power. Slovakia inaugurated construction of two new reactors at its existing
Mochovce facility, shown here. The new reactors are expected to cover 22% of the nations
power needs after completion in 2012 and 2013. The new capacity is urgently needed after an
EU accession agreement forced closure of two Soviet-built reactors. The country hinted it would
restart one of those reactors this January, when it declared a state of emergency after Russias
Gazprom disabled natural gas supplies to Europe. Courtesy: Slovensk Electrrne
5. Antireflective coating. A new an-
tireflective coating developed by research-
ers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could
help to overcome two major hurdles blocking
the progress and wider use of solar power.
The nanoengineered coating, pictured here,
boosts the amount of sunlight captured by
solar panels and allows those panels to ab-
sorb the entire spectrum of sunlight from any
angle, regardless of the suns position in the
sky. Courtesy: Rensselaer/Shawn Lin
February 2009
|
GLOBAL MONITOR
silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide nano-
rods positioned at an oblique angle, and
the nanorods were attached to a silicon
substrate via chemical vapor disposition.
The additional layers also help to bend
the flow of sunlight to an angle that aug-
ments the coatings antireflective proper-
ties so that each layer not only transmits
sunlight, it also helps capture any light
that may have otherwise been reflected
from the layers below it.
According to results published in the
journal Optics Letters, the coating absorbed
96.21% of sunlight shone upon itcom-
pared to the 67.4% of sunlight absorbed
by an untreated silicon solar cell. The huge
gain in sunlight absorption was consistent
across the entire spectrum, from ultravio-
let to visible light and infrared.
The new coating also tackles the tricky
challenge of angles: If not optimally po-
sitioned, conventional solar panels absorb
considerably less light, which is why some
solar arrays are mechanized to move slow-
ly throughout the day. But, the antireflec-
tive coating demonstrated absorption of
96.21% of sunlight evenly and equally
from all angles, no matter the position of
the sun in the sky, the researchers said.
The coating is designed to be affixed to
nearly any photovoltaic materials for use
in solar cells, including III-V multi-junc-
tion and cadmium telluride.
Double-Sided Cell Coating
Shows Efficiency Boost
A team of physicists and engineers at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy (MIT) used a similar approach, but
they applied an antireflective coating to
the fronts and backs of ultrathin silicon
films to boost the cells output by as much
as 50%. The combination of multilayered
reflective coatings and a tightly spaced
array of linescalled a diffraction grat-
ingcaused the light to bounce around
longer inside the thin silicon layer, giving
it time to deposit its energy and produce
an electric current.
As well as boosting efficiency, the thin
films used in MITs technology present
significant potential savings because they
use only about 1% as much silicon as do
high-quality silicon crystal substrates that
make up conventional solar cells. An eval-
uation of the technologys business po-
tential also found significant benefits in
both manufacturing and electrical power
delivery, for applications ranging from re-
mote off-grid to dedicated clean power.
So how soon could we see commercial
deployment of the technology? That may
well depend on the economic health of
the solar industry. If the solar business
stays strong, implementation within the
next three years is possible, said Lionel
Kimerling, a professor in MITs materials
science and engineering department.
Enhancing Solar Cells
with Nanoscopic Particles
Researchers from the FOM Institute for
Atomic and Molecular Physics in the Neth-
erlands looking to convert a majority of
all incoming light into usable energy said
in December they had successfully em-
ployed the nanoparticle approach to make
gains in efficiency. Their technology uses
nanoscopic metal particles to create tiny
electrical disturbances called surface
plasmon. When light strikes the particle,
it makes the particle vibrate, causing the
incoming light to scatter and keeping more
of the light within the solar cell. The re-
searchers also found that varying the size
and material of the particles allowed for
improved light capture, including of colors
that otherwise perform poorly.
The results, published in the journal
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February 2009 16
GLOBAL MONITOR
Optics Express, showed that light capture for long-wavelength (red-
dish) light could be improved by a factor of more than 10. A team
at the University of New South Wales in Australia had previously
shown that overall light-gathering efficiency for solar cells using
metallic nanoparticles could be improved by 30%. I think we are
about three years from seeing plasmons in photovoltaic genera-
tion, said researcher Kylie Catchpole, who published the paper
with colleague Albert Polman. An important point about plas-
monic solar cells is that they are applicable to any kind of solar
cell. This includes the standard silicon or newer thin-film types.
Finding Better Materials for Solar Cells
In recent months, just as falling oil prices and a worldwide eco-
nomic slowdown have dulled solars gleam and made it less at-
tractive as a power source than coal and gas, hundreds of solar
technology factories have cropped up around the world. Mean-
while, the cost of silicon has dropped by half. Industry analysts
are forecasting that by 2010, as a result of the recent solar indus-
try buildup, the supply of silicon for solar panels will far exceed
demanddriving prices down even more.
Hurtling over the silicon cost factor had been a priority for
researchers looking to develop other materials that could be
used in solar cellsbut so was efficiency. Several advancements
have been made as a result, though it now remains to be seen
how commercially viable they will be. Researchers at Ohio State
University, for example, recently announced they had devised a
potential solar cell material that can capture the entire visible
spectrum of sunlight. The material, an electrically conductive
plastic combined with metals, such as molybdenum and titani-
um, has promising propertiesincluding the ability to generate
electrons that remain in an excited energy state for a relatively
long time. Meanwhile, a team at MIT is looking closely at cuprous
oxide, the reddish mineral used as a pigment and fungicide, for
its promising optical properties. The team is using defect engi-
neering methods to improve the minerals electrical properties. It
is also working with nine other compounds that it identified as
potential candidates for making solar cells.
Scientists are also looking to refine silicon production pro-
cesses. Another MIT team, for example, is trying to develop a
refining process to chemically or mechanically remove impuri-
ties in silicon-rich quartz ore before the melting processand
in doing so, eliminate steps in the costly purifying process. A
similar study, also at MIT, seeks to improve the efficiency of solar
cells made using multicrystalline silicon, rather than expensive
single-crystal wafers, such as those used for computer chips.
Multicrystalline materials contain defects within the grains called
dislocations, which tend to soak up a lot of the energy produced.
The MIT researchers have found that reheating the material to
a controlled temperature after it has initially cooled down in
the manufacturing process, a technique known as annealing,
reduces the energy-sapping dislocations more than a hundred-
foldbringing it to nearly the same crystal quality as the pure,
single-crystal form. MIT said that part of this research is already
well advanced and that the team is working with manufacturers
to bring it to market. Pilot runs are expected within a year, and
full-scale production soon thereafter.
An Energy-Generating Door
An energy-generating revolving door installed at Driebergen-
Zeist railway station in the Netherlands is the latest experiment
in eco-building. Dutch company Royal Boon Edam Group Hold-
ings designed the manual door to match the newly refurbished
stations sustainable technology theme, while keeping in mind
that the stationconverted into a multifunctional area featuring
restaurants and a tourist information and visitor centerholds
8,500 commuters at capacity.
The revolving door is equipped with a special generator (Figure
6) that is driven by human kinetic energy. The generator controls
the rotating speed of the door to make it safer. A set of super
capacitors stores the generated energy as a buffer and provides a
6. An efficient entrance. Dutch company Royal Boon Edam
Group Holdings installed an energy-generating revolving door at a new-
ly refurbished railway station in the Netherlands. The revolving door is
equipped with a special generator that is driven by human energy. A
set of super capacitors stores the generated energy as a buffer and
provides a consistent supply for the low-energy LED lights in the ceil-
ing. The ceiling of the revolving door offers a clear view of the technol-
ogy. Courtesy: Boon Edam Inc.
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Before constructing a 550-MW gas-red
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focused on the safety of our employees and completed more
than 1.5 million safe work hours while implementing the latest
turbine technology and modern design to increase efciency.
When the power plant was complete, the total cost was
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February 2009 18
GLOBAL MONITOR
consistent supply for the low-energy LED
lights in the ceiling.
The idea appears novel, but the amounts
of electricity potentially generated and
saved are smalllikely much less than
the savings of 4,600 kWh Boon Edam cal-
culated per year for the door when com-
pared to a conventional sliding entrance
door. The door does, however, offer users
the experience of feeling useful. It is out-
fitted with LED scales inside the door to
indicate the amount of energy generated.
When passing through the door at a slow
speed, the scale will light up in the red
or orange zone, whereas a normal or fast
pace pushes the scale into the green zone.
Another LED indicator at the control unit
shows when the illumination of the revolv-
ing door is powered by human energy, or
by the main supply. And the total amount
of energy generated from the revolving
door is shown on a large display inside the
building. The door even features Human
Powered Energy stickers; these are to
make users aware of their contribution to
this green building, Boon said.
Sri Lanka Commissions
Major Thermal Power Plant
The Sri Lankan government in December
commissioned the first phase of the 300-
MW Kerawalapitiya Thermal Power Plant,
the nations biggest combined-cycle power
plant project. The $300 million plant in the
western part of the country commenced
operations by generating 200 MW (Figure
7). In its second phase, it will expand to
300 MW. Per government estimates, power
produced by the plant is priced at about
20 rupees or $0.18/kWh.
Sri Lanka, which depends largely on
hydropower, green-lighted the project in
2005 after the Ceylon Electricity Board,
a governmental body, warned that power
demand for the nation of 20 million would
surge 8%, and at least 150 MW of new
capacity was critically needed by 2008.
The government awarded the plant con-
struction tender to Sri Lankan company
Lakdhanavi Ltd. According to available
information, despite ballooning costs, the
project was completed in just 10 months,
aided by about 75 local engineers working
around the clock.
Lakdhanavi expects that the second
phase of the project could be completed
by the end of this year and will further
reduce costs. According to its agreement
with Lakdhanavi, the Sri Lankan govern-
ment will own the plant after 20 years. The
government expects that after completion
of two projects currently under construc-
tionthe 300-MW coal-fired Norochcholai
power plant and the 150-MW Upper Kot-
male hydroelectric power stationSri
Lankas power generating capacity will
have exceeded 750 MW. Construction of
Norochcholai, the countrys first coal
power plant, is expected to be completed
by 2012, while the Upper Kotmale station
will begin operation sooner, by 2010.
A second coal power plant at Sampur,
Trincomalee, is also in the offing. In No-
vember, the countrys power and energy
ministry said the projects deal-making
hurdles had been cleared, and that the
joint venture between the CEB and the
National Thermal Power Corp. of India
could soon be under way. Each party will
have an equity stake of $75 million in the
projects. Both will borrow required funds.
The 500-MW plant is expected to take be-
tween three and four years to build, and
the government anticipates that the plant
will be expanded to 1,000 MW in the proj-
ects later phase.
POWER Digest
News items of interest to power industry
professionals.
Monticello Plant Sets Safety Record.
Employees at Luminants Monticello
Steam Electric Station in Titus County,
Texas, completed a 16-year safety streak
in December 2008, working nine million
worker-hoursnearly 6,000 consecutive
dayswithout a single lost-time injury.
The achievement is a record for Luminant
and its affiliates.
The plants safety run began in July
1992. Since then, Monticello has imple-
mented its Behavioral Base Safety Process
as a means to motivate and engage em-
ployees in safe operations, Luminant said.
Four times a year, the plants behavioral
safety team attends workshops designed to
enhance safety programs and shares best
practices with other industry leaders.
Monticello is an 1,880-MW, three-unit,
lignite-fired power plant. Unit 1 began
operation in 1974, Unit 2 became opera-
tional in 1975, and the last unit, Unit 3,
became operational in 1978. Monticello
had previously set a national record with
three million operational hours without
a lost-time accident in 1983. Later that
year, the plant also became the first coal
generation station to reach four million
hours without a lost-time injury.
The National Safety Council, the only
known organization to compile national safe-
ty records, no longer tracks safe work hours.
The last safe work-hour record was logged
in 2000, when Carolina Power & Light Co.
now Progress Energyworked 13,509,233
hours without a lost-time injury.
Monticellos streak wasnt the only safe-
work industry achievement celebrated last
year. In June 2008, workers at Detroit
Edisons 1,100-MW Fermi 2 nuclear power
plant in Newport, Mich., completed 10
million hours worked without a lost-time
injury. That safe-work period stretched
back to June 17, 2002. The 72-month
period was the best performance at Fermi
2, surpassing a 52-month stretch of 8.34
million hours from 1992 to 1996.
AREVA Submits Eagle Rock COL Appli-
cation to NRC. AREVA announced in De-
cember that its AREVA Enrichment Services
subsidiary submitted a license application
to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commis-
sion (NRC) for authorization to construct
and operate its Eagle Rock Enrichment Fa-
cility near Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The submission is a major milestone in
the development of AREVAs multi-billion
dollar enrichment facility. Eagle Rock will
enrich uranium for nuclear power plants
using a centrifuge process proven safe and
effective over the past three decades. This
process also uses a fraction of the energy
consumed by older technologies.
The company will continue to complete
detailed design work for the Eagle Rock
facility and work with the NRC as it re-
views the license application. If approved
by the authority, construction could begin
in 2011 at the Eagle Rock site 18 miles
west of Idaho Falls.
TransCanada to Aid Development of
Major Canadian CCS plant. TransCanada
Pipelines Ltd. has joined power generator
TransAlta Corp. in the development of Proj-
ect Pioneer, Canadas first fully integrated
carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant,
the companies announced in December.
When completed, Project Pioneer could
7. Island power. Sri Lanka, a country
that depends largely on hydropower to meet
surging demand, recently commissioned a
300-MW thermal power plant in Kerawalapiti-
ya, a region in the island nations west. The
Yugadanavi is the countrys first combined-
cycle power plant. The project was reportedly
completed in 10 months. Several new power
plants are also in the offing. Courtesy: Sri Lan-
ka Department of Government Information
February 2009
|
GLOBAL MONITOR
be one of the largest CCS facilities in the
world, and the first to have an integrated
underground storage system. The project
will pilot Alstom Canadas proprietary
chilled ammonia process and will be de-
signed to capture 1 megatonne (Mt) of
carbon dioxide (CO
2
) from an existing
TransAlta coal plant in the Wabamun area
west of Edmonton, Alberta. The CO
2
will be
used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and
will be injected into a permanent geologi-
cal storage site.
TransCanada will supply expertise in the
design and construction of pipeline infra-
structure to Project Pioneer. In addition to
TransCanada, TransAlta said it is seeking in-
dustry partners from the oil, natural gas, and
oil sands sectors who can provide expertise
and knowledge across the full spectrum of
process plant operations and reservoir knowl-
edge for underground storage and EOR.
TransAlta is submitting detailed funding
proposals to both the Alberta governments
CCS initiative and the federal governments
eco-Energy Technology Initiative. It hopes
to receive funding commitments during
2009. The company said that if it receives
funding from both entities, Project Pioneer
will begin in early 2010, with operations
commencing in 2012. Preliminary front-
end engineering and design work for the
project is under way.
New carbon capture technologies like
chilled ammonia show tremendous prom-
ise but are not commercially viable at this
time. Government and industry partner-
ships are a critical catalyst required to ac-
celerate their implementation, and provide
a sustainable competitive edge for Canada
and Canadian companies, said Steve Sny-
der, TransAltas CEO.
Nearly 100 projects worldwidemore than
80 of them in the U.S.are assessing vari-
ous aspects of CCS, according to a database
compiled by the American Coalition for Clean
Coal Electricity (ACCCE). But this figure could
be larger: The database (www.americaspower
.org/Media/Files/ACCCE-CCS-Database) re-
leased last December identifies only projects
engaged in government cost-sharing pro-
grams; it does not include proprietary projects
and technologies that would not otherwise
be announced until they are ready for pub-
lic demonstration. According to ACCCE, some
of the projects are actual commercial-scale
carbon dioxide storage projects. A few dem-
onstrate commercial use of available carbon
capture technologies. The majority represent
ongoing research into CCS techniques that
are required for broad commercial deploy-
ment in conjunctions with coal-based power
generation.
Vattenfall Joins the Oxycoal UK Col-
laboration. Swedish state company Vat-
tenfall announced participation in the
Oxycoal UK collaboration, a project to de-
velop a competitive oxyfuel technology for
the capture of carbon dioxide that is suit-
able for full-scale plant application. The
project involves burning coal in a mixture
of high-purity oxygen and recycled gas to
produce a gas rich in carbon dioxide that
can be purified and compressed for trans-
portation and storage.
The Oxycoal UK project is lead by tech-
nology supplier Doosan Babcock and run
by a group of industrial sponsors and uni-
versity partners. Besides extensive knowl-
edge and experience of CCS-technology,
Vattenfalls contribution to the project
will be about 330,000. The project will
be running until November 2009, with a
possible extension of two years.
In 2008, Vattenfalls opened its Oxyfuel
pilot plant in Schwarze Pumpe and present-
ed plans for new CCS demonstration plants
in Denmark and Germany. The company
said its primary goal is for CCS technology
to be commercially viable in 2020.
By Sonal Patel.
ht t p: //www. appl i edbol t i ng. com email: info@appliedbolting.com
1413 Rockingham Rd. Bellows Falls, VT 05101 USA
1 800 552 1999 1 802 460 3100
T E CHNOL OGY
applied
bolting
the best way to bolt!
TRAI NI NG FI ELD SUPPORT TECHNI CAL EXPERTI SE
Squirter DTI's
Constructability Starts Here

|
February 2009 20
FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M FOCUS ON O&M
FOCUS ON O&M
GRID RELIABILITY
FERC Focuses on Internal
Compliance Programs
. . . the most important [factor] in deter-
mining the amount of the penalty are the
seriousness of the offense and the strength
of the entitys commitment to compli-
ance.
FERCs Policy Statement on Compliance
By now, most electric industry partici-
pants are aware of the mandatory reli-
ability standards required by the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 and managed by the
North American Electric Reliability Corp.
(NERC). Bulk-power system users, owners,
and operators (known as NERC registered
entities) are responsible for complying
with the set of standards that are ap-
plicable to their operations in their spe-
cific region. Compliance is monitored by
the NERC regions (Texas Regional Entity,
Western Electric Coordinating Council,
Reliability First Corp., Midwest Reliabil-
ity Organization, SERC Reliability Corp.,
Florida Reliability Coordinating Council,
Northeast Power Coordinating Council,
and Southwest Power Pool) through spot
checks, self-certifications, audits, and in-
vestigations (Figure 1).
Compliance is proven by the registered
entities through valid and approved op-
erating procedures, evidence of follow-
ing those procedures, and documented
evidence of actions taken in response to
directives. However, having a full set of
up-to-date and approved operating pro-
cedures and meticulous records of compli-
ance activities is only part of the picture.
Changing Culture
Perhaps even more important in todays
reliability compliance structure is the na-
ture and scope of the registered entitys
internal compliance program. The Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),
the sanctioning body for violations of re-
quirements associated with the reliability
standards, has stated on numerous occa-
sions that it expects to see a culture of
compliance in place and in force for each
registered entity.
The aspects of such a culture for all
compliance activities have been delineat-
ed in both the FERC Policy Statement on
Enforcement, Docket No. PL06-1-000, and,
most recently, in the FERC Policy Statement
on Compliance issued on October 16, 2008,
Docket No. PL09-1-000 (www.ferc.gov/
whats-new/comm-meet/2008/101608/M-3
.pdf). Though internal compliance pro-
grams are not in themselves mandatory re-
quirements, their presence and quality are
clearly intended to weigh heavily in deter-
mining the magnitude of sanctions in the
event of a verified requirement violation.
Registered entities are well advised to
have such a program in place as evidence
of their commitment to grid reliability and
of their ongoing culture to manage and
optimize that commitment through a well-
organized and robust compliance program.
Paragraph 2 of the Policy Statement on
Compliance clarifies the importance FERC
places on such programs: Accordingly,
the purpose of this Policy Statement is to
provide additional guidance to the public
on compliance with our governing stat-
utes, regulations and orders. In response
to input from participants in the Com-
missions July 8, 2008, staff workshop on
compliance, and based on our experience
in implementing our new civil penalty au-
thority thus far, we discuss further some of
the factors related to effective compliance
that the Commission will take into account
in considering whether to reduce or even
to eliminate civil penalties for violations.
These factors are: (1) the role of senior
management in fostering compliance; (2)
effective preventive measures to ensure
compliance; (3) prompt detection, cessa-
tion, and reporting of violations; and (4)
remediation efforts.
Obviously, the nature of compliance
requires more than a cursory operator
training effort and drafting a set of pro-
cedures. Compliance is not something to
take care of and then move on; rather, it
is an integral part of day-to-day opera-
tions. Operators should be fully engaged
in the consequences of their actions rela-
tive to their applicable requirements, and
management will be held responsible for
ensuring that all aspects of compliance
activities, documentation, and training
are addressed, managed, updated, and in-
corporated into their business.
Some finer points of the internal com-
pliance program are also laid out in the
Policy Statement on Compliance, page 4:
Provide sufficient funding for the ad-
ministration of compliance programs
by the Compliance Officer
Promote compliance by identifying
measurable performance targets
Tie regulatory compliance to personnel
assessments and compensation, includ-
ing compensation of management
1. NERC knocking. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is expected to beef up
internal compliance inspections during 2009. Compliance inspections are carried out by the
North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) regional entities. Source: NERC
Notes: FRCC = Florida Reliability Coordinating Council, MRO = Midwest Reliability Organization,
NPCC = Northeast Power Coordinating Council, RFC = Reliability First Corp., SERC = SERC Reliability Corp.,
SPP = Southwest Power Pool, TRE = Texas Regional Entity, WECC = Western Electric Coordinating Council.
WECC
MRO
NPCC
RFC
SPP
TRE
SERC
FRCC
How can I improve
plant performance?
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a full spectrum of innovative, integrated solutions.

