Posted on 02/23/2021 5:30:32 PM PST by george76
That's easy for you to say. You aren't the one losing money keeping a uncompetitive plant running.
You realize that in Texas the plant operators are private, for profit businesses?
The water that’s circulated from the condensers to the reactor is a closed loop and not subject to weather.
The water that cools the steam after it drops into the condenser from the turbine is a separate loop. That loop is open is fed from the Gulf Mexico. That, the non-nuclear side, is subject to the weather.
I bet they keep their fat pensions.
Cruz should now apply to be a Board member.
Not sure of your point.
Unless the producer has a monopoly in a certain area the PUC doesn't dictate electric rates.
Well it’s quite outside my realm of expertise, but how do they cool the water after it circulates through the reactor? I can only think of the video from the Fukushima (sp?) meltdown after the quake in Japan, and seeing fire boats spray thick streams of ocean water into the exposed core.
*** Maxine Waters does not live in her congressional district.. ***
Neither do several DEM’s and GOP. In TX you don’t have to live in your Congressional District.
Most of Texas is deregulated (but not quite all). This means you get to choose your own electric provider. The lowest cost provider will get the most attention from customers (of course). But that doesn't mean that provider is the most reliable. Also municipalities and cities can choose providers. So if electric company A does pretty good and is cheaper and electric company B is more expensive but more reliable he'll get less business until company A has to buy from B because he can't keep up with demand. Texas is headed towards being an energy desert instead of supplying other states around it (like it used to do). In the end deregulation ran into a brick wall because too many plants were idled that should not have been.
“How do you call the generation of power, restricted by the feds as to what they can build, restricted by how many they can build, restricted by EPA regs....a free market?”
It was free enough to allow businesses to not give a damn about preparing for what to do if a bad day happened. I’ve trying to make a point here for the past week that there is a place for government to regulate, and that if Republicans won’t do it, Democrats will be given the power (rightly or wrongly) to fix the problems.
Anyway, yes, you do have a valid point regarding the cost of the blackouts and the huge lawsuits coming...but then that’s easy to see in hindsight...whereas the costs of preparing for such a deep freeze is front and center, that’s why power companies didn’t prepare for it and why the will NEVER plan for it...unless they are required to.
Thanks! So this looks like they were given permission to proceed at least briefly.
High-voltage transmission lines are not insulated. No reason to be.
The steam off the cooling towers at the nuclear reactor 15 miles from me is a sight to behold when the air is around zero or even at freezing. Plant never shuts down because of ambient temperature (high or low).
“Steam” actually water vapor, at least for the most part.
LOL, yep, I was a mere “yute” when the Honeymooners were first on TV, but I have watched the episodes many times since.
“Gee, I didn’t know Davy Crockett was so fat!”
I just saw a statement that the permit was signed at 8:30 PM on the 14Th.
I think the storm had already hit Texas.
Some of Northern Texas does. Look in the Southwestern Power Pool (SPP). They import some from this pool as well.
The main Texas power grid does not. There’s some areas around the edges of the state that are on surrounding grids, but that’s it.
Some people need to hang for hiring those people.
I think you’re right. If I recall correctly, what I read initially said that had asked for a waiver about a week before the storm. They had had some kind of a planning meeting and the reports of upcoming severe weather were brought up, so they requested it at that time, and I’m pretty sure it was denied or ignored. So maybe they requested it again and it was permitted? It would be interesting to put all this together.
Pure pneumatics were largely phased out in the 1970s. Hybrid electronic-pneumatic was largely phased out in the 1980s. My familiarity is via hands on operations of these and using multigenerations of control technologies.
Probably the only place in industry pneumatics are still used are in very hazardous, explosive situations. Example: Imagine pumping ethylene at 10,000 to 60,000 psi pressure. Valves are generally pneumatic with mechanical spring safeties. The final stage pumps are steam powered, not electric.
The pneumatic controllers use pressurized air to convey a control command. Very dry “instrument air” is required so that water does not form in the lines. Instrument specification air was typically produced by refrigerated condensing followed by chemical desiccation. Very, very dry air is required.
For bonus points, who has hands-on experience with a Foxboro 54-58?
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