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Meet Nancy Miller!

It’s always good to have new faces and helpful hearts on the team. We’re proud to introduce Nancy Miller, the newest addition to BPC! We look forward to getting to know you more Nancy! Keep reading to learn more about Nancy and what she’s contributing to our team.

 

How long have you been with BPC, and what did you do before this position?

I started with BPC on February 26, 2024, and previously I worked as a Senior Office Administrator for a local company.

What are you looking forward to most about working at BPC?

I’m looking forward to learning about the industry and getting to know everyone.

Who inspires you professionally; do you have any mentors?

I have two… both were previous Directors. They were wonderful in supporting their employees and being open to trying new things that made everyone’s job (if not easier) at least more enjoyable!

What’s your most-used productivity hack? 

Excel – I think it’s a wonderful tool that can do so much to help make a company or employee more efficient.

Tell us about you (whatever you’d like to share that makes you YOU.) 

Like everyone, I enjoy spending time with family. I have family up and down the East Coast so when we get together it’s that much more enjoyable! As for hobbies, I like to dabble in many crafts but I enjoy reading, knitting, encaustic painting and bookbinding the most.

How do you feel about joining the BPC team?

I’m excited to join the team and learn more about the industry. I believe that my past experiences have given me the skills to help me succeed with BPC.

What kind of music do you like, and what’s the best concert you’ve been to? 

Anything I can dance to! Interestingly enough I’ve never been to a concert… but I wish I had seen Tina Turner and Prince.

What’s the best place you’ve traveled to?

So far, the Oregon coast. My family and I had a wonderful time just wandering on the beaches.

What’s your favorite food?

Pasta! I don’t eat it often, but if I could eat it without any health concerns I’d eat it every day!

What’s your favorite movie?

The Jurassic Park series; I’ve watched those movies a LOT.

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Internal Inspection Of Supercritical Pressure Utility Steam Generators

A supercritical steam generator operates above a critical pressure of about 3,200-3,900 psi and temperature range of 538-565o C. At this pressure and temperature, water vapor is directly converted to the steam phase without going through the saturated steam phase. Consequently, a steam drum is not required. 

In a subcritical boiler, the steam produced is in a saturated state and has to be heated further through a superheater to produce superheated steam. Therefore, subcritical boilers require a steam drum. Typical steam parameters used in sub-critical reheat steam plants are 2400 psi and a temperature range of 374o C.

The internal inspection procedures of supercritical pressure steam generators, including coal-fired units, shall be further discussed; although several procedures are also common to internal inspection of subcritical boilers. 

Safety is the top priority for internal inspection, especially if the boiler is entered before cleaning. Most areas of the steam generator require crawling in tight spaces and confined space entry training and permits. 

Since the steam generator is several stories high, inspection could start from the penthouse downwards or from the lower furnace upwards, crawling where possible through the inspection ports and duct holes to get a good visual inspection view. 

In the furnace, scaffolding is installed to access the higher areas. The newer methods of inspection of large boilers involve the use of drones. Drones are designed with state-of-the-art sensors, oblique lighting and image-capturing systems to take images from several angles. Images of hard-to-reach, and dark areas can then be transmitted in real-time for observation and documentation. Several companies provide these services and experienced pilots. safer evaluations of boiler systems. Eliminating the need for hazardous

The purpose of an internal inspection is to observe and document the actual mechanical condition of the components: wear patterns, cleaning patterns, alignment and mechanical issues of any sort – along with any signs of debris, foreign material, corrosion products, indications, etc. Localized concentration of corrosion products is typically the indication of a problem. A further investigation is warranted to determine the root cause and potentially prevent recurrence.