For your peace of mind, we have the right resources to deliver the best value and quality engineering
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Copyright 2009 AREVA NP Inc.
KEY QUESTION FOR THE FUTURE
Untitled-1 1 1/20/09 4:18:24 PM
|
February 2009 22
FOCUS ON O&M
Provide for disciplinary consequences
for infractions of Commission require-
ments
Provide frequent mandatory train-
ing programs, including relevant real
world examples and a list of prohibited
activities
Implement an internal Hotline through
which personnel may anonymously re-
port suspected compliance issues
Implement a comprehensive compliance
audit program, including the tracking
and review of any incidents of noncom-
pliance, with submission of the results
to senior management and the Board.
Path Forward
Although not all of these measures lend
themselves to all types and sizes of enti-
ties, they do provide useful guidance on
how an internal compliance program should
be structured. Management commitment to
such a structure is further emphasized in
paragraph 10: The Commission expects
companies to invest appropriate time and
effort in the creation, monitoring, and
growth of strong internal compliance pro-
grams. Depending on a companys size and
organizational structure, the nature and
complexity of the companys involvement
in activities subject to Commission regu-
lation, and the range of compliance risks
resulting from those activities, a compre-
hensive and effective compliance program
may be time and resource intensive.
In other words, not having the time or
money to invest in a robust compliance
program is not a wise defense for failing
to develop a culture of compliance.
FERCs report on enforcement activities
during fiscal year 2008 is available at www.
ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/2008-enforc
.pdf.
By Jim Stanton (jstanton@icfi.com),
POWER contributing editor and director of
NERC compliance for ICF International.
BOILER CODE
Preventing Boiler Code
Violations Creates a Safer
Work Environment
Nearly 10% of boilers and pressure vessels
inspected in the second quarter of 2008
were slapped with violations, which means
that the violations put workers and equip-
ment in danger, according to a quarterly
report released by the National Board of
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors.
The Report of Violation Findings in-
dicated problem areas and trends related
to boiler and pressure vessel operation,
installation, maintenance, and repair.
The highest percentage of violations was
detected in boiler controls, followed by
boiler piping and pressure-relieving de-
vices. A portion of the violations can be
attributed to lack of knowledge and train-
ing on Section 1 of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers (ASMEs) Inter-
national Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.
Properly functioning control or safety
devices are absolutely essential for any
boiler. The only way you can be confident
they will work when called upon to do so is
to regularly perform required maintenance
and testing while adhering to ASME code
requirements. Heres a quick reminder of
some of the key requirement updates.
Code Updates for Water Level
Indicators
ASME has specific minimum requirements
for direct (visual) and indirect (instru-
ment) water-level indicators, which must
be installed on every power boiler manu-
factured in accordance with the code
(Figure 2).
A gauge glass is the only form of direct
water level indicator found on steam boil-
ers. The various types are:
Tubular glass (for pressures up to 250
psig), which displays the water level
meniscus.
Prismatic (reflex) glass (for pressures
up to 350 psig), which displays black
color up to the water level and white
above the level.
Flat glass or transparent (for pressures
up to 2,000 psig), which displays a
clear color for both the water below
and steam above the meniscus line.
Ported glass gauges (for pressures up to
3,000 psig), which display green color
for water and red color for steam by us-
ing the principle of light refraction.
There are multiple code requirements for
gauge glasses to ensure the safety of boiler
operation and plant workers. For example,
the code states that all boilers operated up
to 400 psig must have at least one direct-
reading water gauge glass in service at all
times. This allows the operator to view the
actual water level with no interface mech-
anisms or sensors, which could distort the
display of actual water level.
The code also requires that tubular and
transparent gauge glasses with multiple
sections will overlap by a minimum of 1
inch to prevent the loss of visibility of
the actual water level. This is especially
relevant for flat glass gauges so the steam
and water level interface meniscus can al-
ways be seen.
New Code Change
A recent change to the code relates to
glass gauge design and construction.
Transverse or cross-web structural webs
that strengthen the body of a flat glass
(transparent) type gauge are now prohib-
ited from use in boiler applications. Mask-
ing shadows from the transverse members
makes it difficult to read the liquid level
along the length of the gauge glass, thus
necessitating the change in the code.
In addition to glass gauges, water lev-
els can also be checked using remote (in-
direct) indicators. These include:
Conductivity probe type
Differential pressure transmitters
Magnetic level indicators
Guided wave radar
Section 1 of the ASME code has specific
requirements that must be followed when
using these types of indicators.
Boilers operated at pressures greater
than 400 psig may have either two direct-
reading water gauge glasses in service or
two remote level indicators on continuous
display for the operator in combination
with one direct-reading gauge (which
may be valved off but kept in serviceable
condition).
The code does allow the use of a com-
puter remote terminal to provide an inde-
pendent indication of water level. Using
the continuous display helps when the wa-
2. Easy boiler water level moni-
toring. The DuraStar Flat gauge glass illu-
minatorapproved for use in Class 1, Div 1,
Group B, C, and D environmentsuses LEDs
for high-intensity imaging of the water line.
Courtesy: Clark-Reliance
February 2009
|
FOCUS ON O&M
ter level in at least one gauge glass is not
visible to the operator in the area where
control actions are initiated (Figure 3).
An additional type of indirect reading
instrument is a magnetic level indicator,
which is based on float technology with
magnetic coupling of the indicator. Sub-
section PG-12 in the 2008 edition of the
code restricts the use of a magnetic gauge
to 900 psig and does not allow the use
of a magnetic gauge for control purposes.
Therefore, the use of alarm or trip switch-
es on a magnetic gauge is prohibited.
Users of magnetic level gauges should
be aware of some issues that affect water
level reading compared to gauge glasses.
If the boiler in use has poor water qual-
ity, the potential exists for an excessive
amount of iron particles to attach to the
float, thereby causing an inaccurate level
reading.
A faulty level reading can also occur
when the magnetic gauge is not in sync
with the boilers actual operating condi-
tions. If the boiler is operating at a pres-
sure significantly lower than the intended
operating pressure, the magnetic gauge
reading will be higher than the actual
drum level. A failed float will result in a
false level indication.
Some users have unwittingly violated
the code by replacing water gauge glasses
with magnetic level gauges. They should
know that a direct-reading glass is still
required on every boiler, no matter how
many indirect water level indicators are
installed. The decision to eliminate all
direct-reading water gauge glasses is an
immediate code violation.
The code does permit the use of stain-
less steel and nickel-based alloy materi-
als for the construction of remote level
indicators and for use in magnetic level
gauge chambers and gauge glass bodies.
Ball check valves, when used with wa-
ter gauge glasses, have their own code
requirements. For instance, ball check
valves in upper and lower fittings must
open by gravity, and the ball in the low-
er check valve must rise vertically to its
seat. The ball seat in the upper fitting
must be a flat seat with either a square
or hexagonal opening, or arranged so the
steam passage can never be completely
closed by this valve.
Code Updates for Water Columns
There are certain code requirements for wa-
ter columns that are not required on power
boilers by ASME regulations but that, when
specified, must be designed and manufac-
tured to comply with the code.
A water column is used on a steam
boiler to reduce the turbulence and fluc-
tuation of the water level so the gauge
glass can provide a steady, accurate water
level reading. Water columns are made
from either cast iron (maximum 250 psig)
or fabricated steel (maximum 3,000 psig).
Stainless steel is prohibited for the con-
struction of water columns.
Water level indication devices in water
columns include float alarm type, elec-
trode (conductivity probe) alarm type, or
no alarm. The latter is to be used for the
sole purpose of supporting one or two wa-
ter gauge glasses.
According to the National Board, a wa-
ter column, if used, must be connected to
the boiler using a cross or equivalent pipe
fitting at each right-angle connection to
allow visual inspection and cleaning of
the connecting pipes. Sludge or sediment
of any kind in the water column or con-
necting pipes can cause false water level
indications (Figure 4).
3. Indirect readings. Remote boiler drum water level instrumentation, such as this Elec-
tro Eye-Hey system, is designed to give operators an all-inclusive view of multiple water level
probes. Courtesy: Clark-Reliance
4. Old reliable. The flat glass water
gauge remains the mainstay of boiler drum
water level measurement. Courtesy: Clark-
Reliance
|
February 2009 24
FOCUS ON O&M
The ASME code requires a 1-inch mini-
mum connection size from the boiler to
the water column and a -inch minimum
connection size from the boiler to a re-
mote level indicator. Gauge glasses that
are required by code may be connected
directly to the shell or drum of the boiler
or to an intervening water column. When
two gauge glasses are required, both may
be connected to a single water column.
Section 1 of the code has standards for
the highest and lowest permissible water
level in water column connections. The
lower edge of the steam connection be-
tween a water column and level indicator
device shall not be below the highest vis-
ible water level in the gauge glass.
Conversely, the upper edge of the water
connection between a water column and
level indicator device shall not be above
the lowest visible water level in the gauge
glass. These parameters are established to
prevent any accidental overheating of the
boiler, leading to unwanted downtime and
possible worker injury.
Water columns are considered to be a
standard pressure part, as defined in the
ASME boiler code; therefore, a code stamp
for manufacturing is not required. Code-
recognized materials and applicable weld-
ing procedures are a must. Since 1991,
the use of gauge cocks (also called try
cocks) have not been required.
There are certain codes that apply to
condensate removal from heat-recovery
steam generators. Drain pots, which de-
tect and remove unvaporized spray water,
will include automatic detection of water
and automatic operation of the drain pot
valves using a sensor device that triggers
operation of the drain valve.
Other Common Code Violations
Some steam boiler operators have unin-
tentionally violated the code as a result
of lack of oversight and failing to follow
proper maintenance procedures, as out-
lined by the original equipment manufac-
turer. Other violations include:
Isolated and inoperable water gauges.
Missing water gauges.
Missing illumination from ported gauges.
Inadequate display of remote level
indicators in control room, combined
with isolated gauges.
Contaminated water gauges preventing
proper level reading.
Multiple-section flat glass gauges with-
out overlap.
Poor maintenance practices that lessen
the service life of the instruments.
To achieve optimum safety for boiler
operation and plant personnel, any in-
dividual responsible for the selection,
specification, and replacement of level in-
strumentation must understand the appli-
cable code requirements. It is always wise
for managers to consult with the plants
insurance carrier to verify if they require
additional instrumentation beyond the
code minimum requirements.
Contributed by James W. Kolbus, a
product manager for Clark-Reliance Corp.
PUMPS
Converting a Pump to Use
Mechanical Seals
Wear and leakage are common mainte-
nance problems that result in pump dis-
charge pressure dropping below optimum
levels and reduced pump efficiency. Con-
verting pumps to mechanical seals elimi-
nates fretting or grooving of the shaft and
provides for easier pump maintenance. By
converting to mechanical seals, a plant
also avoids incurring expenses associ-
ated with the replacement of sleeves and
shafts.
Preparing large circulating pumps for
this conversion can be challenging be-
cause of the size of the pumps or space
restrictions. Sometimes its impossible
due to the extent of repairs that may be
required beforehand if the pipe has severe
corrosion. Fortunately, field service crews
are finding they can overcome these chal-
lenges by making repairs on site using
portable machining tools developed for
precision, power, and their ability to work
in restricted spaces.
Portable machine tools are proving to
be valuable assets in the drive to reduce
plant downtime and streamline the repair
process, which was the case recently at a
coal-fired generation facility in northeast
Oklahoma.
Circulating pumps at the coal-fired fa-
cility were to be converted to mechanical
seals from traditional packing to prevent
wear on pump shafts and better control
leakage (Figure 5). Over time, traditional
packing caused wear on the pump shaft
because there was contact while the shaft
was rotating. The packing then required
frequent maintenanceeither adjustment
and/or frequent replacementso the
pump could achieve maximum efficiency
without reduction in head. Converting the
pumps to mechanical seals was expected
to extend mean time between pump main-
tenance schedules and provide for more
trouble-free maintenance.
Inspection Reveals Corrosion and
Misalignment
The plant manager called Nick Hughes,
vice president of field services for J-S Ma-
chine & Valve, to handle the conversion
project. During inspection, Hughes found
the pump casings were severely corrod-
ed around the stuffing box faces, which
would be used as a gasket surface for the
mechanical seal. The stuffing box face had
to be realigned and machined to provide a
5. OK pump needs work. A power plant located in Oklahoma decided that upgrad-
ing its circulating water pumps to mechanical seals would be less expensive than replacing
sleeves and shafts. Courtesy: Climax Portable Machine Tools
February 2009
|
FOCUS ON O&M
flat true surface for the gasket before the
new mechanical seals could be installed.
The size of the pumpmore than 11 feet
deepposed another challenge.
In order to prepare the plants pumps
for new mechanical seals, Hughes needed
to machine the pump casing and keep
the gasket surfaces perpendicular to the
pump shaft/bore within 0.0004 inch.
Hughes concluded that the only way to
successfully complete this repair would
be to machine the pumps in place. He de-
termined he needed a tool long enough
to reach from one end of the pump to the
other and rigid enough to ensure a preci-
sion cut.
The Right Tool for the Job
Lathes are often used to turn and ma-
chine new parts for pumps; however, be-
cause of the amount of work required and
the pumps depth, for this project Hughes
opted to use a BB5000 portable boring
machine manufactured by Climax Por-
table Machine Tools. The boring machine
included a six-foot bar, but for this par-
ticular project, he rented one of Climaxs
longer boring bars and a heavy-duty fac-
ing attachment.
The BB5000 does line and blind bor-
ing in cramped places where other tools
wont fit and generates more torque than
comparable tools Hughes has used. Its
specially designed inside-diameter (ID)
bearing mount brackets have a wide
mounting range, and the ability to eas-
ily install and adjust the mount from the
open face portion of a bore simplifies
centering the mounts in the bores (Fig-
ure 6). In addition, the heavy-duty facing
head attachment has a high removal rate
to handle large-diameter facing jobs and
can achieve a flatness of 0.003 inch over
20 inches. To expedite delivery, Climax
shipped the tools to him overnight.
Machining Pumps in Place
To position the 12-foot bar from one end
of the pump to the other, a J-S machin-
ist had to get inside the pump to set up
the ID bearings. With the top half of the
pump casing off, the bar was set in the
bore with ID bearings. After the top was
put back on, mounts were made to put
the adjustable bearing on the outboard
ends of the pump, allowing the bar to be
adjusted and the drive and feed hooked
up. The bar was set up and aligned with
a dial indicator so that it was perpen-
dicular to the shaft and parallel with
the installed bearings. The surface was
then cut with a facing attachmentone
on each side of the pump. This set-up
avoided misalignment of the mechanical
seal.
Typically, converting pumps to me-
chanical seals can take up to 80 hours,
but because Hughes was able to conduct
the repair on site, the project was com-
pleted within 25 hours, saving a substan-
tial amount of time and labor (Figure 7).
As the demand for power grows, plant
managers are being driven to find more
efficient and cost-effective methods for
streamlining repair and maintenance pro-
cesses in order to reduce plant downtime.
As this project demonstrates, on-site repair
using precision portable machine tools of-
fers significant advantages and enables
plants to get back online faster.
Contributed by Andy Becker, vice presi-
dent of Business Development and Market-
ing at Climax Portable Machine Tools.
6. Close tolerances. The pump casing gasket surfaces needed to be machined in-place
within 0.0004 inch normal to the pump shaft bore. Courtesy: Climax Portable Machine Tools
7. Time is money. The repair was completed in under 25 man-hours, far fewer than the
typical 80 man-hours, because the repair was completed on site. Courtesy: Climax Portable
Machine Tools
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todays turbulent economy.
ELECTRIC POWER is a wise investment that
will pay off all year long.
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|
February 2008 28
LEGAL & REGULATORY
Steven F. Greenwald Jeffrey P. Gray
A
confluence of circumstances promised to make 2008 a
transformative year for renewable energy in the U.S.
States enacted additional, and more demanding, renew-
able portfolio standards, promoting accelerated and sustained
development of green energy resources. Increasing concerns
about global warming and climate change prompted some of this
activity. However, the unprecedented escalation of oil prices to
almost $150 a barrel (translating into prices at the pump in ex-
cess of $4) was the largest impetus for demands that this nation
end its addiction to fossil fuels.
The concluding months of 2008 were marked by even greater
volatility in oil prices: a decline of over $100 a barrel, to lows
not experienced in half a decade and not expected ever to be
seen again. This drop in oil prices provides obvious economic
benefits; the greater danger is that we allow this transitory price
relief to again divert us from the national imperative to reduce
our dependence on oil.
The current circumstances are very reminiscent of the latter
decades of the last century. The emergence of OPEC and con-
tinued Middle East tensions in the 1960s and 1970s resulted
in the price of oil climbing from historic levels of under $5 a
barrel to then-unbelievable heights approaching $40 a barrel.
The era of gas stations offering a free six-pack of Coke as an
inducement to fill up with 29 cent a gallon gasoline would be
no more.
The Moral Equivalent of War
Within a few months after his inauguration, President Jimmy
Carter explained the severity and consequences of the energy
crisis to the American people: With the exception of prevent-
ing war, [the energy crisis] is the greatest challenge our coun-
try will face during our lifetimes. . . . By acting now, we can
control our future instead of letting the future control us. . . .
Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a na-
tion. . . . Our decision about energy will test the character of
the American people. . . . This difficult effort will be the moral
equivalent of war.
Congress responded by enacting the Public Utility Regulatory
Policies Act to spur development of nonfossil fuel generation
resources and thereby reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It
also enacted the Natural Gas Policy Act, which removed price
controls on natural gas. State legislators and regulatory commis-
sions initiated similar programs designed to promote alternative
energy development, energy conservation, and demand response
programs.
Short-Term Success/Long-Term Failure
From many perspectives these Carter-era initiatives proved suc-
cessful. Their legacy includes the first commercial-size applica-
tions of wind, solar, and biomass technologies. At the beginning
of the 1980s, conventional wisdom assumed that oil prices
would exceed $100 a barrel by the end of the decade. Oil prices
did not breach that barrier until 2008 and remained in the teens
throughout periods during the 1990s.
Ironically, the initial success of these initiatives resulted
in their failure over the longer term. Increased confidence in
the adequacy of natural gas resources, greater efficiencies in
combined-cycle generation, and low natural gas prices made
natural gas the preferred choice for new power generation. The
decline of oil prices ushered in a new generation of gas-guz-
zling SUVs.
State regulators and utilities became more enamored with
competition, deregulation, and the promise of lower prices
today than with committing the funds and resources neces-
sary for advancing renewable power and infrastructure devel-
opment. This mind-set was epitomized by the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 1995. At the behest of the
California electric utilities, FERC invalidated a competitive so-
licitation that yielded offers of 20-year contracts for new wind
and solar projects. The price (less than 7 cents/kWh) was op-
posed for being higher than for natural gas projects and was
demeaned for subjecting the utility purchasers to stranded
investment.
Those Who Can Not Learn from History . . .
History teaches that oil is anything but a one-dimensional
economic commodity. Its price movements reflect more than
just changing balances of supply and demand. An early and
repeated lesson has been that oil prices fluctuate dramatically
with global geopolitical events. The lesson of this decade has
been that oil is subject to wild and unpredictable price gyra-
tions for the same vagaries, uncertainties, and perhaps ma-
nipulations associated with derivatives and other financial
instruments.
The biggest lesson for the U.S. must be that we can not again
be seduced by seemingly low fossil fuel prices. We must not
again postpone to some future, more convenient time the pur-
suit of renewable resources and transmission facilities on the
basis that fossil fuel resources are less expensive. The long-
term economic, political, and environmental costs of fossil fuels
demand that the nations commitment to green energy not be
discarded as outdated political campaign rhetoric.
We must seize this reduction in oil prices as an opportunity,
and not again foolishly persuade ourselves that $2 gallon prices
can be the long-term solution. President Carters energy admoni-
tions are truer today than when they were spoken over a quarter
century ago: It is a problem we will not solve in the next few
years, and it is likely to get progressively worse through the rest
of this century. We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to
have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.
Steven F. Greenwald (stevegreenwald@dwt.com) leads
Davis Wright Tremaines Energy Practice Group.
Jeffrey P. Gray (jeffgray@dwt.com) is a partner in the firms
Energy Practice Group.
OilUnsafe
at Any Price
|
February 2009 30
PLANT COMPUTING
ISA POWID: Where Power
Computing Professionals Meet
Which new and emerging technologies will be essential to your power
plants success? Our special cover story series gives you a glimpse
into the future of advanced distributed controls, wireless applications,
and automation technologies.
By Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
A
dvanced instrumentation and controls
have become the nerves and synapses
that make efficient and reliable power
generation possible. Not so many years ago,
boiler and turbine operation were more a
function of operator skill and dexterity, as
just about every plant function, from steam
temperature to turbine speed, required manu-
al control. Today, the speed of safety control
loops and equipment operation processes
have far surpassed the capabilities of a con-
trol room full of journeyman operators. From
today forward, power plant control will be
all about synergy between a technician and
advanced hardware and software that make
intelligent operating decisions possible in a
competitive business environment.
The future of power plant operation will
be about squeezing the last drop of per-
formance from existing power generating
assets. The first step in that process is intel-
ligently analyzing the overwhelming mass
of operating data that can be collected and
stored. Advanced technology tools are in
development that possess very human-like
heuristic algorithms that can sift through
mountains of data and piece together the
bits to create useful information that may
give a generating company a competitive
edge in the power market.
Future success will depend not on ac-
cumulating more data but on designing
processes that can extract knowledge from
this information for human analysis and
decision-making. In essence, were looking
at a continuum of collecting data, develop-
ing information from that data, extracting
knowledge from the information, and then
developing the wisdom necessary to operate
a plant, a system of plants, or a complete
enterprise in the most economical way.
Thought leaders may disagree about
where we sit along this continuum, but the
consensus seems to be that our industry is
already very good at collecting data ad infi-
nitum but is much less capable of manipulat-
ing it and making an intelligent assessment
of it. Few plants have advanced IT tools at
their disposal to make independent decisions
to optimize processes at even the plant level.
Wisdom will only come to those who fully in-
tegrate their business processes and produce
actionable business intelligence beyond an
enterprise-wide optimization of their power
generating assets, fuel supplies, transmission
and distribution assets, and so on.
Our challenge as an industry today is to
continue to develop and implement the right
technology tools that will push us a little
further along this data-information-knowl-
edge-wisdom continuum.
To that end, we have worked with several
industry leaders, through our long-time part-
nership with ISA POWID, to develop this is-
sues cover story section on the state of the
art and the future of power plant computing.
The articles included explore how technol-
ogy advancement remains the key enabler of
our evolutionary push toward enterprise-wide
asset management. I hope you enjoy this spe-
cial section as much as we enjoyed working
with ISA POWID and the authors.
The International Society of Automation (ISA) Power Industry
Division (POWID) is an organization of those with an interest
in the development and application of instrumentation and con-
trols in the power generation industry. Through POWID, origi-
nally formed in 1957, professionals share advancements in these
fields with their colleagues around the globe. The ISA POWID
currently has a global membership of approximately 2,400 mem-
bers and was given the ISAs Outstanding Division Award for
2008, besting 16 other divisions.
POWID joined with EPRI in 1991 to sponsor what is now
known as the POWID/EPRI Controls and Instrumentation Con-
ference. This year will usher in another partnership. The 52nd
Annual POWID Symposium and the 19th Annual ISA POWID/EPRI
Controls and Instrumentation Conference (www.isa.org/~powid/
powid_2009_%20main.htm) will be colocated with the ELECTRIC
POWER Conference & Exhibition (www.electricpowerexpo.com) at
the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in the Chicago suburb
of Rosemont, Ill., from May 12 to 14. POWER is the official pub-
lication of both conferences.
By colocating these two major industry conferences, attendees
will be able to leverage limited travel budgets and double the
educational benefit of a single trip.
ISA POWID Joins ELECTRIC POWER in 2009
Keep in touch. ISA POWID has developed a technical program
for its 2009 conference to help members stay connected with their
peers and learn about the latest power generation instrumentation
and controls advances. The conference will be colocated with the
ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition in May. Source: TVA
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February 2009 32
PLANT COMPUTING
Distributed Control
Technology: From Progress
to Possibilities
The past decade has seen an explosion of technology that has significantly
altered the process control industry. The adoption of commercially avail-
able technology driven by desktop computing has allowed suppliers to
focus on applications to enhance the process and deliver ever-greater
value to the user.
By Robert Yeager, Emerson Power & Water Solutions
T
en years ago at the 1998 ISA Power
Industry Division symposium, several
papers were presented that reviewed
then-state-of-the-art developments in dis-
tributed control systems (DCS) technology.
Those developments included the emerg-
ing trend to incorporate greater amounts of
commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technol-
ogy into what had traditionally been highly
proprietary, vendor-specific architectures.
Specifically, those COTS components found
in the desktop computing industry included
personal computers (PCs) for DCS control-
lers and workstations, as well as commer-
cially available networking technology such
as Ethernet and fiber distributed data inter-
face (FDDI).
New Designs Emerge
Although the DCS platform is sure to con-
tinue evolving to track the desktop comput-
ing industry, the significant developments
will be in the ability to apply more-sophisti-
cated applications that take advantage of the
ever-increasing speed, power, and flexibility
those platforms will provide.
We also have seen the emergence of con-
trol system technology that widely incor-
porates elements of conventional desktop
computing technology. From operator work-
stations to process controllers, networks, and
various operating system elements, the pro-
cess control industry has embraced standard
desktop computing and adapted its technolo-
gies to the unique needs of industrial control
applications. DCS technologies will continue
to expand in capability through the incorpo-
ration of open system technologies.
The first move in this trend began in the
early 1990s with the gradual incorporation of
UNIX workstations and, to a lesser degree,
PCs for human-machine interface (HMI)
functions. Though some were initially leery
of applying these COTS technologies in mis-
sion-critical control applications, the apps
gradually gained acceptance (Figure 1).
Through the 1990s, as computing power,
speed, and reliability in both UNIX and PC
technology increased at geometric rates, us-
ers increasingly embraced COTS desktop
devices for HMI functions instead of pro-
prietary vendor-specific HMIs. Whereas a
decade ago the UNIX workstation was the
most common choice, primarily due to the
perception that it had a more robust operat-
ing system, today the vast majority of users
are opting for the more familiar Windows
PC for HMI applications.
Also in the 1990s, the rapid growth in
desktop computers microprocessor power
and speed led to the next logical evolution in
control technology. Control system suppliers
adopted these developments and moved away
from highly proprietary unique controllers
and architectures. They began incorporating
controllers utilizing PC architecture, albeit an
architecture adapted to the redundancy, fail-
safe operation, and environmental hardness
demands of industrial control applications.
Although they are not strictly using COTS
boards for controllers, DCS providers do use
standard commercially available components
and architecturesbut on custom-designed
boards to meet the demands of the industrial
control environment. Since they were first in-
troduced in the late 1990s, these PC-based
controllers have been able to seamlessly track
the more than tenfold increase in processor
speed, offering system designers and users
significantly more options than in the past.
The DCS network, or data highway, is
the third area where commercially available
technology has forever changed the process
control industry. A decade ago, DCS data
highways were highly proprietary architec-
tures designed to facilitate communications
only between DCS components from one
1. Pushing the limits. The processor speeds of human-machine interfaces have in-
creased by a factor of 425, and memory has increased by more than a factor of 1,000, over
the past 20 years. Source: Emerson Power & Water Solutions
1988 2008
Intel RMX and proprietary operating system (OS)
8-MHz Intel 8086 processor
1 MB (RAM + Prom), 500 kb disk drive
Dual monitor capability
One main screen, one subscreen
Proprietary hardware design
MS Windows or Solaris OS
3.4 GHz Pentium D or 1.34 GHz Ultra Sparc IIIi
2 GB memory, 160 GB disk drives
Quad monitor capability
Multiple alarm, trend and graphic screens
Dell/SUN standard hardware
