Opportunity For Improving Power Plant Heat Rate

Opportunities for improving efficiency at power plants

The large scale of most power plants provides a environment in which financial justification, or payback, of attempts to improve energy consumption can be justified. Even small improvements in efficiency can yield very substantial returns. The challenge to engineering and management is to select the projects which have the best overall probability of success and can be integrated into the process with the least amount of disturbance.

One area of the steam cycle that may be a candidate for improvement is the feedwater heater. This device is essentially a shell and tube heat exchanger used to recover waste heat from the process and use it to preheat boiler feedwater. Maintaining the correct liquid level in the feedwater heater is a key element of extracting maximum performance. Magnetrol, a globally recognized leader in the development of level measurement equipment, has produced a video showing how their technology can be used in an advantageous manner to others in regulating feedwater heater liquid level and achieving maximum efficiency.

Handbook on pH and ORP Measurement

Dual input pH analyzer and transmitter
Courtesy Yokogawa

Measurement of pH/ORP is a common operation throughout a number of industries. Obtaining true measurements and making correct interpretation of the results can prove challenging without solid working knowledge of the methodology and procedure involved. Certain effects have the ability to cause problems if not taken into consideration.

The book provided below, authored and provided by Yokogawa Electric Corporation, provides a comprehensive understanding of pH/ORP measurement and how to achieve reliable results. Basic information on the principles of measuring pH/ORP, construction of the sensing elements, and their basic use in process applications is provided.

A part of achieving accurate and reliable pH/ORP measurements includes the provision of sufficient electrode strorage conditions and proper maintenance. Prevention of common errors during maintenance and storage, as well as consistent detection of loop failures is important. This book describes how to avoid pitfalls and detect failures.

The book is accompanied with a frequently asked question and answer section as well as an appendix that includes helpful information like a Chemical Compatibility Table and a Liquid-Application-Data-Sheet, which can be used to describe the user’s application.

pH and ORP Measurement Handbook from Miller Energy, Inc.

Miller Energy Introductory Video

Miller Energy is a Manufacturer's Representative and Distributor of Industrial Instrumentation and Process Control Equipment. Since 1958, Miller been committed to exceeding our customers expectations by providing an unparalleled level of customer service and local technical support. Miller Energy maintains two office locations in NJ and PA. The South Plainfield, NJ operation services the areas of Northern NJ, New York, and Fairfield County Connecticut and serves as our corporate headquarters. The Exton PA office serves the areas of Southern NJ, Eastern PA, Delaware and Maryland.

Safety Transmitters Achieve Safety Goals With Reduced Cost and Complexity

Series One Safety Transmitter
United Electric Controls

Process safety experts continually seek sustainable ways to improve the performance of safety critical loops, achieving risk reduction and safety goals in a cost-effective manner. Some view a reduction in complexity of safety related protocols to be a positive development. Traditional or historical approaches to deploying full blown safety systems were generally associated with great expense and high complexity, and still came up short on delivering the needed levels of risk reduction. Process control device and equipment manufacturers have responded with newer technologies and products that better address the safety needs of industrial processing.

In sensor subsystems, United Electric’s certified safety transmitter for pressure or temperature provides a less costly, simple path for process designers, instrument and control engineers, and maintenance personnel. The Series One Safety Transmitters combine several useful safety and monitoring functions into a single, easy to deploy device. Products are available for gauge pressure, differential pressure, and temperature applications. In addition to a 4-20 mA process variable output, the Series One has an embedded programmable high-capacity relay certified as a safety variable output. The Series One Safety Transmitter provides designers the option of a hard wired trip in less than 100 milliseconds, with a tenth of a percent repeatability, along with the monitoring functions of a traditional continuous analog output.

For equipment under control requiring protection, or processes where rapid excursions can initiate dangerous events, this unique pressure and temperature transmitter is addressing process safety time constraints, coupling issues with PLC and DCS units, and adding diversity to the safety instrumented function.

There is a whole lot more to learn about these "Safety right out of the box" industrial pressure and temperature safety transmitters. A product data sheet is provided below, but you can get the latest and most detailed product and application information from a specialist in industrial process measurement and control. Share your safety instrumentation challenges with them, combining your process expertise with their product application knowledge to develop effective solutions.

United Electric One Series Safety Transmitter from Miller Energy, Inc.

Yokogawa Data Acquisition Unit Product Changes

The DX1000 and DX2000 are among the potential
replacements for the discontinued CX Series

Modern industrial process control has ever increasing demands for data acquisition. The ability to rapidly gather and process measurements into control and management decisions and reports is essential to efficiency, safety, and profitability. Yokogawa has been a leading manufacturer in the data acquisition sphere for decades, and has made some changes in its product line to maintain its leadership position.

