Power Plant Air Quality Decisions

Analysis of the options is provided by telephone conferences. The whole system is geared for training or Advancement. The new FGD Decisions is now part of this service  Also included are 4 monthly newsletters and 4 sets of monthly abstracts.

There are many pressing air pollution issues facing power plants. Mercury and SO3 are just two pollutants for which there is great uncertainty as to future regulations and best control technology. There are such frequent developments that it is desirable to be updated weekly and to have access to an organized and easy to use system. The Power Plant Air Quality Decisions System does this by integrating the four knowledge needs: Alerts, Answers, Analysis, and Advancement.

Alerts:The emailed Utility E-Alert provides the latest news on cost, performance, and regulations. Four monthly newsletters which are also on line provide detailed analysis of issues.

Answers:McIlvaine has introduced  four powerful decision trees. They are organized by pollutant: mercury , FGD , NOx  and particulate.   These decision trees start with the broadest choices of technology and work their way down to the specific commercial alternatives. Thousands of branches and many thousands of pages are included.

Analysis: A weekly “Hot Topic Hour” combines visual displays from the decision trees via the web along with phone discussions. Participation is free to subscribers to this service.   Utilities can ask questions and the experts answer and debate the issues. The decision trees are updated based on the insights generated in these meetings. Free access is provided for all Hot Top Hours during the subscription period. It also includes access to all previously recorded Hot Topic Hours.

Advancement:The integrated system is also the ideal training tool. Its use provides quick advancement in the skills of dealing with power plant air pollution issues. The Decision trees provide the background information as well as the high level analysis. This means that the novice can quickly learn the theory behind the choices. The weekly “hot topic hours” provide an additional learning opportunity. A number of “new hires” are signing up for all of the discussions.

Power Plant Air Quality Decisions with its on line aspects is relatively new but the component newsletters and other aspects of the system  have been used by power plant people around the world since 1974. Subscribers include  the worlds largest power companies but they also include many smaller ones. The McIlvaine FGD & DeNOx Newsletter was being published before there was an EPRI or a DOE or a Power-Gen conference. So join those who have taken advantage of this opportunity for 32 years and subscribe to the Power Plant Air Quality Decisions.