Aug 2015

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GLOBAL GENERATION INDUSTRY SINCE 1882
Vol. 159 No. 8 August 2015
2015 Plant of the Year:

SaskPowers Boundary Dam
Carbon Capture Project
Reinvention Award for Industrial

Boiler Flexibility
Water Award Recognizes Win-Win
Approach
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ON THE COVER
Established 1882 Vol. 159 No. 8
August 2015
SPEAKING OF POWER
The Work and Rewards of Power Production
GLOBAL MONITOR
More Nuclear Plants Deemed Unprofitable in Sweden, Germany
Vattenfall Gets Siemens First Virtually Oil-Free Steam Turbine
Statkraft Shelves Wind Projects in Norway, Cites Unprofitability
The Emergence of Evaporation Energy
THE BIG PICTURE: Targeting Renewables
WELP Connects 335-MW Hydro Expansion in British Columbia
POWER Digest
8
8
10
10
12
13
14
This shot from the roof of SaskPowers

Boundary Dam Power Station shows
ductwork that carries flue gas from the
upgraded Unit 3 to the new carbon capture facility, where sulfur (in the shorter
tower) and then carbon dioxide (in the
taller tower) are absorbed and stripped
before the carbon dioxide is compressed
in the building partially visible on the
right. From the compression building, the
gas is piped underground to a metering
station before being sent underground
again, either for enhanced oil recovery or
permanent geological storage. Source:
POWER/Gail Reitenbach
FOCUS ON O&M
Electric Arc Flash Protection Solutions
Grooved Mechanical Piping Offers a Versatile Pipe-Joining Alternative
16
19
LEGAL & REGULATORY

Cyber Threats: Is the Sky Falling or Is the Threat Real?
22
By Sean B. Hoar, partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
COVER FOCUS: PLANT OF THE YEAR

SaskPowers Boundary Dam Carbon Capture Project Wins POWERs
Highest Award
24
By now, most people in the power industry have heard about the relatively
small utility in Canada that reached a monumental industry goal before anyone else. SaskPowers post-combustion carbon capture project has been winning awards left and right, and POWERs Plant of the Year Award is one more,
but our coverage of the achievement is the most extensive and detailed to
date. If youre wondering what the future of coal-fired generation might look
like, take a look at this plant.
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August 2015 POWER
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16
1
SPECIAL REPORTREINVENTION AWARD

Colorado Energy Nations Boiler 5 Upgrade Project
36
POWERs 2015 Reinvention Award (formerly known as the Marmaduke

Award) goes to an industrial cogeneration plant that reinvented its largest
unit for greater fuel and operating flexibility. It faced many of the same business challenges as grid-connected generators and executed this project in an
exemplary way that everyone can learn from.
SPECIAL REPORTWATER AWARD

Tampa Electric Co.s Polk Power Station Reclaimed Water Project
44
An increasing number of generation facilities around the world face waterrelated challenges, which means the market is expanding for innovative and
effective new approaches to water management. This plant, which has been
an industry leader for past projects, demonstrates one successful solution.
SPECIAL REPORTSMART GRID AWARD

Oncors System Operating Services Facility, Lancaster, Texas
48
As smart grid technology becomes more common, the focus shifts to leveraging it in increasingly complex and useful ways. This set of four interconnected microgrids serves a Texas utilitys own facility while also operating as
a demonstration center for future microgrid projects.
WIND POWER
The Wind Sectors Elusive Quest for Quality
52
The number of wind turbine suppliers, the number of parts in each turbine,
the number of models, the number of siting and operational variablesplus
the wind sectors boom-bust cyclehave all contributed to an industry in
which equipment has been less reliable than turbine owners expected.
SAFETY
Making Sense of New Arc Flash Protection Rules
56
If you think you know all there is to know about arc flash protection, you may
be misinformed. Worse, you could be putting yourself and others in danger.
This article, which provides highlights of recent regulatory updates, is a mustread.
COMMENTARY
Community Engagement (On and Offline) Can Make or Break Your Project
44
68
By Mary Usovicz, vice president, TRC
VISIT POWERMAG.COM FOR MORE STORIES THAT MATTER
52
New Renewable Projects Face Old Safety Hazards

Supreme Court Strikes Down EPAs MATS Rule
McCarthy: Supreme Court Decision on MATS Wont Affect the Clean Power Plan Rule
Germany Moves to Idle Coal Plants, Set up Capacity Reserve
Report: Losing Nuclear Would Blight Economy
Regulator Orders Mississippi Power to Issue Kemper IGCC Rebates
House Passes Measure to Stall EPA Clean Power Plan
California Drought and Power Potential
Nuclear Developments from S. Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan
Duke Proposes Full Excavation of 12 More Coal Ash Basins
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
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EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION

Editor: Dr. Gail Reitenbach
editor@powermag.com
Consulting Editor: Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
Associate Editor: Thomas Overton, JD
Associate Editor: Sonal Patel
Associate Editor: Aaron Larson
Senior Graphic Designer: Michele White
Production Manager: Tony Campana, tcampana@accessintel.com
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SPEAKING OF POWER
The Work and Rewards of

Power Production
hat motivates you? Is it mostly
the paycheck you earn from your
work in the power industry?
Friendships with your coworkers? How
about winning awards?
Im very proud of our small but savvy and
productive editorial staff, which includes
two associate editors (Sonal Patel and Tom
Overton) who, over the past two years, have
been finalists for Neal Awards, the most
prestigious awards given to editorial staff
at business-to-business publications, and a
third associate editor, Aaron Larson, who is
currently a finalist for an Azbee award. But
awards arent what we work for day to day.
What gets me to my desk early each morning is knowing that the power industry is
fundamental to the work that everyone
around the world doesfrom doctors who
rely on electricity to power operating room
lights and laser surgery tools to teachers
who depend upon properly heated, cooled,
and illuminated classrooms.
Awards are nice to win and brag about,
but at POWER we do more than give our
award winners an attractive physical
award. We also have a tradition of sharing the details of award-winning projects
in feature stories so the entire industry
can learn about trend-setting, best practiceexemplifying, and uniquely interesting projects. This issue begins our 2015
award coverage and features four special
projects that everyone can learn something from.
Honoring a World-First Project

You may not operate a coal-fired power
plant like SaskPower, but you can learn
from this Canadian utilitywhich won
our Plant of the Year Award for the worlds
first full-scale post-combustion carboncapture process on a coal-fired power
plantabout the value of collaborative
research and development and the value
of investing in open communication about
first-of-a-kind efforts.
I toured the site in late May, and even
as a non-engineer, I found the entire facility fascinating. Six hours flew by. I only
regret that there wasnt enough space to
detail all the work that went into successful completion of this landmark project.
6
Small but Significant

Some of you who work with hundreds-ofmegawatt plants may think that industrial
power and cogeneration systems are small
and dull, but our Reinvention Award winner, Colorado Energy Nations, proves that
no project is too small to do right. It also
demonstrates that smaller firms can deliver
sound solutions to environmental and market challenges that are shared by everyone
in this industry. (If you need more incentive to read that story, the revitalized power plant is at a famous Colorado brewery.)
This is also a good opportunity to recognize that a large number of our subscribers and advertisers are affiliated with
industrial or captive power plants. As regulatory, resource, and economic pressures
increase on all generators, were planning
to cover such projects a bit more regularly. If you are an operator of or vendor
to outstanding, trend-setting industrial
power projects that others can learn from,
send me a pitch at gailr@powermag.com
or nominate a stellar project for one of
next years awards.
Water-Wise Innovation
Nearly every power plant has some sort of
water-related concern these days, which
makes sharing innovative solutions increasingly important. The constraints faced
by Tampa Electric Co.s Polk Power Station
may be site-specific, but its approach sets
an example for the type of holistic thinking
that is becoming increasingly important.
The multiple benefits achieved by this project earned it this years Water Award.
The Smart Grid Evolves
If you look at our previous Smart Grid
Award winners, youll see just how quickly
basic elements of a smart gridespecially
smart meters and distribution automationhave become standard operating
practice. As a magazine for the power
generation sector, were especially interested in ways that smart grid technologies and projects touch the generation
piece of the grid. Were also looking for
projects that move the whole industry forward in some way. Thats why this years
Smart Grid Award goes to a small microgrid
www.powermag.com
project that is essentially four connected

smart grids. Oncor developed its fast-track
project both to ensure reliability to a
key facility and to serve as a demonstration project. As it looks ahead, this Texas
transmission and distribution utility sees
that it may be interacting with or developing similar microgrids for its customers
in the near future.
More Winners to Come

The winners of this years four major
awards are North American, but the next
four issues, which cover our Top Plants
winners in gas, coal, nuclear, and renewable categories, include a mix of projects
from a wide variety of locations around
the world.
For each award category, the editorial
team looks first at all nominations. If we
do not find sufficient noteworthy or interesting projects in the nominations, we
look at our own lists of projects that have
come to our attention over the year and
may add to the list of winners. However,
with the hundreds of emails we receive
each day, you cant be sure well notice
your outstanding work, so plan ahead to
nominate exceptional projects that the rest
of the industry can learn from. Youll find
nomination forms for 2016 awards online
now at powermag.com/power-awards.
Gail Reitenbach, PhD is POWERs editor.
POWER August 2015
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More Nuclear Plants

Deemed Unprofitable in
Sweden, Germany
E.ON in late June announced that it wants
to shutter its Oskarshamn 2 reactor (Figure 1) in southeastern Sweden because it
is unprofitable. The announcement is the
latest in a string of early nuclear plant retirements from around the world.
The German company wants to shutter
the 1974-built reactor instead of installing
upgrades to comply with new cooling requirements and extend the 40-year lifetime
of the 638-MW plant. It also said the reactor
suffers technical problems. In E.ONs view,
the economic prerequisites for investments
to run Oskarshamn 2 beyond 2020 do not
exist, and . . . the prerequisites do not exist
either for the measures that would be required to continue operations until 2020,
E.ON Sweden said in a statement.
E.ON owns 55% of plant operator OKG.
Finlands Fortum owns the remainder. OKG
in June applied for an environmental court
ruling in preparation for the future decommissioning of the 1972-built Oskarshamn
1. The 1985-built, 1,400-MW, Oskarshamn
3 reactor is expected to continue operations. However, Fortum said in a statement
that it would prefer the continued operation of the two older Oskarshamn units.
Contrary to EONs view, we believe that
it is possible to continue production from
Oskarshamn units 1 and 2 until the end of
their planned operational lifetimes, said
Fortums executive vice president for nuclear
and thermal power, Tiina Tuomela. Fortum
said that recent modernization investments
in the reactor had been carried out with a
target to continue production until the end
of the units lifetime and with increased capacity. Considering the investments made,
1. Early retirement. The 638-MW Oskarshamn 2 nuclear reactor, built in 1974, is at

risk of early closure because it is unprofitable,
says part-owner E.ON. The reactor could become one of a growing number of units that
have suffered a similar fate. Courtesy: OKG
as well as our strong expertise as a nuclear

operator and a global service provider, we
see that there are other measures [that
could be] taken to ensure safe and reliable
production at Oskarshamn 2 till the end of
its planned lifetime, Tuomela said.
Industry experts expect OKG to make a
formal decision on the reactors fate later
this year.
E.ONs announcement comes as Sweden
contemplates the role of its 10 reactors
and three nuclear plants in its future power
mix. Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan
Lfven had said that nuclear, which generated about 40% of the countrys power in
2013, remains necessary, but he has also
pledged to expand renewable energy in the
country. Last December, meanwhile, Sweden decided to nearly double fees paid by
utilities into the countrys nuclear waste
fund over the 20152017 period. The move
increased taxes on nuclear power from
US$0.29/kWh in 2014 to $0.49/kWh.
E.ON, which in April announced it would
spin off all its nuclear assets owing to Germanys energy transition, in late June also said
it would retire the 1.3-GW Grafenrheinfeld
nuclear power plant half a year ahead of its
final decommissioning date because it is not
profitable. Running the 33-year-old reactor
would only make sense if it could be operated for a longer period of time and without
a nuclear tax costing about $89 million to
refuel the plant, E.ON said. Grafenrheinfeld
is the first of nine remaining German reactors that will retire per the countrys nuclear
phase-out. The next closures will occur by
the end of 2017 and 2019.
E.ON isnt alone. Earlier this year, Swedish state-owned Vattenfall said it would
shutter two reactors at its 1975-built Ringhals plant in southwestern Sweden seven
years early due to declining profitability
and increased costs.
In the U.S., reactors at five plants were
shuttered or slated for shutdown in 2013
owing to low demand, depressed wholesale
prices, cheap gas, high costs of operation,
or ill-fated repair projects: Dominion Resources Kewaunee nuclear plant in Wisconsin, Duke Energys Crystal River plant
in Florida, Southern California Edisons
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station,
and Entergys Vermont Yankee plant. Several more are flailing financially, including
Exelons New York Ginna facility and its Illinois Clinton facility; Entergys Massachusetts Pilgrim facility; and FirstEnergys Ohio
Davis-Besse facility.
www.powermag.com
Vattenfall Gets Siemens

First Virtually Oil-Free
Steam Turbine
Steam turbine technology took a leap in
June as Siemens revealed a 10-MW prototype that uses magnetic force to suspend
a rotor weighing several tons. The innovation means that instead of needing hundreds of liters of oil for the bearings, the
first-of-its-kind steam turbine only needs
about three liters of oil (for the valve actuators that control the steam supply).
And by eliminating the entire oil management system, it also removes the need for
oil tanks, lines, pumps, disposal systems,
and safety precautions against fires and
environmental damage.
The SST-600 (Figure 2), as it is dubbed
by Siemens, was developed in cooperation with the University of Zittau/Grlitz.
The turbine with magnetic bearings has
since seen a successful trial run at Vattenfalls lignite-fired 3-GW Jnschwalde
steam power plant in the German state of
Brandenburg. It has run reliably in regular full-load operation as one of a dozen
10-MW drive turbines for the power plants
feedwater pumps since February 2015, at
speeds of between 3,600 and 5,700 rpm,
under main steam temperatures of up to
535C and pressure of 36 bar. This June,
Siemens officially handed the model SST600 steam turbine to Vattenfall.
Siemens noted that active magnetic
bearings that suspend rotating components with electromagnets are currently
used in other machines such as compressors and electric motors. They have never
been used in steam turbines, however,
because of high operational temperatures
that often exceed 500C. To overcome this
hurdle, Siemens developed a patented air
2. Magical magnets. Siemens and the

University of Zittau/Grlitz in June handed
over the first SST-600 steam turbine, a model
that uses magnetic bearings and only needs
about three liters of oil (for the valve actuators). Courtesy: Siemens
POWER August 2015
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cooling system. Engineers also reduced

the oil needed by the valve actuators with
the use of a compact hydraulic system.
In Siemens new design, the position
of the rotor is registered by sensors and
controlled by a system that adjusts the
magnetic field. Then, a Siemens SIMOTICS
system compensates for all the weights
and process forces acting on the rotor. Because of this technology, active magnetic
bearings also open up the possibility of
monitoring rotors online, says Siemens.
In general, the magnetic bearing technology is appropriate for Siemens steam
turbines with rotor weights of up to ten
metric tons, which corresponds to an output of between 45 kW and 40 MW. Oil-free
steam turbines also operate more efficiently, because there is almost no rotational friction, Siemens says.
Depending on the design of the turbine, efficiency gains of up to 1% are realistic, the announcement noted.
Statkraft Shelves Wind

Projects in Norway, Cites
Unprofitability
Lower power and electricity certificate
prices in the Nordic region have made two
wind power projects in Central Norway

with a combined capacity of 1 GW
unprofitable, Statkraft said in June as it
announced it would scrap them.
Norway produces the bulk of its power
from hydropower (Figure 3), but the countrys government has encouraged wind
farm installations to help save water reserves for dry seasons. In 2012, Norway
and neighboring Sweden made a pact to
jointly develop renewable energy projects,
including an estimated 6 GW of wind capacity across both countries.
But in 2013, while Norway had installed
just 62 MW, Sweden added 677 MW. The
countrys wind industry group says the
difference has resulted from different
depreciation rules that allow developers
in Sweden to cover costs of wind within
five years, compared to 12 to 15 years in
Norway. Norways government in February
floated a legal amendment that could increase the return.
But for Europes largest generator of
renewable energy, Statkraft, more needs
to be done. The authorities have contributed by facilitating wind power development, for example through improving
the depreciation rules. Unfortunately, the
market development is such that it is still
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these projects, said President and CEO
Christian Rynning-Tnnesen in June.
Statkraft estimated the Fosen and Snillfjord windfarms would produce 3.25 TWh
annually, but their development would
cost about $1.36 billion.
The Emergence of
Evaporation Energy
Dr. Ozgur Sahin, an associate professor of
biological sciences and physics at Columbia University, who has helped develop a
floating, piston-driven engine that generates power, most succinctly describes the
impetus that makes it work: Evaporation
is a fundamental force of nature, he said.
Its everywhere, and its more powerful
than other forces like wind and waves.
Sahin, who is the lead author of a paper published in the online June 16 issue
of Nature Communications, last year found
that when bacterial spores shrink and swell
with changing humidity, they can exert
force. Sahin, who reported the finding in
a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology, said they pack more energy, pound
for pound, than other materials used in
engineering for moving objects.
That finding led researchers at Columbia
University to develop devices that could
be powered by the force of swelling bacteria spores. Along with the piston-driven
3. Norways 2013 power mix (in

MW). According to Norways statistics agency, the countrys total capacity in 2013 stood at
33,486 GW, most of which was hydropower.
The agency also noted that operating profit
from the power industry totaled $3.62 billion
about 10% higher than in 2012. Norway saw
a 21% increase in wind power generation in
2013 compared to 2012, and a nearly 10% decrease in hydro production. Source: Statbank
Hydro power Thermal power
Wind power
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POWER August 2015
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Fossil, Nuclear, Renewables,
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THE BIG PICTURE: Targeting Renewables

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), at least 164 countries have adopted at least one type
of renewable energy target as of mid-2015up almost four-fold from 43 countries in 2005. The majority of countries
continue to focus on the power sector, with 150 countries setting renewable electricity targets to date. Other targets are
typically for the heating/cooling and renewable transport sectors. Source: IRENA
Copy by Sonal Patel, a POWER associate editor
2005
Countries without targets

Countries with at least one type of
national renewable energy target
2015
Countries without targets

Countries with at least one type of
national renewable energy target
Countries with targets at the
sub-national level only
12
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POWER August 2015
4. An evaporation-driven piston. A device created by researchers at Columbia University uses bacteria spores that swell with humidity to drive a piston and cause a light to flash.
Courtesy: Columbia University
5. Second powerhouse. The Waneta

Expansion Limited Partnership this June connected the Waneta Expansion Project near
Trail, British Columbia, to the BC Hydro grid.
Courtesy: Voith Hydro
WELP Connects 335-MW

Hydro Expansion in British
Columbia
engine, they created a rotary engine that

drives a miniature car.
The piston-driven engine consists
of thin, double-sided plastic tape onto
which spores are glued on both sides.
On one side of the tape, the spores are
glued in a dashed line, and on the other
sides, the line is offset so that it overlaps
with the gaps on the other side. When dry
air shrinks the spores, the spore-covered
dashes curve, transforming the tape from
straight to wavy, shortening the tape, and
pulling whatever it might be attached to,
the researchers explained. When the humidity expands the spores, the tape extends, releasing force. It works akin to an
artificial muscle that is dependent on the
changing humidity.
Dozens of these tapes placed side by
side make up a stronger artificial muscle
that can then be placed inside a floating
plastic case topped with shutters (Figure
4). Inside the case, evaporating water
makes the air humid, and the humidity causes the muscle to elongate, opening the shutters and allowing the air to
dry out. When the humidity escapes, the
spores shrink and the tape contracts, pulling the shutters closed and allowing humidity to build again. The spore-covered
artificial muscles function as an evaporation-driven piston, and coupling that
piston to a generator produced enough
electricity to cause a small light to flash.
When we placed water beneath the device, it suddenly came to life, moving on
its own, Xi Chen, a postdoctoral fellow
working on the project, said.
The researchers say that with its current power output, the floating evapora-
tion engine could supply small floating

lights or sensors at the ocean floor that
monitor the environment. With evaporation energy scaled up, however, they predict that it could one day produce power
from a giant plant that floats on a bay or
a reservoir.
The 335-MW Waneta expansion completed

this June near Trail, British Columbia,
adds a second powerhouse downstream
of the Waneta Dam on the Pend-dOreille
River, near the border between Canada and
the U.S. (Figure 5).
The project is owned by the Waneta
Expansion Limited Partnership (WELP)a
joint venture between Columbia Power
Corp. and Columbia Basin Trust. The expansion also included construction of a
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13
10-kilometer, 230-kV transmission line.

