Power Water Insights No

				Power Water Insights No. 1 December 29, 2011

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Lots of Water Insights at Power-Gen

There was a lot of news to report from Power-Gen earlier this month. We conducted more than 70 interviews and have pictures of the interviewees which we will post in the Alert and other publications. There were a number of companies with a water focus. They included Andritz, Buckman, Clean Harbors, Degremont, Graver, Puretec, Resintech, Swan, URS, Veolia, and Weir.

Recommendations by Black & Veatch and First Energy for a Holistic Water Management Approach to Changing Power Plant Regulations

Michael Preston and Vincent Como of Black & Veatch, along with Mark Scaccia of First Energy presented recommendations in a paper at Power-Gen International 2011.

A holistic water management review includes the production of an interactive water balance that depicts the current plant water management approach. This balance must be flexible so that it can be manipulated to reflect technology changes within the plant to meet new rules. Preferably it will be presented in a format that can be understood and manipulated by the customer in the future. A side benefit to this approach is producing an updated, detailed water mass balance for the plant along with an increased awareness of water and wastewater concerns.

In summary a holistic review of the power plant water management plan in the face of new regulations offers the following benefits:

· A chance to update the plant’s water balance and heighten awareness of water and wastewater concerns at the plant.

· Consideration of wastewater treatment costs in the selection and optimization of power plant system modifications necessitated by regulatory requirements.

· Proper consideration of regulatory costs associated with necessary changes to water and wastewater systems as a result of new regulations.

· An opportunity to avoid costly treatment systems by identifying means of reducing and/or reusing wastewater within the power plant.

· An opportunity to economically justify and balance the cost of wastewater treatment resulting from new regulations.

· An opportunity to conduct a comprehensive review of changes to a facility’s water management approach based on multiple and simultaneous changes to environmental regulatory programs.

Section 316(b) Phase II Compliance Options Outlined by Black & Veatch

James H. Singleton and Douglas C. Timpe of Black & Veatch presented a paper at Power-Gen International 2011 discussing the issues associated with implementing the technologies in the proposed Phase II rule at a standard reference plant that currently uses once-through cooling.

On April 20, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its proposed Phase II rule under Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) regulating cooling water intake structures at certain existing power generation, manufacturing and industrial facilities.

The EPA estimated that roughly 1,260 existing facilities will be regulated under the proposed Phase II rule, including about 590 manufacturers and approximately 670 power plants, or roughly 60 percent of all current existing power generation facilities in the United States.

The Table below compares the key features that were considered in evaluating the viability of each technology for the reference plant.

Overall, retrofitting screens with fish protection features and/or converting to dual-flow screens would be the most viable options for the reference plant considering costs, plant output impacts, permitability and technical feasibility. For some applications, dual-flow screens may offer advantages over through-flow screens by providing the potential for reduced through-screen water velocity, but at a higher capital cost. For entrainment protection, through-flow screens can be fitted with screen panels with reduced screen mesh dimensions to prevent entrainment of organisms down to 0.5 mm in size. Dual-flow screens can also be fitted with reduced size mesh openings, but the hydraulic design required to maintain even flow distribution across the face of the screen will not allow openings as small as those available for a through-flow design.

If full compliance cannot be achieved with screen retrofits or conversions, wedgewire screens would be the next most viable option. However, this option may entail higher costs, depending on how the screens will be mounted and could introduce new permitting issues, which could increase the overall permitting level of difficulty.

From a strictly 316(b) Phase II compliance standpoint, conversion to cooling towers would likely be the most readily accepted option. Overall, however, it would be the least viable option due to its high capital costs and impact on plant output. The use of cooling towers would also invoke permitting issues other than 316(b) that are unique to this technology.

EUEC 2012

EUEC 2012: The 15^th Annual Energy & Environment Conference & Expo will host about 2,000 delegates on January 30^th– February 1^st, 2012 at the Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona. An outstanding list of over 600 speakers will make expert presentations in 13 tracks.