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A;8ikhob]^k8maZm8Z\mnZeer8[nbe]l8ihp^k8ieZgml8Kb^f^gl8aZl8ma^8\kbmb\Ze8^qi^kmbl^8g^^]^]8mh88
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February 2009 34
PLANT COMPUTING
specific vendor. There were no standard
architectures; some highways were com-
pletely vendor-designed, while others were
loosely based on standards, but those stan-
dards were unique to their particular system.
Communications outside the highway were
difficult and required custom data links to
be developed, often at great expense.
Again from the desktop computer indus-
try, two de facto communications standards
arose: FDDI and Fast Ethernet. Both oper-
ated at 100 Mbps10 to 50 times faster than
the proprietary DCS networks of the day.
And though neither offered the deterministic
features that most DCS networks provided,
their speed and overall high level of reliabil-
ity made them more than adequate for indus-
trial control applications (Figure 2). They
also had the benefit of more easily opening
the system and making interconnection with
third-party devices and corporate informa-
tion networks far more practical than with a
proprietary DCS network architecture. Over
the past decade, the Fast Ethernet architec-
ture has gained market dominance and has
been joined by an even larger, Gigabit Eth-
ernet standard that has great applicability in
multiple network DCS architectures.
Many Possibilities
Todays DCS technology not only performs
its primary regulatory control function as
well as or more reliably than its proprietary
predecessor, but by incorporating commer-
cially available technology, it also enables
far greater flexibility.
An example of this flexibility is in simu-
lation. In the past, if a user wanted a simula-
tor as a training tool for operators, the only
option was to acquire controllers and work-
stations identical to those employed in his
system. Over time, with hardware upgrades
or system expansions, the only way to keep
the simulation realistic was to invest in du-
plicate hardware for the simulator. With
the adoption of PC architecture for DCS
controllers, it is now possible to create a
virtual simulator, where the actual DCS ap-
plication software can reside on a desktop
PC and one PC can emulate up to 20 DCS
controllers. This makes the simulator easier
and less expensive to maintain, resulting in
a far more flexible and valuable asset.
Along with that inherent flexibility of
the modern DCS platform is the vastly
increased computing power of current
computer technology that offers a host of
enhancements that have altered the nature
and expectations of plant operations. Tra-
ditional functions such as process trend-
ing, alarming, logging, and historical data
collection have become not only easier to
accomplish but also easier to share beyond
the control room, making the DCS an inte-
gral part of the corporate IT infrastructure.
With enhanced data collection, manage-
ment, and analysis capabilities inherent in a
more-powerful platform, opportunities for
process improvement within a unit, a plant,
and even a fleet become easier to identify
and to implement (Figure 3).
Smart Computing
The DCS platform is not alone in capital-
izing on the advancements driven by the
desktop computing industry. Over the past
decade, low-cost, yet powerful, microchips
have become fully integrated components in
field devices such as transmitters and actua-
tors. Among other features, these smart
devices can measure and report more than
one variable from the process while also
providing that data at much higher reso-
lution than is possible with conventional
field devices. In addition, they constantly
perform self-diagnostics and report on their
health, alerting operators to emerging prob-
lems before they affect the process.
These smart devices can exist on conven-
tional 4-20 mA twisted pair, or on a fieldbus
network that allows multiple devices to re-
side on a single digital communication bus,
2. Much-improved performance. The processing speed of logic controllers has
increased by a factor of 50 since 1988. Source: Emerson Power & Water Solutions
16,000 points per system
2-megabit highway
8 MHz Intel 8086 processor
1 megabyte memory (Prom + RAM)
Local and remote I/O (Q-line)
32,000 points per controller
100-megabit highway
400 MHz Intel Celeron processor
64 MB RAM, 128 MB compact ash
Local and remote and third-party I/O
1988 2008
1988 2008 1998
2-megabit highway
8 MHz Intel 8086 processor
3.2M points using multi-networking
Gigabit highway
400 MHz Celeron processor
100-megabit highway
66 MHz Pentium processors
3. More zeros over time. The evolution of the DCS. Source: Emerson Power & Water Solutions
February 2009
|
PLANT COMPUTING
as opposed to the older home-run concept of
one device, one wire. Fieldbus architecture
enables significant savings in wiring costs
for new plants or new control areas over the
high cost of traditional device wiring.
Smart devices can also be wireless. In
the past several years, wireless field devices
have proven themselves in a number of ap-
plications, where they enable the gathering
of direct process measurements from remote
locations without the expense of wiring.
A similar revolution is taking place in
diagnostics technology, which was once
reserved for major capital equipment. To-
day, the cost of diagnostic and monitoring
devices such as heat or vibration monitors
has decreased significantly, making it cost-
effective to install them to closely monitor
the performance and health of critical plant
equipment and to identify negative trends
before they affect operations.
The additional wealth of data from field
sensors, actuators, and diagnostic equipment
leads to another significant development:
plantwide asset management systems as an
integral component of the DCS architecture.
This plantwide asset management concept
goes beyond the traditional DCS status alarm
concept and allows for detailed and coordi-
nated analysis of plant assets and operations
permitting proactive, not just reactive, re-
sponse to plant conditions (Figure 4).
Another trend that has emerged in the
past decade that will grow in importance
with the availability of a rich stream of data
is intelligent process optimization. Utilizing
advanced mathematical techniques such as
fuzzy logic, these smart applications seek
to continuously track actual plant operating
conditions, learn as they accumulate experi-
ence, and then adjust process setpoints to op-
timize production based on a defined goal.
Such advanced techniques have already
been successfully employed in a number of
areas, such as NO
x
optimization, where they
help utilities balance emissions against lim-
its or credits available. Currently, even more
advanced mathematical models are being
applied that take optimization even further,
including models that mimic biological re-
sponses, such as immune system response.
Along with all the benefits and increased
capability of open-system technologies come
increased demands for managing those sys-
tems. Most significant among those demands
is the requirement for increased attention to
system security. Although the North American
Electric Reliability Corp. Critical Infrastruc-
ture Protection standards provide a framework
for system security efforts, is vital that users
and suppliers work together in implementing
security programs that prevent both intentional
and unintentional threats to system integrity.
Robert Yeager
(robert.yeager@emerson.com) is presi-
dent of the Power & Water Solutions divi
sion of Emerson Process Management.
4. Emerging trends. DCS technol-
ogy will continue to evolve in response to
technology advances such as integrated
simulation, high-performance digital bus
architecture, wireless applications, cyber-
security concerns, and more-capable and ro-
bust software applications. Source: Emerson
Power & Water Solutions
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February 2009 36
PLANT COMPUTING
Optimize Your Plant Using
the Latest Distributed
Control System Technology
Distributed control systems are powerful assets for new and modernized pow-
er plants. Thanks to three product generations of technology innovations,
these systems now provide new benefitsincluding improved O&M effi-
ciency, greater plant design flexibility, and improved process control and
asset reliabilitythat help competitive plants advance in the game.
By Ralph Porfilio, ABB Power Generation
W
ith nearly 30 years of evolution
and three fundamental technology
generationssince their initial
introduction into power plant applications,
distributed control systems (DCS) have im-
proved considerably. Though specific release
dates vary among vendors, the first genera-
tion of DCS appeared during the 1980s, the
second generation during the 1990s, and
third generation in the mid-2000s.
With each major system release, many
new DCS capabilities and features have
been added, resulting in new benefits for
plant designers and owners.
First Generation: The Early DCS
The introduction of microprocessor-based
plant control occurred shortly before 1980
with simple single-loop controllers. This
technology quickly evolved into a DCS with
control processor redundancy, high-density
input/output (I/O) systems, and a human
machine interface (HMI).
Perhaps the most significant feature of the
early DCS was the ability to geographically
distribute control system processors and I/O
components, thus influencing power plant
designs by greatly reducing the amount of
field wiring needed between control equip-
ment and field instruments.
As the first-generation DCS evolved,
advances in technology enabled PC-based
engineering tools as well as function block
programming, which greatly simplified the
construction and flexibility of controller-
based application code. As controller speed
and memory increased, control system en-
gineers quickly realized that control logic
strategies truly would only be limited by the
engineers imagination.
When compared to previous technolo-
giesplant computers and electrical ana-
log control systemsthe first-generation
DCS stands out as a tremendous leap in
technology for its time.
Second Generation:
The Open System DCS
One limiting factor of first-generation
systems is that they were designed to use
proprietary communication technologies.
Consequently, connections to third-party
systems were typically limited to custom-
developed interfaces. This changed during
the 1990s, and the DCS became recognized
as the optimal vehicle for integrating pro-
cess data from the various automation plat-
forms used within a typical plant.
The open system DCS provided standard
communication interfaces for connecting the
various automation subsystems. Supporting
integrated plant operations for all automated
plant equipment, the DCS provided a cen-
tralized and common single window view
of plant data for control, logical interlock,
alarm, and history. Enterprise management
solutions, also enabled by the open system,
provided new opportunities for fleet man-
agement centers to improve operations by
remotely monitoring plant processes, ana-
lyzing unit efficiencies, and supporting co-
ordination between operating units.
Additionally, the use of commercial off-
the-shelf technology emerged during this
period as standard Ethernet networking com-
ponents and Microsoft Windows-based sys-
tems were applied at the DCS HMI layer.
As demand for more open systems grew
along with strong interest in integrating field-
bus technology and making full use of an
integrated operations and engineering environ-
mentthe third-generation DCS emerged.
Third Generation:
The Extended Automation DCS
Todays power generators are faced with
intense pressure to improve production re-
liability and bottom line profitability. As a
result, current business goals focus on in-
creasing operational efficiency and overall
equipment effectiveness (OEE). In support
of OEEa tool used to identify production
loss and asset availabilitythird-generation
DCS employ powerful object-oriented de-
sign technology to enable efficiency im-
provements within daily operations and
maintenance (O&M) activities.
Additionally, advanced process optimi-
zation technology is added to support im-
provements in process efficiencies such as
power plant heat rate. Asset optimization is
available to improve production reliability
through improved process stability as well
as through asset monitoring for predictive
maintenance. Control system technology
also now integrates several fieldbus pro-
tocols, thus enabling more flexible plant
designs as well as improved data for main-
tenance. An example of a third-generation
DCS is ABBs Industrial IT System 800xA.
Aspect System Technology. Embedded
within the 800xA DCS systems platform
core is a new object-oriented technology
called an aspect system. Aspect system
technology provides an enterprise-wide data
management tool within the DCS operators
console. It allows plant O&M information
to be directly linked to DCS graphical ob-
jects. This means users with secure access
to the DCS screens (such as plant operators,
maintenance personnel, and managers) can
get personalized views of important plant
information. Providing the right informa-
tion to the right person at the right time for
informed decision-making saves time and
thereby improves operational efficiency.
Aspect links, which are simple, menu-
driven links to O&M information, can be
launched via mouse click from DCS graphi-
|
February 2009 38
PLANT COMPUTING
cal objects, alarm points, or a controller con-
figuration drawing (Figure 1). Aspect links of
interest to plant operators may include alarm
decision system information, operational help
screens, live video feeds, start-up instruc-
tions, and trends. Links of interest to instru-
mentation and control personnel may include
detailed troubleshooting information such
as plant piping and instrumentation draw-
ings, equipment O&M manuals, application
guides, and smart device management tools.
Links used by maintenance management may
include work orders, fault reports, or spare
part inventories.
Permissions can be configured to manage
individual views into the aspect links, thereby
ensuring that system users can only view infor-
mation relative to their specific job function.
Process Optimization and Asset Opti-
mization. To support the goal of increased
plant process efficiency, advanced control
can be added to the DCS using model pre-
dictive controller (MPC) technology. The
MPC approach provides a multi-variable
algorithm that runs at a much higher fre-
quency than earlier optimization techniques
(typically, cycle times are measured in sec-
onds, rather than minutes). The result is an
accurate process model that can be added to
base system controls to produce less vari-
ability and smoother transitions. Less vari-
ability typically enables processes to operate
closer to equipment design limits, therefore
enabling significant improvements in steam
temperature, ramp rate, heat rate, situations
with complex coordinated control, and re-
duced emissions.
Asset optimization, now available within
most third-generation DCS designs, facili-
tates increased OEE and avoids unplanned
shutdowns, thereby increasing plant avail-
ability. Asset optimization can also extend
the life of plant assets by using advanced
predictive maintenance techniques. For plant
assets, a logical analysis function called the
asset monitor provides 24/7 supervision
of the plant device or process. Assets that
can be monitored include DCS components,
communication networks, smart instru-
mentation, process control loops, pumps
and drives. Power plant processes such as
feedwater heaters, water quality, and heat
exchangers can also be monitored. Asset
monitor options can be scaled to include any
number of assets, from plant to fleet
By applying object-oriented technology,
asset optimization is seamlessly integrated
with commercially available computerized
maintenance management systems (CMMS).
From the DCS process graphics, plant main-
tenance staff can get an asset management
view of the plant to access work orders, spare
part inventories, and maintenance activities.
They can also rely upon the DCS to identify
problems and automatically generate a fault
report for automated download back into the
CMMS.
Expanded Connectivity for Process
Control. Third-generation DCS control-
lers and I/O hardware occupy much smaller
footprint than earlier systems. DIN rail com-
ponents operate using 24VDC and can be
routed via redundant fiber optic networks.
This makes for a more scalable solution, as it
is much easier and economical to physically
distribute clusters of remote I/O throughout
the plant. DCS controller technology has also
evolved to support SIL 2 and 3 standards for
safety as well as the traditional National Fire
Protection Association 85 requirements ap-
plied to many utility applications.
Integrated fieldbus is a significant third-
generation DCS enhancement. In particular,
bussed communication reduces field wiring,
and provides beneficial data for asset man-
agement. Because the technology allows
mixing bus protocol connections within a
common controller, it gives plant designers
great flexibility for plant layout and final
control element device selection. Todays
control systems support the integration of
many protocols, including Profibus, Founda-
tion Fieldbus, Device Net, and IEC 61850.
IEC 61850 is a recent development that is
used for electrical system integration into the
plant DCS. With capabilities of integrating
intelligent electrical devices (IED) for control
and asset monitoring and device management,
the IEC 61850 standard is emerging with con-
nectivity options for protection relays, drives,
medium- and high-voltage switchgear, and
other equipment. Also, specifically for power
plant applications, DCS controllers can inte-
With todays open DCS systems, care
needs to be taken to include security mea-
sures that can be easily integrated into
a particular plant owners overall security
strategy.
Critical infrastructure protection (CIP)
regulations developed by the North Amer-
ican Reliability Corp. and sanctioned by
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
have spawned many DCS and SCADA se-
curity-related organizations, committees,
and discussion groups. The subject of DCS
security poses new challenges for plant
owners as well as DCS vendors.
From the plant owner perspective, secu-
rity procedures need to be documented and
adopted by system users, especially those
in O&M. Procedures need to be enforced,
maintained, and updated whenever chang-
es are required. For tracking system chang-
es, the latest DCS provides a new audit trail
feature. Modern DCS systems are capable of
supporting secure configuration at many
levels (including domain, network, operat-
ing system, engineering tools, user access
to stations, individual control screens, as-
pect links, faceplates, and tuning).
As plant owners tailor security procedures
to support plant-specific and fleetwide
goals, the third-generation DCS system will
remain adaptable to support a wide range
of customer-specific strategies.
DCS Security and the Open System
1. Linked up. Improving the efficiency of plant operations and maintenance, the 800xA
distributed control system (DCS) provides aspect link technology for navigating to important
plant information from DCS client screens. Source: ABB
Process
tuning
Alarm
decision
Instruct
manual
Video
Calibration
P&I diagram
Electrical
Maintenance
DCS client
February 2009
|
PLANT COMPUTING
grate field-bussed specialty cards for turbine
control (overspeed, auto synch, and valve po-
sition), vibration condition monitoring, and
flame scanners.
Finally, thought theyre not classified as
fieldbus protocols, the highway-addressable
remote transducer (HART) and Modbus over
Ethernet have also been more tightly inte-
grated into the third-generation DCS con-
troller level (Figure 2).
Engineering Tool Enhancements. The
DCS software interface employs object-
oriented technology to provide user-defin-
able library objects. This approach allows
complete control strategiessuch as motor-
operated valve control, faceplate, graphic
element, and aspect linksto be packaged
into a single library object that is available as
an element within the project library.
As an object is used repeatedly through-
out a project, it maintains its reference in-
heritance to the original library object. This
allows for a consistent design approach for
all similar plant devices and also simplifies
maintenance of control configurations when
code modifications are required. Control
programming methods are available to sup-
port function blocks from previous first- and
second-generation DCS systems as well as
IEC version function blocks, ladder logic,
instruction list, structured text, and sequen-
tial flow charts.
Improved Power Plant Simulators.
When used for operator training, simulator
systems typically provide a substantial op-
portunity to improve plant operational ef-
ficiency and expertise. Simulators can also
serve as testing grounds for verifying DCS
logic changes. In earlier DCS generations,
power plant simulators offered controller
hardware-based stimulated or PC emu-
lated simulators. The latest DCS simulator
technology provides a virtual controller
PC-based environment for running the origi-
nal equipment manufacturer (OEM) version
of the controller configuration.
The virtual controller is easier to maintain
than the previous-generations hardware-
based stimulated simulators. Furthermore,
when combined with the OEM HMI and
actual operator process graphics, the virtual
controller approach provides the most realis-
tic simulation system environment and can
be easily coupled to a range of low- to high-
fidelity simulation process models.
Future Enhancements
DCS system capacities and controller per-
formance will continue to improve, there-
fore enabling even higher I/O quantities
per controller from both hardwired and
integrated fieldbus paths. Continued and
more widespread use of DCS electrical
system integration using the IEC 61850,
Profibus, and Profinet industry standards
is expected.
Regarding the physical layer of field-
bus technologies, one would expect that
all standard protocols will evolve toward
a redundant high-availability Ethernet for
fieldbus trunk networks. This would allow
a common industrial Ethernet field network
to be run to all areas utilizing fieldbus in-
struments and electrical gear and would
eliminate the need for multiple media
types when various bus protocols are used.
The need for less-protocol-specific ca-
bling would result in a more cost-effective
plantwide wiring scheme.
Also anticipate increased use of wireless
technology for instrumentation using stan-
dard protocols and perhaps mesh networks
for the integration of communication devic-
es within the DCS for control as well as for
asset optimization.
For the foreseeable future, DCS applica-
tion software will continue to provide new
strategies and features in support of plant
goals to improve operations, process produc-
tion, and reliability. The addition of informa-
tion systems that enhance the retention of staff
expertise (a necessity in plants with an aging
workforce) will result in operational improve-
ments and support efficient plant operations.
We also anticipate the increased deploy-
ment of asset management with process-relat-
ed asset-monitoring objects that are specific
to power plants. Computerized maintenance
management strategies within plants will
also improve reliability.
As business demands may pressure pow-
er plants for production increases, there also
may be new motivations to apply advanced
optimizing control applications. For exam-
ple, as more electrons entering the electrical
grid are produced by sometimes less-pred-
icable sources, such as wind and solar en-
ergy, new operational requirements may be
imposed upon existing generating units.
Situations such as this can drive future plant
adaptations that may benefit from optimized
control or advanced control combined with
electro-mechanical modifications to support
variable-load optimization.
Ralph Porfilio (ralph.porfilio@us.abb
.com) is the director of technology and
applications engineering with ABBs
Power Generation North America Division
(www.abb.com), an ABB Inc. company.
Operator network
Operator
clients
Extended operator workstation
Data
historian
Remote stations
Engineering
workstation
Servers
Third-party
systems
Wireless
Control network
Turbine valve position Turbine position
Integrated safety
NFPA
SIL 2,3
Flame
scanners
Instrumentation
Positioner
valves Drives
Turbine
autosynchronization
Vibration
condition monitoring
Substation
HV SWGR
LV/MV
drives and MCCs
Local control panel Wired I/O
LV/MV
switchgear Transformer
Turbine control
Boiler and balance of plant control
2. Extended automation DCS. Third-generation distributed control systems offer
many options for connecting plant process instruments and devices using fieldbus, Ethernet,
and wireless technologies, as well as through traditional hardwired I/O systems. Source: ABB
|
February 2009 40
PLANT COMPUTING
Power Plant Automation:
Where We Are
and Where Were Headed
Over the past decade, power plant control systems have evolved from DCS-
centered platforms with proprietary software, to open systems using in-
dustry standard hardware and software, and then to totally integrated
plant automation systems with almost unlimited connectivity and the
ability to interrogate field instruments from many different manufactur-
ers. Whats next?
By Roger A. Leimbach, Metso Automation USA Inc.
T
odays power plant control room is
evolving into an almost office-like
setting, typically quiet and with few
staff. Gone are the large boiler-turbine gen-
erator (BTG) boards and vertical panels
populated with indicators and strip chart
recorders. Also gone are the numerous
manual/auto control stations that allowed
plant operators to individually access final
control elements.
New technology has significantly changed
the purpose of the control room. No longer
a place where operators control, it is now
just one of several portals for an integrated
team of experts with the common objective
of maximizing the value of the plants assets
(Figure 1).
Over the past 10 years automation plat-
forms have progressed from primarily pro-
prietary hardware and software designs to
systems that maximize the use of industry
standard hardware and software. The Micro-
soft invasion has eclipsed most distributed
control system (DCS) platforms. In addition,
the hardware, including controllers and I/O
modules, has gotten smaller while its com-
puting power has increased geometrically.
Automation systems are also fast becom-
ing commodities, yet generating companies
(gencos) have not relaxed their requirements
for a rugged design that includes compo-
nents and modules that meet high standards
for reliability. The typical power plant au-
tomation system is populated with rugged
I/O modules that meet strict standards for
isolation, surge-withstand capability, and
environmental specifications. Remote termi-
nations external to the I/O modules are still
prevalent in many power plant installations
and will surely be with us in the future.
Off-the-shelf hardware solutions have re-
sulted in lower prices for hardware such as
I/O modules and even controllers. Studies
have shown that the value of hardware in-
cluded in system shipments continues to fall
while the value of software applications con-
tinues to rise. However, just because the tech-
nology is available doesnt necessarily mean
the technology is appropriate at any price.
At the same time, several different com-
puter bus architectures have evolved, and no
single one is more accepted than the others:
Fast Switched Ethernet, Foundation Field-
bus, Profibus, ASI, DeviceNet, and others
have all found wide acceptance by vendors
and users alike. However, most automation
system suppliers distinguish themselves with
applications and services that are specific to
an industry. The ability to supply products
and services that enhance operationsin-
creasing availability, increasing efficiency,
and controlling emissionsis a major re-
quirement of the power industry today, and
its importance will grow in the future.
Beyond cheap computing and advanced
software applications, an automation system
must be designed to optimize the econom-
ics of plant assets. Deregulation has required
greater awareness of optimizing operations.
1. Control rooms are evolving. Gone are the large boiler-turbine generator boards, the walls of instruments, and strip chart recorders.
Decisions are made by a team of experts, most of whom will not be on site. Todays automation systems include portals that allow people from all
over the world to access information in real time. Courtesy: Metso Automation USA Inc.
February 2009
|
PLANT COMPUTING
Maximizing availability, efficiency, and
safety are crucial roles of an automation
system. Furthermore, monitoring, reporting,
and controlling emissions have been elevat-
ed, in some cases to the highest corporate
level, largely because of regulatory scrutiny.
In sum, the current operational environment
is far more sophisticated than at any time be-
fore, yet weve just barely scratched the sur-
face of automation system capabilities.
History of User Interfaces
The first direct digital control (DDC) sys-
tems of the 1970s offered graphical interfac-
es that mimicked conventional BTG boards.
Displays were ineffective because only part
of the process was visible at any one time.
Displays could be swapped around, but only
a small number of variables could be shown
on the low-resolution monitors that were
available. This problem was called the key-
hole effect: Operators were only able to
view a very small number of plant variables
at any time and were never able to get the
complete feel of a plant.
In the 1980s the first DCS offered larger
displays that took operator tasks into consid-
eration. Historical information and trending
illustrated process dynamics. Higher-resolu-
tion screens and windowing allowed more
variables to be included on displays.
By the mid-1990s, supporting knowledge
and operator guidance messages were in-
cluded in most control systems. Their imple-
mentation and updating has been integrated
into the process control system and its en-
gineering tools. Typically, an operator now
points at a process object to retrieve associ-
ated design knowledge and guides. This sup-
port provides basic knowledge and help but
does not make decisions for the operator.
Intelligent expert systems promoted in
the 1980ssuch as neural networks, fuzzy
logic, and other knowledge-based systems
have been used to optimize specific func-
tions, such as emissions, unit heat rate, and
boiler fireside cleaning. But they have not,
for the most part, been used to support op-
erator decision-making.
From Control to Supervision
Today, the operations team appears to be de-
tached from controls processes, which puts
more pressure on automation systems to not
just control but also provide timely informa-
tion to all parties concerned with plant op-
erationoperations, maintenance, owners,
and other specialists who can be called on to
provide advice. Technology can enable per-
sonal interaction with an expert in a remote
location who has real-time access to infor-
mation from a process plant.
In the future, control systems will no lon-
ger control the processthey will supervise
it! Plant functions such as operation, main-
tenance, and management will be tightly
integrated across all plant functional areas,
and data will be ubiquitous. The system will
embrace the latest information and commu-
nication technologies (ICT), and multiple
communication channels (some traditional
and some personal, such as instant messag-
ing) will be incorporated. Flexible, switch-
able interfaces will be at the heart of the
systems. Additionally, the operator interface
will evolve into a human computer interface
that allows collaboration among all the in-
terested parties, on- and off-site. This func-
tionality, coupled with asset performance
solutions, will allow all parties to participate
in the operation and optimization of a plant.
This development is already taking a step
forward. New network-enabled cooperative
groups, whose information is gathered from
peoples private computer activities, are now
available to the plant at a moments notice. A
virtual network of experts is going to be built
around production activities and will be sup-
ported by future automation systems.
Computer-Supported
Cooperative Work
Significant contributions to process control
systems in the area of knowledge manage-
ment and collaboration within organizations
has come from research in the field of com-
puter-supported cooperative work (CSCW)
and information systems. This research has
suggested that the key issue is to design sys-
tems with explicit concern for the socially
organized work practices of their users.
CSCW suggested in the 1990s that the
retention of data and events should be facili-
tated by storing information in computerized
files. It was suggested that information tech-
nology should support organizational mem-
ory by making knowledge easily retrievable
in real time and by providing easy access to
individuals with the appropriate knowledge.
The familiar plant data historians and elec-
tronic diaries grew out of this research.
Recent ICT has enabled another new op-
erating concept: collaboration management.
Collaboration management facilitates the
networking a team of on- and off-site spe-
cialists who all can see the same information
available to plant operators in real time or via
retrieval of historical information to enable
the best decision-making.
The next step in the evolution of ICT is to
associate these communications with context,
increased efficiency, and additional intelli-
gence. Such system-based tools must auto-
matically integrate important process variables
and their historical trends with relevant activ-
ity, both human and process-oriented (events
and alarms), and then enhance that data with
information from diary entries. The end result
is extracting knowledge from disparate infor-
mation sources and, ultimately, enhancing the
value of plant assets (Figure 2).
Business view
Product operation
Process level
Sub-process level
Device level
Integration and messaging
Collaborative O&M
solution
Maintenance operation
M
o
n
i
t
o
r
i
n
g

