Call a Metallurgist! It’s a fact of life… things break. When those things are constructed out of metal, the first reaction of most is usually to “Call a metallurgist!” Although this is often a good starting point, in many cases also including a mechanical or structural engineer in a failure investigation is prudent. If a …
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What in the World is a Primary Stress? Most engineers are familiar with the terms “Normal Stress”, “Shear Stress” and potentially “Equivalent Stress”, however perhaps not so much with the terms “Primary Stress” and “Secondary Stress”. What do these terms mean and why are they important? “Primary Stress” is a descriptor probably first …
Failure Analysis – the Basics Failures happen, often despite the best efforts of designers, engineers, and fabricators. The first consideration after a component failure should be the potential for other similar components in service to exhibit the same type of failure. There are many potential causes of failure and where to begin a related investigation …
The power generation industry is among those whose aging infrastructure contributes to increased safety concerns, and can lead to costly unscheduled maintenance and shutdowns. Facilities must be vigilant about monitoring corrosion in their in-service pipes and vessels to help ensure their integrity. Read the Power Magazine Article.
The reliability and integrity of equipment, structures and piping can suffer because of vibration and dynamic responses. These depend mainly on excitation forces, stiffness, mass distribution and damping. Modal analysis, which focuses on natural frequencies and associated modal shapes, provides an important tool in understanding potential issues. Indeed, usually the first step in checking for …
Steam turbines are used across the world as a source of power for many different industries. Even with the best maintenance procedures and preventative maintenance techniques, problems can still arise. Resolving one of the more serious issues, that of stress corrosion cracking, can often be achieved in a straightforward manner by accurately identifying the causes. …
A first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor that will use a 3D-printed core, advanced materials, and integrated sensors and controls is on track for completion by 2023. Read the Power Magazine Article. .
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The past 10 years have been filled with trials and tribulations for both the nuclear and coal power industries. From accidents to plant closures there has been little to cheer about. Still, nuclear and coal power continue to provide reliable baseload generation to billions of customers around the globe. Here’s a look back at the …
A Decade of Turmoil: How Nuclear and Coal Have Struggled to Survive Read More »
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The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has awarded about $900 million in the latest round of its much-sought BUILD grants, dividing the funds among 55 projects in 35 states. Read the Platts Article.
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Solar photovoltaic (PV) could surge ahead of coal and gas and become the largest source of installed power capacity in the world by 2035 if countries pursue stated policies and targets, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its newly released World Energy Outlook 2019 (WEO2019). See the <a href=”https://www.powermag.com/iea-world-energy-outlook-solar-capacity-surges-past-coal-and-gas-by-2040/” target=”_blank”>Power Magazine Article. </a>
The National Safety Council eliminates preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. <a href=”https://nece.nsc.org/nece2020/public/enter.aspx” target=”_blank”>National Safety Council Northeast Conference & Expo</a>
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and NuScale Power, two leading companies in the race to build small modular reactors (SMRs) for power generation, have recently announced deals that could result to new plants being constructed in Europe. See the Power Magazine article.
Every year, Fast Company’s Innovation By Design Awards honor the best design in business, from products to buildings to UX. This year, we received more than 4,300 entries—a record—and the 22 winners and 483 honorees, selected by a roster of experts from across the design world, represent the best work from an immensely competitive group. …
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and members of Congress are looking at legislation concerning research and regulation of energy storage. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who chairs the Energy and Natural Resources committee, on July 9 said there is bipartisan interest in combining a handful of bills on energy storage, dealing with research and development …
DOE, Lawmakers Looking at Energy Storage R&D, Funding Read More »
With 3D printing growing increasingly mainstream, manufacturing execution systems are a tool against equipment downtime and production floor chaos. Read the Digital Engineering Article.
When studying the early universe, astronomers have different methods at their disposal: One is to look to very large distances and therefore back in time, to see the first stars and galaxies as they were many billions of years ago. Read the Space Daily Article.
A handful of nuclear power projects around the world completed notable achievements recently: Rostov 4 entered commercial operation, Tianwan 4 achieved first criticality, the Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant completed fuel loading, Leningrad II-1 received its commissioning permit, and the dome was installed on Karachi 3. Read the Power Magazine Article.
The promise of public-private partnerships (P3s) seems irresistible. The $4.5-trillion that the American Society of Civil Engineers says the U.S. must spend on at-risk infrastructure by 2025 is a backlog beyond the collective means of local, state and federal governments to fund and deliver. Read the ENR Commentary.
Tesla is Building a Powerful Battery System with a Capacity of Up to 1.1 GWh The Musk led company will provide power-packed battery system for proposed energy storage project in California. Elon Musk is not short of ambition, and for the past couple of months, he and his company Tesla have been working on a …
Commitment, Teamwork, and Perseverance Pay Off as Nuclear Unit Wins Plant of the Year The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 was the first new nuclear unit added to the U.S. fleet in more than 20 years. There were challenges along the way, but the colossal effort displayed by the dedicated construction, …