Exhibiting companies include equipment suppliers and he following consulting and EPC companies:

AECOM Serves Thermal, Geothermal and Nuclear Markets

AECOM plays a major role in the thermal and geothermal power engineering market, by providing clients with a broad range of services for steam cycle, gas and hydraulic turbines, and internal combustion engine power plants.

RSW International Inc., which became part of AECOM during November 2010, has been awarded a US$13.4-million contract related to the Grand Inga site in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

AECOM, in partnership with Électricité de France (EDF), will conduct a feasibility study on the hydroelectricity development of the site and the associated interconnection transmission lines.

AMEC Uses Gray Water for Combined Cycle Power Plant

AMEC provides a full range of water and wastewater services, including detail design of treatment systems as well as construction and environmental management. Services are provided to government, business and industry clients. They include:

Gray water was used in the Bogue Plant 120MW combined cycle expansion in St. James, Jamaica. The client was Mirant Corporation. The scope included detail engineering, scheduling, purchasing and start-up.

A 120MW combined cycle plant has been added to the existing Bogue plant site near Montego Bay. The plant consists of a two on one configuration utilizing General Electric Europe 6B combustion turbines, ATS Express HRSG’s and a General Electric Nuovo Pignone steam turbine.

The project challenges included assumption of engineering for the project after an engineering, procurement and construction contractor was dismissed, a “fast track” schedule for simple cycle operation and complications associated with the use of gray water. Purchasing activities included procurement of bulk items that are normally furnished by the contractor.

Fuel used for the combustion turbines is a light distillate oil. NO_x emissions are controlled with water injection. Plant started up in simple cycle operation, followed by combined cycle operation a year later.

ACTUS, a joint venture of AMEC, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc, Costain and Babcock, has been awarded a contract worth up to £67 million over four years, by Magnox Limited. The work has been awarded to the ACTUS joint venture as part of an Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) framework contract and involves decommissioning across three waste streams - solid wastes, wet wastes and FEDER (Fuel Element Debris Enhanced Retrievals) at the Trawsfynydd site in North Wales.

The groundbreaking approach within the nuclear decommissioning industry has set exemplary standards for decommissioning nuclear facilities. It has been assessed by ‘Constructing Excellence’ as an example of multi-partnership working within the nuclear sector.

Earlier this year, AMEC agreed to buy MACTEC, a leading US engineering and environmental services company, from its private equity and other individual shareholders for a cash consideration of US $280 million.

Headquartered in Georgia, MACTEC has some 2,600 employees, mostly highly skilled technical professionals, and 70 offices which are mainly in the eastern part of the US. The company provides a similar wide range of services to AMEC's existing Earth & Environmental (E&E) business, including environmental planning, assessment and remediation, infrastructure engineering, water resources and construction support services. It has a broad range of high-quality, long-term clients operating in the energy, commercial/industrial, transportation/infrastructure and federal sectors. In North America, E&E has previously had a stronger presence in the Western US and in Canada, so the combination allows AMEC greater access to new customers and regions and MACTEC a better international platform for growth.

Burns & McDonnell Has New VP and General Manager of the Water Group

Burns & McDonnell has expanded to 11 operating divisions as a final step in implementing a planned restructuring of its Infrastructure Group into separate water infrastructure and surface transportation infrastructure divisions.

Ron Coker has been named vice president and general manager of the Water Group and Benjamin J. Biller has been named vice president and general manager of the Surface Transportation Group. Coker previously was the officer in charge of marketing for the Infrastructure Group, focused on water projects. Biller was the officer in charge of project delivery and marketing of highway, road and bridge projects in the Infrastructure Group. The establishment of the two new divisions and promotions of Coker and Biller are effective Jan. 1, 2012.

"The need for infrastructure investment in all parts of our country is now reaching critical urgency," said Burns & McDonnell Chairman and CEO Greg Graves. "Creating these two divisions now positions Burns & McDonnell to provide a resource to our clients as they focus on the dire needs and challenges of bringing our water infrastructure and roads and bridges up to the standards required in the 21st century."

