Projects

Assignments range from conceptual designs, feasibility studies, and assistance with bids and proposals to preliminary engineering and project specifications, detail design for upgrades and retrofit projects at existing plant facilities.

The $2.0 billion Longview Power Plant is a 695MW supercritical PC plant being constructed in Maidsville, West Virginia. It will be one of the cleanest, most efficient solid-fuel power plants in the US, with advanced combustion control technologies, when it begins operating in 2011. This is a mine-mouth plant from which coal is delivered by a five-mile, overland conveyor system. Adjacent to Longview is a coal preparation plant and coal blending yard. The mine-mouth coal can be diverted to these facilities and/or directly routed to Longview’s receiving conveyor, which is fitted with an on-line coal analyzer. Energy Associates was engaged by Longview Power as their engineer for the four (4) coal handling systems needed for the project.

The 50-year old AES Cayuga Plant consists of Units No. 1 and 2 commissioned in 1955 and 1958 and the plant is rated roughly 150 MWe. The coal handling system remained essentially unchanged, the original equipment since the middle 1950’s, from the rail dumper, reclaim though the belt systems. Generating cost is a key factor for plant dispatch. In 2005, plant personnel began to seriously examine how its largest operating cost, the price for fuel, might be reduced. AES Cayuga engaged Energy Associates for a coal blending study that progressed into the retrofit of a blending system that included changes made to the stockpile area (enlarged coal pile liner area), new second reclaim tunnel, a unique feeder/conveyor, a transfer house, and related equipment

The Meramec Plant is an 880MW, four (4) unit, pulverized coal power plant. The units were commissioned between 1953 and 1961. During the late 1990’s, the plant experimented with PRB coal and increasingly focused on using 100 percent PRB coal to minimize both plant generation costs and emissions. Energy Associates was engaged to investigate design options and develop the basic feasibility plan that would assist Ameren in reducing transportation cost and allow the plant to receive PRB coal by unit trains for both the plant itself and transshipment to other coal-fired power plants.

CMS Generation engaged Energy Associates for the due diligence investigation to evaluate joining the new 1650 MWe coal-fired Prairie States Energy Campus as a major partner and the operating entity for this project. Energy Associates was assigned technical issues concerning all aspects of the Power Plant itself including the boiler, air quality control system, coal/material handling systems, etc.

Assistance was provided to Bechtel Power Corporation on a couple of projects including a failure investigation at We Energies’ $2.15 billion Elm Road project and a review of the lignite and limestone systems for the Red Hills Generating Facility.

Biomass is renewable energy fuel that can be co-fired with coal or as the plants primary fuel. Assistance was provided to Mott MacDonald for their assignment for Drax Power’s plans for three 300MW biomass plants in the UK, Sigma Energy Solutions for their assignment at the 25MW Tracy Biomass Plant in California, and other projects.

The Nucla AFBC Study investigated upgrading the coal handling systems of Tri-State G&T's 100 MWe fluidized bed Nucla Plant, located in western Colorado. As a result of this investigation, a two stage upgrade program was undertaken. Energy Associates was engaged for the follow-up work to first study potential in-plant system modifications, and then to complete the drawings and specifications and provide construction consulting services for replacing the conveyors that directly feed the coal silos.

Union Electric (now know as Ameren) engaged Energy Associates to investigate coal blending and improvements to the 2400 MWe (4x600) Labadie Plant, which is about 35 miles west of St. Louis, Missouri. Recommendations due to this study lead to a magnet retrofit project to decrease trap iron problems at the coal feeders and pulverizers. Problems were also being experience on the reclaim system for Units No. 3 & 4. The two longest conveyors (600+ feet) on the reclaim system were modified in take-up tower retrofit project. At their Meramec Plant, Union Electric had Energy Associates investigate the possibility of utilizing Powder River Basin coal as a major component in its fuel blend. In a second study at the Meramec Plant, Ameren Services engaged Energy Associates to investigate rail deliveries.

Fuel is the major annual operating cost for power generating plants. The supply and sourcing of fuel are important activities. Disputes and their resolution can broadly impact plant budgets. We have assisted developers in coal purchasing. Law firms have engaged Energy Associates for litigation on fuel related issues. Energy Associates assisted by obtaining information about, and evaluating the existing and potential market for fuel-in-water emulsions and similar technology.

Foster Wheeler has engaged Energy Associates to assist on their power plant development projects. A coal handling system design review was completed for Sierra Pacific's 100 MW IGCC Tracy Plant. Proposal support services were provided for projects being developed in India.and the addition of AFBC units to the Lagisza Power Plant in Poland.

A number of our projects are at port and terminal facilities, for the import, export, and transport of coal and other bulk materials. Energy Associates has assisted Halcrow (New York office, previously Han-Padron Associates), one of the most respected engineering firms in marine structures and port facilities, on several projects. These include projects at the Port of Takoradi in Ghana, alumina and bauxite system improvements at Bauxilum’s plant in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, an expansion of the IMT terminal on the Mississippi and an export teminal development in Venezuela for ACBL and a feasibility study for retrofitting the shore side facilities for Georgia-Pacific Gypsum's Camden, New Jersey Plant.

Steel structures are a major portion of our projects. Towers, transfer buildings, walkways, frames, etc. are primary elements of conveyor systems and industrial facilities. In the US, steel shop fabrication drawings are normally completed by the fabricator. This is not true internationally. Balfour Beatty, an English Contractor engaged Han-Padron Associated for the design of support structures for the electrification of Amtrak's North Corridor. We assisted Han-Padron by preparing the erectin and shop fabrication drawings for this project.