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Nevada Senate Passes Plan to Retire Coal-fired Plants
May 24, 2013 9:34 am | by SANDRA CHEREB, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Nevada Senate endorsed NV Energy Inc.'s plan Wednesday to retire coal-fired power plants and pave the way for the state's biggest electrical utility to transition to more renewable sources. After several revisions, SB123 was approved unanimously and now moves to the Assembly.
VW Manufactures Its 250,000 Midsize Sedan
May 24, 2013 9:27 am | News | CommentsVolkswagen has reached another production milestone at its assembly plant in Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the 250,000 Passat midsize sedan has rolled off the assembly line.
NM Plant Resumes Making Peanut Butter
May 24, 2013 9:24 am | by JERI CLAUSING, Associated Press | News | CommentsSunland Inc., the eastern New Mexico peanut butter plant shuttered eight months ago after a salmonella outbreak, is back in production. Company officials say their coveted natural and organic butters could be back on store shelves within a month.
Residents Boil Drinking Water After Malfunction with Filtration Plant
May 24, 2013 9:19 am | News | CommentsMore than one million Montreal residents are being told to boil their drinking water after a malfunction at Canada's second-biggest filtration plant. The malfunction resulted in brownish water gushing from fire hydrants and an unpleasant aroma wafting over parts of the city on Wednesday.
Japan Nuke Plant Struggles to Keep Staff
May 24, 2013 9:16 am | by YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsKeeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it.
Redundancy, ROI & Risk in Industrial Control Systems
May 23, 2013 5:10 pm | by Greg Lynch | Articles | CommentsEngineers are used to making financial decisions based on factual inputs and realistic assumptions. Determining whether to invest in a project using the return on investment (ROI) accounting method has long been a safe & consistent decision making tool.
Nuclear Watchdog: Japan Plant Sits on Active Fault
May 23, 2013 10:17 am | by MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday endorsed a panel's conclusion that a seismic fault running underneath one of two reactors at an atomic plant in western Japan is active, making the reactor's restart virtually impossible.
CSB: ATF Blocking Fertilizer Plant Blast Site Access
May 23, 2013 10:12 am | News | CommentsFederal agents and the state fire marshal have effectively barred a federal safety panel from the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others, hampering its investigation, the panel's chairman said.
23 Dead in China Factory Blast
May 23, 2013 10:10 am | News | CommentsThe death toll from a massive blast at an explosives plant in eastern China has risen to 23 with 10 people still missing. The official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday that 19 others were injured by the explosion, which ripped through the plant in Shandong province on Monday.
Largest Wastewater Treatment Plant to Open in Abu Dhabi
May 22, 2013 5:28 pm | by GE Energy Management | Articles | CommentsWATER/WASTEWATER: GE’s Power Conversion business has announced that it has won a contract of more than $10 million to supply eight pump drive trains, as well as process automation for the largest wastewater treatment plant in the world, located in Abu Dhabi.
The ‘mini’ Future Of Education
May 22, 2013 5:19 pm | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Articles | CommentsNational Instruments has collaborated with a number of electronics design companies, such as Elenco and Pitsco Eudcation, to build single-board experiments in operating an electrical grid, analyzing the earthquake resistance of a structure, or the power output of an RC car via dynamometer — to name a few.
Practical Advice for Virtualizing Your Manufacturing Applications
May 21, 2013 10:48 am | by Frank Hill, Director of Manufacturing Business Development, Stratus Technologies | Articles | CommentsVirtualization, the practice of using a software layer to let one physical computing server run multiple applications on virtual machines, enables manufacturers to maximize their return on hardware investments while conserving precious real estate on the plant floor.
Firm to Appeal Nuclear Plant Whistleblower Case
May 21, 2013 8:07 am | by ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press | News | CommentsAn engineering firm accused of firing a whistleblower for reporting unsafe conditions at an eastern Kansas nuclear power plant plans to appeal the ruling by federal regulators, the firm said Monday.
FirstEnergy Defends $1B Power Plant Deal
May 21, 2013 8:03 am | by VICKI SMITH, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe $1.1 billion cost of selling a coal-fired power plant from one FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary to another is "a reasonable price for protection" against the more expensive option of buying electricity on the spot market to meet demand in West Virginia, a utility executive said Monday.
