New News on “New Energy” (aka “Cold Fusion”)

/0 Comments/in , /by

Subject: UFTO Note – New News on “New Energy” (aka “Cold Fusion”)
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997
From: Ed Beardsworth

————————————————————–
| ** UFTO ** Edward Beardsworth ** Consultant
| 951 Lincoln Ave. tel 415-328-5670
| Palo Alto CA 94301-3041 fax 415-328-5675
| http://www.ufto.com edbeards@ufto.com
————————————————————–

New News on “New Energy” (aka “Cold Fusion”)

Dr. Randell Mills, BlackLight Power Company, of Malvern, PA, is making some remarkable claims, and has attracted some prominent backers with his “Unified Theory” and devices which generate large amounts of excess “anomalous” heat.

Mills says his theory is consistent with and an extension of Maxwell’s Equations, Newton’s Laws, and Einstein’s Theories of Special and General Relativity. Whether it represents an overthrow or an extension of quantum mechanics and other aspects of modern physics will probably be hotly debated for some time to come. (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun)

Mills believes that his theory explains how his devices generate excess heat, and is pursuing an aggressive business development plan. Dr. Mills and his company, formerly called HydroCatalysis Power Corporation, have been known in the cold fusion community for some time, but his story is now attracting a great deal more attention (a situation not unlike what happened two years ago with Clean Energy Technology, or CETI, with their Patterson Cells–which story also continues to unfold).

BlackLight Power’s story is explained in considerable detail at the company’s web site, at: http://BlackLightpower.com

Meanwhile, ENECO* in Salt Lake City has a very different approach, and has kept a very low profile. Their device is actually quite similar to the BlackLight Power cell–a hot hydrogen gas cell that does not require electrical input and can be operated at high temperature (a fundamental limitation of liquid-based systems).

ENECO’s theory of how the cell operates, however, is very different. Dr. Mills revolutionary theory predicts a new lower energy state for the Hydrogen atom, which he calls the hydrino, and it is a transition to this state, that he says accounts for the release of energy. The subsequent formation of a molecule of two hydrinos (mass 4) is also hypothesized.

ENECO’s explanation involves a form of low energy-induced slow nuclear fission in a lattice, which produces heat, helium, and very small amounts of infra-red and ultraviolet emissions. This explanation for the observed phenomena conforms to all known scientific principles, and it also can consistently explain why the many attempts by others to replicate Pons and Fleischman’s results may or may not have been successful.

Neither company believes that the phenomena first announced in 1989 by Pons and Fleischman, and the subject of such intense controversy ever since, are due to “fusion”. Instead, each has developed an explanation involving different new and controversial scientific concepts.

Both companies have filed for patents for their devices, based on their respective theories. Both are seeking investment capital to fund their respective attempts to scale up and build a several kilowatt device within the next year. The company with the correct theory will probably be more successful. The race is on.

—————
*ENECO prepared a proprietary Review of State of the Art of Cold Fusion, offered for sale last year–with discount for UFTO members–see UFTO Note Sept. 20, 1996.

ENECO is also the sister company of Thermodyne, which is developing a new type of thermal to electric energy converter — see UFTO Note March 21, 1997.
—————-

CONTACTS:

Fred Jaeger, ENECO
Salt Lake City, UT 801-583-2000, jaeger@eneco-usa.com

Randell Mills, BlackLight Power, Inc.
Malvern, PA 610 651-4938, rmills@BlackLightpower.com

IERE Workshop – Future Directions in Power System Reliability

/0 Comments/in , /by

Subject: UFTO Note – IERE Workshop – Future Directions in Power System Reliability
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997
From: Ed Beardsworth

————————————————————–
| ** UFTO ** Edward Beardsworth ** Consultant
| 951 Lincoln Ave. tel 415-328-5670
| Palo Alto CA 94301-3041 fax 415-328-5675
| http://www.ufto.com edbeards@ufto.com
————————————————————–

IERE Workshop – Future Directions in Power System Reliability

This is very late notice–just got word of this myself. EPRI and EdF are cosponsoring an IERE Workshop, at EPRI, in Palo Alto this coming Thursday and Friday, May 1-2.

There isn’t an electronic notice of this meeting posted anywhere, but I can fax you a copy of the program brochure. Also, I may be getting an electronic copy of the agenda, which I can forward via email on request.

Speakers from Japan, Canada, Europe and the US, will present more than 20 technical papers on Issues, Emerging Technologies, and System Support Tools. About 50 people are registered to attend.

In the unlikely event that someone from your company would like to attend on such short notice, for more information about registration, contact Suzette Rius, 415-855-2798, srius@epri.com

In the likely event that you cannot attend, it may still be possible to get a copy of the workshop proceedings from EPRI. Contact Suzette after May 5.

————————
(IERE stands for International Electric Research Exchange, and is composed of utility R&D organizations from around the world. It was started in Japan and is headquartered there. Members include UNIPEDE in Europe, and other organizations in North and South America. The Chairmanship rotates, and this year it’s held by Dick Balzhiser. Currently, it doesn’t have a presence on the web. The annual General Meeting will be held in San Francisco the week of May 4. I’ll try to get more information about the organization, e.g. membership and how to access their reports, and will pass it along.)