"Burns & McDonnell has a long history of advocating for clean water and safe roads and bridges and we believe that history is now about to repeat itself," said James Foil, senior vice president and general manager of the current Infrastructure Group. "We recognize the urgent, growing need for investment in our national infrastructure and over the past four years have strategically positioned these two groups for this division. By establishing the two divisions now, we position Burns & McDonnell to be able to more effectively deliver the array of services our clients will need to make infrastructure investments better, faster and for less cost. Ron and Ben will be able to focus singularly on that mission in their own groups."

One of the big potential opportunities for reducing energy consumption is combined heat and power. This involves substantial movement and treatment of water. An analysis of this opportunity by Burns & McDonnell is available at Combined Heat and Power: Reaping the Benefits of Changed Market Conditions

CH2M Hill Focusing On Power Plant Water Issues

We talked to Hollie Scott who is the “Water for Power Lead” at Power-Gen and learned that he will be at EUEC as well.

Hollie has over thirty years of experience in the water and wastewater treatment industry. Much of that experience focused upon the application of a broad spectrum of products for treating water and wastewater. Technologies included biological treatment involving nutrient removal, potable water treatment, membrane filtration in potable water treatment and wastewater treatment applications, disinfection, industrial process water treatment, physical/chemical treatment of industrial wastewaters, biological treatment of industrial wastewaters, ground water remediation, and more. Over the course of his career, Hollie has been involved in technology selection and application for well over a thousand projects.

CH2M Hill has extensive experience in power. Innovative water use has been incorporated in some of their projects. For example, CH2M Hill performed integrated engineering, procurement, construction, and startup for the new state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly Empire Generating Co. LLC combined cycle power plant in Rensselaer, New York. The Empire plant generates 535 MW baseload and can provide peaking power when needed for high demand, up to 635 MW. The new power plant saves water by using a state-of-the-art water treatment facility located on-site, which complies with California Title 22 requirements to treat gray water provided by the Albany County’s Sewer District. The plant treats the water, making it suitable for all process needs: cooling tower makeup, service water, and demineralized quality cycle makeup water.

Civil & Environmental Consultants Can Supply the Range of Services from Feasibility Studies through Design and Build

CEC has assembled engineering and design teams that can provide assistance to clients ranging through:

In addition to pure design and engineering services, CEC has partnered with contractors to provide complete design-build services on various wastewater treatment projects. In concert with wastewater engineering, CEC provides these related services:

Environmental Consulting and Technology Has A Wide Range of Water Related Services for the Power Industry

ECT's full-service engineering and design staff consists of experienced project managers; multidiscipline engineers; design engineers; technicians; GIS/CADD specialists; and construction, administrative, and management personnel. The following water related services are available.

ERM Was CERAWeeks First Sustainability Partner

Global Commercial Director Shawn Doherty explains: “ERM is honored to be CERAWeek’s first sustainability partner - it fits perfectly with our strategy to become the sustainability consultancy of choice for corporations worldwide. Energy industries are facing an enormous challenge to meet global demand growth, which some estimate will increase 40 per cent by 2030, while governments, customers, and the public at large continue to press for cheaper, reliable, lower-carbon energy. Our sustainability advisors and their program management teams have something really important to offer our clients in this regard.”

ERM is the sustainability consultancy of choice for energy companies as they identify, develop and execute major capital projects in a world where reputation is increasingly key. With offices in 40 countries and over 3,600 staff we work with both business and government clients, helping them understand and manage their impacts on the world around them.

http://www.erm.com/PageFiles/1585/Andy-Huggins.jpg

Andrew Huggins is Partner and Head of Contaminated Site Management, (Northern Division) North America. With a PhD in Water Resources, Andrew has more than 30 years’ experience in contaminated site management. He specializes in site investigation, risk assessment, and the design and implementation of remediation strategies across diverse portfolios. In particular, Andy has been extremely successful in assisting US-based corporations manage their domestic and overseas remediation liabilities.

Currently, Andy is actively involved in remediation projects in Brazil, Italy and the US with a focus on applying innovative remediation technologies.

Golder Associates Supports Range of Power Projects Including Geothermal

Golder Associates at their EUEC stand: Manitia Moultrie, Associate, U.S. Power Sector and Best Practices Leader.