Coal Operator Plans 7 Mines in Eastern Kentucky
May 21, 2013 8:01 am | by BRUCE SCHREINER, Associated Press | News | CommentsA longtime coal operator plans to open seven mines in the heart of the eastern Kentucky coalfields in a venture expected to create more than 250 jobs in a hard-pressed region where several thousand mining jobs have disappeared in recent years.
Swedish Wastewater Company Reduces Energy Consumption
May 20, 2013 10:03 am | Articles | CommentsWATER/WASTEWATER: Xylem Inc., a leading global water technology company focused on addressing the world’s most challenging water issues, has reduced the energy consumption of a wastewater pumping station in Sweden by 50 percent using its award-winning Flygt Experior solution.
Mine Agency Cites Alpha for 2012 Fatality
May 20, 2013 8:38 am | News | CommentsAlpha Natural Resources faces a proposed $6,000 civil fine for a fatal accident at one of its West Virginia mines. The Charleston Gazette reports that the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training cited Alpha for modifying a scoop. A state rule prohibits equipment modifications that limit visibility.
Xcel Energy Proposes Power Plants in Southeast ND
May 17, 2013 10:27 am | News | CommentsXcel Energy is proposing two natural gas-fired power plants in southeastern North Dakota to help meet electricity needs during times of peak demand in the upper Midwest in coming years. The plants would be built near Hankinson, about 70 miles south of Fargo, if they are approved by regulators.
Foes Line Up Against Sale of W.Va. Power Plant
May 17, 2013 10:25 am | News | CommentsOpposition is mounting to Mon Power's proposed purchase of a coal-fired power plant in north-central West Virginia -- a deal critics say is overvalued and would unfairly raise rates. The Public Service Commission has scheduled hearings in Charleston for May 29-31.
Authorities: Crime Not Ruled Out in Texas Blast
May 17, 2013 10:19 am | by NOMAAN MERCHANT, Associated Press | News | CommentsInvestigators reviewing the explosion that ripped through a fertilizer plant in West, Texas last month have narrowed the number of possible causes to three: a problem with one of the plant's electrical systems, a battery-powered golf cart, and a criminal act.
Regs Report: Complying with Lighting Standards
May 17, 2013 9:24 am | by Kimberley Schmitt, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsChem.Info's recurring Regs Report feature presents new and emerging regulations and enables readers to better achieve compliance. In this installment, we explore new lighting regulations released as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
2013 CHEM SHOW
May 17, 2013 9:24 am | EventsThe CHEM SHOW is where professionals involved in the processing of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, foods, and other process industries come to find solutions to their process applications. Thousands of CPI professionals that are involved in mixing, blending, heating, cooling, filtering or drying materials come to the CHEM SHOW to see all the latest technologies and innovations being showcased by more than 300 exhibiting companies.
Performance Plans Create Results, Maximize Performance
May 17, 2013 9:11 am | by Timothy F. Bednarz, Ph.D., Author & Publisher, Majorium Business Press | Articles | CommentsA performance plan differs from a conventional plan in that it is a proactive document. It is designed for continuous use throughout the year as a guide and reference tool to direct the leader and his or her unit's activities. The primary purpose of a performance plan is to create results and maximize performance.
Fertilizer Plant Operator Defends Safety
May 16, 2013 9:28 am | News | CommentsThe developer of a proposed southern Indiana fertilizer plant said Wednesday the project will be safe and not handle explosive materials like a Texas plant where a deadly explosion occurred last month. All of the products made at the Ohio Valley Resources LLC proposed for the Ohio River city of Rockport will be liquid, non-flammable and non-explosive.
CAGI Data Sheets: A Performance Comparison
May 16, 2013 9:22 am | by Werner Rauer, Compressors Product Manager, Kaeser Compressors, Inc. | Articles | CommentsComparing compressor performances across different manufacturers has long been a difficult task. For a many years, it was all too easy to present data that, although accurate, was potentially misleading. Manufacturers were selective about what information they published as well as what conditions they chose to specify performance.