Acoustic Profiling of Bottom Ash

/0 Comments/in , /by

Subject: UFTO Note – Acoustic Profiling of Bottom Ash
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 14:47:36 -0700
From: Ed Beardsworth

————————————————————–
| ** UFTO ** Edward Beardsworth ** Consultant
| 951 Lincoln Ave. tel 415-328-5670
| Palo Alto CA 94301-3041 fax 415-328-5675
| http://www.ufto.com edbeards@ufto.com
————————————————————–

Acoustic Profiling of Bottom Ash

Entech Design, of Denton TX, sells a Material Acoustic Profile System (MAPS), which uses sophisticated oceanographic sonar mapping equipment to provide two and three dimensional images of bottom ash levels in water filled hoopers. Plant personnel can observe the level and distribution of material in the hopper, enabling smarter ash handling schedules and giving advance warning of any problems. The system can by integrated with distributed control systems for automatic control of bottom ash conveying routines.

MAPS has been on the market since 1991, and is currently installed on 44 units (including a couple of UFTO utilities). Extensive information and references are available.

BinMinder is an offspring of MAPS that monitors liquid-material interfaces in a wide variety of applications, such as chemical production and waste water systems. Utility applications include flue gas desulfurization tanks, pyrite holding tanks, and bottom ash dewatering bins, where it can be used to reduce material carryover due to overfilling, along with other operational benefits.

Contact:
Randy Minnis
Entech Design, Inc.
Denton TX
817-898-1173, entech@iglobal.net

Robotic Hot Inspection and Repair of Waterwall Tubing

/0 Comments/in , /by

Subject: UFTO Notes — Robotic Hot Inspection and Repair of Waterwall Tubing
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997
From: Ed Beardsworth

————————————————————–
| ** UFTO ** Edward Beardsworth ** Consultant
| 951 Lincoln Ave. tel 415-328-5670
| Palo Alto CA 94301-3041 fax 415-328-5675
| http://www.ufto.com edbeards@ufto.com
————————————————————–

Robotic Hot Inspection and Repair of Waterwall Tubing

Entech Design, a Texas company with several successful products for bottom ash handling and mapping, has a put together a proposal to develop a new robotic pipe-crawler system to inspect and repair waterwall tubing in fossil power plants.

Inspection — While NDE techniques are well known, they are not used as frequently as might be indicated because of the high cost of currently available procedures. The proposed system will provide a rapid and cost-effective means to get comprehensive tube condition data, making it possible to predict failures and to schedule preventive repairs during scheduled outages. The company believes that over 30% of forced outages could be eliminated.

Repair and Replacement — Robotic technology is highly developed in other industries, and capabilities exist to manipulate, cut and weld tubes. Performing these tasks with heat-tolerant robotic systems would significantly reduce boiler cool-down time, by as much as ten hours. Over all outage times would be reduced and scaffolding costs would be eliminated.

The company has a detailed plan involving collaboration with Sandia National Lab (one of the leading robotics R&D groups in the U.S.), and a leading provider of robotic equipment. The system would use available off-the-shelf components.

They’re looking for an electric utility partner to provide development capital and program guidance, and to participate in the ownership of the service company that will employ the technology.

Contact:
Randy Minnis
Entech Design, Inc.
Denton TX
817-898-1173, entech@iglobal.net

Survey Critical Infrastructure

/0 Comments/in , /by

Subject: UFTO Note – Survey Critical Infrastructure
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 08:53:19 -0700
From: Ed Beardsworth

————————————————————–
| ** UFTO ** Edward Beardsworth ** Consultant
| 951 Lincoln Ave. tel 415-328-5670
| Palo Alto CA 94301-3041 fax 415-328-5675
| http://www.ufto.com edbeards@ufto.com
————————————————————–

(Forwarding this news time-sensitive news item. This commission is separate from the DOE Reliability Task Force.)

——————–
Survey- President’s Commission On Critical Infrastructure Protection

(Via Utility-News Inc.)- April 17, 1997- The President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection is requesting information regarding technologies and capabilities for protecting critical infrastructures vital to our nation’s economic and national security. Of particular concern are physical and cyber threats. Eight critical infrastructures have been identified: (1) telecommunications, (2) electrical power systems, (3) gas and oil storage and transportation, (4) banking and finance, (5) transportation, (6) water supply systems, (7) emergency services, and (8) continuity of government services. The Commission has retained the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to act on its behalf in soliciting and collecting this information.

The Commission designed a survey template to facilitate this critical infrastructure data collection effort. The survey template can be requested via e-mail at formpccip@anl.gov, or downloaded from www.dis.anl.gov/survey. Responses must be received no later than May 30, 1997, to guarantee inclusion in the Commission’s report.