a
n
d

t
r
i
g
g
e
r
i
n
g
I
n
t
e
g
r
a
t
i
o
n

a
n
d

m
e
s
s
a
g
i
n
g Cost
analysis
Work order
planning
Inventory
management
Maintenance
action
Analyzing
and
reporting
2. Consolidated data view. System portals allow experts located anywhere to view
operating and financial data deep inside an organization to promote better decision-making,
faster response, and increased management awareness. Advanced asset management soft-
ware packages combined with fieldbus technology allow computer systems to monitor the
process and plant equipment like never before. Source: Metso Automation USA Inc.
|
February 2009 42
PLANT COMPUTING
Control Anything from Anywhere
Automation systems are in a transforma-
tional stage. They are now network en-
abled and fast becoming communications
channels that provide real-time information
to those who provide input to the decision-
making process.
Networked functionality is essential now
that utilities and other gencos are faced with
a new operational environment that requires
them to constantly reconsider the generating
assets needed to match demand based on ex-
ternalities such as environmental constraints,
water supplies, and, perhaps in the near future,
the cost of carbon emissions.
Large power plants are typically super-
vised and controlled by production and main-
tenance staff that uses the process control
system as a tool to automate process func-
tions and gather and present information to be
used by short- and long-term staff decision-
makers (Figure 3). The exchange of ideas, ac-
cess to expertise, and unrestrained exchange
of information is indispensable. Under these
conditions it is preferable that an organization
behaving as a community be engaged to solve
short-term problems and to develop evolving
procedures for optimizing performance. Thus
the role of the control system is to automate,
inform, network, and store data.
In the future, gencos will reach beyond
their internal centers of excellence to gather
expertise from outside their organizations
to optimize operations through automa-
tion system portals. Teams of experts will
be preassembled as a community that
shares common goals. Each member may
have different expertise and will be called
upon to render advice at any time and from
anywhere.
Supporting Applications
to Optimize Assets
At the heart of the automation system are
tools and advanced applications to allow
gencos, their experts around the world, and
automation suppliers to access informa-
tion and real-time data from a portal to the
automation system, and hence to the en-
Portal
Automation
supplier
center of
excellence
Service
provider
Service
provider
Internet
Plant LAN
Corporate business systems
Asset
information
integration
Product optimization
Availability optimization
Environmental optimization
Multi-state monitoring
Performance index
P
r
o
c
e
s
s