Golder supports power, mining, oil & gas, manufacturing, real estate and infrastructure clients by providing environmental consulting and engineering services to develop sustainable solutions related to power generation/transmission, energy infrastructure development and operations for non-renewable (fossil & nuclear) and alternative technologies including:

Golder Associates (NZ) Limited assisted Golder Associates Indonesia with an Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) survey over the site of a proposed large geothermal power plant in Sumatra, Indonesia. The site is in a seismically active region, near to the Sumatran Fault. The client wished to determine the presence and nature of faulting in the vicinity of the site, to assist with seismic hazard assessment, plant layout and construction planning.

The purpose of the ERI survey was to confirm the presence of faults inferred from aerial photographs, to identify any other faults that may be present and to identify areas of weak ground that may be problematic during or after construction. ERI surveys were carried out in the field by Golder Associates Indonesia with data transferred to New Zealand overnight for quality control and processing. A total of 4.6 line kilometres of data was collected, using several different electrode arrays. Data inversion, display and reporting were carried out by Golder geophysicists in New Zealand. A US-based Golder seismic hazard specialist and local Golder geologists collaborated with the New Zealand geophysicists to comprehensively assess identified features of interest.

ERI surveying was found to be very effective at the site, as the data collected displayed good continuity of features and general consistencies between survey lines. Previously inferred faults were also identified within the ERI results, allowing their locations to be refined somewhat. A small number of additional features that were indicative of potential faulting were identified. Targets for trenching investigations, prioritized based on their inferred age and potential risk, were suggested to the client. When assigning target priorities, the material in which the identified features were located, their location relative to the plant site, their extension to the ground surface, and orientation relative to the Sumatran Fault were all taken into consideration.

Kiewit Provides One Stop Shopping for Power Plant Water Quality Needs

Kiewit provides a “one stop shop” for all integrated engineering, procurement, construction, and startup service needs for generation, environmental quality, as well as transmission and distribution.

The company was also an exhibitor at Power-Gen. Here are Jon Rogers and Brad Buecker, process specialist at their stand.

Brad is on the planning committee for the Electric Utility Chemistry conference to be held in June. This is a conference focused on power plant water issues.

Brad has authored over 100 articles and columns published in technical trade magazines, including Power Engineering, Energy-Tech, Power Plant Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering Progress, Ultrapure Water, and Materials Performance. He has also authored three books on steam generation topics through PennWell Publishing. Additionally, he is a contributing editor for Power Engineering magazine, and is a member of the ACS, AIChE, ASME, ASME Research Committee on Power Plant & Environmental Chemistry, Electric Utility Chemistry Workshop Planning Committee, and Coal-Gen Planning committee.

· Spring and autumn meetings of the ASME Research Committee on Power Plant & Environmental Chemistry, March and October 2012

Shaw Group is a Major Power EPC and Includes Water and Wastewater in its Projects

The Shaw Group Inc. is a leading global provider of engineering, construction, technology, fabrication, remediation and support services for clients in the energy, chemicals, environmental, infrastructure and emergency response industries. A Fortune 500 company with fiscal year 2010 annual revenues of $7 billion, Shaw has approximately 27,000 employees around the world and is a power sector industry leader according to Engineering News-Record's list of Top 500 Design Firms.

The Shaw Group has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction services contract by Entergy Louisiana, LLC, for a dual fuel combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant. The nominally-sized, 550-megawatt unit will be built at Ninemile Point Steam Electric Station near New Orleans, La., and is scheduled for commercial operation by mid-2015.

"Shaw has provided a variety of engineering and other services to Entergy for nearly 40 years," said Clarence Ray, chief executive officer of Shaw's Power Group. "This new award, along with the two gas plants Shaw currently is building and one it recently has completed in the U.S. exemplifies Shaw's expertise in helping our clients meet the growing demand for clean, affordable and reliable energy."

http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Decision_Tree/subscriber/pics/Steve_1.jpg

Shaw also is building two CCGT gas plants in North Carolina and recently completed a CCGT plant in Nevada. Shaw also supports Entergy with its nuclear power assets. Shaw subsidiaries have provided engineering or maintenance services to nuclear power plants owned or purchased by Entergy since 1973.