Completed six weeks ahead of schedule,
it includes two parallel tunnels that feed
the two Francis turbine units, each 167.5
MW. SNC-Lavalin acted as prime contractor on the project. Voith Hydro supplied
the generators, governors, exciters, and
various additional auxiliary systems of the
plants equipment. WELP said that more
than 1,400 people were employed in the
five years it took to design, manufacture,
build, and commission the project.
POWER Digest
Australia Slashes Its Renewable Target
to 33 TWh. The parliament of coal-rich
Australia on June 23 approved legislation
to slash the countrys Renewable Energy
Target from 41 TWh to 33 TWh. The contentious bill passed after a compromise
agreement in May (see Australian Lawmakers Strike RET Deal in POWERs July 2015
issue). Australias RET, which has been in
operation since 2001, was increased in
2010 to require that about 20% of the
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nations then-projected demand in 2020

would be met by renewables. The target
had come under scrutiny, drawing the ire
of industry and drying up investments in
the renewables sector. In June, the Energy
Supply Association of Australia welcomed
the passage of the law, saying there is
now a greater chance of the scheme being
able to deliver its target, but that major
electricity market challenges remain.
European Parliament Approves ETS

Reform. The Environment Committee of
the European Parliament in June approved
a reform of the EU Emissions Trading
Scheme (ETS) that will reduce the surplus
of carbon credits available for trading in
an attempt to support the price of the
emission rights. The program will begin
in January 2019 instead of 2021, as proposed by the European Commission. Essentially, the proposed law would create a
system that automatically takes a portion
of ETS allowances off the market and into
a reserve if the surplus exceeds a certain
threshold. The current surplus is estimated
at more than two billion.
One Asia Plans 1.2-GW Gas Complex

in Vietnam. One Asia Development Thailand on May 22 signed a deal with representatives of Vietnams Quang Tri province for
a 1.2-GW gas-fired plant worth $2.4 billion.
Power from the project will ensure electricity supply for Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand,
the company said. The energy complex
would use domestic gas from offshore
fields. Construction is expected to start in
2017 and to be completed in 2019.
J-POWER Commissions First Unit of

1.6-GW Gas Project. Japans J-POWER
in June commissioned the first 800-MW
unit of its 1,600-MW U-Thai combined cycle gas turbine power project in Thailands
Ayutthaya province. A second 800-MW
unit is slated to come online in December
2015. The project was awarded to Gulf JP,
a 90%-owned subsidiary of J-Power, during the 2007 IPP Bid of Thailand.
Alstom Signs Two Biomass Contracts in the UK. Alstom has signed two
Continuously Improving
Flow Control. Worldwide.
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contracts with Danish power plant specialist Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian
Contractor (BWSC) for geared reaction
steam turbines (GRT) to be used in two UK
biomass projects. The first contract uses a
23-MW GRT for a waste wood combinedheat-and-power biomass plant in Widnes,
Merseyside, that is being developed by
BWSC and UK logistics company Stobart
Group, while the second is a 50-MW GRT
for the Snetterton Biomass Plant, in East
Anglia, which will burn energy crops such
as straw, cereals, and oilseed rape.
Sonal Patel is a POWER associate editor.

14
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POWER August 2015
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Electrical Arc Flash

Protection Solutions
interest to take precautions to reduce the

risk of arc flash incidents.
Ive got some good news and some bad

news. The good news is that, according
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
number of occupational fatalities resulting from exposure to electricity has decreased steadily during the past 10 years
(Figure 1). The bad news is that 141 people died on the job in the U.S. as a result
of exposure to electricity in 2013 (the
most recent year for which revised data
are available). Many more were severely
injured, and some will never again enjoy
their previous quality of life.
Although not all injuries or deaths
caused by exposure to electricity are the
result of arc flash incidents, arc flash hazards present a serious risk to workers. The
Workplace Safety Awareness Council defines arc flash as a phenomenon where
a flashover of electric current leaves its
intended path and travels through the
air from one conductor to another, or to
ground. The results are often violent and
when a human is in close proximity to the
arc flash, serious injury and even death
can occur.
The consequences of an arc flash incident can obviously be quite severe. Beyond the risk to personnel, a business
can sustain costly equipment damage,
interrupted production, legal liability,
increased insurance rates, and fines. In
other words, it is in every facilitys best
Understanding the Hazard

According to Pat Hickey, director of marketing for Eatons Power Distribution and
Control Assemblies Division, conducting a
comprehensive study of a plants electrical
system is a required first step.
This is a case of what you dont know
can be a problem, Hickey told POWER.
Conducting an electrical system walkthrough, such as an arc flash study, helps
gather the facts about your system,
which helps you make more informed decisions about how to protect personnel.
Whether its a new product innovation or
a change in the maintenance process, if
you know the facts, then you can make
better decisions.
Scott Brady, Eatons western region
manager for the technical application
support team in its Electrical Engineering
Services and Systems Division, suggested
that the data collection process is an important part of the arc flash study.
You have to make sure that the data is
real, Brady said. Sometimes drawings are
not totally accurate. Our preference is to
collect data in the field.
Maintenance must also be taken into
account. Brady noted that Eaton reviews
documentation to determine if the manufacturers recommended maintenance has
been completed as prescribed.
1. Fatal occupational injuries resulting from exposure to electricity. Although the numbers have been declining, nearly three workers are killed on average in the U.S.
every week due to exposure to electricity. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
300
Just putting equipment specifications

into a software system may be insufficient
and provide erroneous results if the overcurrent protection devices are not working
properly. Equipment maintenance practices need to be considered, Brady said.
Typically, a maintenance service sticker
is affixed to electrical equipment, indicating the date of service and the retest date.
The practice assists electrical workers in
determining the equipments maintenance
condition. Eatons workers also perform visual inspections of the equipment to verify
its general condition. On older equipment,
additional research may be necessary to
really understand its capabilities.
The study must also look at all of the
different configurations under which a
generating plant might operate. If you
dont consider all of the scenarios, you
might not capture the greatest arc flash
possibility.
For example, if a plant has redundant
source electrical systems with bus ties between the sources (main-tie-main) and it
normally operates with one of the mains
open, but under certain circumstances
it operates with both mains closed, the
fault current could change, resulting in a
change to the incident-energy level.
However, higher fault current doesnt
necessarily equate to greater danger.
Higher fault current tends to trip over-current protection devices faster, which could
result in less incident energy, so each situation should be evaluated independently.
Once you conduct an arc flash study, the
ability to label the equipment is a big benefit; that information allows maintenance
personnel working with equipment to understand whether or not they are properly
protected, Hickey said (Figure 2).
250
2. Hazard labeling. Once the arc flash

study is complete, you must label areas and
equipment so workers can reference the information to select appropriate protective
gear. Courtesy: Graphic Products
200
150
100
50
0
2004
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2006
2007
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2013
POWER August 2015
DuraSuite label creation software is one

tool that can be used for the job. The latest
version, released by Oregon-based Graphic
Products, allows users to create custom
templates using imported graphics, or generate standard labels using a built-in library
of more than 1,800 safety symbols. In addition to National Fire Protection Association
70E-compliant arc flash labels, the solution
can also be used to create chemical, pipe,
and equipment tags.
Remote Racking Systems
Electrical equipment suppliers are constantly developing innovative new solutions utilizing the latest in technology,
so it is likely that there are upgrade or
retrofit opportunities available for most
facilities to reduce arc flash risks. Hickey
suggested that remote racking systems are
one option worth considering, if you dont
already have equipment equipped with
these systems.
Racking is the term used for connecting or disconnecting a breaker from
a bus by inserting or removing it from
the switchgear cubicle. Its usually done
to accommodate maintenance. Traditional
racking methods for circuit breakers often
3. The pendant option. The motorized remote racking system allows workers to distance themselves from the racking activity. Courtesy: Eaton
require the use of a wrench or special tool

to manually rack a breaker in or out. The
task is a high-risk activity, and its especially dangerous when done manually, because personnel must be in close proximity
to the equipment to perform the work.
Hickey said that Eaton offers motorized remote racking systems (Figure 3) de-
signed to allow workers to perform the job

while up to 30 feet away from the arc flash
zone. Increasing the distance between
an operator and live components helps
reduce the effects of arc flash exposure.
The option is available on new low- and
medium-voltage (LV and MV) equipment,
but it can also be added to some previ-
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17
ously installed breakers, depending on the

type and manufacturer.
Remote racking control capabilities
can be interfaced with an external handheld pendant, human-machine interface,
or ModBus communications. The systems
motor is installed inside the switchgear to
prevent the need for lifting and aligning
an external motor to the outside of the
switchgear. The system is also designed to
allow manual racking of circuit breakers
and auxiliary drawers, if needed.
Brady noted that a similar solution is
available for motor control centers (MCCs).
Ordinarily, MCCs have a plug-in bucket for
adding the starter. Eatons FlashGuard MCCs
offer a remote-operated racking device option that can advance and retract the bus
stabs, much like a draw out circuit breaker. It
can be retrofitted to some older MCCs too.
Studies indicate that many arc flash
accidents have occurred when personnel
are working on MCCs, which isnt surprising because the doors are typically open
when someones troubleshooting an MCC,
said Brady.
The FlashGuard MCC is designed to get
the operator out of the area and helps
maintain a closed-door unit.
Breaker and Switch Upgrades

Some older facilities may have been constructed with oil-dashpot circuit breakers,
which can pose a problem; if maintenance
is overlooked, the oil can leak out. If
those dashpots dont have the oil in them,
theyre not going to work, said Brady.
However, retrofit kits are available for
many of the old-style breakers. The kits
are relatively inexpensive, use a modern
electronic microprocessor, and come with
Eatons Arcflash Reduction Maintenance
system, which provides the added benefit
of reducing the arc flash risk for maintenance activities performed downstream of
the retrofitted breakers.
Another frequent problem is found in
primary unit substations. Brady said many
are designed with an MV switch, such as a
13.8 kV or 4,160 V switch, feeding a substation transformer. On the secondary side
of the transformer there may or may not
be a main breaker (he said that its about
a 50-50 chance). Brady finds that the line
side of the switchgearon the LV side
typically has a very high arc flash rating,
because its basically relying on the fuses
in the MV switch to operate in order to
protect the LV side.
Brady said a solution is available using a retrofit of the existing fuse switch
or a new product, which incorporates a
vacuum circuit breaker on the primary
side of the transformer. Either of the solutions results in faster operation than the
original design, with tighter coordination,
thus reducing the arc flash hazard on the
secondary side.
Infrared scanning windows offer a pretty
good bang for your buck too. (See Doing
More with Less: New Solutions Help Address
Power Plant O&M Staffing Difficulties in the
April 2015 issue or at powermag.com.) The
windows, offered by FLIR Systems, IRISS,
Fluke, and others, not only reduce the risk
of an arc flash incident for workers, but
they can also reduce the cost of performing
the infrared scan because they eliminate
the need to remove panels to gain access
for the scan. In addition, periodic infrared
scans can help facilities avoid potential arc
faults by identifying equipment in need of
maintenance, which allows work to be done
to eliminate the problem.
There isnt one system solution that
fits every application requirement. Each
facility has different risk factors and different opportunities. You do want to cus-

18
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
tomize your solution for what your facility needs to help keep
4. A grooved mechanical pipe joint. This cutaway view
personnel safe, Hickey said.
For more on minimizing arc flash hazards, see Making Sense shows the four elements of a joint: the grooved-end pipe, gasket, coupling housing, and fasteners. Source: Victaulic
of New Arc Flash Protection Rules in this issue.
Aaron Larson is a POWER associate editor.
Grooved Mechanical Piping Offers a

Versatile Pipe-Joining Alternative
Two of the most important elements in any construction or upgrade project are safety and speed of completion. While one way
to increase safety is to eliminate hot work whenever possible,
the reality is that welding is necessary for many tasks around a
power plant. However, one area where welding may not always be
required is in the installation or expansion of piping systems.
Although the pipe-joining method is critical for high-pressure,
high-temperature process piping systems, the same cannot be
said for balance-of-plant piping systems. Services such as cooling
water, reverse osmosis, fire protection, chemical treatment, lube
oil, and compressed air can make use of alternative, flame-free
joining methodssome of which can offer installation up to 10
times faster than welding. Grooved mechanical piping is one of
those alternatives.
A Novel Design
A grooved mechanical pipe joint consists of four elements:
grooved-end pipe, a gasket, coupling housing, and fasteners. The
pipe groove is made by cold forming or machining a groove into
the end of a pipe. A gasket enclosed in the coupling housing is
placed around two abutted grooved pipe ends, and the key section of the housing engages the grooves. The bolts and nuts are
tightened with a socket wrench, or impact wrench, holding the
housing segments together.
In the installed state, the coupling housing encases the gasket
and engages the grooves around the circumference of the pipe to
create a leak-tight seal in a self-restrained pipe joint. In addition
to pipe-to-pipe joints (Figure 4), grooved couplings can be used
to join pipe to grooved-end valves, fittings, and accessories to
create a complete piping system.
Roll grooving is the most common method for pipe-end preparation. The roll-grooving process radially displaces a small portion of the pipe wall, forming a groove around the circumference
of the pipe that is recessed on the outside and indented on the
inside. The method can be used on schedule 5 through schedule 80, carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, and aluminum pipe,
ranging from 0.75-inch to 72-inch diameters.
There are two types of grooved couplings: rigid and flexible.
Rigid couplings do not allow movement and can be used wherever rigidity in the pipe joint is needed, similar to a welded or
flanged joint. Flexible couplings allow a limited amount of linear and angular movement to accommodate thermal and seismic
movement as well as vibration and misalignment. The majority of
grooved couplings used in power plants are rigid, with flexible
couplings used only around rotating equipment to isolate noise
or vibration. This enables the system to be supported and guided
in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) B31.1 Power Piping standard.
During assembly, torches and tanks are not required, nor are pipe
fitters exposed to flame, sparks, slag, or fumes. Theres no need for
a fire watch. As a result, grooved systems reduce risk to personnel
and property.
Minimizing welding allows certified welders to focus on critical process systems while pipefitters handle the balance-of-plant
systems, which can contribute to on-time completion of a project.
Grooving pipe and assembling couplings do not require specialized
OEM Casting
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Safety, Speed-of-Installation Advantages

A key advantage of grooved piping is its flame-free installation. The
assembly of a grooved pipe joint does not require welding, flame,
or heat, nor does it produce fumes. In terms of preparation, theres
no need to remove or clean the surrounding area of combustible
materials, and no need for increased ventilation or fire shielding.
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19
5. A safe solution for many power plant systems. Grooved piping was used
on several water, air, and diesel fuel systems at the South Hedland Power Station in Western
Australia. Courtesy: Victaulic
certifications or training; the processes are

easily taught and transferred.
These benefits were leveraged during

construction of the South Hedland Power
Station, located in the Pilbara region of

Western Australia (Figure 5). With rapid
growth requiring significant investment
in power projects, the Horizon Power
owned facility chose grooved products
due to a tight timeline and remote location. Selected for diesel fuel, raw/fire
water, demineralized water, drinking water, and instrument air systems, grooved
piping resulted in a fast, safe installation
that eliminated the need for hot work and
eased on-site pipe-end fabrication.
The safety advantages of grooved piping
are complemented by the speed and ease
of system installation. Standard grooved
couplings can be installed up to five times
faster than welded joints and three times
faster than flanged joints. Ready-to-install
couplings can double the time savings.
Special tools are not required to assemble
a grooved coupling, and most couplings
do not have torque requirements. In addition, grooved systems provide visual confirmation of proper assembly.
Speed and ease of installation were instrumental during the construction of an
Alstom gas-fired test facility in Birr, Switzerland (Figure 6). By joining the cooling and fire water piping systems with

20
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
6. Installing grooved piping can save time. Alstom installed grooved piping at a
facility in Switzerland, cutting installation time in half compared to welding. Courtesy: Victaulic
grooved couplings, valves, and fittings,

Alstom was able to reduce installation
hours 50% compared to traditional join-
ing methods, resulting in considerable

cost savings and faster project completion. The grooved components will also
enable easy access for maintenance and

repair.
Grooved couplings reduce maintenance
downtime and, with a union at every joint,
simplify system access, if needed. Couplings are easily disassembled and removed
from the joint. Following completion of
work, the coupling can be reassembled as
quickly as initial installation. This characteristic eases maintenance, repair, and
future expansions or modifications. When
properly installed and operated within design specifications, grooved mechanical
couplings are designed to last the life of
the system and will not leak or fail.
Grooved systems bring a number of
advantages to construction and upgrade
projects, from quick, flame-free installation to simplified maintenance. Most
importantly, grooved mechanical piping
offers plant owners a means of speeding
project completion while maintaining a
safe environment.
Mitch Lee is a business development
specialist for the power market with
Victaulic, a manufacturer of mechanical
pipe-joining and fire protection systems.
He is also a member of the Construction
Industry Institute.
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August 2015 POWER
www.powermag.com
21
Cyber Threats: Is the Sky

Falling or Is the Threat Real?
Sean B. Hoar
s the sky falling? No, but are there lessons we can learn from
Chicken Little? Absolutely. False alarms and fear mongering
consume energy we can ill afford to waste, but should some
sort of alarm be sounding? Of course.
The challenge is that alarms have the potential to create
white noise. The constant barrage of headlines may desensitize
us to the magnitude of the potential harm. How bad can it be?
Perhaps we should look at a few of the major cyber attacks within
the past 18 months.
Who would have thought that hackers could have stolen over
$1 billion from more than 100 banks in 30 countries in orchestrated attacks? Who would have thought that hackers could have
compromised more than 80 million user accounts from one of
the nations largest banks? Who would have thought that hackers could have accessed sensitive information belonging to 80
million consumers from one of the nations largest health insurers? And regarding truly sensitive information, who would have
thought that hackers could have accessed sensitive information
belonging to all current and former federal employees, including
all information about those with security clearances? But does
the energy sector face the same harm?
Not If, but When

We regularly read about stolen consumer information, hacked
healthcare records, or breached government systems, but what
about the critical systems in our energy infrastructure? Stealing consumer or employee information from an electrical utility
doesnt make for a very sexy headline, but what about the impact
of compromised industrial control systems in the midst of winter?
What about 10,000 commuters jammed for hours due to accidents caused by disabled traffic lights and disrupted emergency
services? What about 10,000 elderly consumers with no heat
and no ability to call for help? What about healthcare facilities
plunged into darkness, forced to rely upon backup generators in
the midst of surgeries, unable to access critical medical records
on servers knocked offline?
While some perceive it to be the stuff of spy movies, the threat
to the energy sector is real. It is only a matter of time before
it experiences a major information security incident affecting a
large population of consumers. The next big hack in the energy
sector is inevitable; the only questions are: Who will be its victims, when will it happen, and how bad will it be?
The danger is that entities within the energy sector not only
face the same risks confronted by any business with an online interface, but they also risk intrusion by potentially grid-damaging
malware that could result in downed services and devastating
humanitarian consequences.
Real . . . and Underreported
A recent report issued by the Department of Homeland Security
22
(DHS) stated that the Industrial Control SystemsCyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) responded to 245 cyber incidents in 2014 (see http://1.usa.gov/1DfWPdd). The energy
sector, once again, led all other sectors with the most reported
incidents (79). The fact that 32% of the total came from the
energy sector tends to indicate that the threat is real, and that
the energy sector is a major target. Regarding the number of
incidents, it is highly likely that the actual total, and the total
directed at the energy sector, was much higher. As the DHS
stated, Many more incidents occur in critical infrastructure
that go unreported.
Of the total, roughly 55% involved advanced persistent threats
or sophisticated actors. The scope of the incidents encompassed
a wide range of threats and methods for attempting to gain access to both business and control systems infrastructure, including the following:
Unauthorized access to and exploitation of Internet-facing industrial control system/supervisory dontrol and data acquisition devices
Exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities in control system devices and software
Malware infections within air-gapped control system networks
SQL injection via exploitation of web application vulnerabilities
Network scanning and probing
Lateral movement between network zones
Targeted spear-phishing campaigns
Strategic website compromises (aka, watering hole attacks)
The access vector was unknown for a majority of the incidents.