s
t
a
t
e
D
i
r
t

i
n
d
e
x
Pump
Flow
P
Electric current
Online monitoring
with operation point compensation
Detection of
performance changes
Alerting rules Automatic messaging
Distribution of
alerts and triggers
Maintenance
management
system
Messages,
e-mails
Messages,
e-mails
Enterprise
partners
Partners
systems
Site
hub
3. Stay in touch. Wireless engineering stations can access information from the system
about field devices, receive information from other sources, and permit technicians to make
configuration changes on the fly. Courtesy: Metso Automation USA Inc.
4. Cutting-edge access. Automation systems must facilitate predictive and condition-
based collaborative maintenance management at the plant. Connectivity is provided to other
corporate business systems, and information security must be guaranteed. Source: Metso
Automation USA Inc.
5. Future colleagues. Data and information will be transmitted to the automation suppliers center of excellence and to the owners
experts around the world. Enhancing the rate of return on plant assets requires expertise beyond the confines of the plant. Source: Metso
Automation USA Inc.
February 2009
|
PLANT COMPUTING
tire corporate business system (Figure 4).
Thus, a community of experts all with the
same objectives can collaborate. Addition-
ally, performance-enhancing products and
services can be provided through the portal
to increase efficiency and minimize down-
time. Clearly, bullet-proof tools for infor-
mation security, notification management,
messaging, and application integration are
required.
Automation systems must include tools
to enable remote proactive maintenance, to
monitor and collect data from a systems
network and send notifications to the appro-
priate center of excellence, where it can be
analyzed. Information from any plant device
such as pumps, fans, valves, transmitters,
electric motors, heat exchangers, boilers and
turbine must be collected in real time. Also,
quality and cost data are all available for
scrutiny by experts anywhere in the world
(Figure 5). A good example of how this tech-
nology can benefit an individual plant was
provided in Entergys Big Catch in the Oc-
tober 2008 issue of POWER.
The automation system then becomes a
platform that runs or interfaces with many
different application programs obtained from
the community. It becomes less and less a
control system and more and more a recipi-
ent of supervisory optimization and control.
Automation companies can in some cases
become suppliers of basic control systems,
or platforms, for application experts located
within the genco or for other consultants
within the community. This means that au-
tomation system platforms need to be, just
like Linux, an open system for all to use,
improve, and integrate (see sidebar).
In the future, automation systems will
integrate and access products and services
focused on maximizing production and
availability. The computers may be at a
power plant, but the expertise and software
will inevitably be located elsewhere. All will
be available through portals to the outside
world to reduce operating costs by optimiz-
ing all the plants processes as a whole rather
than piecemeal. The system will avoid unit
trips through the use of condition-based
monitoring and collaborative networks of
experts, and it will provide for wide access
to experts who can provide input on designs
and operation.
In short, automation systems of the future
will further improve plant reliability by le-
veraging communities of expertise with ad-
vanced, open information technology tools
and hardware.
Roger Leimbach (roger.leimbach
@metso.com) is director of sales and
marketing for Metso Automation USA Inc.
The community model facilitated by the
Internet is now being adopted by various
industries. Perhaps the best example of an
Internet community success story is that
of the Linux operating system.
Linux is an operating system that was
initially created as a hobby by a young
student, Linus Torvalds, at the Univer-
sity of Helsinki in Finland. He began his
work in 1991. Torvalds worked steadily
until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Li-
nux Kernel was released. The kernel, at
the heart of all Linux systems, is devel-
oped and released under the GNU Gen-
eral Public License, and its source code
is freely available to everyone. There are
now literally hundreds of companies and
organizations and an equal number of
individuals who have released their own
versions of operating systems based on
the Linux kernel.
When the computing community em-
braced Linux as its own, it became a
world-class operating system, developed
by a community of people sharing infor-
mation. As with the World Wide Web (ex-
cepting firewalled or secured sites), all
data are available to all users, regardless
of their location or time of day.
Similarly, with the latest automation
systems, power plant staff can access
their community whenever they want
and discuss problems within forums that
contain records of all events. Results are
achieved through people interacting and
collaborating. New ideas are sent to all
parties in the community.
Well-functioning communities in a
power generation environment bring peo-
pleincluding operators, maintenance
staff, management, and engineering
consultantstogether to work toward the
same results: targeted quality, maximum
production, minimum environmental im-
pact, and minimum costs.
Some gencos have established centers
of excellence that support multiple plants
around the world. Their expertise is avail-
able through the communication channels
established in their automation system.
How Do Communities Work?
x Security Strategies
x Vulnerability Assessments
x Mitigation Strategies
x Monitoring, Oversight
x Project Management
x Design, Implementation
x Configuration Management

PROTECT YOUR
ASSETS

YOUR PARTNER
FOR
CYBER
SECURITY
COMPLIANCE
|
February 2009 44
PLANT COMPUTING
Enhancing
Plant Asset Management
with Wireless Retrofits
Wireless technology is a mostly untapped resource in the power generation
industry that can have a significant impact on the way business is done.
It enables a greater degree of connectivity among devices for enhanced
monitoring and asset utilization and has led to the development of new
applications that improve productivity, uptime, and overall business per-
formance.
By Paul Sereiko, AirSprite Industrial Wireless LLC
I
ndustrial automation is one segment of
the global economy that, to date, has
failed to take advantage of wireless tech-
nology. Major industries such as oil and gas,
chemical, power, and water and wastewater
treatment continue to operate their plants
mostly with older, hard-wired control sys-
tems. A typical process facility will have
well over 1,000 measurement points, none
of which currently uses wireless technology,
and many additional points that go unmea-
sured because of the cost of running wires
to each one. This overview focuses on the
need for standards-compliant, wireless, sen-
sor-based technology in these industries for
enhanced plant asset management and the
benefits that will result.
Most, if not all, industrial plants use
networks to link devices and instruments
to their control and management systems.
Although these systems are complex, the
majority work with simple analog informa-
tion, such as temperature, pressure, level,
and flow readings. Though they are effec-
tive, these control and management systems
could add significant value if they were able
to access data that would allow them to do
much more than receive process measure-
ments from a device or send commands such
as on/off and open/close, or respond to
setpoints that essentially tell the plant how
to operate.
Many of the devices and instruments in a
plant actually collect and maintain intelligent
digital data about their own performance, in-
dividual processes, or the overall operation
of a plant. That data can be extremely valu-
able. For example, it can help managers pre-
dict when a problem might occur that would
force a plant shutdown. Unfortunately, most
of this data is trapped in devices. There is
no easy way for plant operators to access the
treasure trove of data and put it to good use.
One plant application area that could ben-
efit from using wireless technology to take
advantage of previously trapped highway ad-
dressable remote transducer (HART) data is
plant asset management (PAM). The use of
PAM systems is considered a best practice
for asset performance management. PAM
applications facilitate improved performance
and increase the availability and reliability
of plant assets by maintaining contact with
all aspects of the plant, ranging from pro-
cess, mechanical, and electrical equipment to
field devices, analyzers, and networks. The
PAM systems role is to monitor asset health,
predict potential problems and failures, and
make the most of maintenance and opera-
tions decisions. PAM is about optimizing the
performance, availability, and reliability of
specific plant assets, which for the purpose
of this article would be machinery, produc-
tion, and automation.
PAM as a practice involves:
Monitoring asset health. In many cases,
this ideally involves real-time sensing to
detect potential problem conditions, but
frequently sensing actually occurs week-
ly, monthly, quarterly, or even yearly.
Assessing asset health data to predict po-
tential problems.
Deciding on the optimal course of action
for handling specific problems.
Acting to prevent and resolve problems,
such as issuing a work order to fix an
instrument.
PAM application functionality usually
includes:
Plant start-up and commissioning
management.
Calibration and compliance management.
Monitoring of smart field devices.
Analysis of field data, such as for vibra-
tion patterns or valve signatures.
Integration with enterprise asset man-
agement and computerized maintenance
management systems.
The popularity of PAM systems is driv-
en by several factors, including a rapidly
growing number of plant assets, smaller
field staffs, and an increasing rate of retire-
ment for the aging baby boomer workforce.
There are now more loops for a technician
to maintain and less expertise per technician.
PAM systems are a major supplement to the
workforce and enable assets to be managed
effectively. Given these drivers, process
manufacturing companies are realizing that
maintaining competitive returns on plant as-
sets takes more than just manual workforce
efforts.
PAM systems go well beyond improving
maintenance, according to the ARC Advi-
sory Group, which is a consulting firm that
specializes in helping utilities deal with pow-
er operations management and technology
strategies. ARC estimates that by employ-
ing PAM systems, the number of unplanned
plant breakdowns could be reduced by nearly
45%, while production downtime could be
cut by slightly more than 20%. In addition,
plant managers could reduce their spare parts
inventory costs by 25% and product defects
by about 10%. On top of this, ARC estimates
asset performance could be improved by al-
most 40%, while workforce efficiency would
increase about 20% and plant availability
would improve by about 15%.
Another use of wireless access to a HART
instrument is remote field device manage-
ment. For instance, plant maintenance staff
ntroducing the E3 Modulevel, our fourth generation
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L I Q U I D L E V E L M E A S U R E M E N T
E
3
M
O
D
U
L
E
V
E
L
Ever notice how some technologies shrink as they get smarter?
I
SIL 2
SFF 92.3%
|
February 2009 46
PLANT COMPUTING
can cut time and effort by remotely adjusting
configuration parameters, such as damping
of upper and lower range settings, through
their wireless PAM system. There is no need
to physically locate instruments or do hand-
written reports.
Using Wireless Technology to
Retrofit Instrumentation
The power generation industry is one that
has continued to operate plants mostly with
older, hard-wired control systems. Own-
ers have opted to upgrade plants rather than
build new ones. In an environment where
new construction isnt an economical option,
they have been retrofitting aging equipment.
One new industrial technology that they
should be considering for retrofit projects
wireless sensor networkingis emerging as
a tool at the field device level to economical-
ly upgrade a plant for improved operational
productivity.
Every plant has a list of measurement
points to be added to the control scheme
when budget and time allow. Using wireless
technology to retrofit existing hard-wired in-
struments with smart wireless instruments,
while adding wish list measurement points
as wireless sensors, allows plants to mini-
mize downtime and production interruptions
without the expense of implementing an
entirely new wireless implementation. How-
ever, unless new instrument measurement
points are being added, the wiring for the
old instruments is typically already in place,
which may make it difficult to justify the
premium for an entirely new wireless field
device and networking infrastructure. The
specific configuration and data monitoring
needs of your plant will determine the actual
cost of moving from a wired to a wireless
infrastructure.
For years, plants have been replacing
older 4-20 mA field instrumentation with
intelligent HART instrumentation. Intel-
ligent devices, such as HART instruments,
collect and maintain valuable digital data
about their own performance, commission-
ing, condition, calibration, and production
processes. Ready access to this data can help
managers predict when a problem might oc-
cur that would force a plant shutdown. How-
ever, with older control systems, because of
the expense of adding HART modems to
the systems, the diagnostic and digital capa-
bilities of HART instruments were never en-
abled for continuous access (Figure 1). Such
HART instruments were essentially used as
4-20 mA analog field instruments.
To address this problem, the wireless in-
dustry (see sidebar) has been developing
standards. Emerging wireless standards
such as the recently released WirelessHART
and the soon-to-be-released International
Society of Automation (ISA) 100.11a stan-
dardssupport the design of wireless adapt-
ers that can be retrofitted onto existing 4-20
mA loops. That enables the extracting of
digital performance data and wireless trans-
mission of this information to plant applica-
tions, such as a PAM system or process data
historian. Such information, in turn, drives
operational improvements.
An adapter can connect anywhere on a
4-20 mA loop to immediately retrofit existing
HART devices for wireless transmission of
intelligent data to critical plant and enterprise
applications. By retrofitting wireless infrastruc-
ture onto existing HART devices, that data can
bypass legacy control systems (Figure 2).
Beyond PAM, wireless retrofits of intel-
ligent instruments can be valuable to control
room operations. For example, digital pro-
cess values can provide operators with an
alternative to their analog 4-20 mA signals,
especially when the analog signal has prob-
lems. These wireless retrofits can also pro-
vide completely new measurement points; if
field power is available, any 4-20 mA wired
instrument in combination with a wireless
adapter can readily add a new measurement
that is valuable for making advanced control
decisions.
It is estimated that as many as 85% of the
25 million HART devices in use today cannot
1. HART trouble. In the past, all too often power plants failed to take advantage of the
capability of highway-addressable remote transducer (HART) technology to provide continuous
access to important digital data. Courtesy: ISA
HART Communication Foundation (www
.hartcomm2.org)
ARC Advisory Group (http://arcweb
.com)
VDC Research Group Inc. (www
.vdcresearch.com)
ISA100 (www.isa.org/isa100)
Wireless Automation
Web Sites
Existing HART devices
Ethernet
HART data
Intelligent
HART data
4-20 mA signal
Analog only I/O Process-
variable data
Legacy DCS
Host applications
Plant asset management
Process monitoring
Process data historians
Energy management
Existing
HART
devices
AirSprite
wireless
adapters
Smart HART data
4-20 mA signal
Analog only I/O Process-
variable data
Legacy DCS
Ethernet
AirSprite
gateway
HART data
Host applications
Plant asset management
Process monitoring
Process data historians
Energy management
2. Bypass surgery. Wireless adapters can be connected in such a way that they bypass
legacy control systems and enable previously installed HART instrumentation to handle wire-
less transmission of data. Courtesy: ISA
February 2009
|
PLANT COMPUTING
directly connect their digital data to systems
that manage, monitor, and control industrial
plants. One goal of these new standards is to
enable the development of products that can
unleash the power of this trapped, intelligent
data, allowing easier access to information
about plant assets by directly connecting
many more sensors.
How Wireless Standards
Are Changing the Landscape
The rapid adoption of wireless technology is
being driven by the emergence of new wire-
less standards such as ISA100 and Wire-
lessHART. These two standards currently
under development are aimed at industrial
wireless sensing solutions.
The HART Communication Foundation
(HCF) is working on the WirelessHART
standard, which is aimed at leveraging the
information collected by the nearly 25 mil-
lion installed HART devices. HART is a
very popular industrial protocol, and Wire-
lessHART will be geared specifically to the
process industry, with a goal of enabling
reliable, robust, and secure wireless com-
munication in real-world industrial plant
applications.
The second standard is ISA100, which
will support multiple protocols, including
HART, as well as process and factory auto-
mation applications.
The two groups are cooperating, to en-
sure continuity and uniformity with wireless
standardization.
Todays typical wireless deployment in
an industrial setting usually requires the pur-
chase of proprietary wireless instrumentation
and systems from a single vendor. The head-
aches accompanying this strategy include
dependence on that vendor, added complex-
ity for plant staff, and escalated project and
maintenance costs. A goal of both standards
is to alleviate these headaches by allowing
vendors to build infrastructure products that
work with products from other vendors and
with what is already installed in the plant.
When wireless retrofit products are based on
open standards, they will work with installed
systems and devices and enable a lower-cost,
lower-risk way to encourage more wide-
spread use of wireless sensing.
A major benefit of the WirelessHART stan-
dard is that it will allow vendors to develop
adapters that will be able to connect directly
to installed HART deviceswithout chang-
ing anything on the device. These adapters
will extract the intelligent HART data and
then wirelessly transmit it directly to plant
and enterprise applications, such as plant
asset management, energy management, or
monitoring and control systems. There the
data are used to do a better job of predictive
maintenance, as well as to avoid major prob-
lems such as unplanned plant shutdowns.
It is estimated that each HART device
contains 35 to 40 data items that can be used
to improve the performance of an industrial
plant. The number varies by instrument, but
the data identifies a device, its properties,
its calibration settings, measured process
variables, and a good number of diagnos-
tic alerts related to the device. Retrofitting
makes all of these variables continuously
available to plant applications, enabling dra-
matic improvements in the management of
plant assets and plant operations.
Demand for wireless technology is grow-
ing in this typically conservative industry
due to needs for plant efficiency and com-
petitiveness. Given the WirelessHART and
ISA100 standards coming closer to fruition,
end-user concerns over security, reliability,
and interoperability will abate, and adop-
tion rates are expected to increase. In a re-
cent analyst briefing, Venture Development
Corp. took the position that wireless growth
is being driven by monitoring and measur-
ing applications, as well as the prospect of
seamless integration with existing devices
and networks (Figure 3).
Wireless Is the Wave of the Future
It is widely understood in the industrial world
that relying on degrading, failing, or poorly
configured systems leads to higher operating
and maintenance costs. Well-designed wire-
less retrofits that comply with the emerging
wireless standards will bring new levels of
productivity, uptime, and overall superior
performance to the generation industry. Wire-
less applications that transcend any specific
industry segment are already being deployed.
For example, operator mobility is en-
hanced with handhelds and tablet personal
computers that are wirelessly connected to
plant control systems, allowing operators and
maintenance personnel to roam their control
room; wireless video adds process and plant
security; and a host of new real-time location
services for plant assets and people are just
around the corner.
To take advantage of these emerging ap-
plications requires a secure and robust in-
dustrial wireless infrastructure. The latest
technologies and emerging standards are
enabling implementations in a highly secure
and robust fashion across the enterprise. Its
critical that wireless communicationslike
any wired networkingbe properly engi-
neered, constructed, and maintained in order
to perform reliably.
Maintaining a Wireless System
Once a secure and robust wireless infrastruc-
ture is constructed, it must be maintained and
managed to keep it functioning correctly.
Wireless networks, although offering huge
savings versus their wired counterparts, by
their very nature require more management.
Maintaining security keys, responding to
incidental or malicious interference, and
managing rapidly changing technology and
standards are just a few of the functions that
require an expertise not necessarily available
within the local IT organization of the typi-
cal power plant.
Many organizations are finding that its
more cost effective and more secure to con-
tract out the real-time management and op-
timization of their wireless infrastructure.
Unfortunately, many organizations simply
allow their wireless networks, which con-
tain multiple technologies, protocols, and
frequencies, to grow in an ad hoc fashion.
That is a sure way to have an unsuccessful
wireless experience.
The key to a fully functional wireless plat-
form that can enable solutions, such as retro-
fitting existing instrumentation for PAM, is
to engineer and manage those networks from
the top down.
Paul Sereiko (psereiko@gmail.com) is
president of AirSprite Industrial Wireless
LLC. He is also cochair of the ISA SP100
Marketing Working Group and member of
the HART Communication Foundation.
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
$