Here is the picture we took of the Shaw booth at EUEC in 2011. Seve Baloga and Bobby Chen are consulting engineers for Shaw. Bobby has been a speaker in several McIlvaine webinars and is an expert on mercury capture.

Trinity Consultants, Inc. Provides Regulatory and Modeling Expertise

Trinity Consultants, an international environmental consulting firm that specializes in industrial air quality issues, announced last month that it has recapitalized with financial partner Gryphon Investors, a San Francisco-based middle market private equity firm. Trinity management and employees maintained significant ownership in the transaction. Gryphon bought a controlling interest in the firm from Sentinel Capital Partners, majority owner since 2007. John E. (Jay) Hofmann, Trinity’s President/CEO since 2001, will remain at the helm.

According to Hofmann, “Trinity’s management team is confident that Gryphon will make an excellent partner going forward. From the beginning, we were impressed by how well they understood our business and supported our growth objectives.”

Founded in 1974, Trinity Consultants is based in Dallas, Texas and has more than 30 offices throughout the U.S., China, and the Middle East. Trinity performs over 2,000 environmental consulting projects annually, primarily focusing on air quality regulatory issues affecting industrial facilities. Trinity has a diverse client base in highly regulated industries including chemicals, oil and gas, electricity, cement, forest products, and general manufacturing. Trinity also markets BREEZE environmental modeling software, implements technology solutions for EH&S information management, and provides professional EH&S training and EH&S staffing services.

Water Related Papers at EUEC 2012

Corey Tyree, Principal Engineer, Southern Company; Jonathan Allen, Principal, Allen Analytics LLC; Derek Eggert, Southern Research Institute

Progress Toward Producing An Updated Seasonal Annual Cooling Tower Impacts Model

Eric Powell, P.G., Bechtel Powel Corporation; Yijen Lin, Ph.D; Steve Weinbeck, Ph.D

Christopher Harto, Energy and Environmental Analyst, Argonne National Laboratory; Yuejun Yan, Yonas Demissie, and Vincent Tidwell

Gwendolyn Woods, Graduate Assistant - Research, the University of Arizona; Doosun Kang, Kevin Lansey, And Robert Arnold, the University of Arizona; David Eberle, Stephen Davis and Jeremy Smith, Malcolm Pirnie

Developing Advanced, Water Conserving Cooling Options For Existing And New Power Generation Plants

Kent Zammit, Senior Program Manager, Electric Power Research Institute; Jessica Shi and Sean Bushart

The Interaction of Clean Air and Clean Water Requirements for Electric Generating Plants

Water Research Center for Power Industry

Georgia Power President and CEO Paul Bowers announced the company will host an innovative research facility to develop and test water conservation technologies at Georgia Power's Plant Bowen, near Cartersville, Ga.

The Water Research Center (WRC) will provide a venue for developing and testing technologies to improve water efficiency by addressing withdrawal, consumption and recycling throughout the power generation process.

Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, is collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to add broader industry perspective and guidance to the project. Expected to be fully operational by August 2012, the WRC will include seven separate research focus areas: moisture recovery, cooling tower and advanced cooling systems, zero liquid discharge options, low volume wastewater treatment, solid waste landfill water management, carbon technology water issues, and water modeling, monitoring and best management practices.

"We are pleased to work with EPRI and technology suppliers in this first-of-a-kind project," said Bowers. "Water research and conservation is vital for the continued prosperity of our state, and we will contribute to that effort."

Dr. Michael Howard, president and CEO of EPRI, said: "We are excited about the water treatment and conservation research projects envisioned for the WRC. The center can be the catalyst to advance new technology options that address the industry's current and future water challenges."

Southern Research Institute (SRI) will provide independent testing and evaluation of current and developing technologies to enhance water quality and reuse during all phases of the power generation process.