In those instances, the organization was confirmed to be compromised but the forensic evidence did not reveal a method of intrusion because of a lack of detection and monitoring within the
compromised networks. Of the known access vectors, however,
social engineering combined with technical subterfuge proved
to be one of the most successful. Spear phishing, or targeted
attacks at individual users, provided access for 42 malicious attacks, or 17% of the total.
ICS-CERT also received 159 reports involving vulnerabilities in
control systems components in 2014. The majority of vulnerabilities occurred in the energy sector.
Industrial control systems used to be stand-alone collections
of hardware and software, isolated from most external threats.
Today, widely integrated software applications and Internet-enabled devices expose these systems to malicious actors who will
exploit vulnerabilities, posing significant risks to human health
and safety, the environment, and business and government operations. Is the threat real? Absolutely.
Sean B. Hoar is a partner in the privacy and security practice
with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
PGIE-A10011-00-7600
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PLANT OF THE YEAR
SaskPowers Boundary Dam

Carbon Capture Project Wins
POWERs Highest Award
Courtesy: SaskPower
There was no debate among our editorial team when it came to selecting the most
interesting and worthy project worldwide for this years top award. Boundary Dam
Power Station Unit 3 is the worlds first operating coal-fired power plant to implement a full-scale post-combustion carbon capture and storage system. It did so
more economically than other commercially available capture processes, and the
utility has been active since project initiation in sharing its experience with generators, regulators, and others globally.
Gail Reitenbach, PhD
he 2015 POWER Plant of the Year

award goes to a single, relatively small
coal-fired unit: Boundary Dam Power
Station Unit 3 (BD3) and its integrated carbon capture (CC) plant. But the award really
goes to SaskPower, the Saskatchewan provincial utility that owns the unit, for developing
an entire carbon capture and sequestration
(CCS) infrastructure and larger ecosystem to
support that unit.
The magnitude of the need to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in order to limit
the negative consequences of climate change
has led many jurisdictions around the world
to set GHG reduction goals and to adopt
policies that place limits on emissions from
new and existing coal-fired power plants. For
example, Canada in 2012 passed legislation
at the federal level requiring new coal-fired
plants to include carbon capture and requiring existing plants reaching the end of their
useful life (defined as 50 years) to shut down
unless they are retrofitted with CC facilities.
24
But even before then, Ontario decided to

eliminate coal-fired generation (see Ontario
Goes Coal-Free in a Decade in the May
2013 issue or in the archives at powermag.
com), and SaskPower had already committed
to its BD3 project.
Whereas some jurisdictions are striving
to reduce emissions by replacing fossil fuels with renewables or nuclear power, others
(typically, those with fossil fuel resources)
are hoping that CCS technologies will enable
the continued use of abundant and relatively
affordable fossil fuel resources while keeping
climate-forcing carbon dioxide (CO2) out of
the atmosphere.
Its true that equipping one 161-MW gross
coal-fired unit with 90% carbon capture is a
small step in the global context, but its also
true that someone had to take it. The SaskPower team has taken what actually constitutes a giant leap for the coal-fired power
industry and, consequently, has garnered attention from around the world.
www.powermag.com
I was fortunate to visit Boundary Dam

Power Station (BDPS) and interview some
of the project leaders in mid-May. The professionalism displayed by everyone I met is
clearly one reason this project reached completion in a timely way and with minimal
cost overruns.
Plant History and Location

SaskPower is a government-owned utility
that provides power to the majority of the
province of Saskatchewan and manages approximately C$9 billion (US$7.36 billion)
in generation, transmission, and distribution
assets. It operates three coal-fired power stations, seven hydroelectric stations, six natural
gas stations, and two wind facilities, and has
partnerships with 21 independent power producers for a total capacity of 4,211 MW. (A
note on costs and currency conversions: All
dollar amounts are in Canadian dollars unless
otherwise noted. Though the Canadian dollar
was at and above parity with the U.S. dol-
POWER August 2015
PLANT OF THE YEAR

1. Local lignite. This open pit mine is less than 10 miles from Boundary Dam Power Station. Coal is trucked along access roads to the plant. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
Table 1. From commitment to

completion in six years. Source:
SaskPower
Milestone
When
Feasibility studies
19902008
Sask. government announces refurbishment and retrofit project
Feb. 2008
Federal government allocates C$240

million for project
Feb. 2008
SaskPower approves refurbishment

of Unit 3
Dec. 2010
Construction begins on Unit 3 up- Jan. 2011

grade
SaskPower approves construction
of carbon capture and sequestration
system
Apr. 2011
Construction on carbon capture fa- May 2011

cility begins
lar in 2011, when construction began on the

CC facility, in mid-June 2015, as this article
was being finalized, the Canadian dollar was
worth about 82 U.S.)
BDPS is the largest facility in the SaskPower fleet and is located near Estevan,
roughly a dozen miles north of the U.S.Canada border. Construction on the sixunit plant began in 1955, and it has been
generating power since 1959. Units 1 and
2 were retired in 2012 and 2013 because
they were small, 65-MW, inefficient, nonreheat units that were reaching the end of
their life, and the decision was made to not
upgrade them in light of federal regulations
requiring plants older than 50 years to either
add CCS or shutter. The remaining units (3
through 6) total 750 MW. The plant is divided into A (Units 1 and 2), B (Units 3 and
4), and C (Units 5 and 6) units, each with its
own control room. Staff from Units 1 and
2 were reassigned and instantly absorbed
mostly into B, especially with the Unit 3 and
4 overhaul, explained Scott Walton, Unit B
production manager.
Unit 3 came online in 1969 as a 150-MW
unit; after the recent turbine replacement
and CC integration, it is rated at 161.1 MW
gross/110.2 net, after accounting for parasitic
load, primarily for the CC process.
Unit 3 consumes over 800,000 metric tons
(mt) of coal per year, provided by the Estevan Mine, operated by Westmoreland Coal
Co. The open pit mine, located about 8 miles
from the plant (Figure 1), has been operating
since 1905.
August 2015 POWER
The plant is located adjacent to the Boundary Dam Reservoir Recreation site and uses
the reservoirs water for plant cooling needs.
Discharge of plant cooling water makes
Boundary Dam Reservoir the only water
body in the province that doesnt freeze in
winter and contributes to its reputation for
great bass fishing.
Accepting the Challenge

Saskatchewan has plentiful lignite coal resources, so its no surprise that the affordable
fuel provides roughly half of its power. While
generating 45% of total power in the province,
according to SaskPowers 2014 annual report,
coal-fired power plants account for about 15%
of Saskatchewans GHG emissions.
Recognizing that the province would at
some point likely be required to manage its
carbon footprint, SaskPower has been researching CCS since the 1990s, explained
Walton and Corwyn Bruce, manager of carbon capture and storage initiatives. As you
can see from the list of project milestones
(Table 1), SaskPower decided in 2008, well
before the federal mandate, that the best route
forward was carbon capture retrofit.
When asked why SaskPower chose an
amine-based capture technology, Randy Bye,
CCS production manager, explained that the
company looked at pre- and post-combustion processes and rejected the most costly,
eventually choosing the energy penalty of an
amine system over less-proven options on
the bleeding edge. Shell-Cansolvs postcombustion capture technology was chowww.powermag.com
10-year CO2 purchase agreement

with Cenovus announced
Dec. 2012
Mechanical completion of carbon

capture facility
Dec. 2013
Plant refurbishment complete; power generation online
June 2014
Carbon capture facility online
Oct. 2014
Injection begins at Aquistore
Apr. 2015
sen, with SNC-Lavalin as the engineering,

procurement, and construction contractor
(EPC), as a result of a request for proposals
that called for bids from technology-EPC
partnerships.
As a result of the CCS retrofit and other
Unit 3 upgrades, discussed later, SaskPower
is anticipating that Unit 3s service life has
been extended by 30 years.
Projects of this scale and uniqueness
dont come to fruition without dedicated effort from talented people. Vice President of
POWER POINTS
Selected Boundary Dam 3

Project Numbers
CO2 emissions reduction (design):
90%
SO2 emissions reduction: 100%
Metric tons of CO2 captured per
year: 1 million
Total project cost: C$1.467 billion
(US$1.2 billion)
Years between Unit 3 upgrade
construction start and first CO2
injection: 4
25
PLANT OF THE YEAR

Table 2. Primary project vendors and partners. Source: SaskPower
Project partner
Contribution
Unit 3 upgrade
AB Western
Turbine island mechanical construction
ABB
New distributed control system
Babcock & Wilcox
Boiler rebuild: All new convective sections, low-NOx burners,

separated overfire air system, primary airheaters
Hitachi (now MHPS)
New 160-MW turbine
Stantec
Engineering consultancy
Westwood
Electrical install
3. Diverted flue gas. Scott Walton,

production manager for Units 3 and 4, and
Corwyn Bruce, manager of carbon capture
and sequestration initiatives, look up at the
point where the flue gas ducting leaves Unit
3, headed to the capture facility. Steam and
its returning condensate, as well as a small
capture facility wastewater stream and a few
other services, are suspended on the same
structure that holds the ducting. Source:
POWER/Gail Reitenbach
Carbon capture and compression facilities

ABB
Distributed control system
ABB - Trax International
Control system and training simulator
Babcock Borsig Service GmbH
Flue gas cooling system
Cansolv Technologies Ltd. (a Shell Global Solutions Amine capture technology

subsidiary)
Cenovus Energy
Compressed CO2 pipeline and EOR storage
GEA
Water treatment system heat exchangers
MAN Turbo Diesel
CO2 compressor
Siemens
Electric motor to drive the CO2 compressor
SNC-Lavalin
Carbon capture facility EPC
SPX Cooling Technologies
Cooling towers
2. New prime mover. A new 160-MW turbine from Hitachi was essential to giving Unit
3 a new lease on life. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
Carbon Capture and Storage Initiatives Ian

Yeates explained in emailed comments that
one of SaskPowers strengths is its ability
to take on large initiatives in a way that accesses the broad skills of its people. In the
case of BD3, expertise from all areas of the
company, starting with the executive and
leadership team, but more importantly extending to the individuals who actually get
things done, was focused on completing
the project successfully. . . . The success
26
of the project truly belongs to the company

as a whole.
Though the BDPS site isnt as space-constrained as some, Dalton Giblett, the sites
non-building facilities manager, noted that
while construction was under way on Unit
3 and CC projectsas well as other capital
projectsit was impossible to get from one
side of the plant site to the other without
making a long detour. There were 250 to 275
workers on site prior to the project and nearly
1,500 during project construction. Just managing the safe movement of all those extra
people was a challenge.
Most large power projects these days involve a global supply chain, but this project
is arguably more international than most
from the suppliers of turbine (Figure 2) and
heat exchangers to the sequestration site
monitors. Many of the primary partners and
vendors are listed in Table 2.
Schedule and Safety

Delivering a First-of-a-Kind Project
The province got serious about developing
the BD3 project in February 2008, which was
also when the Canadian federal government
allocated C$240 million for it. Construction
on the boiler island upgrade began in January
2013; construction on the CC retrofit project
officially began in May 2011.
www.powermag.com
Although the capture plant was approved in

May 2011, widespread area flooding soon
thereafter, plus a missed opportunity to close
in facilities before winter, pushed out that
plants online date. The unavailability of
tradesmen (who were in high demand at the
time in western Canadas oil and gas industry) also pushed the schedule in the wrong di-
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WATER & PROCESS SOLUTIONS
PLANT OF THE YEAR

4. Three-step process. After being piped from Unit 3, flue gas runs through the SO2
absorber (the shorter tower on the left), then through the CO2 absorber (the taller tower with
water vapor showing), and then the CO2 is released from the amine in a stripper before being
sent to the adjacent compression facility. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
rection for awhile. Nevertheless, the project

reached completion much faster than similar
projects still in progress or canceled.
Bruce added after the tour, A great source
of pride for our construction and safety staff
is that there were no lost-time injuries during the construction of either the capture
plant or the power plant. This is an incredible achievement given the scope of work and
the 4.5 million manhours of construction that
were completed.
Capturing Carbon and Sulfur
5. CO2 lean amine tank. To prevent degradation of the concrete absorber tower, 70,000
ceramic tiles line the inside. Similar construction was used for the amine tank. Source: POWER/
Gail Reitenbach
6. Looping CO2. Dave Jobe, director, carbon capture operations, is responsible for operation of the carbon capture and compression facilities and is shown here in the capture plant
where CO2 leaves the CO2 reflux accumulator, the last chemical stage before compression.
Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
28
www.powermag.com
The carbon capture part of the operation begins

at Unit 3. After passing through an electrostatic
precipitator, the flue gas is diverted from the
stack to a duct that runs between the power
building and the capture building (Figure 3).
Though its called a carbon capture plant,
the system used at BD3 also captures SO2;
in fact, SO2 is stripped first (a process that is
more common), and then the remaining gas
is sent to the CO2 stripping process (Figures
4 to 6), which uses the real designer amine
in this process, as Bye described it. The two
different proprietary amine solutions are both
recycled onsite. A separate closed-cycle water treatment system and cooling towers were
built for the capture facility to ensure that if
any amine ever leaked, it would not be released to the environment.
After work on the acid plant inside the CC
facility is finished this summer, the stripped
SO2 will be converted into commercial sulfuric acid. Roughly a tank and a half per day
can be converted for use in fertilizer, filtration systems, chemistry labs, or a wide variety of other industrial purposes.
The post-combustion amine-based CC
equipment is designed to capture up to 90%
of CO2 from Unit 3 using the Shell Global
Cansolv technology. (For an overview of currently available CC technologies, see CCS
Development, the Key to Coal Powers Future, Is Slow in the May 2015 issue.) Given
the proprietary nature of the technology and
amines (see http://bit.ly/1J618uy), no photos
of that part of the facility were allowed.
The solution with CO2 is sent to the CO2
stripper, where the CO2 is released from the
amine in a gaseous form. Its then pressurized in an adjacent building (Figure 7) to
2,500 psi, to a supercritical statea process
that accounts for the largest share of the parasitic load. At that point, it is sent via pipeline
to the metering station (Figure 8), where the
feed is split for disposition at an enhanced oil
recovery (EOR) field 41 miles from the plant
or a geological injection site 1.2 miles away.
Those unfamiliar with carbon capture
(and thats most people), might wonder how
plant operators can tell how much CO2 is being captured and stored. The short answer is,
POWER August 2015
PLANT OF THE YEAR

by reading the meter at the point where CO2
is sent underground from the compression
building (Figure 9).
7. A complex network. Both the carbon (and sulfur) capture building and the compression building, shown here, are multilevel facilities with a dizzying array of piping. The Siemens
synchronous electric motor drives the CO2 compressor. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
Storing Carbon
Critics have argued that although 90% of
the flue gas CO2 can be captured, much less
will actually be storedwhichever method is
used. On the contrary, says SaskPower, CO2
from BD3 will stay underground whether
used for EOR or put into permanent storage
once the capture plant is fine-tuned later this
year and is operating at 100% rather than
90%.
Storage via EOR. Saskatchewan has a
long history of oil and gas development and,
like many other areas, it has adopted EOR using compressed CO2 to maximize the yield
from developed plays. Prior to the BD3 project coming online, Alberta-based Cenovus
Energy, which operates the nearby Weyburn
Oil Field, could only purchase CO2 from
North Dakota. As of May, Cenovus was taking 1,780 mt per day from BD3.
Obviously, maximizing the amount of gas
sold for EOR improves the economics for
any CCS project.
Storage via Geological Sequestration. Compressed CO2 not sold to Cenovus
is sent to the Aquistore site, which came

online in April. SaskPowers Carbon Storage and Research Centre hosts Aquistore, an
independent research and monitoring project
administered by the Petroleum Technology
Research Centre (PTRC). Aquistore is responsible for managing non-EOR CO2 monitoring and storage.
At Aquistore, the CO2 is injected 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles) deep into a layer of
brine-filled sandstone called the Deadwood
Formation. SaskPower explains that this
formation is at the bottom of the enormous
Williston Basin, a sedimentary basin that is
made up of many layers of porous and nonporous rocks. The Williston Basin reaches
far into the U.S., Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and has the potential to store all CO2
captured at Boundary Dam.
Aquistores injection well was designed
for the injection of up to 2,000 mt per day
(roughly half of the total captured by Unit 3)
for scientific research and secure, permanent
storage.
Kyle Worth, PTRC senior project manager, explained that the dozens of monitoring
stations managed by PTRC allow researchers and the project team to understand how
injection is proceeding and where the CO2 is
settling in the reservoir. Although any leak of
CO2 is unlikely, the monitoring technologies
deployed will notify the project should anything unexpected occur so immediate action
can be taken. Worth said Aquistore monitor30
8. Metering station. Compressed CO2 is piped underground from the compression

building to the Cenovus Energy metering station, 3 miles away. The gas flow is metered and
split inside the building shown here. Cenovus sends a portion down one pipeline to its fields for
enhanced oil recovery and a portion is sent via pipeline in a different direction to the Aquistore
geologic injection site. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
PLANT OF THE YEAR

9. Gas meter. This gauge shows operators the pressure, volume, and flow of compressed
CO2 leaving the compression facility via pipeline. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
ing is built on decades of experience and the

site is the best-equipped for CO2 monitoring
in the world. The surface monitoring installations shown in Figure 10 provide assurance
by way of soil-gas, groundwater, and surface
deformation monitoring. Three years of baseline surveys were conducted to establish the
natural state of the environment prior to CO2
injection.
Below the surface, Aquistore has other
monitoring equipment, including underground pressure and temperature gauges,
fluid sampling ports, and fiber-optic lines,
which can help visualize the CO2 in the
subsurface. Aquistores injection well and
observation well are also monitored using
additional gauges and an extensive welllogging program. The observation well is a
smart well that is heavily equipped with
state-of-the-art monitoring equipment to allow experts to track and visualize CO2 in the
reservoir 3.4 km below the surface.
were added.
A new Hitachi turbine and generator, capable of supporting the large steam extraction required for the CC plant, replaced
the existing turbine.
The main steam line was replaced, and
steam piping was modified to support a 50
degree F steam temperature increase.
The feedheating plant required total replacement to deal with the varying demands from the capture plant and allow
the plant to operate at full output when it
is and isnt in CC mode.
The condensate system was heavily modified from a traditional design to allow
thermal integration with low-grade heat

available from the capture process.
Diverter dampers were added to the stack
to allow flue gas to be sent to the capture
plant.
A new control system was installed, and
arc flashresistant switchgear was installed.
Creating Synergies. Integration of the

power and capture plants was the key to minimizing the parasitic load associated with the
CC process. For example, Bruce explained,
sourcing of the steamwhich is required
to release gases from the aminesfrom an
uncontrolled low-pressure turbine extraction
(after the steam has already done most of the
useful work it can in producing electricity),
and returning the resulting condensate to
the power plants deaerator, greatly reduced
parasitic load.
Other synergies start at the capture plant.
For example, the CC process requires the
flue gas to be cooled significantly, so an acidresistant heat-recovery systemthe flue gas
coolercaptures heat, which is then used to
replace the condensate heating duty of the
entire low-pressure feedwater system for
Unit 3 (Figure 11).
Even though amines from the sulfur and CC
processes are recycled in a closed system onsite and the capture facility has a closed-cycle
cooling system, a small waste stream needed
to be dealt with. When engineering determined
that the water treatment for this waste stream
was not able to deal with all of the contaminants, an interim plan was devised to pipe that
small amine-bearing wastewater stream back
10. Monitoring buried CO2. Boundary Dam Power Station is visible behind one of Aquistores co-located monitoring super-stations, which include drilled water-monitoring wells,
soil-gas sampling ports, a weather station, a broadband seismometer, plus inSAR, GPS, and
tiltmeters (which measure surface uplift and changes). Courtesy: Aquistore
Upgrading the Power Station

Although the carbon capture facility has
received the lions share of media attention
to datefor good reasonUnit 3 upgrades
made in conjunction with the capture plant
construction also deserve attention. As you
might expect, a nearly 50-year-old unit required a few updates in order to appropriately
support a sophisticated CC system. Major aspects of the Unit 3 retrofit project included
the following:
The boiler was upgraded, with all convective surfaces being replaced and increased
in size, including superheater, reheater,
economizer, and air heaters. A separated
overfire air system and low-NOx burners
August 2015 POWER
www.powermag.com
31
PLANT OF THE YEAR

11. Steam synergy. In a unique sort of combined heat and power scheme, extraction
steam from the turbine is sent to the carbon capture building to supply the reboilers, an integral
part of the carbon capture process. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
ewan, is controlled with overfire and underfire air and low-NOx burners, which has
dropped emissions 50%. NOx is not a friend
of amine-based systems, Bruce noted.
Mercury is not controlled at BDPS, although activated carbon injection is used
at the nearby SaskPower Shand and Poplar
River stations.
As for particulate matter from Unit 3, the
flue gas is washed at least seven times after
the precipitator, so its at virtually zero after
the capture process, Bye noted.
Staffing and Control
12.Waste incineration. A small wastewater stream from the carbon capture facility is
sent to the boilers for safe disposal via combustion. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
to the power plant and incinerate it safely in

any or all of three boilers (Figure 12).
Based on the life of the existing equipment, and the opportunities to take advantage
of efficiency improvements that have become
mainstream since the plant was originally
built, extensive work was undertaken to integrate all improvements that could be made
cost-effectively. A dedicated heat integration
engineer focused on delivery of an integrated design that maximized unit output based
on capital construction and operating costs.
Heat integration studies required many iterations between the owners engineer (Stantec)
and technical experts from Hitachi, Babcock
& Wilcox, and Babcock Borsig Service to
32
achieve the final solution.