(
m
i
l
l
i
o
n
)
2004 2007
Year
Original forecast Actual
3. Growth spurt. Investment in wireless automation in the process industries contin-
ues to exceed projections. Source: Venture Development Corp.
|
February 2009 48
PLANT COMPUTING
Wireless Technology
Unlocks Possibilities
Modern wireless systems improve productivity, monitoring activities,
and safety at power plants by enabling the right people to be at the right
place at the right time. Wireless technology can put hard-to-access pro-
cess and asset information at your fingertips, wherever you are, to enable
more accurate and timely decisions.
By Jeff Becker, Honeywell Process Solutions
W
ireless technology offers benefits
beyond wiring cost savings. With
a multifunctional, plantwide wire-
less network, utility and power generation
facilities can improve safety, reliability, and
efficiency through optimized employees,
equipment, and processes.
This overview is intended to assist power
industry companies in exploring the many pos-
sibilities of using wireless technology in plant
automation. It will help end users understand
what to look for when selecting a wireless net-
work for their requirements and will help them
get started with this innovative technology.
Wireless Networks Benefits
Wireless technology has revolutionized net-
work connectivity in the IT world as well
as the commercial and consumer markets.
Substantial growth in wireless networks is
driven by standardization, industry invest-
ment, and research and development. Mod-
ern wireless applications and sensors deliver
powerful new capabilities, enabling end us-
ers to improve operational performance.
Wireless systems not only provide advanced
sensing but also help users make decisions
positively affecting their overall business
objectives.
The advantages of wireless technology
include helping plant operators gather field
data more easily, increase asset life through
continuous monitoring, and improve the
safety of their most important assetstheir
people. Wireless technology also promotes
improved plant availability, reduced down-
time, and increased productivity.
As wireless technology gains greater ac-
ceptance, the wired world is slowly fading
into the background. Protocols such as Wi-Fi
represent the future, not only for traditional
wired IT network requirements but also for
monitoring and control applications across
the plant floor.
In order to take advantage of all the ben-
efits wireless technology has to offer, power
plants must adopt sound policies mitigating
risks and ensuring adequate security for pro-
cesses, personnel, and the environment.
Business Advantages
Power plants implementing wireless systems
do so for the same reason the first telegraph
system was developed: cost savings. Utilities
look to wireless technology to add real busi-
ness value, both in terms of installation costs
and optimized operations from increased
data availability.
Just as Guglielmo Marconis invention,
the radio telegraph system, eliminated the
need to erect poles for wired communica-
tion, modern wireless solutions simplify in-
stallation requirements when compared with
conventional wired networking, while also
improving reliability and productivity.
An ultra-secure and ultra-reliable wireless
field infrastructure supports not just wireless
instruments but also wireless local area net-
work (WLAN) applications under the Insti-
tute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) standard 802.11 and mobile technol-
ogy such as handheld computers and mobile
human-machine interfaces (HMIs).
A single wireless network, supporting
multiple wireless technologies and classes of
service, can handle diverse tasks ranging from
communicating sensor information back to a
host system, to handling closed-loop control,
information, HMI, video, communication,
and enterprise applications. Wireless tech-
nologies developed for building management
and security can also be utilized in process
plants to support both asset management and
personnel tracking.
1. On-site computing. Wireless mobility tools provide a fully functional PC environ-
ment that personnel can interact with directly from a handheld device while performing main-
tenance rounds, data collection, and inspections. Source: Honeywell Process Solutions
Standards
Certification
Education & Training
Publishing
Conferences & Exhibits
ISAs training and certification opportunities
such as web seminars, training courses, CAP
,
CCST
, and support of CSE are valuable. These

benefits dwarf the cost of membership.
Curtis Adams Miller, CSE PE
Siemens Energy & Auto
Bluebonnet Section
You can count on ISA as your primary
source for continuing education
whether youre an experienced
engineer, a practicing technician,
or a newcomer to the automation
profession.
ISA training programs keep you fully
informed about the latest technical
advances, applications, and standards.
Our hands-on curriculum will help you
hone your skills and enhance your
value to your company.
Choose from multiple ISA regional
training centers, onsite programs,
and distance education. Ask about
Member discounts!
Get the ISA Training Advantage.
Visit www.isa.org/trainingadvantage
|
February 2009 50
PLANT COMPUTING
Most importantly, wireless networks can
be designed to support multiple commu-
nications protocols, as well as existing ap-
plications and standard transmission control
protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) commu-
nications, so that legacy investments do not
have to be discarded.
Applications for
the Power Industry
Access to the right process data can signifi-
cantly enhance operational efficiency and
extend access to critical process informa-
tion beyond the control room. A wireless
system can include anything from a network
of transmitters monitoring a single, specific
application to a full-scale wireless network
deployed across an entire site to handle mul-
tiple applications, including monitoring and
supervisory control (Figure 1).
Modern wireless networks are formed
by a series of wireless access points, or
radio nodes, placed strategically in a fa-
cility. Many networks support a mesh
infrastructure, in which each radio node
communicates to at least one other node in
range, providing backup communication
should communication from one node be
interrupted. The coverage area of the radio
nodes working as a single network becomes
a mesh cloud.
The first generation of wireless products
were sensor-specific and not designed to cov-
er entire plants, which limited them to small-
er implementations. Todays generation of
products is more appropriate for wider plant
deployment. These systems are optimized for
specific end-user applications, ranging from
read-only access over an intranet by multiple
casual users to secure system access for mo-
bile operators. The wireless collaboration
that such systems enable can improve deci-
sion-making, production uptime and process
monitoring, and incident avoidance.
Handheld access to process data allows
technicians in the field to view the lat-
est plant information to help identify fail-
ures and causes that may previously have
gone unrecorded. It also can open the door
for further investigation of a systems reli-
ability. Users can integrate field data with
data from multiple other sources, including
production, control, and work management
systems. Wireless systems also can provide
mechanical and engineering data and sup-
port the calibration of instrument databases.
Using wireless technology in the field helps
management improve the tracking and re-
porting of inspections, tests, and repairs for
pumps, actuators, valves, vents, pipes and
other plant process equipment.
The new breed of wireless transmitters
enables plant workers to obtain data and
create information from remote and hazard-
ous locations without the need to run wires,
where running wire is cost-prohibitive and/
or the measurement occurs in a hazardous
location (Figure 2).
There are countless remote applica-
tions in power plants that can benefit
from wireless technology. For example,
one Nebraska power plant is using wire-
less technology to monitor its remote oil
tanks. In addition, plant staff are now able
to efficiently monitor water run-off where
electricity is unavailable. Battery-powered
transmitters transmit data over long dis-
tances back to a powered node.
Other power plants are considering appli-
cations such as:
Supervisory control and data acquisition.
Emissions monitoring.
Flame sensing with transmitters, or even a
remote wireless video.
Control applications, such as turbine con-
trol, boiler control, or motor control.
Monitoring the health of rotating assets.
Another example of remote usage is over
large areas such as wind farms. Many have
ineffective or no means to determine wind
speed or kW/MW power production. Bat-
tery-operated wireless devices enable data
collection and accurate power production
calculations.
Furthermore, wireless multiplexers are
a simple and reliable means of implement-
ing a wireless solution for applications
with high-density input/output (I/O) con-
centrations. They provide the lowest cost
per wireless measurement point, which
enables new applications that save mil-
lions of dollars on wiring costs. This can
help with substation monitoring and com-
municating information back to a central
monitoring station.
Wireless technology is also an innovative,
cost-effective alternative for measuring the
health of water or corrosion from fluid in
tanks and pipes. For example, remote ana-
lytical pH readings enable plant operators to
monitor water quality. And, with a wireless
corrosion-monitoring system, online and
real-time corrosion monitoring now becomes
cost-effective.
A wireless system can carry process and
maintenance data over the same network. Cor-
relation with maintenance and operator tasks
is possible by enabling mobile workers with
wireless technology, which saves them from
sifting through maintenance logs and match-
ing tasks with corrosion data. All the informa-
tion can be integrated into one set of data.
Most importantly, wireless technology
improves safety. By enhancing new op-
portunities for integrating asset tracking,
people location data, or real-time data and
supervisory control, wireless technology
can provide:
A real-time location system throughout
a facility to monitor employee locations
and ensure safe procedural operations.
Safety shower monitoring.
An infrastructure that supports emergency
responders.
Wireless leak detection and repair support.
Integration with existing control and safe-
ty systems.
Continuous wireless monitoring of equip-
ment and field devices for diagnostic
equipment health assessments.
Voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) for
in-plant voice communications.
Finding the Right Network
Power companies and other end users consid-
ering the implementation of wireless technol-
ogy have identified a number of key wireless
system requirements. These include high se-
curity, reliable communication, good power
management, open platforms, multispeed
monitoring, multifunction capabilities, scal-
ability, global usage, high quality of service,
multiprotocol support, and control readiness.
According to wireless technology experts,
2. Wireless solution. An example
of a transmitter installed at a facility. These
wireless transmitters bring back data from
remote areas of the plant into the control
system to improve safety and efficiency.
Source: Honeywell Process Solutions
February 2009
|
PLANT COMPUTING
the emerging wireless infrastructure will be
based on a universal mesh network support-
ing multiple wireless-enabled applications
and devices within a single environment
(Figure 3). With just one network supporting
multiple applications, deployment, network
maintenance, and security management will
be simplified.
A wireless network must be secure to en-
sure the entire facility is safe, offering one
comprehensive and end-to-end integrated
security system from the control or host
system all the way down to the sensor. This
means theres only one wireless security
system to manage. A layered approach to
security means protecting the network from
multiple risks.
Mesh networks use a self-propagating,
self-healing network of nodes to achieve
blanket coverage of an area. A node can
send and receive messages, and in a mesh
network, a node also functions as a router
and can relay messages for its neighbors. If
one node fails for any reason, including the
introduction of strong radio frequency inter-
ference (RFI), the network can reroute data,
and connectivity will not be lost.
With point-to-point signaling, the power
consumption (and battery life) of each field
device becomes more predictable. This ef-
ficiency helps extend the life of batteries
so that they reach their standard shelf life
(some up to 10 years), maximizing the time
between battery changes. Changes in latency
caused by routing changes to the network
also are eliminated.
Wireless mesh networks optimize perfor-
mance with efficient use of industrial, sci-
entific, and medical (ISM) radio bandwidth
and prioritizing messages so critical infor-
mation is received first. Because commu-
nication devices using the ISM bands must
tolerate any interference from ISM equip-
ment, these bands are typically given over
to uses intended for unlicensed operation.
Unlicensed operation typically needs to be
tolerant of interference from other devices.
In the U.S., ISM band usage is governed
by Federal Communications Commission
rules.
Efficient wireless mesh networks miti-
gate signal interference in these limited ISM
bands by employing a frequency-hopping
spread spectrum (FHSS). This technique
modulates the data signal with a carrier sig-
nal that periodically hops from frequency
to frequency across a wide band. Through
the relaying process, a packet of wireless
data will find its way to its destination, pass-
ing through intermediate nodes with reliable
communication links.
Installing a wireless network at a
power plant can pose some unique con-
siderations when one is trying to avoid
the risk of electromagnetic field interfer-
ence and RFI. Usually this problem can
be easily mitigated with proper placement
and antenna choices. Fortunately, wire-
less communication is not line-of-sight
technology; it can reflect and bounce off
metal in a facility. There are three main
ways to mitigate the risk from interference:
Spatial diversity: Every device sends to
two nodes in different locations to diver-
sify the communication.
Temporal diversity: A device sends data,
and if the data is not received by either
node, it will retry two more times, as
quickly as the next millisecond.
Frequency diversity: Every transmission
is performed at a different frequency.
Typical EMI interference is short, with
scattered bursts, making it relatively easy
to navigate around.
Matching multi-hop, wireless mesh
communications with distributed control
facilitates a new dimension of interactions
between sensors or sensor clusters. Sensors
can now communicate directly with other
devices on the network. Plus, monitoring
equipment can take readings from sensors
without having to directly access them via
wired connections. This is useful in calibra-
tion and troubleshooting.
By utilizing a single, universal, wireless
mesh cloud, end users have access to one
integrated platform supporting multiple
Wireless technology innovations promise
to open up a wide range of plant floor
applications where cabling is either dif-
ficult to install or prohibitively expen-
sive. They also have the key advantage
of integrating multiple devices, such as
sensors, mobile personal computers, and
security systems. But with so many ap-
plications being developed, standards are
a concern.
For example, the International Society
of Automations (ISA) ISA100 initiative,
chartered in early 2005, is intended to cre-
ate a road map for implementing wireless
systems in the automation and control en-
vironment through defining and publishing
a set of standards and recommended prac-
tices, and forming technical groups.
ISA100 compliance will ensure supplier
specifications are consistent and easy
to interpret; user requirements are suc-
cinct, relevant, and easy to understand;
technology options are clear and easily
differentiable; and probable outcomes are
quantitatively evaluated against alterna-
tive wireless alternatives.
The electric power generation industry is
currently represented on the ISA100 com-
mittee by companies such as TXU Power
and Consolidated Edison. All end users are
welcome to participate. More information
is available at: www.isa.org/isa100.
Wireless Standards Development
OneWireless
server
Ethernet
Control
system
Mobile station
Gateway
IntelaTrac PKS
Multinode
XYR 6000
wireless
transmitter
PLC
XYR 5000
wireless
transmitter
Secure entry to plant network
3. Once is not enough. A wireless mesh network has multiple paths between access
points (nodes) to establish a redundant infrastructure. Source: Honeywell Process Solutions
|
February 2009 52
PLANT COMPUTING
field protocols and applications. With a
high-speed and self-organizing mesh con-
figuration, network users achieve flexible
channel allocation and a robust architec-
ture with latency control and redundancy
for safe wireless control. They also have
one scalable network that conserves power
and spectrum. Best of all, plant personnel
only have one system to learn, operate, and
maintain.
How to Select a Supplier
Because most electric power companies are
unwilling to act as system or platform inte-
grators for their future plants, they look to
their automation supplier to perform this
function. The task includes not just provid-
ing equipment and support services but also
managing the platform over the long term so
that rapidly developing new technologies and
applications such as wireless can be quickly
and inexpensively added.
Plant operators also look to their automa-
tion supplier to manage embedded technol-
ogy, so that process control systems remain
up to date and skirt around technological
dead ends without causing unnecessary cost
and downtime.
When choosing a wireless technology
supplier, consider whether the company
provides:
Comprehensive and end-to-end security
measures.
Documented best practices for a secure
wireless system configuration.
A secure wireless network architecture.
The latest security fixes.
Qualification of anti-virus software.
Policies focused on high security.
Established services to help assess, de-
sign, implement, and manage a secure
wireless environment.
Your supplier selection checklist should
also ask:
Does the supplier tightly integrate pro-
cess control with physical and cyber
security?
Does the supplier provide a dedicated se-
curity response team to monitor and ad-
vise upon emerging security threats?
Does the supplier offer a security design
service providing a detailed design of the
security infrastructure connecting your
wireless network to the companys busi-
ness IT network?
Getting Started with Wireless
Power industry operations can now benefit
from a wireless technology that satisfies the
multiple conflicting demands of redundancy,
distributed communications, flexibility, and
reliability. Furthermore, self-configuring,
self-healing wireless mesh networks are in-
herently less expensive to install and main-
tain as radios and microprocessors become
cheaper.
To begin using wireless technology and
unlock the possibilities of this innovative
technology, it is important to view your
wireless implementation as a partnership
between the plant operator, the company
IT department, and the wireless technology
supplier. Each party has a role in determin-
ing the outcome of this effort.
In addition, always consider safety first.
If you cant install wireless safely, its better
not to do it at all. Fortunately, with the right
technology and support, you can enjoy all of
the advantages of wireless technology while
protecting your plant information and ensur-
ing safe operations.
Jeff Becker (jeffrey.becker
@honeywell.com) is the global wireless
business director for Honeywell
Process Solutions.
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February 2009 54
COAL COMBUSTION
T
he most significant ash-related problem
in coal-fired power plants is deposition,
according to Steam, the authoritative
work published by the Babcock & Wilcox
Co. During the combustion process, coal ash
can be released in a molten fluid or sticky
plastic state. A portion of the ash, which is
not cooled quickly to a dry solid state, im-
pacts on and adheres to the furnace walls and
other heating surfaces; this phenomenon is
commonly referred to as slagging. Because
such large total quantities of ash are involved,
even slagging created by a small fraction of
the total ash can seriously affect with boiler
operation.
Specifically, slagging occurs when coal
ash accumulates, at high temperatures,
outside the tubes that carry steam inside a
power plant boiler. Slagging reduces heat
transfer from the flue gas to the steam tubes
and decreases a plants efficiency. In ex-
treme cases slagging can require a boiler to
be shut down while heat transfer surfaces
are cleaned or repaired. According to a 2007
report by the Electric Power Research Insti-
tute, slagging and associated problems cost
U.S. coal-fired power plants approximately
$2.4 billion each year.
The variability of ash behavior is one of
the biggest problems for boiler designers
and operators. Although boilers are often de-
signed to burn a wide range of coals satisfac-
torily, no one unit can perform equally well
with all types of coal.
Recently, a new technology has been de-
veloped to assist power plant personnel in
dealing with ash-related challenges. Dur-
ing the past two years, Lehigh Universitys
Energy Research Center (ERC) has worked
with the Energy Research Co. (ERCo) of
Staten Island, N.Y., in developing an opti-
cal technology that will allow power plant
operators to make rapid adjustments to pre-
vent boiler slagging and fouling problems
(Figure 1). The project was funded by the
U.S. Department of Energys (DOEs) State
Technologies Advancement Collaborative
(STAC) program, which was managed by the
New York State Energy Research and Devel-
opment Authority (NYSERDA) and a Phase
I Small Business Innovation Research pro-
gram from the DOEs National Energy Tech-
nology Laboratory.
The ERC and ERCo have applied laser-
induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)
technology to provide instant analysis of
the elemental composition of the coal be-
ing burned and correlation of that analysis
with the fusion temperature of the coal ash,
which is affected by the concentration of the
elemental coal ingredients.
Lower-Quality Coal Worsens
Slagging Problems
During the past 12 months, the price of coal
has almost doubled, for a variety of reasons.
Worldwide demand for coal is growing sharp-
ly. Bad weather has hampered production in
Australia and China. Shipping problems have
slowed exports from Australia and South Af-
rica. Because coal-fired power plants pro-
duce half the electricity in the U.S., the spike
in prices has increased utility bills in some
states, just as consumers already are coping
with rising living costs and a turbulent U.S.
economy. Those rising costs are forcing plant
operators to use lower-costoften lower-
qualitycoal.
Coal contains up to 10 component ele-
ments, including iron, potassium, sodium,
and calcium. The proportion of these differ-
ent elements varies from one coal mine to the
next and even among different seams from
the same mine. These elements affect ash
fusion temperature, as some mineral com-
positions are more susceptible than others to
high-temperature slagging.
A ship or cargo can deliver 100,000 tons
of coal at a time to a plant, said Dr. Carlos
E. Romero, associate director and principal
research scientist at the ERC, in a recently
released statement. Even if all of the coal
comes from the same mine, it can come from
different seams within the same mine, with
each seam producing coal with a different
composition.
These difficulties are compounded
when coal comes from different countries,
which is becoming the case more and more
as rising costs force plant operators to buy
New Laser Technology Helps
Reduce Coal-Slagging Headaches
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is starting to light the way for power
plant operators who want to reduce coal ash deposition in their boilers.
By Angela Neville, JD
1. Preventing sticky buildup. Laser-
induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) tech-
nology is designed to analyze coal composition
and provide fusion temperature feedback to
power plant staff who handle coal-fired boiler
operations. Courtesy: Energy Research Cen-
ter, Lehigh University
Slagging and associated problems cost
U.S. coal-fired power plants approximately
$2.4 billion each year.
February 2009
|
COAL COMBUSTION
coal on the spot market to get the cheapest
price, he said.
The problems addressed by LIBS, ac-
cording to Romero, have been aggravated
by changes in coal-buying patterns triggered
by coals growing cost. However, he thinks
rising prices are leading to one positive de-
velopment: The climbing coal costs are
also giving power plant owners an incentive
to innovate, he said.
Focusing on LIBS Technology
LIBS is an advanced chemical analysis tech-
nique that has found applications in a range
of areas where rapid, in-situ, remote, and
semi-quantitative analysis of chemical com-
position is needed. The technique in its essen-
tial form is quite simple. Laser light is used
to ionize a small portion of the analyte, and
the spectral emission (characteristic of the
electronic energy levels) from the species in
the resulting plasma is collected to determine
the concentration of chemical constituents.
By focusing light from the laser to a small
spot, highly localized chemical analysis can
be performed.
In particular, the LIBS system developed
to analyze the chemical properties of coal
uses a pulsating laser with two frequencies,
one infrared and one visible light. The laser
vaporizes a sample, resulting in a distinct el-
emental signature. From these data, a newly
developed software package containing ar-
tificial neural network (ANN) models esti-
mates ash fusion temperature and predicts
coal slagging potential.
In their lab and site tests, the researchers
experimented with 16 different coals from the
Photodiodes
Laser path
Spectrometer Sample chamber
Collection ber
UV beam dump
Laser head
Vacuum gauge
2. On location. The LIBS system was set up at Brayton Point Power Station to demon-
strate the feasibility of measuring coal ash composition and predicting coal slagging potential
via artificial neural network models based on LIBS emission intensity measurements. Courtesy:
Energy Research Center, Lehigh University
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February 2009 56
COAL COMBUSTION
U.S., Indonesia, Russia, and South America.
Traditional techniques for measuring coal
composition and ash fusion temperature re-
quire operators to remove a sample from a
boiler and test it in a lab, which can take up to
three days. LIBS provides instantaneous data
without interrupting the process.
Power plant operators also have the option
of taking the measurements with a nuclear
analyzer that uses gamma rays. But the nu-
clear analyzer has a large footprint, Romero
explained, and is potentially hazardous,
whereas LIBS is the size of a table top and
is safe to use.
Successful Pilot Program
Recently, the performance of the LIBS sys-
tem was verified in lab experiments and then
the system was set up at Dominions Brayton
Point Power Station, a 1,150-MW coal-fired
power plant in Somerset, Mass. (Figure 2) to
be tested in a real-world setting. The project
had two goals: to demonstrate the feasibil-
ity of LIBS to measure coal ash composi-
tion and to predict coal slagging potential via
ANN models based on LIBS emission inten-
sity measurement. The STAC program sup-
ported this project, which was managed by
NYSERDA.
As part of this project, a LIBS measure-
ment system was developed and integrated
at the site. The system was first tested in the
laboratory using a broad set of coal samples
that included U.S. bituminous and subbitumi-
nous, and imported fuels. ANN models were
developed to relate the elemental spectra,
measured by the LIBS system, to the initial
ash deformation temperatures under reduc-
ing conditions. Using only LIBS raw spec-
tra eliminated the need to calibrate the LIBS
system or to construct calibration curves for
each element.
2,000
2,100
2,200
2,300
2,400
2,500
2,600
2,700
2,800
2,900
3,000
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80
Sample
A
s
h

