Free Risk Assessment: Is it Time to Upgrade Your Control System?

Every component of your control system – from controllers, I/O cards and network equipment to computers and software – has an expectant lifecycle. If any component of the control system is at or near its end-of-life phase, the potential risk for production shut-down is significantly increased. Therefore, it is critical to know the age of all components of your control system, whether your system hardware and software are still supported by the manufacturer and the availability of spare parts so that you can avoid costly unplanned downtime.

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Water versus Air Cooled Chillers: Which is Best for Power Plants?

Fabrication of a modular chiller plant

To call water a hot commodity is an understatement.  From controversial water trading to desalination, a slew of efforts are underway to solve water scarcity issues in many regions of the world.  Some, like the massive undertaking by Israel to reuse wastewater and desalinate water from the Mediterranean Sea, are having an impact.  But as population and urbanization continues to grow worldwide, so does water consumption, and, naturally energy use.

Water and energy are closely tied. Consider that thermoelectric power plants – which currently provide the vast majority of US electricity — consume a lot of water.  In fact, the power industry is one of the largest water users in the United States.

Presently, in the US, coal plants are being displaced by natural gas plants.  However, gas turbine efficiency is the lowest when the demand for power is the highest, during hot summer months. To offset this negative effect of high ambient temperature, gas turbine inlet air can be cooled via mechanical chillers.

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Stellar Energy's fabrication facility in Jacksonville, Florida.

10 Benefits of Modular Fabrication

The modular chiller plant is a self-contained chilled water production system. An efficient and affordable alternative to the traditional stick-built chiller plant, the modular chiller plant works equally well in a building mechanical room without an enclosure, and in an open environment with an enclosure to protect the components from the elements.

The modular chiller plant is pre-engineered and fabricated with all system components. Packaged in a skid, the module is pre-piped, wired, tested and shipped to the job site where the water and power connections are made.

Modular does not mean one-size-fits-all. The modular chiller plant can be designed for primary secondary, variable primary or fixed primary operation, and it can be customized to special engineering requirements for component type, manufacturer and model.

Why Modular?  10 Key Reasons

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