Established 1882 * Vol. 154 * No. 6 June 2010 ON THE COVER Progress Energy Florida's 1,133-MW Paul L. Bartow power plant is located on Weedon Island in St. Petersburg. The $800 million plant, rededicated in June 2009, is configured with four combustion turbines and heat-recovery steam generators supplying a single steam turbine. The new combined-cycle plant replaces four fuel oil-fired conventional steam plants built in the 1950s. Courtesy: Vogt Power International Inc. COVER STORY: COMBINED CYCLES 30 Economic Operation of Fast-Starting HRSGs Many combined-cycle plants are operating in cycling modes that don't match their design basis. As a result, original assumptions about unit components' life spans can be wildly optimistic. Here's a rational approach for determining remaining heat-recovery steam generator equipment life that produces data that can be used to optimize operation and maintenance costs on a life-cycle basis. SPECIAL REPORTS GAS TURBINE DESIGN 38 Kawasaki Plant Claims Efficiency Record It's the largest frame gas turbine in commercial operation, and it's delivering combined-cycle efficiency numbers over 59%. Get to know the plant that has raised the bar for the rest. WATER MANAGEMENT 40 Appraising Our Future Cooling Water Options Imagine trying to operate a power plant without water. Water shortages will be an unavoidable fact in regions of the U.S. in 10 years or less-a scenario being faced already in other parts of the world. It's time our industry got serious about preparing to use new technologies and processes that use less, and less-than-optimal, water. FEATURES EMISSIONS CONTROL 48 Improving SCR Performance on Simple-Cycle Combustion Turbines After the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst in its peakers had been replaced twice over a period of five years, Austin Energy decided to take a closer look at SCR catalyst performance. Results of a three-phase project show that attention to the problem was worth the time. GAS TURBINES 52 Real-Time Monitoring of Natural Gas Fuel Cleanliness A new real-time natural gas cleanliness monitoring and web-based alarm system promises to monitor pipeline cleanliness and thereby help gas turbine operators correct contaminant issues before equipment damage can occur. 48 June 2010 | POWER www.powermag.com 1 38 30http://www.powermag.com