i
n
i
t
i
a
l

d
e
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(
F
)
LIBS (conveyor belt samples) LIBS (coal pipe samples)
ASTM analysis Coal certicate (ASTM) Moving average
3. Forecasting slagging challenges. This summary shows the LIBS measurements
from the Brayton Point Station in terms of the predicted ash initial deformation temperatures
that can lead to increased ash deposition rates. Courtesy: Energy Research Center, Lehigh
University
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February 2009
|
COAL COMBUSTION
The team of ER Co., the ERC, and Bray-
ton Point performed static LIBS measure-
ments. The station burns approximately 400
tons of coal per hour when its units operate
at full load. The stations fuel feedstock is
composed of eastern U.S. bituminous coals
from Central Appalachia and a variety of
South American coals from Colombia and
Venezuela.
The variability in coal feedstock at Bray-
ton Point poses a significant challenge to the
station, said Robert De Saro, president of ER
Co., in the report, A Brief Summary of LIBS
Test Results at Brayton Point Power Station.
The coal stocks variability creates seri-
ous problems for the station because it has
a mineral composition that is susceptible to
high-temperature slagging. Consequently, at
times, the station needs to take remedial ac-
tions to mitigate the impact of slagging fuels,
according to De Saro.
Three coals were tested at Brayton Point:
Calenturitas (from Colombia), Central Ap-
palachian, and Drummond (from Colombia),
in that order. Figure 3 shows the results ob-
tained in terms of the predicted ash initial de-
formation temperatures.
The field results indicate an average LIBS-
based prediction for the Calenturitas fusion
temperature of 2,434F, versus 2,302F 133F
for the American Society for Testing Materi-
als (ASTM) test. The average LIBS-based
prediction for Central Appalachian and Drum-
mond coals is 2,722F and 2,432F, respectively.
The average value obtained from the ASTM
test for Central Appalachian and Drummond
is 2,700F 133F and 2,459F 133F, respec-
tively. These results demonstrate that LIBS
coal analyses performed on an hourly basis
would be capable of providing predicted fu-
sion temperature information with enough
resolution to alert operators of changes in fuel
quality that may affect the operation of coal-
fired boilers sensitive to slagging impacts.
In response to fusion temperature data,
operators could make minor adjustments to
boiler operations, such as increasing com-
bustion air supply. Operators can also decide
more intelligently when to blend coals with
high and low slagging propensity to alleviate
the impact of slagging-intensive coals on the
boiler, as well as when to route low-quality
coal to boilers in the station that are more
fuel-flexible because of their design.
LIBS would enable us to analyze coal
with the same accuracy as a three-day lab test
while meeting ASTM tests, said Romero.
Any problem we detect can be corrected in
real time.
This will be a tremendous help to the util-
ity industry, he said. We get a lot of phone
calls from utilities that are struggling because
of switched fuels and they have to blend fuels
because of slagging.
The LIBS Systems
Software Component
An advisory software named LIBS Online
Slagging Advisor (LOSA) was also devel-
oped to demonstrate the merit of a concept
where LIBS-derived data would be fed to on-
line software to provide real-time predictions
of ash fusion temperatures and indications of
the slagging potential of power operations,
when ash fusion temperatures (AFT) devi-
ate from target furnace exit gas temperature
(FEGT) levels.
The main components of LOSA are: a
LIBS-based laser system used to measure the
slagging-related coal properties in-situ and
in real time, live plant data available through
the plant data network, a model based on the
artificial neural network for prediction of ash
fusion temperatures, and the software inter-
face (Figure 4).
The use of such software will allow boiler
operators to better coordinate coal yard op-
erations and adjust boiler control settings to
mitigate the impact of slagging on boiler op-
eration. Test experience with different boilers
burning coals with a range of compositions
has demonstrated that boiler control settings
can be manipulated to influence slagging in
coal-fired boilers. According to results from
prior testing, the key is to maintain FEGTs
below the coal ash fusion temperature to
minimize the adverse impact of ash condi-
tions on upper furnace slagging.
The unit parameters available for slag-
ging control include excess oxygen (O
2
),
mill classifier speed, vertical coal loading,
overfire (OFA) register opening, and others.
From parametric testing performed at Bray-
ton Point Unit 3 in this project, it was found
that increases in excess O
2
, opening of the
OFA registers, and reduction of the classi-
fier help to reduce FEGT. This information is
provided by the software when a prescribed
target value for FEGT deviates from the es-
timated AFT.
Our results have been very positive,
said ER Co.s Caparo. LIBS analyzes
coal composition accurately and with good
repeatability. It also predicts ash-fusion
temperature accurately, with results that
compare very favorably with the results ob-
tained using the ASTM standards.
Next Steps
The Brayton Point project demonstrated the
merit of the LIBS system that produces coal
elemental analysis and estimated fusion tem-
peratures. However, further development is
needed to equip a LIBS system with an au-
tomatic online coal-sampling attachment and
to achieve higher accuracy and repeatability,
according to Romero.
The researchers have been awarded a sec-
ond DOE grant to fund development of a
commercial prototype of the LIBS system.
They hope this next phase will move quickly
so the LIBS technology will be available to
power plant personnel in the near future.
4. Artificial intelligence leads to real results. The custom-designed LIBS Online
Slagging Advisor software contains artificial neural network models that estimate ash fusion
temperatures and provide valuable information about coal slagging potential. Courtesy: Energy
Research Center, Lehigh University
|
February 2009 58
A
ll over the world, electric utilities are
dealing with the challenge of trying to
move more electricity through urban
grids to meet the growing power demands
of 21st-century customers. In addition, they
must protect end users from increasingly
larger power surges, known as fault currents.
A technological breakthrough in cable
technology promises to assist utilities in
overcoming both of these problems. The new
cable is manufactured using hair-thin high-
temperature superconductor (HTS) wires
that conduct 150 times the electricity of
similar-sized copper wires (Figure 1). When
placed in a cable, these superconductor wires
act as almost perfect conductors of electric-
ity as long as a few conditions are met, the
most notable one being that the temperature
of the cable must be maintained below a cer-
tain critical temperature. This requires the
cable system to be continuously cooled with
liquid nitrogen, which is inexpensive and en-
vironmentally safe. This also eliminates the
oil used in many conventional high-power
cables in cities across the U.S.
Overview of the New Technology
In November, POWER interviewed Jack
McCall, director of business development
of transmission and distributions systems
for American Superconductor, which is the
company that developed the HTS electric
power cables
An understanding the basics of HTS
cables sets a good point of reference in dis-
cussing their application, he said. There are
four primary characteristics of HTS cables
that differentiate them from traditional cop-
per cables: higher power transfer capability,
very low impedance, simplified placement
considerations, and optional fault current
limiting capability.
McCall explained that the power density
advantage enables an HTS cable of any volt-
age to conduct up to 150 times more power
than traditional copper-based cables. Con-
versely, it is possible to carry a given amount
of power at a much lower voltage level than is
typically used. For example, a single 15-kV
class HTS cable can carry 100 MVA, a level
usually associated with 69-kV copper cables.
The very low impedance of HTS cables
results in much lower power losses compared
with equivalent cables, he pointed out. When
placed in a network application, the cables
lower impedance attracts current flow from
parallel circuits, reducing the power losses in
those lines as well, although the refrigeration
system required by the cable system does off-
set some of the efficiency gains.
According to McCall, two characteristics
of HTS cables combine to produce simplified
siting requirements. The first of these is that
HTS Cables Speed up
the Electric Superhighway
High-temperature superconducting cables deliver up to 10 times as much pow-
er as conventional electric power transmission cables. They are poised
to help to reduce grid congestion as well as installation and operating
costs.
By Angela Neville, JD
1. Doing more with less. Hair-thin HTS wires conduct 150 times the electricity of simi-
lar-sized copper wires. Courtesy: American Superconductor Corp.
Inner cryostat wall
Liquid nitrogen coolant
Copper shield wire
HTS shield tape
High-voltage dielectric
HTS tape
Copper core
Thermal superinsulation
Outer cryostat wall
Outer protective
covering
2. The big chill. Flowing between the layers of HTS wires in the cable, the liquid nitrogen
coolant cools them to about 200C (328F). The cables use a liquid nitrogen refrigeration sys-
tem provided by Air Liquide. Courtesy: Nexans
February 2009
|
HTS cables generate little to no magnetic field. This both dramati-
cally reduces the required right of way and eliminates the need to der-
ate the cables when they are placed near other cables or underground
infrastructure. The environmental and public relations benefits due to
the absence of magnetic fields are also apparent (there is no electric
field either, but that is true of all cables). Secondly, as the cables are
in a self-contained thermal envelope due to the refrigeration system,
there is no need to consider derating of the cables due to cable burial
method, depth, or soil type. Therefore, HTS cables are ideal for place-
ment in constrained right-of-way locations, especially when large
amounts of power transfer are desired.
McCall pointed out that another important innovation in the HTS
cables design is its built-in fault current limiting capabilities. The ca-
ble will act as a very low impedance, high-ampacity conductor under
normal operating condition, and then become highly resistive during
faults, limiting high-magnitude fault currents.
Cryogenic Features
One of the most unusual features of the HTS cables is that their cores
have to be maintained at cryogenic temperatures. As a result of this
requirement, the HTS cables design had to be specially adapted to
include a cryogenic refrigeration system.
All known superconductor materials exist in either a supercon-
ducting or non-superconducting state, McCall said. To achieve su-
perconductivity, the materials must operate below a certain critical
temperature, below a certain critical current, and below a certain criti-
cal magnetic field. The magnetic field is not an issue in cable appli-
cations. The current criterion is met through basic cable design. The
cryogenic refrigeration system is required to meet the temperature
requirement. The liquid nitrogen coolant flows between the layers of
HTS wire in the cable to cool them to about 200C (328F) and to
provide dielectric insulation between the center conductor layer and
the outer layers of the cable.
HTS cables consist of concentric layers of HTS wire and a dielec-
tric material providing electrical insulation compatible with cryogenic
temperatures, he explained. This is referred to as a coaxial cold-di-
electric design. The cable system was designed, manufactured, and
installed by Nexans, a worldwide leader in the cable industry. Figure
2 illustrates Nexans HTS cable design used at Long Island Power
Authority (LIPA).
From the Lab to the Real World
U.S. commercial power grids are beginning to use the new HTS pow-
er transmission cable system.
HTS cables have been well demonstrated at electric utilities and
are now being deployed in the grid, McCall said. Over the past two
years, three HTS cables have been energized in the U.S. Today HTS
cables by Southwire carry up to 3,000 amps at 13.2 kV in the grid that
American Electric Power manages in Columbus, Ohio. National Grid
energized a distribution voltage HTS power cable system by Sumi-
tomo Electric in Albany, N.Y., in the summer of 2006. Other cables
have been energized by LS Cable and KEPRI in Korea and Innopower
and Changtong Cable in China.
In April 2008, LIPA installed and energized the worlds first HTS
power transmission cable system in a commercial power grid, he
added. The Nexans 138-kV cable system installed in LIPAs grid runs
nearly a half mile in length and is the longest and most powerful HTS
cable system to date (Figure 3).
At 574 MW, the LIPA cable system is able to serve 300,000 residents
and businesses in New Yorks Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The 138-
kV system, which consists of three individual HTS power cable phases
running in parallel, was commissioned in April 2008 and is operating
successfully in LIPAs Holbrook transmission right of way (Figure 4).
According to McCall, Con Ed in New York City is in the process
of installing a 4,000-amp, 138-kV fault current limiting HTS cable in
downtown Manhattan, and Entergy is in the early engineering stages
of installing a 2,000-amp, 138-kV cable in the New Orleans area.
Special Operational Requirements
McCall noted that HTS cable requires certain operational consider-
ations that arent necessary with conventional cables. A utility will
need to provide regular substation access to the cryo-cooling sys-
tem supplier for periodic maintenance of the system. If fault current
limiting HTS cable is used, the resulting alternate low-impedance/
high-impedance characteristics of the cable may require more careful
attention when setting up protective relay schemes. Conversely, an
HTS cable requires no derating based on load levels, placement, or
ambient temperature.
He emphasized that HTS cables can be used anywhere in the trans-
mission grid. HTS cable systems consist of the cables, their termina-
tions, and the cryo-cooling (refrigeration) system and its associated
controls. In general, the cables should terminate in substations, as
the cable terminations are larger than conventional terminations. The
substation environment also needs to provide space for the required
cryo-cooling equipment.
Cost Considerations
The production cost of HTS wire is presently more expensive than
that of copper, primarily due to the relatively small quantity of HTS
wire currently being produced, McCall said. The industry projects
the latest HTS wire technology, referred to as 2G, will be no more ex-
pensive, and should ultimately be less expensive, than copper on a cost
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February 2009 60
per kilo-amp-meter basis (price/performance
ratio) once it enters large-scale production.
The cost of HTS cable systems must be
considered in light of the overall solution
they provide, he pointed out. For example,
if a single cable can replace a bank of eight
conventional cables, avoid extensive street
work, and eliminate the need to upgrade doz-
ens of circuit breakers, then that total benefit
must be considered. As more HTS cables
are installed and manufacturing capacity is
scaled up, the cost of HTS wire, cooling sys-
tems, and so on will also drop, increasing the
systems economic value.
Initial applications for HTS cables will be
very high-value ones, he said. HTS cables
will initially be most cost competitive in urban,
high-power, limited right-of-way applications.
As manufacturing costs decrease, their finan-
cial competitiveness in a much wider variety
of applications will grow as well, including
the short- to medium-distance transmission
applications where higher-voltage under-
ground cables are currently deployed.
Looking Down the Road
The U.S. power grid will undergo a signifi-
cant period of investment and redesign over
the next few decades. The need for extensive
additions to the transmission grid to connect
renewables to the power grid is well estab-
lished. Whether from simple increases in
population, or from industry-changing events
such as large-scale adoption of plug-in hy-
brid electric vehicles, significant load growth
will continue within high-population-density
urban areas, requiring extensive additions to
the load side of the network as well.
The greatest challenge to the widespread
use of HTS cable systems is actually educa-
tion and industry awareness, McCall said.
Most utility personnel who are involved in
the day-to-day planning and project engi-
neering process are not aware of HTS cables
unique characteristics or its availability.
There is likely at least one project or problem
at most utilities where an HTS cable could
be considered a viable, if not preferred, solu-
tion. Widespread application will not occur
until the time that HTS cables become an
active part of the set of technologies that a
utility considers during its day-to-day prob-
lem-solving and planning activities.
HTS cables will likely first be adopted to
strengthen urban networks, increasing reliabil-
ity and enhancing utilities ability to supply in-
creased load without building new substations,
he predicted. This first use of the new technol-
ogy may be followed by applications where
HTS cables are used to inject large amounts
of power from nearby regional transmission
grids into load centers. Eliminating grid con-
gestion or line siting issues on these regional
networks would be a logical next step. Further
out, the Electric Power Research Institute is
already studying the development and use of
very long inter-regional HTS high-voltage di-
rect current cables capable of transmitting 10
GW over distances of up to 600 miles.
The industry will continue to make im-
provements in wire manufacture methods, as
well as in the amount of current an individual
HTS wire can carry, he said. Work also
continues in developing more cost-effective
cryo-cooling systems that are optimized for
HTS cable applications. These innovations
and developments will continue to roll out as
the demand for HTS cables increases and the
industry grows.
3. Lighting Long Island. This photo shows the first cable phase being pulled through
a conduit in Long Island Power Authoritys Holbrook transmission right of way. Courtesy:
American Superconductor Corp.
4. Power pioneer. The worlds first HTS power transmission cable system energizes the
Long Island Power Authoritys Holbrook transmission right of way. This system, which consists
of three cables running in parallel in a 4-foot-wide underground right of way, is capable of carry-
ing 574 MW. The three cables shown entering the ground can carry as much power as all of the
overhead lines on the far left. Courtesy: American Superconductor Corp.
February 2009
|
A
significant concern for power compa-
nies in 2008 was compliance with the
North American Electric Reliability
Corp. (NERC) Reliability Standards, and this
is an issue that will increase in importance in
2009 and coming years. Though NERC be-
gan nearly 40 years ago as an industry orga-
nization focused on improving electric power
reliability, the organizations responsibility
and authority has increased over time, often
after a major power disruption.
Following the 2003 Northeast blackout
that resulted in the loss of power to nearly
6.5 million customers, the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) was given
the directive to create a national regulatory
organization for electrical reliability. FERC,
in turn, delegated to NERC the authority to
enforce reliability standards and assess fines.
NERC Basics
The NERC reliability standards consist of a
wide-ranging set of requirements, from tech-
nical controls on the quantity and quality of
electricity supplied to the grid to administra-
tive procedures for personnel and staffing.
The 14 reliability standards each consist of
multiple specific requirements, resulting in
94 mandatory and enforceable reliability stan-
dardseach of which has several audit items.
Compounding the breadth of the reliability
standards is their relative newnessand po-
tential financial impact. Despite its 40-year
history, NERC has only had the authority to
enforce reliability standards and assess fines
for noncompliance since June 2007. The
current audit cycle represents the first year
that organizations face significant monetary
fines for noncompliance, and though the
initial fines have been relatively small, the
maximum fines are one million dollars per
violation, per day. In addition to the finan-
cial penalty, violations are publicly reported,
representing potential damage to an organi-
zations reputation (Figure 1).
As this story was being written and the
2008 audit cycle came to a close, the power
industry was breathing a collective sigh of
relief. Although the 350 scheduled NERC
audits were, by all accounts, thorough and
represented a significant level of effort for
the audited companies, the fines have been
relatively few and far less expensive than the
potential million dollar ceiling.
As of November 2008, 37 companies
had been cited for compliance issues, and
only two of those were ultimately fined,
for a total of only $255,000. However, this
should not indicate that NERC will not as-
sess higher, and more numerous, fines in the
future. Many industry observers believe that
NERC has taken a more accommodating ap-
proach in this first audit cycle, preferring to
warn utilities first and follow that warning up
with increased observation and higher fines
for noncompliance in the future.
One potential mitigating factor against high-
er, and more, fines in the future is the direction
taken by FERC in a revision to its policy state-
ment issued on October 16, 2008. Within that
document, FERC states: Achieving compli-
ance, not assessing penalties, is the central goal
of our enforcement efforts. The statement
goes on to identify four factors that FERC will
consider when assessing or reducing penalties:
actions of senior management; effective pre-
ventative measures; prompt detection, cessa-