With a unit gross output increase from 150
MW to 161 MW in noncapture mode and
full net output in capture mode (including all
design margins) that is very conservatively
pegged at 110 MW (early performance results
indicate that final net output performance
should be around 120 MW), the results far
exceed the expectations at the projects inception, Bruce said.
Emissions Control. Aside from the CO2
and SO2, which are captured in the new facility, other traditional emissions from Unit
3 are managed both according to regulation
and capture process needs.
NOx, which is not regulated in Saskatchwww.powermag.com
Initially, SaskPower intended that the CC

facility would be unmanned and controlled
from Unit 3s control room. As the project
progressed and the CC water treatment plant
was added, however, plant managers decided
it would be better to staff the CC system like
a power plant, with three to four operators
and a shift supervisor. The idea was to crosstrain the CC and Unit 3 control room staff.
However, that plan was further revised. The
CC plant has five shifts in rotation with six
personnel per shift: a shift supervisor, two
process operators in the control room, one
water treatment plant operator, and two facility operators on the floor.
Bye noted that each operator had at least
40 hours of simulator training before the
CC facility came online. Trax International
(a subcontractor of ABB) provided the digital simulator as part of the control system
(Figure 13), though a senior operator who
was very involved in the factory acceptance
test in Lynchburg, Va., conducted the actual training.
SNC-Lavalin had suggested hiring process
or chemical engineers, as they have been used
at previous Cansolv gas sweetening plants,
but SaskPower went with power engineers
(in part because it was considering crosstraining between power and capture plant
operators). Those power engineers received
about 400 hours per person of specialized
classroom training on process chemistry and
the processes involved at the BD3 plant. Bye
said, I still believe that power engineers are
the best qualified to run the [capture] plant.
Though Units 3 and 4 share a control
room, they do not share control stations. Unit
4 continues to use its original equipment,
while Unit 3 got a complete digital upgrade
(Figure 14).
The plants maintenance staff, rather than
the EPC, did the commissioning work, which
gave everyone from mechanics and electricians to instrument techs hands-on initial
troubleshooting experience.
Unit 3 can operate if the capture facility
trips offline for any reason, ensuring continued, reliable power delivery. The only thing
POWER August 2015
PLANT OF THE YEAR

13. Controlling carbon capture. Loyd Leblanc (foreground) and Ron Wonch are shown
in the control room of the carbon capture facility, which looks much like the new Unit 3 control
room. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
14. Old and new power controls. On the right are the original controls for Unit 4.
On the left is a portion of the upgraded, digital control system for Unit 3. Source: POWER/
Gail Reitenbach
large icicles that formed on the outside of the

CC building as a result of condensation moisture during the severely cold Saskatchewan
winter. That problem has been remedied with
the use of lots of heat tracing, Bye said. For
any future capture plants, staff would insist
on putting even more of the capture equipment inside the building to mitigate weatherrelated nuisances.
Other issues were chemistry related. The
waste incineration system mentioned earlier worked, except that it increased boiler
slagging, Walton explained. Adjusting the
streams pH before introducing it to the boiler has helped to mitigate that problem.
Other systems, like the flue gas cooler
system (which must be operating for the capture facility to run), have operated flawlessly
since startup, Bye said. That system, provided by Babcock Borsig Service, GmbH out
of Germany, had to work, he said, as no redundancy was built in. The project planning
team went to Germany, Italy, and Thailand to
look at operating flue gas coolers to ensure
they chose the right one for their needs. The
CO2 compressor, from MAN Turbo Diesel,
also has been really good, said Bye, It just
purrs.
Now that SaskPower has some operating
experience with all the parts working together, staff have discovered a few places where
redundancies could be reduced for future
units, thereby saving both capital cost and
energy penalties.
Early Performance
that happens at the power island is that the

diverter damper quickly changes position to
send flue gas up the units stack instead of
over to the capture building. That happens in
under a minute, Walton said.
First-of-a-Kind Hits and Misses

Although amine-based sulfur and carbon
capture have been done before BD3, this is
the first time the process has been deployed
at scale on an operating power plant, where
power generation remains the primary business goal. In order to mitigate anticipated unknowns, the plant and SNC-Lavalin built in
August 2015 POWER
redundancies and margins for criticial components to ensure smooth operation.

However, even the most prudently planned
new project is likely to encounter the unexpected. At BD3, some surprises were equipment related, such as electrical work that had
to be redone, valves that leaked before they
should have shown wear, and issues with the
water treatment plant (which didnt prevent
the capture plant from operating). Unanticipated process changes included adjusting steam flow and temperature control from
Unit 3, which had ripple effects on the CC
plant. And then, Walton noted, there were the
www.powermag.com
When the staff I met with talked about the

first CO2 capture in September, they still
exuded excitement. That first, successful attempt to capture the gaswhich happened
at 1 a.m., with a control room packed with
onlookerswent so smoothly that they still
seem surprised. The first sale of CO2 occurred October 1.
On February 11, SaskPower issued a press
release concerning preliminary performance
data from BD3. Mike Monea, SaskPowers
president of carbon capture and storage initiatives, was quoted as saying, The project is
generating vast amounts of data never before
available to scientists and engineers around
the world, and the numbers are very impressive.
Approximately 135,000 mt of CO2 had
been captured between the projects official
launch and February. CO2 purity was virtually 100% (4.5% better than expected), while
the parasitic load was 10 MW lower than expected.
The capture plant went offline about 10
times during the first six months, largely due
to chemistry issues and problems like demisters plugging. However, the process itself is
33
PLANT OF THE YEAR

Table 3. Boundary Dam Unit 3 carbon capture project performance.
Source: SaskPower
Original
Rebuilt non-capture
Rebuilt capture
1969
June 2014
Oct. 2014
Gross output
150
161.1
147.4
Station service
11
12.1
11.9
Commissioning date
Electrical data (MW)
Capture station service
11.4
Compression
Net electrical output
13.9
139
149
110.2a
Emissions intensity (mt/GWh)

CO2
1,040
SOx
6.5
NOx
2.2
1.21
130
Annual emissions (mt/yr) based on 90% capacity factor

CO2
1,139,711
SOx
7,123
NOx
2,410
1,050
PM10
190
15
PM2.5
65
112,741
Byproducts (mt/day)
3,240
CO2
H2SO4
56
Note: a. Includes all owner's margins; actual output will be higher.
fairly reliable thanks in part to the built-in

redundancies. A year from now, Bye said he
expects the capture facility to run the same
amount of time that Unit 3 does. Plantwide
performance data (as of May 2015) are shown
in Table 3.
IGCC project, also behind schedule, is now

projected to cost over US$6 billionnearly
triple its initial projected cost of $2.2 billion.
In May, the Kemper project lost a key power
buyer because of the delays and cost overruns. Meanwhile, NRG Energy Inc.s 240-
financially challenged first-of-a-kind project

than the typical investor-owned or merchant
generator. Yeates observed that, One essential component of this is the interest rates we
pay given the provinces AAA credit rating.
No commercial corporation can touch that,
and it saves bundles. Several observers have
noted that the projects ability to support the
provinces coal and oil resources are also
major elements of its anticipated long-term
success.
SaskPower retail rates, like those of other
utilities, vary by customer class. Residential
energy rates for 2015 range from 12.346/
kWh to 12.369/kWh. (For comparison, average residential rates in the contiguous 48
states range from 8.65/kWh to 21.82/kWh.)
Though SaskPower asked for a 15.5% rate
increase over three years in 2013, the government approved an initial 5.5% increase for
2014 but lowered the 2015 increase to 3%.
Bill Boyd, the provincial minister responsible for SaskPower, would not say that the
BD3 project was responsible for the increase
and pointed instead to the utilitys 10% demand growth over the past two years as a reason for the rate hike, according to an April 14
story in the capitals newspaper, The Regina
Leader-Post.
Groups favoring more renewables have
argued that SaskPower should instead have
developed more wind power in the province,
though an equivalent amount of wind power
would require some dispatchable firming capacity and would certainly have resulted in
rate increases as well. Renewable sources
currently make up about 25% of Saskatche-
Economics
Theres no sugar-coating the fact that current
options for CCS at fossil-fired power plants
are expensive as well as technically challenging. BD3s CCS project cost, according to a
February release by SaskPower, is C$1.467
billion. After the Canadian federal governments C$240 million in subsidies, SaskPower and its customers are responsible for
the balance. Cost overruns totaled more than
C$200 million. SaskPower notes that this
first-of-its-kind carbon capture plant was finished on budget; challenges associated with
the existing power plant were the cause of
cost overruns.
In contrast to the BD3 project, the two major pre-combustion CC projects in the U.S.
have seen significant cost overruns. Duke
Energys 618-MW Edwardsport integrated
gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant
in Indiana was two years behind schedule,
US$1.5 billion over budget, and continues to
experience mechanical troubles that prevent
it from operating at 100% capacity. Mississippi Powers 582-MW Kemper County
34
SaskPower notes that this first-of-itskind carbon capture plant was finished
on budget; challenges associated with
the existing power plant were the cause
of cost overruns.
MW post-combustion CC project in Texas, at

the WA Parish plant (also designed to support
EOR), broke ground in September last year.
That project, with an estimated cost of US$1
billion, is scheduled for completion in 2016
and designed to capture 90% of CO2 emissions.
As a government-owned utility, SaskPower has a bit more flexibility in backing a
www.powermag.com
wans power, and SaskPower says it is working to add more.

Though the relative economics of different
fuel portfolios will vary geographicallyas
determined by resources, markets, subsidies, and regulatory requirementstheres
no denying that CCS carries both capital and
operational cost premiums, both in terms of
added operational and maintenance expenses
POWER August 2015
PLANT OF THE YEAR

15. Unique job. Khrystyna Vasylkiv, plant chemical technologist, works in one of two chemistry laboratories at the carbon capture plant, where she and her colleagues are engaged in a
new type of power plant job. Source: POWER/Gail Reitenbach
and lost power sales. Thats likely one reason

that the only post-combustion capture projects to make headway have involved byproduct sales.
As noted earlier, both the captured CO2,
when used for EOR, and SO2, used in a variety of processes, can create revenue streams.
SaskPower says that fly ash will also be
sold for use in ready-mix concrete, precast structures and concrete products. For
the projects first 10 years, CO2 for EOR is
contracted to Cenovus Energy at a cost of
about $25/mt (the actual cost has never been
disclosed). Annual revenue from CO2 is estimated to be up to $25 million.
SaskPower says that, based on the knowledge gained from BD3, preliminary estimates suggest that it could save up to 30% on
its next CC project. In April, Monea told the
Financial Times that the company will make
a decision by late 2016 or early 2017 about
building two more CCS facilities (at Units 4
and 5).
Even with some sort of carbon pricing
scheme, CCS may prove challenging for
plants without easy access to appropriate injection sites. BD3 has what is clearly an ideal
set of circumstances.
An Industry Leader Breaking

Boundaries
In order to reach environmental goals of a
lower-carbon future while ensuring access to
affordable and reliable electricity for people
around the world, we need proven, effective,
affordable options that can be widely deployed. Although the type of CCS technology deployed at BD3 may not be suitable for
August 2015 POWER
all fossil power plants, it is likely to be one of

the viable first-generation options.
SaskPower is continuing to advance CCS
technology with its Shand Carbon Capture
Test Facility (CCTF) at the Shand Power Station, also near Estevan. This facility, developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi Hitachi
Power Systems, started operating on June 18,
2015, and is designed to provide a proving
ground of sorts for a variety of amine-based,
post-combustion technologies. SaskPower
explains that, It has the capacity to add and
remove process equipment, change the configuration of vessel internals, and expand the
height of the key absorber vessel. In SaskPowers employee magazine, Monea notes
that, whereas BD3 is rated at 3,200 mt CO2/
day, the Shand test facility will handle 120
mt/dayroughly 2% of Shands flue gas.
The (CCTF) facility will be one of the largest in the world, he said.
In addition to two onsite chemistry labs at
BD3 (Figure 15), the company is also supporting the broader CCS project with an Amine
Laboratory in Regina. Its role is analyzing
environmental and occupational health and
safety samples from the CCS facilities for
environmental contaminants that may be produced as a result of carbon capture. The goal
is environmental safety. (Concerns about possible amine-based health risks stalled work
on Norways Mongstad refinery CCS project in late 2010.) SaskPowers international
collaborators in the Amine Laboratory work
include TNO from the Netherlands, TCM
Mongstad in Norway, and the U.S. National
Carbon Capture Center.
SaskPowers CCS Global Consortium is
www.powermag.com
open to businesses, governments, research

groups, educational institutions, and stakeholder organizations interested in advancing
CCS in their jurisdictions. Global cooperation is important because, as Gassnovas
chairman of the board, Einar Steensnaes, said
in a video interview, CCS is important, but
we have learned that it is not so easy to realise those projects.
Representatives from more than 30 countries have visited BD3, and Monea was
quoted in the Financial Times article as
saying that a Chinese delegation visits BD3
every two or three weeks. He continued,
China is just gathering information right
now. When it moves, it will be significant.
I think thats where the next projects of size
and number will be happening. (Readers can take a virtual tour of the plant and
carbon capture facility by visiting http://
saskpowerccs.com/tour/.)
Whats especially notable about the BD3
project is that, beyond simply integrating
CCS into a single unit, SaskPower has developed a larger supporting ecosystem for
ongoing research, monitoring, and project
development. As a government-backed
utility, SaskPower does have advantages
that some of its peers around the world may
lack. However, it says something about both
SaskPower and the province of Saskatchewan that a geographically large (251,700
square miles) but sparsely populated region
(1.13 million) and small utility (serving
roughly half a million customers) reached
the finish line firstand with fewer technical, budgetary, and political setbacks than
might have been expected.
People at the Heart of the Plant

Nobody who interacts with the BDPS team
could fail to see their well-justified pride
in what they have accomplished. But their
achievement took serious stretch efforts over
the long term. Walton made sure to note the
dedication of SaskPowers employees from
across the company, who sacrificed to make
the project a success: They did an excellent job. Then there was the plant operations and maintenance staff, who stepped up
and worked long hours for a year and four
months, Walton noted. Everyone invested a
lot to make this succeed.
The regulation of CO2 emissions is a
sensitive topic in some corners of the power world, and Im sure there are those even
within the SaskPower orbit who still do
not support such regulations. Nevertheless,
those I spoke with noted that staff looked
at this project as an opportunity. As Dave
Jobe said, if coal power is to have a future,
this is it.

35
REINVENTION AWARD
Colorado Energy Nations Boiler 5

Upgrade Project
Courtesy: Colorado Energy Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy NA, and Behrent Engineering
POWERs 2015 Reinvention Award (formerly known as the Marmaduke Award)

goes to an industrial cogeneration plant that reinvented its largest unit
for greater fuel and operating flexibility. This project is exemplary for the
owners foresight, maximizing local engineering resources, a stellar safety
record, and project execution principles that are sound for projects of any
size. Even though the plant is relatively small, odds are high that youve
enjoyed the product produced by the industrial process this power plant
supports.
Gail Reitenbach, PhD
ou may not have heard of Colorado

Energy Nations (CEN), but youve
undoubtedly heard of the company
whose production plant it serves: Golden,
Colorados Coors Brewery. And although
the project for which CEN wins this years
Reinvention Award was recently executed,
its reinvention plan was drafted roughly four
decades ago.
In the mid-1970s, Coors Brewing Co.
(Coors) was a vertically integrated corporation. The company owned a boiler plant, two
steam-driven turbine generators, a coal mine,
a gas field, and an oil storage tank farm.
While vertical integration was common in
the 20th century, especially for large, capital-intensive industries, Coors brewery in
36
Golden, Colo. (Golden Brewery) was unique

in the beer industry.
As demand for Coors and Coors Light
beer began to surge, the need for expanded
steam and electrical generating capacity at
the Golden Brewery was recognized. In response, management approved the addition
of a new 450,000 lb/hr boiler (Boiler 5, supplied by Combustion Engineering) and a 20MW steam-driven turbine generator (TG-3,
supplied by General Electric) in 1979.
When the project described in this article
commenced, total generating capacity at the
plant was 40 MW, supplied by three steamdriven units: TG-1 and TG-2 at 10 MW each
and TG-3 at 20 MW. Steam for the generators came from four boilers: #1, #2, #4, and
www.powermag.com
#5 (#3 had been mothballed). Natural gas

fueled #1, #2, and #4. Boiler #5 was fueled
by coal. In addition to supplying steam for
the turbine generators, plant steam is used for
malting, brewing, and other processes as well
as space heating. Total steam design capacity
of the four boilers is 1.3 million pounds per
hour at 800 psig.
In 1995, Coors decided to outsource energy production. The boilers and generators
were sold to Trigen Energy Corp., and many
of the Coors powerhouse employees became
Trigen employees. Trigen was acquired
in 2002 by Tractebel S.A. North America,
which became known as SUEZ Energy North
America in 2005. Then in 2008, the entity
became known as GDF SUEZ Energy North
POWER August 2015
REINVENTION AWARD
1. Plant overview. The Golden Brewery facilities surround the Colorado Energy
Nations power plant, shown here in the unshaded section. The baghouse enclosure is
situated in the foreground with the Boiler 5
stack on the northwest corner of the Boiler 5
unit enclosure. Courtesy: Google Earth, Colorado Energy Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy NA,
and Behrent Engineering
America with headquarters in Houston. Earlier this year the company name changed to
ENGIE North America. Meanwhile, Coors
Brewing Co. merged U.S. operations with
Miller Brewing Co. to form MillerCoors.
Through all the corporate changes, the boilers and generators that had been installed
in the 1970s continued to supply steam and
electricity to the Golden Brewery.
In 2012, Colorado Energy Nations (Figure
1), a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ Energy North
America, began planning a project to complete a blended fuels plan that was originally
envisioned in the 1970s. CEN harnessed environmental, regulatory, and commercial incentives to replace obsolete control systems
and to enable its largest boiler (Boiler 5) to
burn blended fuels. The project was coordinated with scheduled maintenance overhauls
and other upkeep projects. The result was a
well-managed, highly coordinated project
that was executed without a safety incident,
came in 10% under budget, and started up on
the scheduled day (February 9, 2015). Within
two weeks the boiler was smoothly running
with blended fuels (coal and gas) under automatic control.
Designed for Fuel Flexibility

Industrial power generators are even more
directly affected by the market dynamics of
fuel supplies and costs than regulated utility
generators, which can easily pass along fuel
cost increases to customers. When fuel costs
increase, for any reason, those who supply
their own electricity see the effect on the bottom line. To mitigate the economic impact of
fuel cost fluctuations, Coors decided several
decades ago to build in some flexibility.
In the 1970s natural gas was in short supply, and in Colorado, gas taps for new homes
were restricted. William K. (Bill) Coors, chairman and CEO of Coors, decided that the new
boiler should burn coal in order to save gas for
residential use. However, he foresaw a time
August 2015 POWER
when other fuels might become feasible and

directed that Boiler 5 be specified to burn coal,
natural gas, or fuel oil as its primary fuel and
be able to accommodate supplemental fuels,
such as sludge from the process waste treatment plant and ethanol from waste beer.
Boiler 5 was commissioned using coal
in late 1979. Bill Coors insisted that coal
be burned as cleanly as possible with available technology, so special felted Ryton
baghouse filter bags were developed and
purchased from Phillips Petroleum. Total
installed cost of the new unit, including the
baghouse, was approximately $20 million.
Sludge from the process waste treatment
was burned until about 1998. At that time the
waste treatment process was modified, and the
sludge became a viable material for agricultural use. Similarly, ethanol from waste beer
was burned for several years, until the benefit
of selling it as a fuel additive outweighed its
value as a boiler fuel supplement.
Optimize Fuel Costs. As Bill Coors had

envisioned, todays abundant supply of natural gas has driven down its price, making it an
economically attractive fuel source and justifying completion of the blended fuel design
for Boiler 5.
Meet Current Regulatory Limits. As
long as other boilers at the plant were running on natural gas, the combined emissions
from the plant met regulations. But under
certain conditions, if Boiler 5 was running
solo on coal, emissions limits could be
exceeded. By completing the blended fuels plan for Boiler 5, even when that unit
operates alone, the plant would remain in
compliance. Both internal and external
stakeholders would benefit from sustainable emissions reduction, which is a global
priority of the GDF SUEZ group, explained
Senior Environmental Health and Safety
Specialist Suzanne Stevens.
Boiler 5 Upgrade Rationale
Flexibility to Address Future Business

Opportunities and Regulatory Compliance. In 2010, concurrent with Colorado
Although the original plan was for Boiler 5 to

burn a variety of fuels, to defer capital costs,
natural gas fuel piping was not part of the
original installation. Fuel oil storage and supply piping was part of the original installation,
but it was later removed. So even though the
boiler was equipped with nozzles for coal, gas,
and oil, at the start of this upgrade project, it
was only capable of burning coal.
Several factors prompted the recent upgrade
of the 1979-installed Boiler 5. Readers familiar
with utility or merchant power plants feeding
power to the grid will recognize them all.
developing its Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (RH-SIP), which requires
NOx emissions reductions through best available retrofit technology (BART), a discussion
was initiated about changing the fuel mix of
the facility from 93% coal and 7% natural gas
to 60% coal and 40% natural gas. Additionally, there was great uncertainty concerning
the effects of pending regulations covering
mercury and hydrogen chloride emissions
(Industrial Boiler MACT), lower limits for
SO2 and NOx under the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards, and the disposal of coal
POWER POINTS
Lessons Learned
For Plant Owners: Be proactive in recognizing environmental regulations as
opportunities to evaluate business opportunities, and create synergy whenever possible.
For Plant Owners and Operators: Save, organize, update, and maintain your
technical documentation.
For Project Managers: Although EPC contracts are effective for shifting risk to
the contractor, they are not always the most cost-effective solution.
For Project Teams: Emphasize safe working procedures through contract
documents, training, and constant communication.

