Preceedings available

The preceedings of the 2nd EPRI/PPChem Conference "Interaction of Organics and Organic Plant Cycle Chemicals with Water, Steam and Materials," November 4–6, 2008, Lucerne, Switzerland, are available from Ladi Bursik

June 2009 - Editorial

Dear readers:

The first PowerPlant Chemistry issue was that of July 1999. What does that mean? That means that with this, the June 2009 issue, this journal has been serving the power plant chemistry community for a full ten years. I am sure that in July 1999, nobody other than the editor would have put his/her money on the survival of the journal. In general, ten years is a relatively short period for a technical and scientific journal. Many internationally accepted and acknowledged journals have already been published for more than fifty or even a hundred years. Ten years, however, is a very long time for a new, non-marketing journal focused on a relatively narrow technical area such as power plant chemistry. We are proud of this small ten-year anniversary.

Let us review what this particular (the 120th) issue offers to the readers. The first paper will surely be of interest to readers from both fossil and nuclear power plants. K. Anthony Selby reviews in his paper chemical and physical techniques for detecting condenser inleakage and discusses their applicability in various situations (An Overview of Condenser Cooling Water Leak Detection).

The British and Irish Association for the Properties of Water and Steam held a Workshop on Chemical Aspects of Flexible Operation of Plant and a Symposium on Environmental and Operational Issues on April 21–22, 2009 at Beeston, Nottingham. Geoff Bignold gives an overview of the Symposium, which covered both environmental and operational chemistry subjects, dealing with both current topics and major future issues (Report on the BIAPWS 2009 Symposium on Power Plant Chemistry).

With the third paper, we look beyond the plant cycle, at the flue gas side. Norbert Eimer and Martin Werner demonstrate that a relatively inexpensive measure may markedly improve the performance of a tail-end DeNOx system and significantly reduce its heat consumption, an issue which is nowadays very topical (Optimizing a Tail-End DeNOx System by Installing a Static Mixer).

Single-phase and two-phase flow-accelerated corrosion is the most frequently occurring form of corrosion in both nuclear and fossil power plants. R. Barry Dooley, Kevin J. Shields, and Steve J. Shulder review flow-accelerated corrosion programs used at various types of conventional fossil plants and present the findings of the assessments and their conclusions (Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) in Conventional Fossil Units: Cycle Chemistry Influences and Management Approach).

Problems with moss animals clogging cooling systems do not occur very often. However, they do occur. Timothy S. Wood and Michael Lore explain that this problem is very complex since a microscopic dormant stage in the life cycle of moss animals resists harsh chemicals, freezing, drying, and other unfavorable conditions. They discuss – based on case studies – some effective control strategies (Moss Animals: A Growing Nuisance in Industrial Cooling Systems).

Inexpensive and reliable production of makeup water for the plant cycle is a neverending pursuit for engineers and chemists. Marta López García and Martti Lehtinen show that implementation of reverse osmosis and electrodeionization in the makeup system may result in excellent makeup quality and low energy consumption. Moreover, the use of regenerant chemicals may be almost completely avoided (EDI Modules Perform Well at Bioenergy Combine in Scandinavia).

In conclusion, I would like to again direct your attention to our next conference, the Second International Conference Instrumentation for Power Plant Chemistry (with an Exhibition), to be held in Heidelberg, Germany, November 24–26, 2009. Keep in mind that our events are often quickly fully booked. Remember to plan your attendance at this important conference in good time.

That's all for now. Remain true to us and do not forget: the best source of the latest information on power plant chemistry is a subscription to our journal.

Albert Bursik, Editor

Postscript

Would you like your scientific ideas and research to find a quick route to potential users? Then the PowerPlant Chemistry journal is the right place to present those findings. Through our readers you have a direct connection to other researchers, original equipment manufacturers, and decision-makers in the power industry, all of whom may be waiting to apply your discoveries. And unlike purely scientific journals, PowerPlant Chemistry is read in fossil and nuclear power plants throughout the world. So you will reach not only theorists, but also practitioners.

However, in addition to peer-reviewed scientific contributions, we also publish reports on practical experience. Tell our readers about your positive or negative experiences related to power plant chemistry. Sharing your practical knowledge can help your colleagues at other power plants. And through the authors' contact addresses, which we provide at the end of every article, our readers can easily contact our contributors, furthering the exchange of aid and experience.

There are many different aspects to chemistry in power plants. Some of the possible topics are, for example:

Analytics, chemical cleaning, chemical thermodynamics, component failures, condensate polishing, cooling water, corrosion, cycle chemistry guidelines, cycling & peaking, deaeration, DeNOx and DeSOx processes, deposition, flue gas cleaning, fly ash, instrumentation, layup, physical chemistry, plant cycle chemistry, sampling, startup, steam chemistry, troubleshooting, wastewater treatment, and water treatment, among many other power plant chemistry-related topics.

So send us your articles and reports today. Our readers are waiting!

The PowerPlant Chemistry Editor