tion, and reporting; and remediation.
While at the time of writing this article
NERC had not issued updated guidance spe-
cific to this revision, the four factors identified
by FERC are pillars of any strong compli-
ance program and should be considered part
of a best practices approach to compliance.
Organizations that commit to the creation of
a strong and sustainable compliance program
NERC Drives Development of
Sustainable Compliance Programs
Compliance with reliability standards has moved beyond the check the box
phase to one of regulations with real deliverables and fines for noncom-
pliance. Utilities that arent vigorously evaluating and refining their com-
pliance procedures today may find NERCs 2009 audit cycle much more
challenging.
By Peter Stapleton, CA Inc.
1. Pass your audit. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. reliability standards con-
sist of a broad set of requirements, ranging from technical controls on the quantity and quality
of electricity supplied to the grid to administrative procedures for personnel and staffing. Each
of the 14 standards consists of multiple specific requirements, resulting in 94 mandatory reli-
ability standards, each of which has several audit items, which a comprehensive compliance
program must address. Source: CA Inc.
SO
x
, other
Compliance
program
NERC
Repeatable processes
Assessment Remediation Testing
Fundamentals
Evidence Risk Issues
Controls Regulations Assets Test plans
|
February 2009 62
will not only be able to potentially reduce the
cost of penalties, but they should also have
far fewer violations over time.
Demonstrating Compliance
The power industrys initial response to NERC
compliance requirements has been similar to
initial responses to Sarbanes-Oxley (the 2002
federal law requiring enhanced financial dis-
closure standards for publicly traded U.S.
companies). There has been an immediate ef-
fort to get compliant and demonstrate com-
pliance by whatever means possible, which
in many cases has meant a resource-intensive
documentation drill, often captured and ex-
changed via an innumerable array of spread-
sheets. Although this is a normal and perhaps
necessary first step, it must be followed by
the implementation of a sustainable and cost-
effective compliance program.
In developing what FERC calls a vigor-
ous compliance program, one principle that
seems to be lagging at affected organizations
is the adoption of a controls-focused ap-
proach. In part, this is due to semantics. The
NERC reliability standards seldom mention
the word control, and certainly not with the
emphasis of Sarbanes-Oxley or other com-
pliance standards. NERC focuses on require-
ments, and power companies have focused
on demonstrating that the requirements have
been met (Figure 2).
There is an additional challenge: The
technical and engineering staff generally has
a specific and different understanding than
management of what constitutes a control.
Compliance controls are practices established
by management to help ensure that business
processes are carried out consistently, and in
accordance with the compliance standard.
They can be either preventative or detec-
tive in nature, and they range from entirely
manual and administrative to automated and
technical. This semantic difference is an im-
portant hurdle to overcome, as without clear-
ly defined and regularly tested controls, it is
nearly impossible to satisfy two of the four
factors proposed by FERC: effective preven-
tative measures and prompt detection, cessa-
tion, and reporting of violations.
A robust set of controls and continuous
control monitoring provide for a sustainable
and ongoing compliance program. Rather
than a quarterly or annual fire drill to col-
lect data that demonstrates the meeting of a
requirement, the compliant organization is
continually monitoring a set of key indicators
that align with compliance objectives.
An additional level of maturity occurs
when the controls are mapped against a set of
higher-level control objectives, which in turn
are derived from governance directives that
include regulatory documents, industry best
practices, and corporate policy. Establishing
control objectives and identifying the associ-
ated controls allows for standardization and
reuse of work across all of the compliance
programs, which reduces costs and minimiz-
es the impact on operations.
Record-Keeping Challenges
Along with the creation of controls, and the
rationalization of controls across different
regulatory standards, the centralization of
compliance data and records is an essential
element in a sustainable compliance program.
Centralization of data enables the reuse of data
and a reduction in duplicative testing, which
is a significant area for cost savings, as well
as providing a compliance repository of key
documentation that can reduce the time and
effort required to prepare for audit actions.
Though the tasks and activities involved in
implementing and testing controls are often
distributed throughout an organizationand
can include service providers, consultants,
and third partiesthe collection and mainte-
nance of records must be consolidated. Data
consolidation is also important for making
compliance activities visible within an orga-
nization and for reporting purposes.
Though program visibility and detailed
reporting may sound like nice-to-have capa-
bilities rather than requirements for a strong
and sustainable compliance program, they are
actually key elements. FERC describes the
critical importance of the role of senior man-
agement in fostering a strong compliance eth-
ic within a company and expands upon that
theme by detailing the expectations for execu-
tives to establish a culture of compliance.
Executives must not only express a com-
mitment to regulatory compliance but also
take an active interest in the results and ac-
tions of any compliance program for reasons
beyond the importance of compliance itself.
Reviewing the status of critical controls and
key performance indicators provides a deep
view into the operations of the business, the
level of organizational risk, and the alignment
of operations with the businesss stated goals
and objectives. Finally, significant amounts
of money are at stake, both in potential fines
and in possible risk to the business resulting
from noncompliant operations.
Compliance audits generate large numbers
of tasks that must be assigned and tracked
throughout the organization, including ser-
vice providers and third parties. Ideally, in-
dividual tasks would be approached as audit
projects, allowing them to be managed more
effectively, and the multiple projects would
together constitute an ongoing compliance
program. This project- and program manage-
mentfocused approach provides a number
of benefits, not the least of which is ensuring
timely and accurate completion of the work.
With a more formalized approach to
managing compliance projects, barriers to
successsuch as key personnel who are
over-allocated or key resources that are
unavailablebecome apparent, as do dupli-
cate or unneeded tasks. The goal is to reduce
costs, ensure the consistency and predictabil-
ity of the process, and eliminate expensive
last-minute surprises.
When difficulties are discovered, the same
project management tools and techniques
can be used to plan and execute remediation,
thereby providing a history of the steps taken
to remedy the problem.
Finally, for central compliance groups,
this approach provides a transparent record
of work completed and planned, which is es-
sential to support either charge-backs to the
appropriate business unit or future budgeting
requirements.
2. Inspect performance. NERC has only had the authority to enforce reliability standards
and assess fines for noncompliance since June 2007. The 2008 audit cycle was the first during
which organizations faced significant monetary fines for noncompliance. A robust compliance
program must have more than written policies in place; it must also include corporate controls
that ensure those policies are complied with. Source: CA Inc.
Remediation
Test
controls
Control
objectives
Controls Policies
Risks
Business
objectives
Industry
regulations
and best
practices
Assess, monitor, and mitigate risk
Identify
requirements
Set policies
to meet
requirements
Create controls to
enforce policies
Monitor and
remediate
controls
February 2009
|
The Fifth Factor
Many organizations are grappling with these
issues and looking for better ways to central-
ize data, manage projects and programs, and
monitor controls. Technology can play a vi-
tal role in helping organizations develop and
maintain a sustainable compliance program.
There are many tools that can help store data
and provide appropriate access to it, as well
as applications that can assist with managing
projects while automating some of the tasks
and workflows.
One newly emerging solution area that
brings many of these capabilities together
is called governance, risk, and compliance
(GRC). In FERCs October policy statement,
governance and compliance remain front and
center as key priorities. Many organizations
find that the same tools used, and much of the
same data collected, to support compliance
can also be applied to identifying organiza-
tional risk and minimizing excess risk. GRC
solutions bring these related subjects together
in an attempt to gain the most insight with the
least impact on operations.
The path to a sustainable compliance
program is neither short nor easy. In order
to reach this goal, it is important to choose
clearly defined and funded intermediate steps
rather than attempting to implement a sys-
tematic change all at once. Multiple shorter-
duration iterations will demonstrate progress
and improve external perceptions of the com-
pliance organization while yielding continu-
ing improvements.
Several sources for guidance should be
considered, not only those that are specific
to NERC. For example, organizations such
as the Committee of Sponsoring Organiza-
tions of the Treadway Commission (COSO)
and the Open Compliance and Ethics Group
(OCEG) have amassed volumes of infor-
mation that provide valuable advice for de-
signing compliance and risk management
programs. Furthermore, the ISO 27001/2 and
CoBit standards provide frameworks for IT
security and compliance that are relevant to
NERCs Critical Infrastructure Protection
standards.
A final consideration in constructing a
compliance program is deciding if there is
an organizational need to address additional
regulations, beyond NERCs and FERCs,
with the same systems and processes. Al-
though instituting a compliance program can
be labor-intensive at the start, having one will
save time and money in the long term. Given
the size of the potential fines from NERC and
FERC, a compliance program could poten-
tially save money in the short term, as well
(Figure 3).
The power industry faced only moder-
ate enforcement activities in 2008; however,
there is no guarantee that 2009 will not be
more challenging. In addition to the poten-
tial for a stricter enforcement environment,
there is the likelihood of future regulation
related to the grid modernization needed to
support renewable power and an increased
focus on risk management by North Ameri-
can corporations. These factors added to the
FERC revised policy statement argue for cur-
rent investment in and focus on implement-
ing sustainable compliance programs for the
future.
Peter Stapleton (peter.stapleton
@ca-grc.com) is senior principal product
manager for CA Inc.s GRC Manager.
3. More than a paperwork drill. The response of industry to the NERC reliability rules
has been similar to the initial efforts of publicly traded companies in dealing with Sarbanes-
Oxley. There has been an immediate effort to get compliant and demonstrate compliance
by whatever means possible, which in many cases means a resource-intensive documentation
drill. Though this is a normal, and perhaps necessary, first step, it must be followed by a sustain-
able and cost-effective compliance program. One approach is to use computer-based compli-
ance management software, such as CA GRC Manager, shown here. Source: CA Inc.
POWER magazine has served
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|
February 2009 64
NEW PRODUCTS
TO POWER YOUR BUSINESS
A Documenting Calibrator
The latest documenting process calibrator from Beamex is the MC4, a compact-sized
device that calibrates various process parameters, such as pressure and temperature,
and then automatically stores results in the MC4s memory. The instrument data can
also be sent from computer to MC4, or calibration results can be uploaded from the
MC4 to a computer using Beamex CMX Calibration Software. When used with the
software, the MC4 can automatically produce calibration certicateseliminating
the need for hard documentation of any point of the calibration process. The result
is a quicker process with higher accuracy. The calibrator features a large graphical
display, menu-based multilingual user interface, and full numerical keyboard. It is
available with a rechargeable internal battery pack and charger. (www.beamex.com)
Vortex-Shedding Flowmeters
Universal Flow Monitors launched the P420 Series,
a set of plastic, vortex-shedding ow rate transmitters designed to process corrosive
uids, water, brine, and low-viscosity uids in water treatment, chemical, and desalination
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Economical Positive Displacement Pump
SPX Process Equipment last December introduced the ProCam SMART, a Bran + Luebbe
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February 2009
|
NEW PRODUCTS
Inclusion in New Products does not imply endorsement by POWER magazine.
Repairing Water Pipes with Ice Plugs
Facilities facing emergency plumbing repairs are typically forced to shut down
and then drain the entire water system. RIDGIDs new SF-2500 SuperFreeze
pipe-freezing unit is designed to avoid this costly and inconvenient process
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Plant Communication Link
Parker Hannins Instrumentation Products Division introduced Pilot
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interface designed to provide a link between plant process control
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The exible communication capability on Pilot Pro could, for
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Modbus, and Probus. (www.parker.com/pilotpro)
Upward Mobility
The Max Climber 2000P-IPM rack and pinion personnel
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while providing a safe and efcient means of access for
workers performing maintenance work at high levels. The
Max Climber 2000P-IPM easily attaches to scaffolding or
a building exterior and is designed with a base system
footprint of 93 inches by 95 inches.
Interlocked landing gates are available for safe entering
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|
February 2009 68
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www.laidig.com
0209 Power Classified.indd 68 1/20/09 11:36:35 AM
|
February 2009 70
ProDuCt Showcase
Glass-Trac
Steam-Trac
Level-Trac
Magne-Trac
Magne-Trac
Magnetic Level Gage
Guided Wave Radar FMP45
Level Transmitter
13960 South Wayside Houston, Texas 77048
Toll Free Tel: 866.240.9906
Tel: 281.240.0440 Fax: 281.240.2440
Email: tclever@QTSLevel.com www.QTSLevel.com
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Temperature Range -60 F to
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Measuring range:
up to 13 ft / 4 m (Rod probe)
up to 114 ft / 35 m (Rope probe)
Temperature:
-328752 F / -200...400 C
Pressure: -15800 PSI / -1...400 BAR
Dielectric constant:
1.6 (Rope probe, Rod probe)
1.4 (Coax probe)
Probes: Rod probe, Coax probe, Rope probe
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0209 Power Classified.indd 70 1/20/09 11:39:47 AM
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February 2009 72
COMMENTARY
The Obama Administrations
Energy Challenge
By Ronald Fisher
A
s the Obama administration takes office, energy resource
allocation is both the most critical national security is-
sue and the most critical economic issue facing us. It will
be difficult to sustain and improve economic growth unless we
implement policies that result in the more rational use of energy
resources, especially those for which there is a finite supply.
How Is the Obama Administration Likely to
Face the Challenge?
On the demand side, President-elect Barack Obamas energy plan
when he was a candidate contemplated a 15% reduction in elec-
tricity demand by 2020 by requiring utilities to meet mandatory
demand reduction targets and by seeking to decouple the utility
sectors profit from increased energy usage. The plan promoted
energy conservation by reimbursing electricity distribution com-
panies for a quarter of their expenditures on smart grid invest-
ments. Furthermore, to reduce national oil consumption, Obamas
plan called for one million high-mileage, plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles to be on the road by 2015.
On the supply side, candidate Obamas plan focused on renew-
able energy sources and carbon dioxide emissions reduction. The
plan included a national renewable portfolio standard requiring
that 10% of electricity production come from renewable energy
sources (such as wind, solar, and biomass) by 2012, increasing to
25% by 2025. It also contemplated a national carbon cap-and-
trade program to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and
by 80% by 2050.
While candidate Obamas energy plan acknowledged nuclear
power as a carbon-free source of electric power, it also recog-
nized that key issues, including the security of nuclear fuel,
spent fuel storage, and proliferation risk, needed to be ad-
dressed. The plan also called for the U.S. Department of En-
ergy (DOE) to start a public-private partnership to build five
commercial-scale, coal-fired plants that capture and sequester
carbon dioxide emissions.
Prior to the inauguration, it is unclear which of these goals
President-elect Obamas energy teamincluding DOE secretary
nominee Steven Chu, 1997 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in
physics; Lisa Jackson, nominated to head the Environmental
Protection Agency; and Carol Browner, nominated as assistant
to the president for energy and climate changewill focus
on. But given the characterization of Browners post as the
Obama administrations climate czar and statements by Chu
regarding coal being his worst nightmare, it would not be
surprising to see a strong early push for carbon cap-and-trade
legislation.
But by unduly emphasizing in troubled economic times a car-
bon cap-and trade program, which Chu admits could result in a
25% increase in electricity costs, the Obama administration risks
focusing energy policy on consumer penalties rather than market
incentives. Although there is bipartisan congressional support
for such a program, a detailed debate on anticipated cost im-
pacts has yet to occur. When it does, that support could quickly
evaporate.
As an alternative, a national energy policy that allocates fos-
sil fuel and renewable energy resources in a manner that ensures
our national security and fosters green economic development
(where green is the color of money) might find more support
among the investors, taxpayers, and consumers who fund private
capital and public subsidies to support that policy.
What Does This Mean Specifically?
First, promote and reward energy conservation and efficiency as
a national security issue; every barrel of oil we use now is one
less that will be available when we need it for strategic purposes.
How? Structure power markets and incent suppliers, through ac-
celerated depreciation or otherwise, to invest in smart grids and
to permit consumer price transparency. Adopt national policies,
similar to those contemplated by certain states, that incent and
permit suppliers to grow even if demand falls. Fund research and
development (R&D) on more efficient hybrid vehicle technology,
appliances, and building materials, and then reward their use.
Second, promote the gradual and rational transition from ulti-
mately finite fossil fuels to nuclear and renewable energy sourc-
es as an economic development issue. How? A federal renewable
portfolio standard is a good start, provided that it takes into
account regional differences in available resources. Stable, long-
term production and investment tax incentives for nuclear and
renewable power developers, similar to those enjoyed by fossil
fuel power producers, are critical. It is important to fund R&D
on spent nuclear fuel recycling and storage in order to mitigate
security concerns. It also is crucial to recognize that our fossil
fuel supplies are a significant strategic asset and that we should
use them accordingly, including the development of clean coal
alternatives.
Candidate Obamas energy plan contemplated most of these
proposals. At issue is not the what, but the how. President-elect
Obama can define the nations energy future by effecting policies
that promote energy conservation and efficiency as well as the
transition from finite fossil fuels to nuclear and other alterna-
tive sources. By framing those policies as national security and
economic development incentives that resonate with and reward
stakeholders, the Obama administration will better position it-
self to successfully carry them out.
A happy consequence of that success would be progress in
achieving the desired reduction in carbon dioxide emissions,
without penalizing stakeholders.
Ronald Fisher (fisher@blankrome.com) is a corporate
transactional attorney with Blank Rome LLP and chairs that law
firms energy industry team. He and his colleagues represent
public utilities, their unregulated affiliates, independent power
project developers and owners, and the investors who fund them.
The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of
Blank Rome LLP, its partners, or clients.
Untitled-1 1 1/20/09 5:37:27 PM
For everything you have come to expect from Steam, visit www.babcock.com
Or in the U.S. call: 1-888-690-7918.
Outside the U.S. call: 1-330-535-2103.
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Expanded to more than 1,100 pages.
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Represents nearly 140 years of power generation leadership by B&W.
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2007 The Babcock & Wilcox Company. All Rights Reserved.
The Book.

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