For Engineers: Work closely with plant maintenance, engineering, and operations personnel.
For Construction Phase: Daily observation and coordination of construction
activities with plant operations is critical.
For Check-out and Shutdown Teams: Use checklists for panel check-outs,
software testing, and shutdown planning.
www.powermag.com
37
REINVENTION AWARD
2. Before and after flame safety controls. The original Norpak Flame Safety panel
(top) is a stark contrast with the new Rockwell flame safety controls (bottom). Courtesy: Colorado Energy Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy NA, and Behrent Engineering
ash under the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agencys Coal Combustion Residuals rule.
CEN worked with the Colorado Air Pollution Division to develop a flexible strategy
for meeting the BART-derived NOx emission
limits using either individual boiler limits
or a limit based on emission averaging for
multiple units. Both the facilitys blended
fuels plan and the RH-SIP were finalized in
December 2012. (The remaining regulations
were still pending.)
CEN reviewed its RH options to ensure
100% compliance by either installing natu38
ral gas burning capability into Boiler 5 and/

or installing additional coal NOx controls on
that boiler. The team decided to install natural gas firing capability first, as this would
provide immediate business benefits resulting from added fuel options, would ensure
CENs ability to meet RH NOx limits if emission averaging fell short, and would retain
the option to install additional coal controls
later, if future fuel costs favored coal, according to Stevens.
Incidentally, this approach is another example of how state regulations provided
www.powermag.com
3. Before and after operator controls. On the top is a portion of the old Fisher AC3 operator panel. Below is a shot of the
new Rockwell system. Courtesy: Colorado
Energy Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy NA, and
Behrent Engineering
incentives for a generating plant to adopt environmental controls before federal regulations
required them, as discussed in POWERs online article The Voters Were Right: Colorado
and Minnesotas Paths to Clean Energy.
Obsolete Control Systems. When Unit
5 was built, the owner did not consider programmable logic control (PLC) or distributed
control systems to have sufficient reliability
to be trusted with control of the boiler, so
the burner management system, which plant
management calls the Flame Safety System,
was designed using Square-D Norpak logic.
Norpak was a discrete solid-state logic system that had been used throughout the brewery for critical control systems. However, as
you can see from Figure 2, a Norpak panel
could be intimidating for maintenance work.
Spare parts were no longer available, and
the pool of technicians with Norpak troubleshooting skills was shrinking. Plant management was happy to replace the old panel.
The combustion control system had been
designed using the Fisher AC3 electronic analog control system (Figure 3). Fisher AC3
POWER August 2015
Safety
standards
change.
When is the last time
you raised yours?
Introducing the new Eaton SC9000 encapsulated
powerpole (EP) arc-resistant medium voltage (MV) drive.
The new standard in medium voltage drive safety.
At Eaton, its important to keep
workers and equipment safe. Arc
flashes can cause injuries, lawsuits,
fines, equipment damage, facility
downtime and lost production. As
the new standard in MV drive safety,
the SC9000 EP is the industrys first
fully integrated arc-resistant MV drive
certified to CSA C22.2 No. 0.22-11 and witness

tested to IEEE C37.20.7 at a third-party high power
laboratory. The SC9000 EP is engineered to help
customers control, minimize and prevent arc
faults, leading to increased personnel protection
in global oil and gas, mining, utility, water,
wastewater and other critical applications.
www.eaton.com/SC9000
SC9000 EP arc-resistant medium

voltage adjustable frequency drive
REINVENTION AWARD
Table 1. Major project vendors
and partners. Source: Colorado Energy
Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy NA, and Behrent
Engineering
Company
Contribution
Alstom
Boiler retrofit parts and

service
Atlas Industrial
Contractors
Gas piping construction
Behrent Engineering Co.
Project engineers and

designers
Piper Electric Co.
Electrical installation
Rockwell Automation
New control systems

hardware
Utility Control and

Equipment Corp.
Control panel fabrication
was a modular system that included operator

stations and separate control modules such
as PID, lead-lag, computation, signal selector, and the like. Spare parts inventory was
nearly exhausted, and module failures were
frequent, so this control system also became
a candidate for replacement.
Contracting Strategy: Leverage

Site Expertise
In December 2012, GDF SUEZ retained Behrent Engineering Co. (Behrent) to develop
a detailed project definition for completing
Boiler 5s blended fuel system. Behrent is a
local Denver-area firm with 53 years of multidisciplined heavy industrial experience. Much
of that experience was gained executing capital projects for the brewery and power plant,
so Behrent was selected to execute the preliminary engineering phase of the project because
of its knowledge of the plant.
During that phase, Behrents role was to
help GDF SUEZ set a project budget and develop detailed project definition documents for
prequalified engineer-procure-construct (EPC)
contractors. The successful EPC contractor
would then be responsible for detailed engineering, material purchasing, installation subcontracts, project management, and commissioning
on a lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) basis.
Working together, GDF SUEZ and Behrent developed a $3.5 million budget for the
project. When the preliminary engineering
package was ready, EPC bidders were invited to a pre-bid meeting and project walk
and were also given a chance to individually
present their bids to the evaluation team. All
but one of the bidders elected not to submit
a proposal because of the small size of the
project and unknown project risks, like the
complexity of replacing the Norpak panel.
The single proposal came with a cost of $4.5
million. At that point, the project team realized that the LSTK approach would put the
project 29% over budget.
40
Instead of moving forward with the LSTK

strategy, Plant Manager Mike Gwyther and
Maintenance Manager Dennis Capps proposed an alternative. Instead of an EPC contract, they suggested that plant personnel
could manage separate engineering and construction contracts and directly purchase materials. John Givens, the GDF SUEZ Energy
North America project manager, presented
both the LSTK approach and the alternative
to management, which decided that the plant
staffs experience and abilities were ideal to
complete the project using the alternative
approach. GDF SUEZ corporate engineering was confident that this path could be
followed and would meet the budget. When
the decision to use the alternative contracting
strategy was communicated to plant management, they were thrilled that they would be
the primary drivers of the project.
Because of Behrents involvement in the
preliminary engineering phase and familiarity with the project requirements, plant management then retained Behrent to execute the
detailed engineering phase of the project.
Valves and instrumentation were directly purchased by the plant and were received well in
advance of need. Behrent developed detailed
subcontractor bid packages and assisted in
the bid evaluation process. Major project
partners are listed in Table 1. The plant also
awarded specialty contracts as needed. For
example, T.D. Williamson Inc. was hired to
hot-tap into the existing gas header.
Project Summary
The project had three main objectives:
Install natural gas piping.

Replace flame safety controls (Norpak
panel).
Replace combustion controls (Fisher
AC3).
Hot tap the existing main gas header while

the boilers continued in operation.
Install the new combustion control PLC
system near the Fisher AC3 racks. Use
Rockwell Automation ControlLogix 1756L72 PLC. Add marshaling terminal blocks
to existing Fisher AC3 racks. Prewire the
new PLC to marshaling terminal blocks.
Save and reuse all existing field instrumentation and wiring.
Connect all new gas line valves and instrumentation to the new PLC panels.
Update the iFIX SCADA system to include the new gas line valves and instrumentation and to interface and gather data
from the new PLCs.
During winter 2015 shutdown: Cut over to
new combustion controls. Replace Fisher
AC3 operator stations with new Rockwell
Automation PanelView Plus 6 15-inch
color touch screens. Tie in new gas line to
each existing gas nozzle. Replace remaining pulverized coal fuel nozzles.
Budget and Schedule

After the scope of work was developed, the
Behrent team began to work on the budget.
Behrent met with several local contractors
and suppliers to develop estimates for materials and installation labor. After allowing for
contingencies, the final project budget was
set and approved at $3.5 million.
Overhaul work had previously been
planned and scheduled for the October 6 to
24, 2014, shutdown. Project requirements
were scheduled as necessary to meet that
shutdown schedule. Plant operations scheduling and contractual obligations also required
the winter shutdown (January 19 to February 8) to be complete by February 9, 2015,
so project requirements associated with that
shutdown were scheduled as necessary.
Keys to Success
To accomplish those objectives, the project included the following scope of work:
Install the new flame safety control panel

near the Norpak panel. Use redundant
Rockwell Automation ControlLogix
1756-L72 PLCs for the new panel. Plan to
convert the Norpak panel to a marshaling
cabinet. Save and reuse all field instrumentation and wiring.
During October 2014 shutdown: Cut over
to new flame safety controls. Replace half
of the pulverized coal fuel nozzles. Inspect
the condition of existing gas fuel nozzles.
Install a new 10-inch gas main to Boiler
5, including main gas stop valve, flow,
and pressure controls; block and bleed
valves to each gas burner; and combustible gas detectors.
www.powermag.com
The elements that ensure success often vary

by the type of project, but one universal foundation is a focus on safety.
A Focus on Safety. The CEN plant has
a long history of safe operation. As of April
1, 2015, the plant has run 3,323 consecutive
days without a lost time accident. During
the project, contractors logged 9,879 safe
manhours, through January 2015. Givens of
GDF SUEZ Energy North America, Capps
of CEN, and Rick Skaflen, Behrents project
manager and manager of safety, all emphasized project safety. Key components of the
safety program were:
Each of the 68 project meetings started

with a safety moment.
A Contractor/Vendor Site Orientation
Manual was included in every bid pack-
POWER August 2015
REINVENTION AWARD
4. Daily review. This construction observation photo shows two of the four new natural
gas valve manifolds during installation. Photos
were taken regularly during construction activity to document actual progress. Notice the
neatness of the work area. Uncluttered work
areas were typical for the contractors, which
also contributed to project safety. Courtesy:
Colorado Energy Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy
NA, and Behrent Engineering
age and in contract documents.

An in-depth safety questionnaire was included with each contractor bid package
and was part of the contractor selection
process.
Each contractor was required to administer its own safety program that met or exceeded safety protocol at the plant.
Each contractor was required to name an
onsite manager of safety.
Proper personal protective equipment was
required at all times during construction
activities.
Each employee of each contractor was required to take the site-specific safety orientation training before beginning work.
The Availability of Up-to-Date Technical Documentation. Since Boiler 5 was
placed into service in 1979, the plant maintenance organization has done an exceptional
job of organizing, saving, and maintaining
electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and
technical descriptions of operation. After
some statistical spot-checking, it was determined that the electrical drawings were an
accurate reflection of actual wiring. That
saved many hours of hand-over-hand tracing
of existing wiring, which would have risked
accidental boiler trips.
The technical descriptions of operation
provided valuable insight into the original designers strategies for controlling the boiler.
August 2015 POWER
Behrents software designers (Chris Silkey,

Clay Sorensen, Lori Coughlin, and Jim Darling) repeatedly referred to those descriptions
for clarifications of requirements.
Plant layout drawings were also well archived, saving many hours of field measurements for developing layout drawings for the
new gas piping.
The Involvement of Plant Personnel. Many CEN employees have worked at
the plant since Boiler 5 was built, so they

have a tremendous sense of ownership and
knowledge of the facility. The project team
benefited greatly from their knowledge. For
example, during the piping design phase,
Behrent regularly consulted with Maintenance Manager Capps to ensure that the new
gas piping would not interfere with existing
operations and would also allow easy maintenance access to valves and instrumentation.
During the controls engineering phase,
Behrent regularly reviewed design ideas with
the maintenance technicians (Jerry Pyle, Jay
Schmidt, Curt Holsinger, and Justin Hake)
and received valuable feedback. Plant Engineer Jerome Cain set up a joint meeting
between the engineers, maintenance technicians, and control system manufacturer at the
local Rockwell Automation office. During
that meeting consensus was established for
optimum control system design.
During software development, Behrent
worked closely with the operations group,
led by Operations Manager Mike Jeffres. The
operations group gave valuable input about
how they intended to control the processes.
Behrent provided cut and paste tools so
the operators could agree how to best configure the human-machine interface (HMI)
overview screen for ease of use and for best
display of key operating parameters.
Cain began studying the details of the
Norpak Flame Safety Controls before the
project was approved. He took on the task of
translating the Norpak logic into PLC software. He also had developed a plant standard
approach for programming PID instructions
in the PLC and for displaying PID faceplates
on the HMIs. Behrent adopted those standards for use in the combustion controls software. Close coordination also was required
for hardwired interlocks and network communications between PLC systems. Because
he works with it regularly, Cain updated the
iFIX SCADA system.
The extensive involvement of plant staff in
the project resulted in new systems that dovetail with existing systems and that are easy
to operate and provide good maintenance
access. Most importantly, there were no surprises during startup.
Construction Observation. Typically,
engineers observe construction to ensure
www.powermag.com
that the installation follows the design,

which was done on a periodic basis by Skaflen and Terry Shelander, PE, Behrents
principal electrical engineer. (Shelander
provided the majority of the information for
this article.) However for this project, because the plant maintenance group had been
deeply involved in reviewing the design,
they knew the scope of work well. And because they were on site every day, the maintenance group took a lead role in observing
construction. This wasnt really part of the
project plan; it just became an obvious solution early in the construction process.
Russ Schelle, project manager for Atlas
Industrial, coordinated on a daily basis with
Capps. Together they would evaluate how the
days construction plans might affect ongoing boiler operation and make adjustments if
necessary (Figure 4). Schelle also previewed
installation details with Capps to ensure compliance with plant expectations. Similarly, Phil
Morgans, project supervisor for Piper Electric,
coordinated on a daily basis with Jerry Pyle.
The result of this daily coordination was that
the installation met the owners expectations,
and not a single boiler trip was experienced
during the entire construction process.
The Use of Detailed Plans. Behrent developed detailed checklists for panel checkout and software testing. For each panel, the
checkout plan included issues such as:
Resources required (people, test instruments, technical documents).

Verification that all components were installed according to design (using a checkbox for each component).
Point-to-point wiring checks (a check-box
for each wire).
Power-up sequence and voltage testing.
Network switch configuration.
PLC module configuration.
I/O checkout.
Although several days were required

to develop the panel checkout lists, the actual panel checkouts were completed ahead
of schedule. As part of their training, plant
maintenance technicians participated in the
panel checkouts. The checklists helped all involved parties stay focused on the next item.
When a checklist was complete, the panel
was ready for startup.
Similarly, each software module was individually checked off. Each interaction between HMI and PLC was a separate item on
the checklist. The software testing plan by
itself was 60 pages long.
Operations Manager Jeffres was the
startup coordinator, and to guide that effort,
Givens required development of a detailed
plan for each shutdown. Jeffres developed
41
REINVENTION AWARD
5. Boiler 5 startup NOx emissions. This chart shows 3-hour limit compliance with
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). Courtesy: Colorado Energy Nations, and GDF
SUEZ Energy NA
B5 NOx hr NSPS Limit B5
6. Example HMI screen with operating procedure. Courtesy: Colorado

Energy Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy NA, and
Behrent Engineering
0.7
0.6
NSPS 3-hr rolling

avg. limit for combined fuel: weighted
avg. between 0.2
NSPS 3-hr rolling aver- (NG) and 0.7 (coal)
age limit for natural gas lb/MMBtu (B5 only;
(NG): 0.2 lb/MMBtu (B5 no averaging)
only; no averaging)
NOx (lb/MMBtu)
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
NG rate is well below limit
detailed shutdown plans for the October and

winter shutdowns that also were formatted as
checklists. Once again, checklists helped the
startup team remain focused on the next item.
As a result, each shutdown was completed on
schedule, and restarting the boiler took less
time than expected.
The project team found that even though it
is a tedious process for the person developing a
checklist, it is easier to develop a comprehensive plan and checklist in a quieter and lesshectic environment. That effort pays dividends
because a checklist ensures more thorough execution of the checkout and testing work.
Project Results
The Boiler 5 upgrade project has been a success on several fronts.
Fuel Flexibility. Fuel flexibility was a
primary driver of this project, and Boiler 5
is now capable of firing the following fuel
combinations and percentages:
100% coal (from western Colorado, primarily bituminous)

100% natural gas (from Xcel Energy)
50% to 100% coal, blended with natural
gas (Jeffres says that they probably could
burn less than 50% coal, but they havent
had the need yet)
For any mix of fuels, the boiler controls

allow the boiler to run as a plant master, controlling plant steam header pressure, or as
a boiler master, supplying a set amount of
steam flow. All fuel is purchased by Miller42
2/28/2015 18:00
2/18/2015 12:00
2/8/2015 12:00
0.1
Coors rather than the cogeneration plant.

Through June this year, the boiler typically has fired either 100% gas or 100% coal.
Purchasing contracts require a predefined
amount of coal to be delivered to the plant
every month. Otherwise, the economics
would favor burning 100% gas all of the
time. However, when running 100% coal, the
main gas burners are kept in Auto mode, with
the flow setpoint calculated to make up the
difference between the coal Btus and the total
Btus required. In that mode the gas acts as a
standby fuel source. Then, if a problem with
coal fuel flow unexpectedly develops (like a
plugged bin), the gas can automatically and
immediately ramp up to supply the lost Btus.
According to Stevens, the new controls have
been really helpful in keeping the boiler stable during process upsets.
There was one unexpected problem with
the steam temperature controls. At high loads
on 100% natural gas, the spray water valve
is driven 100% open, but the steam temperature still climbs above the desired limit. It has
been suggested that the spray nozzle may be
partially plugged or the heat exchanger may
be fouled. This system will be inspected during the next scheduled overhaul. For now, the
operators back off the load on Boiler 5 and let
the other boilers pick up the difference.
Project Cost and Schedule. Due to the
detailed planning and coordination used on
this project, change orders were minimal.
Final project cost was approximately 10%
under budget, and both planned outages were
completed on schedule.
www.powermag.com
Emissions Performance. As expected,

Boiler 5 emissions were reduced when burning gas only (Figure 5). In early April 2015,
Stevens wrote, Boiler 5 NOx emissions met
the New Source Performance Standard (40
CFR 60 Subpart D) NOx limit of 0.2 lb/mmbtu
for natural gas from the first light-off. In fact,
it was typically <50% of this limit. Additionally, when the unit was operated with blended
fuels (natural gas/coal), the NOx rate was well
below the prorated NOx limit defined by this
Subpart D standard. The facility has not conducted full-range load testing at this time, but
it is in the near future plans, and will be operated within the regulatory limits.
Better System Diagnostics. The Norpak Flame Safety system did not have many
diagnostics. Basically, it would only indicate
that the boiler was ready for light-off. If an
interlock was not made, quite often maintenance technicians would have to use test
equipment to determine what was preventing
the Ready condition. Now, with PLC and
HMI systems, the status of each interlock
can be displayed on the HMI screen, resulting in faster and more consistent execution of
startup procedures.
Online Operator Procedures. Some operating procedures were incorporated into the
HMI screens. The example shown in Figure
6 includes operator instructions for changing
from one mode of control to another.
Local Synergies
Not all projects can be handled with largely
local engineering management, but in this
case, local management encouraged teamwork between plant staff, corporate leadership, engineers, suppliers, and contractors.
The result was a safe project that achieved
all of its technical objectives, was completed
under budget, and started up on time. A 1979
coal-fired unit has been reinvented to burn
multiple fuels, thereby optimizing emissions
control and economic operation for one of
the countrys most recognizable brands.
POWER August 2015
National Fire Protection Association

The authority on ire, electrical, and building safety
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WATER AWARD
Tampa Electric Co.s Polk Power

Station Reclaimed Water Project
Courtesy: Tampa Electric Co.
Its not often that a power plant upgrade improves both the environment and
the bottom line. Needing to come up with a new source of cooling water
for Polk Power Station, and faced with mostly expensive, environmentally
questionable options, Tampa Electric came up with a solution that both
secured the plants water supply for the future and provided significant
benefits to the local environment.
Thomas W. Overton, JD
o casual visitors, central Florida would

seem to be an odd place to be experiencing a water crisis. With its frequent
rains, humid climate, abundant springs and
lakes, and tourist attractions that make profligate use of water, the region would appear
blessed with resources.
But, in fact, central Florida has grown
increasingly water-stressed over the past
few decades.
Floridas rapidly growing population has
meant demand on its water resources has frequently exceeded the supply. Those resources
are also threatened by development in neighboring Georgia, because the two states share
the same source of groundwater, the Floridan aquifer. In the early 1990s, groundwater
44
withdrawals were so great that in certain areas of central Florida, the aquifer had been
drawn down more than 50 feet. One result
was saltwater intrusion into the aquifer along
the coast, particularly in Manatee County
along the southern end of Tampa Bay. When
this happens, it makes groundwater more expensive to use, and if saltwater intrusion is
severe enough, can force the closure of contaminated wells.
In response, the state directed the local water management districts to adopt
strategies that would protect its water resources. In 1992, the Southwest Florida
Water Management District (SWFWMD)
designated the Southern Water Use Caution
Area (SWUCA) covering all or part of eight
www.powermag.com
counties in southwest Florida. The current

SWUCA strategy is to manage river flows
and groundwater withdrawals in the area to
limit saltwater intrusion and ensure water
supply needs can be met.
While water use is an issue that cuts across
all sectors of a community, it has special implications for power generation. This is the
story of how one power plant found a way to
substantially reduce its impact on local water
supplies while at the same time helping reduce environmental impacts on a major body
of water.
Running Dry
Tampa Electric Co., a subsidiary of TECO
Energy, traces its roots to 1899 and cur-
POWER August 2015
WATER AWARD
rently serves more than 700,000 customers in the Tampa Bay area as a regulated
utility. Its four-plant fleet, a mix of coaland gas-fired generation, comprises about
4,700 MW of capacity.
Tampa Electrics Polk Power Station,
situated on 4,300 acres that were originally part of an old phosphate mine about
40 miles southeast of Tampa, is located in
one of the most water-stressed areas of the
SWUCA. Unit 1 is a 260-MW, 2 x 1 integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC)
plant. It was the first greenfield IGCC facility built in the U.S. and began operations
in 1996. Since then, four more units have
come online at Polk. Units 2 and 3 (180MW dual-fuel combustion turbines) began
operations in 2000 and 2002, while Units
4 and 5 (160-MW gas turbines), started up
in 2007.
Water for cooling is drawn from a large
reservoir adjacent to the plant that was built
using mine cuts from the phosphate mine.
Because plant effluent is ultimately discharged into the area watershed, the reservoir
can require as much as 3 million gallons of
water for makeup every day, which needs to
be replenished with groundwater. That was a
significant drain on the areas resources by
itself, but Tampa Electrics forward planning
suggested new capacity would be needed at
Polk in the future. That would mean more
cooling water would be needed, but where
that water would come from was a signifi-
1. Long haul. Fifteen miles of 30-inch-diameter plastic piping are used to move treated wastewater from the Lakeland treatment plant to Polk Power Station. Courtesy: Tampa Electric Co.
poor neighbor for others in Tampa Electrics service area.

