The Monitor

The technical design specification is the first step in designing a steam and water analysis system (SWAS) that operates accurately, reliably and safely for your plant’s conditions. Understanding the different possible configurations when designing your SWAS can help you choose one that will maximize efficiency and output while protecting plant assets, operators and the environment.

Read More

Topics: Power, Downstream, Steam & Water

A progressive new water treatment project near Milwaukee, WI, will help address wastewater overflows during heavy weather events, a growing concern for many municipalities. The project centers on a proactive and cost-effective solution to benefit water quality throughout the Milwaukee area and entire Great Lakes region.

Read More

Topics: Power, Company News, Steam & Water

The full version of this information can be found in the January 2020 of Hydrocarbon Engineering.

A well-designed steam and water sampling system can give you the critical insights you need to monitor steam and condensate quality, cycle chemistry (power production) and identify potential problems in your Hydrocarbon plant.

Read More

Topics: Power, Downstream, Steam & Water

The passive layer protects hydrocarbon and power plant equipment from corrosion and all the devastating effects that corrosion can cause. Cycle chemistry is critical to maintaining and protecting your passive layer – and your equipment.

Read More

Topics: Power, Downstream, Steam & Water

Cycle chemistry management is the best way to help prevent, recognize and minimize potentially devastating water chemistry events. Smart alarms assist in this by monitoring cycle chemistry, identifying chemistry events in real time and allowing chemists to take proper actions to correct conditions - preventing system damage and protecting assets.

Read More

Topics: Power, Liquid & Slurry, Steam & Water

It’s not a matter of if, but when your plant will incorporate the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) into its everyday operations. The IIoT is making manufacturing smarter and faster than ever before by attaching networked sensors and intelligent devices to equipment to gather data, store it wirelessly, and then use analytics and machine learning to take actions that will optimize operations.

Read More

Topics: Power, Liquid & Slurry, Steam & Water

Temperature is one of the most critical parameters to control when sampling in a power plant, and accurate and reliable measurements are essential for operational excellence. Incorrect measurements can result in unreliable data that can lead to safety issues and costly equipment damage.

Read More

Topics: Power, Steam & Water

 

When chemistry alarms go off in your steam power plant, how do you know if it’s just a nuisance alarm or a real chemical event?

The fact is, most of the time, you don’t. For many plant operators, too many alarms can be worse than none at all. And that confusion can cost you time and money during a real event.

Troubleshooting alarms with manual processes can take hours or even days to find the issue – costing up to $100,000 for every hour your operation is down, or millions if permanent damage occurs. Alarm-related problems cost U.S. industry more than $20 billion a year, driving many plants to reduce alarms and meet the International Society of Automation (ISA) standard of 1 alarm every 10 minutes.

Read More

Topics: Power, Liquid & Slurry, Steam & Water

Plants and facilities of all kinds use sample coolers to cool a sample from a process stream. Cooling samples as part of your steam and water sampling system is essential to maintaining safety and the representativeness of the sample.

For example, if a sample in a power plant is too hot to handle, the operator might throttle the flow to unacceptably low levels, which means the sample is no longer representative or acceptable.

Another example comes from Hydrocarbon processing or Process Analytics. Cooling the process to handle the sample is necessary.   If you take a grab sample of a certain hydrocarbon whether it be of a liquid or a gas, the safest way is to handle the sample at below 140F.  This protects the operator when handling hot samples that need to be physically taken to the lab safely for analysis.   

In order to achieve accurate data, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), ASTM and ASME recommend cooling water samples to 77°F (25°C) to ensure consistent, accurate test results. 

Read More

Topics: Power, Downstream, Upstream & Midstream, Liquid & Slurry, Steam & Water

The power industry has changed drastically, and the ability to start up quickly and generate reliably and economically are no longer luxuries, but requirements. That puts more pressure than ever on your steam and water sampling system. Here’s what you need to know to minimize the adverse effects of cycling on chemistry results and streamline busy start up times. This information was originally presented by John Powalisz at the 37th Annual Electric Utility Chemistry Workshop, held June 6-8 in Champaign, Illinois.

Steam and water sampling is a key component of a successful chemistry program in cycling power plants. It helps protect both equipment and plant personnel, while ensuring maximum output, helping identify and predict failures, and helping start up the unit faster.

Read More

Topics: Power, Steam & Water