Taking time to provide information may increase organizational visibility, not only with the Commission, but also with government agencies and private-sector entities needing infrastructure protection technologies and capabilities. Responses will be entered into a database and made available to the government and private sector. The Commission will use the information to help (1) formulate critical infrastructure protection strategies, and (2) develop recommendations for research and development programs to address technology shortfalls.

For more information on this critical infrastructure protection technologies and capabilities data collection or the Commission, please contact Mr. Jerry Gillette at 630/252-7475 or jgillette@anl.gov.

QuickStabTM: Real-Time Prediction of Transmission System Loadability

/0 Comments/in , /by

Subject: UFTO Note – QuickStabTM: Real-Time Prediction of Transmission System Loadability
Date: Fri, 04 Apr 1997
From: Ed Beardsworth
————————————————————–
| ** UFTO ** Edward Beardsworth ** Consultant
| 951 Lincoln Ave. tel 415-328-5670
| Palo Alto CA 94301-3041 fax 415-328-5675
| http://www.ufto.com edbeards@ufto.com
————————————————————–

(The developer of this program was referred to UFTO by a staff member at DOE. The following write up was prepared by him. Note the special offer for UFTO Members, in the last paragraph.)

—————————————–
QuickStabTM : Real-Time Prediction of Transmission System Loadability

Today’s utility systems are likely to be dispatched near the limit of capacity and stability. In the context of open transmission access, network loadings will often get close to unstable states undetectable by conventional power-flow, optimal power-flow and contingency analysis programs. Such states will have to be predicted before they occur.

Without a real-time ability to determine how close the system is to a critical state, utilities will be less able to operate reliably and to compete effectively in the deregulated market. Also, the real-time assessment of the maximum loadability will have to be performed LOCALLY by EACH utility, in addition to, or rather than, being performed only at ISOs or large area coordination centers (power pools).

Critical states occur at, or within a certain margin from, the maximum power transfer capability, or maximum loadability of a power system. This limit is not constant. It depends on the generation, customer demand and transmission network conditions. In order to be meaningful and reliable, it must be computed from the real-time conditions of the transmission network.

A field-proven solution to this problem is available. A maximum loadability predictor has been developed and successfully tested and validated. It determines the transmission reliability margin corresponding to a given system state and evaluates the distance to the point of maximum loadability of the transmission network. In addition, it displays the results in a suggestive, easy-to-understand graphical format, and provides information that can help develop a quick remedial action strategy.

The program, known as QuickStabTM, offers significant benefits. It can help increase revenues from wheeling charges while meeting higher MW demand and reliability requirements. It is well suited for short- and mid-term operations planning scenarios. And it can be used on-line to supplement existing real-time computing facilities. Its modular design and portable code implementation make it possible to integrate the stability calculations with existing power-flow, optimum power-flow and security assessment applications.

As a special offer to UFTO members, QuickStabTM will be made available FREE for a 60 days trial period. Since users need to understand the methodology and be technically proficient at doing load flow and steady-state stability calculations, a training workshop will be provided at moderate cost to address the solution technique, definition of study cases, data preparation procedures, program installation, and interpretation of results.

For additional information, or to arrange for a private, exclusive QuickStab presentation at the upcoming PICA 97 conference, please contact:

Dr. Savu Savulescu
5104 Woodmere Drive, Suite #204
Centreville, VA 20120-4333
(703)818-8028 savu.scs@worldnet.att.net

Institutional Issues Facing Distributed Resources

/0 Comments/in , /by

Subject: UFTO Note – Institutional Issues Facing Distributed Resources
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 1997
From: Ed Beardsworth

————————————————————–
| ** UFTO ** Edward Beardsworth ** Consultant
| 951 Lincoln Ave. tel 415-328-5670
| Palo Alto CA 94301-3041 fax 415-328-5675
| http://www.ufto.com edbeards@ufto.com
————————————————————–

Institutional Issues Facing Distributed Resources

“Legal, Regulatory, and Institutional Issues Facing Distributed Resources Development”

J.T.Nimmons, T.J.Starr, R. Orans, J.Swisher, and J.Singer, December 1996. 120 pages.

Work performed on behalf of NREL and four investor owned-utilities (C&SW, Cinergy, Florida Power Corp., and SDG&E), bertween August 1995 and march 1996, by a team of four consulting firms. It was the survey phase of a project known as the Distributed Resources Institutional Analysis Project, which UFTO member utilities first heard about in early 1995 (UFTO Report on NREL, and UFTO Meeting at NREL).

The report provides an overview of the legal and regulatory framework governing U.S. utilities, both Federal and State, and discusses how Distributed Resources may be affected, in the context of open access and restructuring. Order no. SR-460-21791

This is an NREL Technical Report, available in limited quantities from NREL’s Document Distribution Service at 303-275-4363, fax 303-275-4053, or evanss@tcplink.nrel.gov (You can also want ask to be put on the mailing list for the quarterly NREL EnergyPubs list>)

John Nimmons & Associates, Olympia WA can be reached at 360-786-6040, email jna@nwrain.com