Convert to air-cooled condensers. In addition to being expensive, the technology is
poorly suited to Floridas hot, humid, climate, meaning plant efficiency would take
a big hit.
Close off the cooling water discharge and
instead recirculate the water in the reservoir. Not only was this was cost prohibi-
Tampa Electrics forward planning suggested new capacity would be needed

at Polk in the future. That would mean
more cooling water would be needed, but
where that water would come from was a
significant obstacle.
cant obstacle.
Tampa Electric had several options for
Polk:
Petition SWFWMD to increase groundwater withdrawals. Although this would

have been the most cost-effective solution if it were grantedwhich was by no
means guaranteedit would have further
stressed area resources, making the plant a
August 2015 POWER
tive, stopping the discharge would have

affected the minimum-flow levels of a
nearby creek, essentially exchanging one
environmental impact for another.
Buy land with unused water credits. This
would have been the simplest approach
but also the most expensive one.
Switch to cooling with reclaimed water.
This would be technically challenging
but potentially had the greatest environwww.powermag.com
mental benefits.
A number of factors suggested the last option was the best one. But a source of sufficient wastewater needed to be found.
Waste Not
As it happened, there was an ample source
only a few miles to the north. And making
use of it would address another nagging environmental problem for the area.
Polk County and the cities of Lakeland and
Mulberry have been treating their wastewater
and using it for irrigation for many years.
However, despite the various beneficial uses,
the treatment plant produced significantly
more water than the municipalities could
use. Together, they were discharging about 9
million gallons of wastewater into the Alafia
River every day.
That treated wastewater ultimately wound
up in Tampa and Hillsborough bays. But
treated or not, the wastewater carried with it
a lot of nitrogen and other nutrients, contributing to elevated nutrient levels in the bays.
When nitrogen and phosphate levels are too
high, it can cause algae blooms and inhibit
the growth of sea grasses, fish, mollusks, and
other aquatic life. Keeping the bays nutrient
inflow under control has been a major goal of
environmental agencies in the area. Though
significant progress has been made since nutrient levels became a serious problem in the
1960s, more work remains to be done to keep
the bays healthy.
In 2008, Tampa Electric began working
with Lakeland and SWFWMD on a method to bring that excess wastewater to Polk
Power Station. In March of 2009, Lakeland,
45
WATER AWARD
2. Clean sweep. Additional purification of the wastewater is necessary before it can be
used for cooling. Treatment takes place at this facility adjacent to the power plant. Once treated,
it is nearly drinking-water quality and can be safely released into the cooling reservoir. Courtesy:
Tampa Electric Co.
Because the project would reduce overall groundwater withdrawals, SWFWMD

agreed to contribute approximately $45 million to the total project cost of $120 million.
Innovative water projects are nothing new to
SWFWMD, which is a national leader in fostering reclaimed water use: The area recycles
an amazing 50% of its wastewater, compared
to just 7% nationwide. SWFWMD had partnered on power plant cooling projects in the
past, but this would be the largest one ever.
The project also received an additional $2.5
million from the states West-Central Florida
Water Restoration Action Plan fund.
As envisioned, the project would address
several objectives at once:
Tampa Electric, and SWFWMD reached

an agreement under which the city would
supply Polk with up to 5 million gallons of
wastewater per day under a 30-year water

supply agreementat no cost for the first
20 years.
Secure a reliable source of cooling water

for Polk Power Station while minimizing
future groundwater withdrawals.
Substantially reduce nutrient inflow to
Tampa and Hillsborough Bays, enough to
meet Hillsborough Bays five-year nutrient-removal goal and half of Tampa Bays
five-year nutrient-removal goal in its first
year of operation.
The city of Lakeland would get a 10-year
permit for additional groundwater withdrawals, at no cost to its taxpayers.
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46
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
WATER AWARD
3. Final polishing. As a final step, reverse osmosis (RO) is used to remove dissolved impurities such as salt and other
minerals. The RO system was supplied by
Doosan. Courtesy: Tampa Electric Co.
4. Deep cycle. The waste stream from

the water purification processconcentrated
brine and other impuritiesis injected into an
8,000-foot-deep disposal well under the plant.
This sequesters the wastewater well below
the aquifer and prevents it from contaminating area water resources. Courtesy: Tampa
Electric Co.
0 ft
62-inch steel
casing
Surface casing
Intermediate casing
42-inch steel casing
1,000 ft
Intermediate casing
28-inch steel casing
2,000 ft
ASTM type II
cement
3,000 ft
Final casing
18-inch steel
4,000 ft
Looking to the Future
5,000 ft
6,000 ft
Now Tampa Electric needed to make it

happen.
Clear Stream Ahead

To get the wastewater from Lakelands
Wetland Treatment System to Polk Power
Station, Tampa Electric installed a 15-mile
plastic pipeline and a reclaimed water pumping station (Figure 1). Construction of the
pipeline took about 18 months.
The utility also built a water purification
plant at Polk Power Station, because the
treated wastewater required further purification before it could be used for plant cooling
(Figure 2).
After pilot testing to determine the best and
most cost-effective approach, Tampa Electric
settled on a three-stage treatment process:
High-rate settling and clarification, to remove solids such as algae and dirt.
Gravity-flow filtration.
Reverse osmosis (RO), which removes
dissolved impurities such as salt and other
minerals (Figure 3).
The clarification process produces a mineral-rich sludge that is currently dried and
buried in a landfill, though Tampa Electric is
looking for buyers, as the sludge has agricultural value.
The RO process, meanwhile, produces
two water streams. The first, purified stream
goes into the reservoir and is used for plant
August 2015 POWER
with the parties very pleased with the results.

All of Lakelands treated wastewater is now
seeing beneficial reuses instead of flowing
into Tampa Bay.
This public-private partnership is on
the leading edge of innovative water use,
Tampa Electric President Gordon Gillette
said. It has far-reaching water-resource
benefits that will be seen in Tampa Bay for
multiple generations.
The city of Lakeland considers this
project to be a unique endeavor between
three atypical partners, said Robert Conner, director of Lakeland Water Utilities.
From the very beginning, we anticipated
it was a win for all three of us. It has
worked out to exceed even those very positive expectations.
A brief video about the project can be
viewed on YouTube at https:youtu.be/mtsVb36MkC0.
Injection zone
7,000 ft
8,000 ft
cooling. As its been purified almost to potable water standards, it can then be discharged
safely into the area watershed without affecting nutrient levels.
The waste stream, concentrated with brine
and impurities, has to be disposed. After considering the various options, Tampa Electric
opted for deep-injection wells.
Two state-of-the-art wells were drilled
8,000 feet underground to allow for disposal
(Figure 4). At the bottom of the wells, the
disposal stream is released into a naturally
existing briny aquifer that begins around
4,200 feet down. Between that point and the
surface is a 1,000-foot-thick layer of limestone that keeps the disposal stream from
entering the Floridan aquifer, which is much
closer to the surface (its deepest portions at
the plant site are around 2,800 feet below
sea level, and the deepest well in the area is
around 900 feet). While drilling the wells,
Tampa Electric was able to perform additional research on the limestone layer that
was useful for local geologists.
The $120 million system came online in
March 2015 after five years of construction,
www.powermag.com
As impressive as the system is, Tampa Electric has plans to take it even further. Phase
II, which will expand the purification plant
and connect to wastewater streams from Polk
County and the city of Mulberry, is under
water-use contract, and engineering plans are
being developed. The expansion is scheduled
to begin operations in 2017. Once expanded,
the system will be able to handle up to 17
million gallons of wastewater per day.
That additional water will be necessary
because Polk Power Station is in the process
of adding combined cycle capacity to Units
2 through 5. The new generation, which will
boost total capacity to 1,420 MW, is expected
to come online that same year.
The utility is also looking ahead to possible
carbon capture technology, should it ever be
needed at Polk. The injection wells could potentially be used for carbon sequestration with
some modifications. Tampa Electric worked
with a team of experts at the University of
South Florida to evaluate that option, though
it ultimately decided not to include it at this
time because of long-term funding issues.
Tampa Electric has shared the details of
this project at several industry conferences
to help educate both the power sector and the
wastewater treatment industry on innovative
disposal methods. The project was honored by
the Edison Electric Institute earlier this year
with one of its three Edison Awards for 2015.
For demonstrating creative thinking and
crafting a solution that met its needs as well
as those of the surrounding communities,
POWER is proud to honor Tampa Electric
and the Polk Power Station with its 2015 Water Award.
Thomas W. Overton, JD is a POWER

associate editor.
47
SMART GRID AWARD
Courtesy: S&C Electric
Oncors System Operating Services

Facility, Lancaster, Texas
Looking to ensure reliable power for a critical facilityas well as move the
needle on microgrid technologyTexass largest transmission company
went all-in on a state-of-the-art demonstration project that sets a new
standard for future smart grid deployments.
Thomas W. Overton, JD
aving a 100% uninterruptible power

supply for a commercial facility is
far from a unique requirement. Traditionally, meeting that need often began and
ended with an emergency diesel generator,
but with emissions regulations and fuel costs
making diesel less attractive, other options
such as microturbines and renewable generation have begun making inroads.
Quite a few commercial facilities sport
their own solar panels, some of them even
reaching megawatt scale. But its one thing
to generate renewable energy on site; its
quite another to be able to fall back on it
48
when the grid goes down. Tying it all together into a flexible, integrated system that
can operate cleanly and reliably regardless
of the state of the larger grid has been a
challenge because of high costs and the requirements of balancing intermittent renewable generation.
Texas transmission and distribution
(T&D) company Oncor is ready to help its
customers start rolling out those kinds of microgrids. And to help make it happen, Oncor
went and built one of its own at its System
Operating Services Facility (SOSF) outside
Dallas. At about 1,000 kW, the SOSF miwww.powermag.com
crogrid is not especially large, but its the

way Oncor incorporated multiple types of
renewable and conventional generation, energy storage, and sophisticated controls into
a fast-responding, redundant, multi-layered
system that earns it POWERs 2015 Smart
Grid Award.
Breaking Ground
Oncor is the largest regulated electricity
delivery firm in Texas and the sixth largest in the U.S. It serves approximately 7.5
million customers in more than 3 million
homes and businesses across the state
POWER August 2015
SMART GRID AWARD

1. Four-in-hand. The Oncor microgrid is composed of four individual microgrids that can
operate separately or as a combined system. Generation and storage in one microgrid can support any of the other grids. Courtesy: S&C Electric
Co. and Schneider Electric to help design and

build the system. Ground was broken in September, and the first elements came online in
January. Testing was conducted a month later, and the project was declared operational
in March.
Start to finish, the SOSF microgrid was
completed in an impressive nine months, and
it was funded entirely by Oncor, without reliance on subsidies or credits.
Multifaceted, Fast-Moving
The SOSF microgrid is actually four interconnected microgrids that can be controlled independently, but also operated
in parallel, tandem, or combined into a
single, larger system. One serves the telecommunications center, one serves the
microgrid control center, and the other
two serve less-critical assets on the SOSF
campus (Figure 1).
The system begins with seven different
generation resources:
through 121,000 miles of distribution lines.
As a grid operator, Oncor is barred from
owning commercial generation; it must
buy the electricity it sells its customers on
the wholesale market.
The SOSF in Lancaster, just south of Dallas, is a mixed-use campus that primarily
supports Oncors environmental operations,
where used components are recycled, repaired, and refurbished. It is also the site for
Oncors Advanced Metering System testing
as well as a telecommunications operations
center and transformer repair facility. The
SOSF needs high reliability for its critical
loads, as even occasional outages represent
a problem. But rather than simply hook up
more backup generators, Oncor decided to
make the SOSF a test bed for the next generation of microgrid architecture it wants to
help its customers deploy.
Most microgrids are developed from existing infrastructure and generation. The SOSF
system is a mix of old and new, unique in that
it was built from the ground up as a state-ofthe-art microgrid integrating existing emergency generation with new solar, battery, and
microturbine resources. In early 2014, Oncor
was preparing to upgrade an environmental
center at the Lancaster site, and senior management decided to take the opportunity to
gain experience with operating and interacting with microgrids, as well as hardening the
site against a loss of power.
Although the penetration rate for distributed energy resources [DER] is relatively
modest in Texas, we understand that they will
be part of the grid at some point, Michael
Quinn, Oncors vice president and chief technology officer told POWER. Oncor wants to
August 2015 POWER
understand their impact so we can appropriately plan and safely and reliably integrate
them into the grid.
The site as a whole needed an overhaul, as
piecemeal additions over the years had each
been connected to the grid as new customers,
rather than as part of a single system, Quinn
explained, with each facility getting its own
meter and only two of them having emergency generation.
This led to rethinking the opportunity
to turn the site into a microgrid, improve
the reliability and operations on site during loss of grid power, while gaining the
opportunity to understand DER better,
Quinn said.
In June 2014, Oncor tapped S&C Electric
Two 175-kW Caterpillar diesel generators

A 210-kW Caterpillar diesel generator
A 45-kW Cummins reciprocating propane
engine (these first four were existing resources)
A 65-kW propane-powered Horizon/Capstone microturbine
A 104-kW Axium Solar carport-mounted
solar photovoltaic (PV) array
A 2-kW Axium Solar ground-mounted PV
array
Backing up these resources are two separate storage batteries:
A 200-kW/400-kWh Tesla lithium-ion

Powerpack
2. Multi-faceted. The two solar arrays produce a total of 106 kW. The Tesla batteries are
visible under the carport at the far end. The installation also includes electric vehicle charging
stations. Courtesy: Axium Solar
www.powermag.com
49
SMART GRID AWARD
A 25-kW/25-kWh S&C Purewave CES

Community Energy Storage unit
The batteries can store energy from either

the utility feed or any of the facilitys generation resources (Figure 2). During normal
operation, they provide the voltage signal for
the site, smooth output from the solar panels,
and control the microgrid frequency. Should
grid power be lost, theyre also the first generating resource to respond.
These resources are spread amongst

the four microgridseach one has either a
generation resource, a battery, or both. The
wide variety was intentional, because the
system is designed as a test bed. According
to David Chiesa, director of commercial &
industrial and microgrid market segment for
S&C Electric, One of the goals was to get
as many different technologies and different
suppliers involved as possible and test integration. This was the reason, he said, that no
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one supplier was given more than one aspect

of the project.
Having diverse types and resources
presented the typical real-world situation,
Quinn said, and we wanted that experience of integrating those into a single
microgrid control platform. The added capability also allows support to a broader
group of company operations during loss
of grid power.
In the event of any hiccups, a combination of S&Cs advanced distribution automation equipment and Schneider Electrics
Microgrid Controller (MGC) use high-speed
communications and distributed grid intelligence to detect any problems automatically.
But its not just a matter of deciding what
distributed generation to turn on. Rather, the
platform continuously monitors the system
for faults: It can self-diagnose and isolate
any issues, and it automatically reconfigures
the rest of the microgrid to keep things running smoothly without the need for operator
intervention.
Should grid power be lost altogether,
S&Cs IntelliRupter PulseCloser fault interrupter detects the loss and tests to see if the
issue is temporary or permanent. If the fault
is permanent, the system dynamically islands
the facility. It then uses S&Cs Scada-Mate
CX Switches and Vista Underground Distribution Switchgear to reconfigure the distribution system while the MGC switches over
to distributed generation.
With all of its resources running, the
system can operate at peak 989-kW capacity for two hours, andif the sun goes
down and the batteries depleteat 660 kW
as long as fuel is available for the generators. A load-shedding algorithm can also
shut down noncritical assets on the campus
to keep the two critical microgrids operating as long as possible.
The microgrid control system does
far more than simply switch on when the
lights go out, however. Its designed to optimize the disparate generation resources
to maximize solar PV energy usage and
storage while minimizing overall energy
costs. It does this using Schneider Electrics advanced grid control technologies,
including the PowerLogic load preservation system and a new technology called
StruxureWare Demand Side Operations
(DSO). Its the DSO system that delivers
economic optimization and dispatch of the
generation resources.
Plenty of behind-the-meter storage and
distributed generation solutions are capable
of peak-shaving to avoid demand charges.
DSO takes this to the next level and beyond by leveraging market pricing signals,
weather and forecasting information, histor-

50
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
SMART GRID AWARD

3. Showcase. The Technology Demonstration and Education Center at the heart of the Oncor microgrid is open to the public to showcase its advances in technology and the possibilities
for microgrid deployment. None of the equipment on display is a mock-upthe actual system
can be viewed in real-time operation. Courtesy: Oncor
ical energy usage data, and real-time building information to continually seek out the
lowest-cost power.
DSO is capable of looking at forward
prices 15 minutes, an hour, or a day ahead
and automatically determining when its
best to purchase power, sell it, or store it
(the SOSF, as an Oncor facility, cant actually sell its power, but the system is capable
of that, were it permitted to do so). This
function is a significant benefit in a region
like the Electricity Reliability Council of
Texas (ERCOT), where peak power prices
are allowed to rise as high as $9,000/kWh
during critical grid periods.
A video with more information on the
SOSF microgrid is available on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Hxr7ELpBcMs.
Leading the Way

As noted at the outset of this article, Oncors
ambitions go beyond just reliable power for
the SOSF. It wants to use this system to test
and demonstrate how microgrids can contribute to overall grid stability and, further,
how they need not be a threat to a utilitys
bottom line.
At the center of the SOSF is an exhibit
open for tours by customers and policymakers showing how the microgrid operates.
Known as the Technology Demonstration
and Education Center (TDEC), it consists of
two parts: an immersion room and a demonstration center (Figure 3). In the immersion
room, the microgrid is brought to life on seven screens through a video that highlights the
history of the electric grid and the changes
August 2015 POWER
Oncor has made over time.