A general itemized checklist at-location is detailed below: 

Penthouse

  • Hanger rod corrosion and condition. Check for distorted and loose hanger rods.
  • Roof seal condition
  • Weatherproofing – lagging condition – joint integrity
  • Penthouse floor. Inspect roof tube support clips when accessible.
  • Seal xoxes and crown seals
  • Tube penetrations
  • Determine air washed areas, intensity of leakage as viewed from the boiler side
  • Refractory condition
  • Iso-membrane condition (if installed)
  • Verify header wrapping and insulation condition
  • Inspect all terminal tubes for overheat/creep exfoliation conditions. 
  • Inspect all header supports and connections for integrity.

Lower Furnace

  • Note tube erosion and/or wastage (if any), and look for upper transition bends and lower throat bends for wear.
  • Evaluate the lower slopes for quench cracking from possible bottom ash water splash.
  • Inspect for possible gouged, crushed, sliced and dented tubes.
  • Seal trough-bottom ash hoppers erosion/corrosion.
  • Ash pit condition (refractory / general). In addition, inspect for jet nozzle condition and positioning.
  • Check the ash hopper water seal (if applicable).
  • Clinker grinder/Drag chain (if applicable)
  • Sidewall and buckstay damage adjacent to and behind the lower slopes as a result of possible clinker fall

Mid Furnace

  • Access doors
  • Closure and seal
  • Refractory (inside furnace)
  • Wind Box casing
  • Soot Blower lance penetrations
  • Seals
  • Refractory (inside furnace)
  • Tube alignment, wind-box and furnace casing construction

Lower – Mid-Upper Furnace 

  • Tube alignment, wind-box and furnace casing construction
  • Slag and fouling pattern. Identify unnecessary slag traps on waterwalls. 
  • Burner zone condition. Inspect for flame-impinged tubing.
  • Furnace (lower slope and division wall. Identify all peg fin and membrane sections observed to exhibit fatigue and cracking.)
  • Radiant section – note any or all blisters and bulges.
  • Convection passes – look for erosion, corrosion, overheat and creep.
  • Economizer – look for misalignment, clips, erosion and corrosion.

Dead Air Spaces

Lower Furnace.

  • Note slope tube, I-beam support intersection for damage, including clip condition.
  • Identify casing and membrane breach locations on the furnace side.
  • Record ash accumulations and observe the condition of pressure part components for corrosion.
  • Nose arch Apex. Inspect for casing and refractory breaches to the furnace side.
  • Inspect all structural steel supports and beams for integrity due to potential overheating if breaches are found.

Fans (Forced Draft, Induced Draft, Primary Air, Seal Air, Gas Recirculation, Over-Fire Air – if boosted – and Burner Cooling Fans):

  • Fan housing
  • Fan wheel observations – fly ash erosion, tip cracks, loose bolts or rivets and rubs
  • Inlet vanes – stroke, fly ash wear, linkage and bushings
  • Inlet louvers outlet dampers – check stroke, fly ash erosion, linkage pins/bolts.
  • Casing wear
  • Blade condition
  • Shaft seals
  • Inlet and outlet ducts/joints
  • Inlet Box Screens (if applicable)
  • FD fan discharge duct, steam coils (if installed) cleanliness and condition

Wind Box/Secondary Air

  • Synchronize secondary air dampers and verify operation from inside and outside damper.
  • Drive limits and travel
  • Burner tilts
  • Linkages
  • Draft gauges

Over-fire Air

  • General condition
  • Dampers and registers
  • Tilt and yaw (tangentially fired units)

Ductwork (air ducts, gas ducts and economizer hoppers)

  • Fly ash erosion
  • Expansion joints
  • Casing cracks – joint integrity and corrosion
  • Ductwork supports
  • Fly ash weight accumulation damage

Burners (Signs of erosion, physical damage and malformation)

  • Mechanical tolerances
  • Condition, centering (wall-fired)
  • Tilt/Yaw adjustment (tangential fired)
  • Igniters
  • Air registers
  • Nozzle condition
  • Separated air zones
  • Burner refractory

Access Doors

  • General condition/closure
  • Gaskets and sealing

Convection Pass

  • Erosion baffles
  • Gas lanes
  • Casing and header penetrations
  • Improved RH and SH damper control

Access Doors and Hatches (all)

  • Closure, hinge and seals

Safety Relief Valves:

  • Verify the safety valves are tested and comply with operating designed set pressures.
  • Verify the method used for safety valves testing complies with ASME standards.

