·        Graver Low Chloride Ion Exchange Media Reduces Corrosion by 80 Percent

·        Impressive Plenary Keynote Panel at EUEC Next Week 

·        Silica Scale Issue Reviewed Tomorrow

·        Why Not Raise Fish at Power Plants Around the World?

·        $3.5 Billion Pump Purchases by the Power Industry this Year

Graver Low Chloride Ion Exchange Media Reduces Corrosion by 80 Percent

Dominion Nuclear Connecticut received the Westinghouse Combustion Engineering Design Vendor Award for protecting steam generators at a reduced cost through innovations in condensate polishing. These innovations included the use of Graver’s Gravex^® GR 1-9 US Ultra Low Chloride Anion Exchange Media. GR-1-9 Media sets a new standard in ultra low chloride performance.  Millstone uses the Gravex GR 1-9 US Ultra Low Chloride Media with an amine (ETA) form condensate cation in a mixed bed. The first bed of GR 1-9 Ultra Low Chloride Media has seen continual service for nearly four years in the condensate polishing system, and to date has processed > 6 billion gallons of water.  Neither mixed bed components has been regenerated during this period, and operating conditions indicate the bed will be regeneration free for up to five years.  Corrosion product transport to the steam generators has been significantly reduced and the utility has realized substantial savings in regenerant and cycle chemical costs. According to Millstone Plant Personnel, “the results achieved by using the GR 1 9 Ultra Low Chloride Media have been dramatic. Corrosion has been reduced by 80 percent, the number of steam generator inspections has been reduced significantly, and chemical use has been reduced by 50 percent. The project yielded substantial savings, including $1 million in reduced maintenance during each maintenance shutdown.”

Impressive Plenary Keynote Panel at EUEC Next Week 

There are lots of regulator issues impacting the purchases of water related products and services by the power industry.  These issues will be discussed by the following panel:

• Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator, U.S. EPA
• Christopher Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. DOE
• Chris Hobson, Senior Vice President, Southern Company
• Bryan Hannegan, Vice President, EPRI
• Clay Bretches, Vice President, Anadarko Petroleum  

·         Mark Brownstein, Chief Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund

The three day program from January 30 to February 1 in Phoenix, AZ will cover lots of subjects with more than 600 speakers.  Here are the major subject areas:

A.   Clean Air Mercury Rule 

B.   Mercury & HAPs Monitoring     

C.   Mercury & Air Toxics Control    

D.   Energy & Climate 

E.   Wind, Solar, & EV

F.   CCS & Carbon Mgmt  

G.   GHG Strategies

H.   Biofuels & Biomass 

I.    Sustainability  

J.    Energy Efficiency 

K.   Renewable Energy

L.   Operations & Management   

There are a number of speeches directly related to water, although they are in the minority. On the other hand, eight of the major consultant/engineers in the water space will be exhibiting. Furthermore, McIlvaine will be offering its stand as a networking center for those interested in discussing any of the water issues. Ross Ardell, Bob McIlvaine and Marilyn McIlvaine will be there to answer your questions and connect you with others at the conference.  See  www.euec.com.

Silica Scale Issue Reviewed Tomorrow

McIlvaine has an open session tomorrow (January 25) to review silica scale issues. The solubility of amorphous silica is important to the operation of water-dominated production processes. In areas such as Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, parts of California, southern Europe, the Pacific Rim and Latin America, the water used for industrial applications contains high silica concentrations (50 parts per million [ppm] to 100 ppm, expressed as silicon dioxide [SiO₂]). These concentrations result from quartz (crystalline SiO₂) dissolution from rock formations into the groundwater.

The potential for silica-scale deposition poses serious problems in water with a high dissolved silica content. In fact, these problems can be difficult to resolve. Personnel responsible for power plants, evaporative cooling systems, semiconductor manufacturing and geothermal systems must monitor water silica levels very closely.

Silica precipitation/deposition frequently is encountered in evaporative cooling systems, where salt concentrations increase through partial evaporation of the cooling water. Silica solubility in water generally is 150 ppm to 180 ppm, depending on water chemistry and temperature. This imposes severe limits on water users, leading either to operation at very low cycles of concentration and consuming enormous amounts of water, or to use of chemical water treatment techniques that prevent silica-scale formation and deposition.

We will discuss the following questions:

Which industries have silica scale problems?

·         Power plant cooling towers

·         Reverse osmosis concentrate

·         Geothermal plants

·         Others

How are these industries solving the problem?

·         Process (reduce the number of cleaning cycles)

·         Chemical prevention

·         Chemical dissolution

·         Other

What are the costs of alternative methods for silica scale control?

What is the impact of the silica content of the water source?

Join us on Wednesday, January 25 at 10 a.m. (central time) to hear and participate in a discussion of silica scale issues and answers for the power industry.

The session will be free of charge and open to everyone. You can register at:

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.htm. 

Why Not Raise Fish at Power Plants Around the World?

Low pressure steam from power plants can be used to control the temperature of water at a new kind of fish farm. Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are used to raise fish in a very compact space. With temperature, contaminant and oxygen control, these tanks far outperform ponds.  In the last Power Water Insights we wrote about one combined cycle plant who is already supplying steam for this purpose. With this as an example, let’s cogitate on how this concept can be leveraged.

The world’s wild fish production is plummeting.  Ponds, pens and RAS are becoming the main sources of fish.  RAS is presently a small portion of the total. With low cost energy RAS could be a big winner.  Thus the market potential is there. What are the negatives?

The biggest one could be space, but there are innovative potential ways around this.  A few years ago Kiewit introduced an entire FGD system in a concrete grain silo. This silo housed a very large FGD system with tanks and fans. The silo was 80 feet in diameter and 400 ft high.  Why not take this concept and build stacked tanks 400 ft high?

There is no easier way to reduce greenhouse gases than to utilize the heat going out with the cooling tower steam plume. This should be an option which receives serious attention.

$3.5 Billion Pump Purchases by the Power Industry this Year

Purchases of pumps by the world’s power generation industry will reach $3.5 billion this year.  East Asian purchases alone will exceed $1.2 billion.  This is the latest forecast in the McIlvaine Pumps World Markets report.

($ Millions)

Pumps will be purchased for coal, nuclear, hydro, geothermal, concentrated solar and combined cycle gas turbine plants. Coal-fired generators will purchase more than operators of the other technologies combined.  In the U.S., there will be a substantial market created by new combined cycle gas turbine plants.

The power industry around the world extracts more than ten times more water than do municipalities. Therefore, the pump requirements to move water from the source to the cooling towers are substantial.  Expensive and high performance pumps are needed at various points in the steam cycle. Pumps for flue gas desulfurization have requirements in excess of 50,000 gpm per pump.

Centrifugal pumps will constitute the majority of the purchases.

($ Millions)

Rotary and diaphragm pumps are used for the many chemical additions which are needed in the intake water, boiler feedwater and wastewater treatment.

For more information on Pumps World Markets, click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/water.html#N019 

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Bob McIlvaine
President
847 784 0012 ext 112

rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

www.mcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

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191 Waukegan Road Suite 208 | Northfield | IL 60093

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