The demonstration center, which also
serves as the microgrid control center, displays the new technology that keeps the system operating. It features a fully functioning
SCADA representation of the microgrid to
show how it reacts to a loss-of-power event
or other fault. The demonstration center is
not a mock-upthe actual switching devices, controls, communications, and software
are on display.
Oncor has a rich history of working collaboratively with its vendor partners, and this
is a great opportunity to showcase those relationships in a state-of-the-art microgrid facility, Quinn said.
Microgrids, of course, present unique interconnection issues. Though they can firm
the grid over the long term, in the short term,
they force changes in utility operating procedures, especially during outagesreconnecting an islanded microgrid presents different
safety and operational issues than reenergizing a customer without power.
Improving power reliability and optimizing generation assets requires disruptive technologies that allow customers to
work on and off the grid, Chiesa said.
Oncors microgrid is showing the world
how utilities can help their communities in
the future.
Oncor intends to use the SOSF to learn the
best ways of adapting to these changes, because it anticipates that similar critical pieces
of infrastructure such as hospitals and 911
call centers, and large customers such as universities and manufacturing centers that want
www.powermag.com
to ensure reliable power, will soon be deploying similar systems.
Storage Challenges
Another reason Oncor wants to raise
awareness of the possibilities of these systems is that, under current Texas law, utilities are handicapped by restrictions in the
ERCOT market on who can own generation and sell electricity. Its not that Oncor
and other utilities want to own generation;
its that new technologies like battery storage straddle the line between generation
and load, and they can serve disparate grid
functions in ways that are more efficient
than existing solutions, yet those ways are
not anticipated by current regulations. Addressing that problem will require regulatory reform.
Last fall, Oncor released a study conducted by the Brattle Group finding that
the Texas grid could support up to 5 GW
of distributed storage, assuming battery
prices continue their downward trajectory
(as they have since the study was released).
Using that data, Oncor sought legislative
changes that would be necessary for regulatory approval. Making it work economically would require these changes in the
law so that the revenue stream from the
generation side could be captured somehow. Oncor proposed a method by which
utilities owning batteries could auction off
a portion of the storage capacity to merchant generators, who would then be the
ones to use that capacity to buy and sell
electricity on the wholesale market. Oncor, meanwhile, would use the remaining
capacity for reliability, quality of service,
and deferral of traditional T&D assets.
Unfortunately for fans of energy storage, the proposal drew opposition from
generators and other transmission operators concerned about changes in the market, and the 2015 Texas legislative session
ended in June without any action being
taken on the proposal. That means it will
likely be a few more yearsthe Texas
Legislature meets again in 2017before
any changes will be seen. In the meantime, Oncor intends to continue the policy
discussions in hopes of reaching a consensus. No one expects the generation-transmission divide to be removed, but experts
agree the regulatory environment has to
be more battery-friendly for microgrids to
reach their full potential.
Where the market will go remains to be
seen, but many of those changes are likely to
flow from Oncors leadership with the SOSF
microgrid.
Thomas W. Overton JD is a POWER

associate editor.
51
WIND POWER
The Wind Sectors Elusive Quest

for Quality
Despite wind powers going mainstream, original equipment manufacturers
and end users struggle to pin down quality standards for ever-evolving
wind turbine component technologies.
Sonal Patel
s more utilities embrace wind power,

the U.S. wind turbine market has expanded tremendously over the years.
It has proliferated into numerous facilities
that specialize in the roughly 8,000 component parts that make up utility-scale wind
turbines, including blades, rotors, generators,
and other parts located inside the nacelle.
To drive the domestic wind industrys
growth, turbine makers have sought to scale
up turbines to multi-megawatt power ratings,
while also increasing cost-effectiveness. A
telling statistic from the Department of Energys (DOEs) National Renewable Energy
Laboratory is that since 1999, the average
turbine generating capacity has increased by
170%, to 1.94 MW. This has been achieved
by advancements in composite materials,
automation, and more efficient manufacturing processes.
Perhaps as important to the sectors future
is turbine reliability. Unplanned maintenance
and component failure are concerns to both
wind farm ownersbecause they directly
affect revenue streamsand original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) (Figure 1), who
often have to cover the costs of warrantied
maintenance work.
As the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory notes, a wind turbine is a significant
investment. The lab reported in 2011 that
turbine transaction price quotes can range
from as low as $900/kW to as high as $1,400/
kWmeaning an average 2-MW turbine
could cost between $1.8 million and $2.8
million, plus installation costs. Observed and
projected potential failures of components
of the gearboxes, generators, or blades alone
could contribute about 3% to a wind projects
cost of energy. Thats a significant amount
when you consider that a projects civil work
construction contributes an estimated 13%.
The Quality Question

From some perspectives, turbine qual52
ity concerns can be traced back to a lack

of long-term renewable energy policies
in the U.S. These have created an uncertain environment for turbine fabrication,
prompting fluctuating volumes that lead
to boom-and-bust planning scenarios
and that do not support efficient, qualityingrained manufacturing environments.
Ramps in production sometimes mean hiring employees with limited experience in
manufacturing components.
At the same time, because wind powers
rapid installation increases have spurred an
accelerated evolution, some technologies,
like those affecting blade materials, have
changed quickly over the past few years.
Some equipment currently in operation can
easily be considered in the infancy category, say some stakeholders. The increased
use of carbon in new blade designs, for example, makes certain processes complex,
like inspection.
Other experts point out that the stochastic
nature of wind power production contributes
to challenges in standardizing reliability
enhancements and reducing maintenance
costs. That is, particular turbine models
have different issues based on geography
and operations.
Among several initiatives to address this
challenge is the DOEs Sandia National
Laboratories Blade Reliability Collaborative, and its Continuous Reliability Enhancements for Wind (CREW) database and
analysis program, which serves to characterize wind turbine and wind plant reliability
performance issues by collecting data from
thousands of wind turbines nationwide.
CREW also provides a public benchmark
that allows wind power generation owners
and turbine makers to self-assess their performance against their peers.
Yet, during 2013, when CREW team
members performed an internal reassessment of their effort to identify the
www.powermag.com
benchmarks value, any data gaps, and opportunities to be better aligned with the
wind industry, they found that wind plant
owners and operators have been developing
in-house reliability-data collection tools
with similar goals to the CREW project.
It said in a September 2014 statement announcing this finding that the lab strongly
supported a national reliability benchmark
to assist the CREW team in their objectives
of maximizing power performance yield;
1. Market share for wind turbine

manufacturers of the U.S. wind
power fleet in 2014. The first number
is MW. Others includes AAER, Alstom,
CCWE, DeWind, Elecon, EWT, Fuhrlander,
Goldwind, Guodian, Hyundai, HZ Windpower,
Kenersys, Leitner-Poma, Nordic, Northern
Power Systems, PowerWind, Samsung, Sany,
Sinovel, Unison, VENSYS, and more. Source:
AWEA U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report Year Ending 2014
GE Energy, Enron, Zond, Tacke Vestas, NEG Micon,
Micon, Nordtank, NedWind, Wind World Siemens,
Bonus Gamesa Mitsubishi Suzlon Clipper
Senvion Acciona Nordex Others
763
1,259
1%
908
2%
1,700 1% 1,019
2%
2,684 3%
4%
3,899
6%
3,942
6%
27,952
42%
9,837
15%
11,916
18%
POWER August 2015
WIND POWER
decreasing financial risk and uncertainty;
and understanding reliability trends across
turbine models (and components), geographical locations, and age.
Buying Blindly
What OEMs Are Doing

So what are OEMs doing to improve performance? Although POWER contacted a number of major OEMs with this question, only
one turbine maker responded.
Over the past year we have seen an
increased focus on quality in every area
of the Wind Power Division, said Klaus
Hauschulte, who heads the Quality Management and Environmental Protection, Health
Management and Safety arm for Siemens
Wind Power and Renewable Division. We
collect key performance indicators (KPIs)
monthly in all areas, including suppliers
performance. The improvement we achieved
with this is that we now have transparent reports on different levels. This helps to create
awareness of quality.
Experts recommend that it would be more
prudent for turbine users to do their own research before the purchase of a major component. That may not always be practical, as
wind typically represents a small percentage
of most generating companies portfolios,
and those companies do not have the long
history of experience with the technology
nor the industry contacts that could help in
that effort.
August 2015 POWER
BOLD
Such a benchmark would be useful to end

users of turbine equipment, many of whom
say there is a dearth of failure/reliability data.
While trends show that [independent power
producers] and utilities are developing their
own projections of equipment failures, those
analyses are in the early stages of development, Michelle Arenson, director of wind
energy development at Alliant Energy told
POWER in June.
Meanwhile, OEMs continue to hold failure data as proprietary, which means there
is a lack of transparency between user and
OEM, she noted. Other factors that make
quality issues difficult to understand include the lack of material certification,
material origin, poor serial numbers, and a
lack of lot tracking.
The relatively recent spotlight on quality
management will only become more intense,
Arenson predicted. She noted that the majority of turbines built in the U.S. were installed
in the 2007 to 2009 time period, and that
many of those turbines are coming off the
original warranty periods, so owners may
be more in tune with failures than they were
when the OEM had responsibility for major
component failures.
For an example of what this might entail, one of the most effective ways of preventing a gearbox failure is to ensure that
the design of the gearbox is appropriate
for its usage environment. According to
Bob Errichello, owner of gear consulting
company GEARTECH and the primary
author of the blog gearboxfailure.com,
the procurement specification should include interface requirements, lubrication
requirements, gearbox load information,
minimum gear and bearing design margin,

required calculation methodologies for
gear and bearing life, material cleanliness,
gear accuracy, required system life and reliability, minimum and maximum operating temperature, allowable maintenance
intervals, acoustic noise requirements,
and other such information.
ANSI/AGMA/AWEA 6006-A03 provides guidelines for design and specification of gearboxes for wind turbines that
Bold.
Oncors smart
microgrid.
Your bold vision for empowering
one of North Americas most
advanced smart microgrids is an
award-winning reality. Bravo!
Innovator.
Paradigm-Breaking.
Cutting-Edge.
Cnn"vvkpi"vkvngu."dwv"ygtg"oquv"
proud to call you customer and
partner. And proud you chose
a clean-and-green Capstone
MicroTurbine as the systems only
new combustion technology.
Microgrids will never be the
same. Or the power you supply
future generations.
Thats bold.
Thats smart.
Thats Oncor!
POWERSYSTEMS
Canada: 1.855.GRN.POWR
U.S.: 1.855.CLN.POWR

www.powermag.com
53
WIND POWER
2. Quality mishap. Invenergys 94-MW Orangeville Wind Farm in Wyoming County, N.Y.,
saw a blade break at one of its 58 GE 1.6-100 turbines in November 2013, just months before it
was fully commissioned in 2014. GE later reportedly blamed the blade break at this wind farm
and another in 2013 at DTE Energys Echo Wind Park in Michigan to a spar cap manufacturing
anomaly. Courtesy: WindAction
can also be used as a model for procurement specifications for other applications,
said Errichello. If the application requires
very high reliability, or if the consequence
of failure is high, a user should commission a due diligence review of the design
performed by an independent third-party
expert, he suggested.
Bracing for the Blades

Blade failures often occur without warning
and they are costly and catastrophic. GE, for
example, saw a series of six blade breaks
(Figure 2) between mid-2012 and the end of
2013 on 1.6-MW turbineseither GEs 1.6100 model or 1.6-82.5 modelin Illinois,
Michigan, and New York.
Though the company did not respond to
repeated queries from POWER for this article, it was widely reported at the time that
at the end of 2013, GE notified the owners
of all 1,087 GE 1.6-100s installed around the
world of the blade breaks. It later said it had
identified a suspect population of roughly
1.5% of total blades in its 22,000 wind turbine
fleet. Once it identified the root cause (some
breaks were linked to a spar cap manufacturing anomaly, one to a disrupted cure in carbon

54
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
WIND POWER
spar, and another, to a lightning strike), it said
it worked closely with customers to keep the
turbines running reliably and safely. According to DNV GL, which has compiled blade
DNV GL suggests that manufacturing

defects are currently the leading cause of
blade failure, specifically, when blades are
not made to design specifications. Most
DNV GL suggests that manufacturing defects are currently the leading cause of
blade failure, specifically, when blades are
not made to design specifications.
failure rates from 10 GW of operating wind

projects, between 1% and 3% of turbines in
North America require blade replacements
annually. Most of these replacements occur
within the first 10 years of operation, with the
highest failure rates usually occurring within
the first five years.
utility-scale wind turbine blades are manufactured in several parts, which are then
bonded together in a secondary assembly
process, it notes.
But damage can also occur from lightning strikes, during transportation and
handling, and due to operational factors
such as incorrect pitch setpoints, incorrect

shutdown sequencing, or failure to maintain yaw alignment during high winds.
OEMs can take a number of steps to reduce the risk of blade defects, DNV GL
says, including certifying their quality systems to the ISO 9001 standard, ensuring
proper day-to-day detailed execution of
manufacturing and quality operations, and
automating processes such as fabric placement and adhesive application.
The company acknowledges, however,
that to minimize wind turbine component
defects, much more research and development is needed. Echoing concerns from
end users, it says that an enhanced knowledge base would allow for more precise
development of quality acceptance criteria, and that increased clarity on turbine
modelspecific lightning protection system performance is needed.
Finally, the industry would vastly benefit from sharing information about blade
failure investigations and root cause analyses, it says. (POWER would be happy to
report on such findings.)
Sonal Patel is a POWER associate

editor
S&C congratulates Oncor on being awarded

Power Magazines Smart Grid Project of the Year
Come see the microgrid in person. Schedule your tour by e-mailing:

microgrid@sandc.com
2015 S&C Electric Company
100-A1507
August 2015 POWER
www.powermag.com
55
SAFETY
Making Sense of New Arc Flash

Protection Rules
Standards and regulations may change, but the danger associated with arc
flash hazards remains. Analyzing potential incident energy correctly and
understanding what personal protection equipment is required can help
workers stay safe and avoid painful, or even life-threatening, injuries.
James R. White
he Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National

Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
have both established new requirements for
protecting workers from the hazard of electric arc flash. Many people have difficulty
interpreting these new rules, however. Some
people will read through the Federal Register and/or NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace and come
away with a good understanding of the new
requirements. Others will skim over the material in hopes of picking out the important
parts, while many people will not even try to
read the documents.
People in the first group probably dont
need to go any further; if youre the type of
person to read through the Federal Register
or a standard, youve probably already got
the information you need. This article is for
the other two groups, who probably make up
80% of the workforce that needs the information but either doesnt have time to read
things in detail or doesnt have the patience
to slog through the information.
One thing to remember is that NFPA 70E
and OSHA regulations are minimum acceptable requirements, not best work practices.
Workers are expected to meet or exceed the requirements set forth in NFPA 70E and OSHA
1910.269, 1910.331 through 1910.335, and
1926 Subpart V. Those of us who try to avoid
visits to the emergency room regularly exceed those minimum requirements.
on overhead power lines. Changes made to

1910.269 apply to 1926 Subpart V and vice
versa. Users of the 1910.269 regulation will
find mostly minor changes, except for portions covering information transfer, protecting employees from arc flash hazards, and
fall protection. This article looks at the new
skin if they are exposed to an electrical arc.

This requirement was effective immediately
upon release, although OSHA stated that the
existing requirements in 1910.269 would be
acceptable until April 1, 2015. (By the way,
the old regulation required pretty much the
same thing.)
One thing to remember is that NFPA 70E

and OSHA regulations are minimum acceptable requirements, not best work practices.
requirements for protecting workers from the
arc flash hazard.
One of the new requirements1910.269(l)
(8)(iii)is that employers must ensure workers who are exposed to an arc flash hazard do
not wear clothing that could melt into their
Companies covered by these regulations

were required by January 1, 2015, to assess
the workplace to identify employees exposed
to the hazard of electric arcs and make a reasonable estimate of incident energy to which
their employees may be exposed. If you read
Table 1. Selecting a reasonable incident-energy calculation method.

This table is from 1910.269 Occupational Safety and Health Standards Appendix E. Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
600 V and less
601 V to 15 kV
More than 15 kV
Incident-energy calculation method
3a
3b
3a
3b
3a
3b
NFPA 70E-2012 Annex D (Lee equation)
Y-C
Y-C
Y-C
Doughty, Neal, and Floyd
Y-C
New OSHA Requirements
IEEE Std 1584b-2011
There used to be significant differences between OSHAs 1910.269 and 1926 Subpart
V regulations. However, OSHA determined
that the hazards and risks covered by the two
regulations were very similar, so consistency
was needed between them to reduce confusion and simplify their use.
1910.269 covers electric power generation, transmission, and distribution, while
1926 Subpart V covers construction activities
ARCPRO
56
Key:
1: Single-phase arc in open air.
3a: Three-phase arc in open air.
3b: Three-phase arc in an enclosure (box).
Y: Acceptable; produces a reasonable estimate of incident heat energy from this type of electric arc.
N: Not acceptable; does not produce a reasonable estimate of incident heat energy from this type of electric arc.
Y-C: Acceptable; produces a reasonable, but conservative, estimate of incident heat energy from this type of
electric arc.
Notes apply to several items listed in this table.
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
SAFETY
the preamble and supporting material, OSHA
went to great lengths to explain what reasonable meant. It compared four methods
of estimating incident energy and indicated
where these methods could or could not be
used. Note 1 in 1910.269(l)(8)(ii) directs
the user to Appendix E (Table 1) for more
guidance on assessing arc flash hazards, and
selecting arc-rated clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Note that some methods are considered
reasonable for under 600-V exposures,
some are reasonable for up to 15-kV exposures, but only one methodArc Prowas
found by OSHA to provide reasonable estimates when the voltage is above 15 kV. For
OSHA to specify a commercial product is
very unusual, but the other available methods were never intended for use above 15
kV, except for Ralph Lees equations, but
he had limited resources to develop them,
and OSHA considers his equations to be
too conservative. The Lee method and the
Doughty, Neal, and Floyd methods are not
generally used, as the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard
1584 superseded them.
There is another software-based model
available called Flux.exe, which uses equations developed by Duke Energy. This is an
older program that does not run in newer
versions of Windows, but was designed to
calculate the incident energy (heat flux) generated by a single-phase overhead power line,
much like Arc Pro does. OSHA states that it
is willing to consider other methods companies may want to use for calculating incident
energy, if the estimates are reasonable. According to OSHA, each task does not have to
be analyzed, and companies can make broad
estimates, but I think any company desiring
to use a different methodology should get
OSHA approval first.
es, or any other clothing worn as the outer

layer. Arc-rated clothing is not designed or
rated to resist heat for substantial periods of
time. Although the incident energy from an
arc flash can be very high, the time of exposure is shortusually less than six cycles
(0.10 second). Meltable, or ignitable, clothing or materials worn on top of arc-rated
clothing can cause it to fail.
The worker must wear arc-rated clothing
when the incident energy exposure is estimated to be above 2.0 cal/cm2. The arc-rated
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Arc-Rated Clothing
The first new requirement1910.269(l)(8)
(vi)that went into effect on April 1, 2015,
is that the outermost layer of clothing must
be arc-rated if any of the following four conditions are met:
The employee could contact energized

conductors or circuit parts rated greater
than 600 V.
An electric arc could ignite flammable
material in the work area that could also
ignite the workers clothing.
Molten metal from an electric arc could
ignite the employees clothing.
The incident energy exceeds 2.0 cal/cm2.
The requirement applies to rainwear, parkas, jackets, safety vests, fall-arrest harness-
clothing and PPE selected must have a rating

equal to or greater than the estimated incident energy. This arc-rated clothing and PPE
must cover all parts of the workers body, except for hands and feet, which have their own
requirements (covered later in this article).
A 2-cal/cm2 exposure on bare skin would
cause a more serious injury than one at 1.2
cal/cm2, but the latter is still within the lesser second-degree burn injury category. As
a point of reference, 5.0 cal/cm2 produces
wide-area second-degree burns, while ap-
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www.powermag.com
57
SAFETY
Table 2. Arc-rated head and face protection. This table is from 1910.269 Occupational Safety and Health Standards Appendix E. Source: OSHA
Minimum head and face protection
None *
Arc-rated faceshield with a

minimum rating of 8 cal/cm2*
Arc-rated hood or
faceshield with balaclava
Single-phase, open air
28 cal/cm2
912 cal/cm2
13 cal/cm2 or higher
Three-phase
24 cal/cm2
cal/cm2
9 cal/cm2 or higher
Exposure
58
Notes:
* These ranges assume that employees are wearing hardhats meeting the specifications in 1910.135 or
1926.100(b)(2), as applicable.
The arc rating must be a minimum of 4 cal/cm2 less than the estimated incident energy. Note that 1910.269(l)(8)
(v)(E) permits this type of head and face protection, with a minimum arc rating of 4 cal/cm2 less than the estimated
incident energy, at any incident energy level.
Note that 1910.269(l)(8)(v) permits this type of head and face protection at any incident energy level.
proximately 8 cal/cm2 results in a third-degree burn (all at six cycles or 0.10 second).
OSHA notes in Appendix E that it expects
cotton clothing to reduce the heat received to
the body to 1.2 cal/cm2 or less when incident
energy is 2 cal/cm2.
Conversely, the 70E committee rejected
using cotton clothing as a form of arc-protective clothing, as cotton will ignite and burn
vigorously at some value of incident energy.
Given the fact that arcs in field conditions are
somewhat unpredictable, we felt it was the
proper thing to do. (I served on this panel.)