Based on SRI’s extensive expertise in water quality and wastewater remediation research, experienced Southern Research engineers and technicians will direct all research and testing at the facility. In addition to providing electric generating companies with independent testing and evaluation of current and novel technologies, the Center will also generate new information regarding current and future regulatory compliance issues related to water withdrawal, use, and discharge restrictions and will facilitate sustainable water use practices within utility operations.

Southern Research is currently accepting inquiries from interested parties regarding testing of their technologies at the Water Research Center.

The sales of cross-flow membrane equipment and consumable membrane modules will increase from $8.6 billion this year to over $12 billion in 2017 according to the latest forecasts in the RO, UF, MF World Market report.

The biggest category will be reverse osmosis (RO) equipment which will enjoy a $1.7 billion increase to $4.7 billion in 2017.

Subject	2011	2017
Micro Equipment	1,751	2,317
Micro Membranes	456	569
RO Equip	3,029	4,746
RO Membranes	931	1,424
UF Equipment	1,864	2,471
UF Membranes	583	753
Total	8,614	12,280

Membrane sales for RO equipment will be just under $1.5 billion at that time. Dow Chemical is now the market leader in this consumables category with a significant worldwide market share.

Reverse osmosis systems are used for desalination, power plant boiler feed water, pharmaceutical water for injection and many similar applications where the ultimate in water purity is required. Ultrafiltration and nanofiltration are lumped together in the UF category. The efficiency of these membranes is less than RO but more than the microfiltration membranes. Ultrafiltration is often a pre-filtration process for RO. Ultrafiltration is the final filtration for some food and dairy products.

Microfiltration has many applications where it competes with gravity sand filters and provides greater efficiency in removing microbes. It has, therefore, become popular to filter municipal drinking water. The combination of microfiltration with biological waste treatment (membrane bioreactor) has become widely used where the distance to a municipal sewage plant makes connections expensive. Membrane bioreactors are treating food processing wastewater as well as wastewater from a number of other industrial processes.

Desalination has been a big growth sector for the cross-flow membrane industry. Available water per capita is shrinking while wealth is increasing. Both are powerful drivers. There are also industrial demands which have led to substantial growth of desalination in the Middle East. An alternative to membrane separation is evaporation and distillation. However, as the cost of membrane separation continues to be reduced, the technology is gaining more market share.

Combinations of power generation and desalination are very attractive. The waste heat from a coal-fired power plant can be used for the evaporation/distillation. China is pursuing this combination vigorously.

Summary Comparison of 316(b) Compliance Methods Reviewed for 600 MW Reference Plant
Approach for Compliance	Exclusion Technology and Collection and Return		Velocity Reduction	Flow Reduction
Option	Through-Flow Screens with Fish Protection Features	Dual-Flow Screens with Fish Protection Features	Conversion to Wedgewire Screens	Cooling Tower Conversion
Meets Requirements
Impingement	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Entrainment	Likely	Likely	Likely	Likely

Indicative Cost	$2,600,000	$3,600,000	$3,800,000	$40,600,00

Plant Output Impact (Summer/Winter)
Turbine Output	None	None	None	0.9% / 0%
Auxiliary Power	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	1.1% / 1.1%
Total	Negligible	Negligible	Negligible	2.0% / 1.1%

Permitting Level of Difficulty
316(b) Compliance	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Low
Other Permitting	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate

EUEC 2012

EUEC 2012: The 15th Annual Energy & Environment Conference & Expo will host about 2,000 delegates on January 30th– February 1st, 2012 at the Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona. An outstanding list of over 600 speakers will make expert presentations in 13 tracks.

According to Hofmann, “Trinity’s management team is confident that Gryphon will make an excellent partner going forward. From the beginning, we were impressed by how well they understood our business and supported our growth objectives.”

Water Related Papers at EUEC 2012

Water Research Center for Power Industry

EUEC 2012: The 15^th Annual Energy & Environment Conference & Expo will host about 2,000 delegates on January 30^th– February 1^st, 2012 at the Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona. An outstanding list of over 600 speakers will make expert presentations in 13 tracks.