Repairs Review:

  • If any welded repairs are completed, they should be approved and completed under the supervision of an Authorized Inspector (AI)
  • NDT and/or hydrostatic test methods are as per AMSE B31.1 and witnessed by the inspector, or review of testing documentation is acceptable to the NB/Jurisdictional inspector. 
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Protected: Operations Update – Q1 2024

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Protected: CFO Notes – Q1 2024

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Protected: President’s Input – Q1 2024

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Meet Mona Castille!

She’s our newest team member – coming on to our accounting team as Controller – and we’re so grateful that she’s here. Keep reading to learn a little about her work background, special talents and more.

BPC: What did you do before joining the BPC team? 

Mona: Before I joined BPC in January, I worked in a Controller capacity – primarily in the manufacturing industry. 

BPC: What are you looking forward to most about your new position? And how do you feel about joining the BPC team?

Mona: I’m excited to work with this group of people; everyone has been very helpful and welcoming! I’m most looking forward to learning more about the business.

BPC: What’s something you’re proud of?

My children and what great adults they have become.

BPC: Tell us a little about your life outside of work.

Mona: I’m a native of LA, am married and have two grown children. My favorite sports team is the LSU Tigers, and while I like a wide variety of music, the best concert I’ve ever been to was Fleetwood Mac.

In my spare time, I like to travel and do various crafts. My favorite travel destination has to be either Paris or London, but I have gone to numerous National Parks and thoroughly enjoy seeing the US. Artistically, I like to oil paint but haven’t had much time in the past several years to do so. I just enrolled in a class and am looking forward to starting back up!

Thank you so much for being here, Mona – great people like you on our team are what make BPC stronger and better every day!

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Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Process for Power Generation

(Click to expand images)

Low heat and low emissions are a thing of the future through a technology developed by Turboden, now part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group company. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) converts thermal energy into electricity utilizing FCs (Fluorocarbons), silicon fluids, FHCs (hydrofluorocarbons), old and new generation refrigerants in a closed loop system rather than high-pressure steam requiring boilers to produce steam from water. 

Besides the economic advantage, the organic fluids do not deplete atmospheric ozone. The basic principle is an external heat source transfers thermal energy into the refrigerant causing it to vaporize. High-pressure refrigerant vapor flows into the turbine, where it expands and causes it to spin. The turbine turns the generator producing electrical power. Cooling water extracts thermal energy from the low-pressure refrigerant vapor to condense it back into liquid. Then the liquid refrigerant is pumped back into the evaporator to restart the cycle.

The heat source for the evaporator/heat exchanger to evaporate the organic fluid (refrigerant) can be provided by multiple sources, such as renewables (biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy), traditional fuels and waste heat from industrial processes, waste incinerators, engines or gas turbines, etc.

The organic fluid has a lower boiling point and a higher vapor pressure compared to water. As a result, it can use low-temperature heat sources to produce electricity without harmful emissions. The majority of turbines are different types of axial turbines ranging from 2 to 6 stages reaching up to 20 MW of power and in some cases exceeding isentropic efficiency of 90%.

The Inspection procedures of ORC systems are similar to the inspection of steam turbines. There should be permanent vibration monitoring and alarm set as per OEM specifications, as well as overspeed testing on an annual basis.

The organic fluid should be sampled quarterly and spectrographically analyzed and results trended. The undercover inspection should be completed based on performance monitoring and not extend five years for the first inspection. The visual inspection should be focused on examining any leaks from the seals. These turbines have special seals manufactured on recessed hydropad technology. This technology is specifically designed for the double pressurized O-ring pusher seal working with oil barrier fluids. The recess technology optimizes the liquid film thickness formation.

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Protected: Operations Update – Winter 2023

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Protected: CFO Notes – Winter 2023

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