Even though the 2.0 cal/cm2 threshold seems
reasonable at first glance, the end result of an
arc flash event may not necessarily be the 2.0
cal/cm2 that was estimated.
All calculations of this type, regardless of methodology or software package,
are estimates based on fixed values. Most
people associated with the electric power
industry know that the power system is
not static, and there are a host of variables
that cannot always be accounted for. At
least in industrial facilities being fed by

a power transformer, its impedance will
help dampen surges and transients somewhat, along with the capacitor banks that
are often installed.
I advise workers covered by 1910.269
and 1926 Subpart V to consider the consequences of receiving a second-degree burn
versus the onset of a second-degree burn. It
may seem like a small difference, but with
the onset of a second-degree burn, the skin
is not uniformly blistered, and chances of
infection are relatively small. As incident
energy increases above the onset of seconddegree burn threshold, the blistered area
will be larger. Blistering from burns greatly
increase the risk of infection, and with antibiotic-resistant germs cropping up in some
medical facilities, survival chances are not
nearly as good.
Protecting Extremities
A workers hands must be protected from an
electrical arc, and OSHA notes that wearing
rubber insulating gloves and leather protectors is adequate protection. If the worker is
wearing heavy-duty leather gloves, they are
considered adequate up to about 14-cal/cm2
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POWER August 2015
SAFETY
Table 3. Arc flash hazard identification. This partial table is from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E Table 130.7(C)(15)(A)(a). It provides a guideline for determining
when personal protective equipment (PPE) is warranted. Source: NFPA 70E
Task
Equipment condition
Arc flash PPE

required
Reading a panel meter while operating a meter switch
Any
No
Normal operation of a circuit breaker (CB),

switch, contactor, or starter
All of the following:
No
The equipment is properly installed

The equipment is properly maintained
All equipment doors are closed and secured
NFPA 70E Table Method
All equipment covers are in place and secured
In the 2015 edition of NFPA 70E, the table

method received its first real makeover since
the 2000 edition. Each prior cycle, proposals were submitted stating that the table
method did not adequately protect workers
who used it. Even though the 70E committee did not receive a validated example of a
serious injury if a worker followed all of the
table method requirements, there was cause
for concern.
The old table method would reduce the
hazard/risk category (HRC) number by 1,
2, or 3 numbers based solely on the perceived risk of a task. The potential was
there for someone wearing a reduced HRC
PPE to be involved in an arc flash and receive serious burns. Another problem was
that many people just did not understand it.
They found the table method cumbersome
and complex.
To the 70E committee, the problem was
much like taking an ugly date to the prom;
once youre there, youre pretty much stuck
with your choice. The 70E committee fielded
numerous proposals to make changes over
several cycles, but there were no good alternativesthat is, until the 2015 cycle.
As we were once again discussing the
There is no evidence of impending failure

One or more of the following:
Yes
The equipment is not properly installed

The equipment is not properly maintained
Equipment doors are open or not secured
Equipment covers are off or not secured
There is evidence of impending failure
incident-energy exposure.
W.H. Salisbury & Co., now Salisbury by
Honeywell, conducted an arc study on rubber insulating gloves and leather protectors.
It found that the combination provided a very
good level of protection from the heat of an
electric arc. At a recent American Society for
Testing and Materials (ASTM) F18 committee meeting, several utilities stated that they
had never had a workers hands injured from
an electric arc when wearing rubber insulating gloves and leather protectors. If the worker is wearing heavy-duty leather work shoes,
no additional arc flash protection is needed
for the feet.
The section of the regulation addressing head and face protection almost reads
like something out of The Twilight Zone
seriesit just needs Rod Serling to narrate.
1910.269(l)(8)(C) states that arc-rated protection is not needed for the head for singlephase open-air arcs up to 9 cal/cm2 (5 cal/
cm2 for multi-phase) if the worker is wearing
head protection meeting 1910.135 requirements, which includes the use of a voltagerated hard hat if the worker could contact
energized conductors or circuit parts.
A minimum 8-cal/cm2 arc-rated face
shield is required to protect the face with a
hard hat up to an incident-energy exposure
of 13-cal/cm2 single-phase open-air, or 9-cal/
cm2 for multi-phase, exposures. OSHA goes
on to state that for single-phase exposures in
open air, the arc rating of the clothing and
PPE can be 4 cal/cm2 less than what is estimated. Table 2 is from 1910.269 Appendix E
and provides a summary of the requirements
for arc-rated face protection. OSHA regulations (and NFPA 70E) are minimum require-
August 2015 POWER
dont care if it is industrial electricity or

utility electricity. If anything occurs that
increases fault-clearing time even a smidge,
a worker could receive disabling, and possibly life-threatening, injuries. Maybe the
utility industry got its way on this, but it did
its employees who are at risk a disservice, in
my opinion. I advise anyone who is exposed
to the risk of an electric arc flash to wear
protective equipment rated for the estimated
incident energy calculated.
ments and, as stated earlier, workers should

strive to exceed them.
Im not the sharpest pencil in the box, but
these numbers just dont seem to be reasonable. It is widely known that 8 cal/cm2 received on bare skin for 0.1 second results in
a third-degree burn. I cant understand why
OSHA, or the utility industry, would believe
it is acceptable for workers to be at risk of
a third-degree burn. I realize utilities use a
lot of current-limiting fuses, reducing faultclearing time. I also realize that incident
energy dissipates more rapidly in open air
than in an enclosure. However, incident energy is calculated to the face and chest area,
and 9 cal/cm2 incident-energy exposure is
still 9 cal/cm2 incident-energy exposureI
POWER POINTS
News Flash on Arc Flash

The latest updates to the NFPA 70E standard and OSHAs 1910.269/1926
Subpart V regulations have changed how arc flash protective clothing and
personal protective equipment (PPE) is chosen.
The 70E committee believes changes to the table method in its standard
offer a simpler, more effective option for choosing arc-rated PPE.
A qualified person must determine if equipment is properly installed and
maintained, or if there is evidence of impending failure.
Qualified persons must make some judgment calls when assessing risks,
even if an incident-energy analysis has been performed and arc flash hazardwarning labels are affixed to the equipment.
The bottom line is that, whether using the OSHA regulations or NFPA 70E,
workers must be cautious and conservative in their approach to protecting
themselves from arc flash hazards and incident energy.
www.powermag.com
59
SAFETY
Table 4. Example assessments for various tasks. Note the similarities between
this partial table from 1910.269 Appendix E Table 1 and the partial table from NFPA 70E Table
130.7(C)(15)(A)(a), shown in Table 3. Source: OSHA
Is employee
exposed to flame or
electric arc hazard?
Task
Normal operation of enclosed equipment, such
as closing or opening a
switch
The employer properly installs and maintains enclosed

equipment, and there is no evidence of impending failure.
No
There is evidence of arcing or overheating
Yes
Parts of the equipment are loose or sticking, or the equipment otherwise exhibits signs of lack of maintenance.
Yes
Yes
Servicing electric equipment, such as racking

in a circuit breaker or
replacing a switch
Table 5. Arc flash hazard PPE categories for alternating current systems. This partial table is from NFPA 70E Table 130.7(C)(15)(A)(b). It provides a guideline for
determining what PPE is warranted and what boundary distance is needed. Source: NFPA 70E
Equipment
Panelboards or other equipment rated 240 V and below
Arc flash PPE

category
Arc flash
boundary
485 mm (19 in.)
900 mm (3 ft)
Parameters: Maximum of 25 kA short-circuit current available; maximum of

0.03 sec (2 cycles) fault clearing time; working distance 455 mm (18 in.)
Panelboards or other equipment rated >240 V and up to 600 V
Parameters: Maximum of 25 kA short-circuit available; maximum of 0.03
sec (2 cycles) fault clearing time; working distance 455 mm (18 in.)
pros and cons of the table method, David

Wallis, former director of OSHAs Office of
Engineering Safety and primary author of
many OSHA electrical standards, including
1910.269 and 1926 Subpart V, said, Why
dont you do it the way OSHA looks at
whether an arc flash hazard exists? David
laid out a methodology that first determined
if an arc flash hazard existed and then what
to wear for PPE.
I have to admit, I was not a fan at first,
but it did seem to work, and it corrected the
shortcomings of the table method that everyone loved to hate. The 70E committee was
unwilling to state that no arc flash hazard
existed, but members eventually agreed on
the wording No Arc Flash PPE Required.
Personally, I would have preferred that it
read No Arc Flash PPE Mandated, because
it may be required, but the standard just cant
make that judgment call.
Is PPE Required?
Table 3 shows a portion of Table 130.7(C)
(15)(A)(a) from NFPA 70E. Referring to
the table is the first step when using the
new table method. If all the conditions in
the table are met, no arc-rated clothing or
PPE is required in many cases. However, if
any of the conditions are not met, arc-rated
clothing and PPE are required. Some tasks,
such as voltage testing or racking of circuit
60
breakers, always require arc-rated clothing

and PPE, but the new table method gives the
worker some flexibility.
I chose the example task in Table 3 because it was one that created a lot of discussion among committee members. A small
group did not like the new table method.
One person stated, It was like going back
to the 1950s. The crux of the disagreement
was whether NFPA 70E provided minimum
work practice requirements or best work
practice requirements. The majority of committee members believe the standard presents the minimum acceptable requirements
and encourages workers to exceed those
minimum requirements.
As such, NFPA 70E should provide guidance but should not be used as a crystal
ball for every possible circumstance or
situation. To this end, we added a note at the
bottom of Table 130.7(C)(15)(A)(a), which
states, The assessment of the likelihood of
occurrence contained in this table does not
cover every possible condition or situation.
We cant see what workers see, so workers
must make a judgment call as to the applicability of the table to their current situation
and circumstances.
An example is the task of normal operation of a circuit breaker. At less than 600
V, if all of the conditions are met in Table
130.7(C)(15)(A)(a) and its continuous curwww.powermag.com
rent rating is less than 600 A, Id agree that

no arc-rated clothing or PPE is mandated.
However, for circuit breakers that have a
larger continuous current rating, mediumvoltage circuit breakers or switches, or if I
get a gut feeling that something is not right,
even though I cant put my finger on it, I
would wear at least PPE category 2 arc-rated clothing and gear.
The note also states, Where this table indicates that arc flash PPE is not required, an
arc flash is not likely to occur. The phrase
not likely doesnt mean not ever, not
possible, or wont. It does mean that,
if all conditions noted in the table are met,
the chances of an arc flash are pretty small.
Pretty small does not equal zero. Workers
must use their best judgment when using the
table method and be certain to understand the
condition of maintenance of the equipment
they are about to work on. The OSHA regulations include a similar table (Table 4) for
use in evaluating tasks.
The second step in the table method is to
refer to Table 130.7(C)(15)(A)(b) (Table 5)
and choose the type of equipment about to be
worked on. Each category of equipment has
limits for the available short circuit current
and the fault-clearing time. As an example,
the equipment category Panelboards or
other equipment rated >240 V and up to 600
V has limits of 25 kA available short circuit current and 0.03 second (2 cycles) faultclearing time. If either of these two limits is
exceeded, an incident-energy analysis must
be performed.
This table also provides the estimated
working distance and arc flash boundary.
Table 6. PPE category 2 requirements. All parts of the equipment listed

must be worn in accordance with the manufacturers instructions in order to provide the
protection specified. Source: NFPA 70E
2
Arc-rated clothing, minimum arc rating of 8

cal/cm2 (see Note 1)
Arc-rated long-sleeve shirt and pants or arcrated coverall
Arc-rated flash suit hood or arc-rated face shield
(see Note 2) and arc-rated balaclava
Arc-rated jacket, parka, rainwear, or hard hat
liner (AN)
Protective equipment
Hard hat
Safety glasses or safety goggles (SR)
Hearing protection (ear canal inserts)
Heavy duty leather gloves (see Note 3)
Leather footwear
Note: Refer to the actual NFPA 70E standard for
notes.
POWER August 2015
SAFETY
1. Test or calibration decals. Following a classification system
outlined in NFPA 70B section 11.27, colored decals make maintenance
condition more readily apparent. Courtesy: Shermco Industries Inc.
The working distance should always be considered when exposed

to arc flash hazards. If the workers body position is closer than the
given working distance, incident energy will be greater than what is
estimated for the table method, and the chances of a burn increase.
Incident energy increases rapidly as the distance decreases.
For example, using the IEEE-1584 spreadsheet to evaluate a 600
V-class molded-case circuit breaker operating at 480 V and 2 cycles
(0.03 second) clearing time with a working distance of 24 inches and
short circuit available current of 25 kA, the potential incident energy
received by a worker on his chest and facial area would be 4.14 cal/
cm2. If the distance is reduced to 18 inches (keeping all other conditions the same), the incident energy increases to 7.13 cal/cm2. Thats
a big increase over a short distance! This is a fairly low-energy example, but the concept applies for all variations in distance.
If using the 70E Table Method and the working distance is not
18 inches, an incident-energy analysis is required. In the example
shown in Table 5, PPE category 2 arc-rated clothing and gear is
indicated, with an arc flash boundary of 3 feet. The arc flash boundaries were rounded up to the nearest foot, with the exception of PPE
category 1, which was left in inches. This was to simplify the table
as much as possible.
maintenance date, the company that performed the tests, and one
of three colors: white, yellow, or red. A white decal is attached to
the device or equipment if it has passed all inspections and tests. A
yellow decal indicates the device or equipment had a minor defect
that does not affect its operation or safety. A red decal indicates
the device or equipment has a more serious problem that should
be corrected before reinstallation or as soon as possible. For more
information on the test or calibration decal system, please refer to
NFPA 70B 11.27.
The decals only represent the condition of maintenance on the date
the maintenance or testing was performed. As time passes, the condition of maintenance could, and probably will, change. NFPA 70B and
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/NETA maintenance
testing specifications both generally recommend a three-year maintenance cycle, which could be extended or reduced, depending on
several factors. Consult a NETA-member company in your area for
specific recommendations for your power system.
Finally, evidence of impending failure requires a qualified person to have an understanding of the possible defects of electrical
equipment and devices and their symptoms. Insulation that is failing
may produce ozone, which has a peculiar and unique odor. If someone has not smelled ozone previously, they may not recognize it as
a possible indication of impending failure. Bringing in an expert to
evaluate equipment is one way to reduce the likelihood of problems
going unnoticed until a failure results.
James R. White (jwhite@shermco.com) is training director for

Shermco Industries Inc. and represented NETA as the principal
member of NFPA Code Making Panel 13 of the
National Electrical Code.
Are You Really Protected?

The last step in the table method is to refer to Table 130.7(C)(16). In
the example in Table 5, PPE category 2 arc-rated clothing and gear are
required. Table 130.7(C)(16) provides the arc-rated and non-arc-rated
PPE required for each PPE category. Table 6 shows PPE category
2 requirements from Table 130.7(C)(16). All parts of the equipment
listed must be worn as required by the manufacturer in order to provide the level of protection specified. Refer to NFPA 70E 130.7(C)
for protective equipment clothing and PPE requirements.
The new table method requires a qualified person to be able to
make a determination of whether the equipment has been properly
installed, properly maintained, and if there is evidence of impending
failure.
Determining if equipment is properly installed is relatively easy.
If the electrical equipment was installed in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, codes and standards, and inspected and approved by the authority having jurisdiction, normally the installation
is considered to be properly installed. However, there may be defects
that were not detected at the time of installation that could cause failure at a later date.
Whether equipment is properly maintained is more difficult to
determine. Workers at a single job site should have a good understanding of the condition of maintenance, but technicians coming in
as contractors may not. NFPA 70E references NFPA 70B Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance in several
informational notes. NFPA 70B section 11.27 Test or Calibration
Decal System provides a method for determining the condition of
maintenance and is a system many InterNational Electrical Testing
Association (NETA)-member companies use to assist their customers
in tracking and maintaining their electrical equipment.
NFPA 70B 11.27 uses a three-decal classification system to denote condition of maintenance (Figure 1). Each decal has a test or
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65
ADVERTISERS INDEX
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Reader
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Reader
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 . . . . . . . .20
www.nfpa.org
Check-All Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 . . . . . . . .27
Orion Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . 2
www.checkall.com
www.orioninstruments.com
CIRCOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 . . . . . . . . 9
Roberts Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . . . 8
www.circorenergy.com
www.robertscompany.com
Dow Water & Process Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 . . . . . . . .17
S&C Electric Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 . . . . . . . .25
www.dowwaterandprocess.com
www.sandc.com
Eaton Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 . . . . . . . .19
Sichuan Zhong Chen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . .13
www.eaton.com
www.zccasting.com
Fairbanks Morse Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . . .22
Siemens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover 2 . . . . . 1
www.fairbanksmorse.com
www.siemens.com/energy
Fluor Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . . . 7
Siemens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 . . . . . . . .16
www.fluor.com
www.siemens.com/sppa-t3000
Horizon Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 . . . . . . . .23
TEAM Industrial Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . 5
www.horizonpowersystems.com
www.teaminc.com
Kalenborn Abresist Corporation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 . . . . . . . .15
U.S. Water Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 . . . . . . . .21
www.abresist.com
www.uswaterservices.com
Kiewit Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . 4
Victory Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 . . . . . . . .11
www.kiewit.com
www.victoryenergy.com
POWER
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POWER August 2015
2nd Annual
Addressing Western Electric Power Market Challenges

November 24, 2015 | Las Vegas, NV | The Bellagio Hotel
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COMMENTARY
Community Engagement (On

and Offline) Can Make or
Break Your Project
Mary Usovicz
ocial media is changing the role of public participation (PP)
in the planning, permitting, and licensing process (PPL) for
every energy project in the U.S. From the Keystone XL pipeline
project to Cape Wind, social media is organizing opposition faster
and elevating the community engagement part of the process to a
new, unprecedented level. Energy companies need to embrace the
newfound significance of PP in the PPL process and actively work
to coordinate the two parts in a seamless strategy or run the risk of
having projects falter before a shovel hits the ground.
To effectively join PP and PPL in the digital age, companies
must create a robust plan that incorporates the project approval
strategy with a social media presence and proactive community
engagement. Doing so before announcing a project or applying
for a permit can help gauge the temperature of a community
both online and off, identify key players, and anticipate where
opposition will originate. The process will help you control the
conversation, diminish opposition, and save time and money in
the approval process.
Here are some simple, but critical, steps energy companies
should take to develop an integrated PP and PPL plan.
Public Engagement Plan. Offer an open house to meet with

residents about the project. Meet with all elected officials and
community leaders, and have one, consistent message. Listen to
their needs and respond to them in your project communications.
Community Benefits Package. Most communities are struggling
with budgetary restrictions these days. Find things the community
needs (a park, playground, or bike trail) or that it wants to clean up
(brownfield site) and incorporate that into a benefits package offered
as part of the permitting process. It will show you are dedicated to
the community and will provide incentive for approval.
Execute a Combined PP and PPL Campaign
In the age of social media, the regulatory and approval process
for energy projects needs to be run much like a political campaign. Taking a this is the way it is going to be attitude will
lead to bad publicity, delays, cost overruns, and possibly loss of
the project entirely. Proper execution of your public engagement
strategy is critical. A well-run campaign will:
Understand the Host Community and Coordinate Your Team

Research and identify the stakeholders and critical issues important
to the host community. This must be coordinated with the projects
PPL process so that the messaging and strategy are seamless. Embed yourself in the community and learn about it. Conduct a media
audit of all relevant sources, both traditional and social. Learn how
to talk to residents on their terms, and ask questions such as:
Who are the city/town/county/state government officials who

will be interested in this project?
Who are the local leaders that act as the communitys moral
compass?
What are the social or economic issues facing the community?
What are the needs of the community? (New school, bike trail,
new park?)
Has a project like yours been undertaken before in the community, and to what result?
What are the traditional/social media outlets that inform the
community, and what are they saying about energy projects in
the community/state/nation?
Create a Plan
Building on your community research, formulate a messaging
platform that is reflected across all project communications, and
include the following.
Website/Social Media Presence. Your company should create a website and Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts that
are dedicated specifically to the project. Update them regularly
to share information about the project. Monitor social media
continuously for chatter about your project to anticipate opposition, questions, and concerns. Answer any and all questions. Be
responsive, provide information, and remain calm.
68
Actively listen to the community and its concerns.

Be open and transparent with information about the project
especially on social media.
Incorporate the ideas of the community into the plan, if
warranted.
Educate and train project experts so they can deliver positive
messages in response to community concerns and opposition.
Identify a team of spokespeople who engage with community
groups, social institutions, local environmental groups, and
the local cable access channels.
Establish and maintain a social media listening project to
monitor the various platforms to ensure messaging is consistent, questions are answered, and tabs are kept on the oppositions messaging.
Amplify positive media coverage and use targeted advertising
online to promote the project.
Utilize key stakeholders and cultivate them as third-party
validators for your project. Having recognized leaders as supporters is vitally important. Promote their support to your
targeted audiences.
As the world changes, the business of energy needs to change.

Managing the conversation is key in any project approval process
today. PP and PPL must be accounted for as part of one comprehensive approach. While no plan is foolproof, success is greatly
improved by dedicating the right resources to anticipating and
finding alternatives to public stakeholder concerns. Education
and transparency are of the utmost importance when dealing
with sensitivities likely to be amplified by social media.
Mary Usovicz is a vice president at TRC, a national engineering services, consulting, and construction management firm. She
has over 30 years of experience dealing with public participation
at organizations including the Massachusetts Water Resources
Authority, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, and Repsol.
www.powermag.com
POWER August 2015
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Canada

is proud to be a part of this award-winning technology.
Mitsubishi Hitachi provided the first commercial-scale 160 MW steam turbine

custom designed to support steam extraction and power CCS processes,
integrating a coal-fired power plant with carbon capture technology.
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Canada, Ltd. Calgary

460-10655 Southport Road S. W.
Calgary, AB, Canada, T2W 4Y1
1-403-278-1881
www.psca.mhps.com

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