The model CX 2000 was discontinued at the end of February. It combined data acquisition, display, control, and networking in a single unit. A scaled down version, CX 1000 was previously discontinued. The company recommends possible replacements to include one or more of the following products:

• Advanced Application Temperature Controller UT75A
• Button Operated DX1000/DX2000
• General Purpose Temperature Controller UT35A/UT32A
• Mid-level Temperature Controller UT55A/UT52A
• TC10 Temperature Controller
• Touch Screen GX10/GX20
• US1000 Digital Indicating Controller
• UTAdvanced UT32A-D
• UTAdvanced UT32A-V/C/R

The DX2000 Daqstation is a mature product with a solid portfolio of field installations. It can accommodate display, recording, networking, and storage of data on up to 48 input channels. Input types include DC voltage, contact signal, RTD, and thermocouple. Ethernet connection enables remote access via a website and the unit can provide email alerts. There are numerous effective and user-friendly features included with the DX2000, which incorporates Yokogawa's decades of experience with recording and data acquisition.

Whatever your data acquisition needs and challenges, the best solutions will result from combing your process expertise with the knowledge of a product specialist. Reach out to them and get results.

Data Acquisition Equipment for Automation and Process Control from Miller Energy, Inc.

Energy Calculator Simplifies Chilled and Hot Water Usage Monitoring

Yokogawa Model 212 Heat Calculator

Early in my professional career, I was a sales rep calling upon building engineers, maintenance technicians, and lots of HVAC related people. One encounter I had, many years ago, has always stayed with me. I was prattling on to a building engineer about whatever gear I was trying to promote for his chilled water system, and I must have really missed the mark. The engineer, clearly a man of superior experience to mine, stopped me in mid sentence. "You know what flows through these pipes?", he said, referring to the chilled water system. In my defense, I was very young and inexperienced at the time, but I did answer "Chilled water". My building engineer friend bellowed out, "Wrong....money flows through those pipes". That single encounter had a lasting impact upon how I viewed HVAC systems.

Energy costs for heating or cooling a building can be the single largest line item on the cash outflow summary for an operation. Much effort and expense is put into efforts to maximize energy efficiency and conservation. Monitoring of usage patterns related to the chilled or hot water system can provide useful information for developing new conservation strategies and verifying the impact of any steps taken to reduce consumption.

The Yokogawa Model 212 is an affordable and easy to install and use device that will provide a stream of usage data. A key feature of the Model 212 is its ability to interface with a broad range of flowmeter devices, including vortex and magnetic flowmeters with pulse outputs, positive displacement and inferential water meters, turbine and paddlewheel flowmeters. This flexibility allows the user to select a companion flowmeter that will suit their accuracy, budget, and operational requirements.

The Heat Calculator has four modes of operation to totalize the usage patterns in a manner that best suits the needs of the user. Additionally, the unit can interface with a building management system and includes internal data logging capabilities. Other features are described in the product data sheet I have included below.

Even small chilled and hot water systems can benefit from usage data derived from a monitoring system such as the Yokogawa Model 212. Share your system challenges with a product specialist. Combining your process and system knowledge with their product application expertise will produce effective solutions.

Heat Calculator for Chilled and Hot Water Systems from Miller Energy, Inc.

Bimetallic Thermometers With Adjustable Angle and Rotating Head Make Installation Simple

Bimetallic Thermometer
Courtesy US Gauge

A bimetallic thermometer relies on the deformation of a bimetal spring or strip in response to a given temperature. The mechanical deformation is transformed into rotational movement of the indicating needle on the instrument face, where the corresponding temperature can be read by a technician or operator. This design principle has been in use throughout laboratories, kitchens, and industry for many years and has proven to be predictably accurate, stable, and rugged.

The major advantages of the bimetallic thermometer are its relative cost, ease of use, and ability to function without any power source. While this class of instruments provides operability up to +1000°F, the operating principle does not tend to provide similar accuracy at very low temperatures.

When applying dial faced thermometers, the main considerations beyond selecting the appropriate temperature range are the diameter of the dial and the mounting arrangement. US Gauge, an Ametek brand, provides a line of bimetallic thermometers for industrial process applications with a large degree of built-in flexibility to make selection and installation very simple. Three and five inch dial faces are offered, along with a selection of temperature ranges and stem lengths. The stem can be adjusted to almost any angle to provide good view of the face, and the head can be rotated over 180°.

Provided just below is a data sheet and description of the ADJ Series from US Gauge. Share your instrumentation challenges with the product application experts at Miller Energy. Combine your process knowledge with their product expertise and develop the the best solutions.

Industrial Bimetallic Thermometers: 3 and 5 Inch Adjustable Angle from Miller Energy, Inc.