Finding just the right heat exchanger for your specific process cooling application sometimes can be an intimidating task.

Condensers are used to prevent direct mixing between the shell-side steam and the cooling water flowing through the tubes in steam-turbine-driven equipment in power plants and food processing applications. Biofouling and other problems can lead to tube leaks and unplanned outages.

Smart controllers can be adapted to the specific needs of users, and their high level of scalability means that industries may fulfill various applications with the same controller.

The hydroelectric power industry has long been an important source of low carbon energy. In 2019, the total U.S. conventional hydroelectricity generation capacity was 79,746 megawatts — or about 80 million kilowatts — according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. 

In thermal power plants, the steam surface condenser is the heart of the operation — and a key element to the plant’s water-steam cycle. A condenser is critical in that its efficiency directly affects the plant’s power-generating capacity, which in turn influences operating costs and the bottom line. 

Cooling corrosion-control programs have traditionally utilized phosphate, metals or film-forming chemistry. As cooling water cycles in concentration, the aqueous environment becomes more corrosive due to elevated conductivity, chlorides and sulfates.

What a difference a few months — or weeks — can make. In January, as I was attending AHR Expo in Orlando, there was little talk of COVID-19 or the coronavirus that causes the disease.

One characteristic common to many electric utility companies is the mix of sizes and technologies at the utility’s various plants. This means efforts to improve performance and reduce costs can vary from plant to plant. 

Spig S.p.A. (SPIG), a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, has been awarded a contract by Renaissance Heavy Industries to design and supply fin fan cooler heat exchangers for the Turkmenenergo 432 MW gas turbine power plant project in Turkmenistan.