Utility Plant Solutions —Efficiency through Operations and Maintenance Solutions! 1

1005 Hialeah Ct.

Wake Forest, NC 27587

Phone: 919-801-6452

Email: jfidgeon@utilityplantsolutions.com

Web: www.utilityplantsolutions.com

Utility Plant Solutions is now a proud authorized distributor for Gem Steam

Traps and VAF Filtration Systems. Please see attached

brochures for more information.

Inside this issue:

Rocky River Waste Water Treatment Plant:A waste water treatment plant has decided to increase efficiency and reduce cost by installing a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) and Steam Turbine Generator into it's existing plant.

Utility Plant Solutions Update

Winter Edition

Utility Plant Solutions —Efficiency through Operations and Maintenance Solutions! 2

Rocky River Waste Water Treatment Plant

The Rocky River Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant (RRRWWTP), operated by the Water & Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County (WSACC) processes on-average 20 million gallons per day of waste-water. A by-product of this process is an organic substance known as bio-solids or sludge. The BTU content of the processed sludge is what started the development of the co-generation project using the heat generated from incinerating the sludge as its source.

The incineration process has been done for the last 30 years using as multihearth incinerator. Leaving the multihearth incinerator in place, a new 20KPPH steam HRSG was installed in the exiting flue gas path. The Rentech HRSG operating at full capacity was designed for 20KPPH, 900 psig, and 850 F. The steam generated for the HRSG was then piped to a newly constructed steam turbine building containing a 1.9MW Siemens turbine and a vacuum condenser. A turbine bypass line was also installed to by-pass the turbine operations for maintenance and repairs. Electricity generated from the turbine was put directly on the Duke Energy grid at 13,800 Volts through Siemens switchgear and protective devices.

The new co-gen plant was designed by CH2M Hill with New Atlantic as the construction management team. Acorn Industrial provided the mechanical installation with support from Utility Plant Solutions on start-up, commissioning, and operation services. Revenue from this project is generated primarily through the sale of electricity to Duke Energy and importing biosolids from surrounding areas for incineration. WSACC is one of only a few waste water treatment plantsin the country who are implementing this technology.

Utility Plant Solutions —Efficiency through Operations and Maintenance Solutions! 3

Utility Plant Solutions (UPS) first came on the Concord, NC project site in June 2014 to conduct start-up and commissioning services for the HRSG. Loop checks and tuning of plant instrumentation and valves were performed until the system maintained a steady-state. The system was fully operational and UPS began 24/7 operations in October. Utility Plant Solutions staff was on site through late December, assisting CH2M Hill, Siemens, and WSACC to trouble-shoot complications with the HRSG and steam-turbine-generator operations/maintenance.

Rocky River Waste Water Treatment Plant

Following the initial start-up and commissioning process Utility Plant Solutions was contracted to oversee plant operations. This includes a weekly walk through of the plant operations checking for leaks, making sure the water chemical make-up is correct, and troubleshooting any operational problems that may arise. During June of 2015 WSACC had a shut down to perform routine maintenance and have all operating equipment inspected. Utility Plant Solutions was on-site assisting with preventive maintenance tasks and inspections. No major deficiencies were noted and the plant was back to full operation following the outage.

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Safety Tip – Boiler WiringOften overlooked, the control wiring of a boiler is essential to the safe operation

and functionality of the boiler. Shown below is an example where the low water cutoff on a boiler stopped working due to the wrong type of wire being used. The wire used was not high temperature rated causing the insulation to deteriorate and prevent the safety device from showing an open circuit. This boiler kept running without water for a period of time which caused major internal issues. It is very important to check all your boiler safety devices and insure your wiring meets manufacturer requirements. Also be sure to following manufacturer recommendation for time frames on changing safety devices. Don't put your operators, yourself, and your company at risk by ignoring this. Utility Plant Solutions is here to help. Control wiring is the skeleton for all the operation and safety devices on your boiler. Over years of boiler operation this wiring can become damaged from heat and corrosion as well as replaced with wiring not suitable for the conditions or devices it is serving.

One of our many services here at Utility Plant Solutions is Boiler Controls. We will work with our customers to find the right control brands that fit your needs. Also if you need an assessment on your current boiler controls Utility Plant Solutions can give you a full report on the status of your controls and recommend any needed changes. Our team provides full turn key installations for a variety of commercial and industrial applications specializing in Utility Plant environments. We also provide support for other controls contractors who require installation and start-up services.

Utility Plant Solutions Boiler Control Services:

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Control Services:Boiler ControlsChiller ControlsHeat TraceCustom Panel FabricationIntegrationStart-upCalibrationCommissioningAll ManufacturersLicenses and Insured

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Utility Plant Solutions has become a proud authorized distributor for GEM Steam Traps. After years of experience with steam traps, we feel that GEM steam traps offer better performance and efficiency then competitors. We set up a test-rig (shown below) to try out many different steam traps and were blown away by the results of the GEM Steam Trap.http://www.thermalenergy.com

Before and After with GEM Steam Traps Installed!

Permanent energy savings: 10% to 30% permanent reduction in steam costsExcellent return on investment: Payback typically ranges from 1 to 2 yearsUltimate reliability: 10 year No-Fail Performance GuaranteeIncreased production: Faster system warm up = quicker batch timesMinimal maintenance: No moving parts = no trap failures = minimal downtimeIncreased safety: No water hammer or condensate back-up from failed trapsSuperior service: GEM steam traps are individually sized for your requirements

GEM steam traps provide industry with a final solution to the well-documented steam trap problems that arise on every site around the world.

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VAF Filtration System Applications:

-Cooling tower filtration -Irrigation filters -Pump Station Filtration -Municipal Water -Petro Water Injection

VAF Filters Offer State-of-the-Art Automatic Self-Cleaning Filtration

The patented BHD (Bi-directional Hydrodynamic Drive) improves screen cleaning efficiencies resulting in:

-100% screen cleaning with controlled suction nozzle rotation -Flush waste is less than 1% of filtrate flow -70% fewer moving parts -Pre-assembled filtration systems to meet any flow demand -Filtration 10-1500 micron -V-Series filter bodies, models 250-1500, manufactured in 316L stainless steel -All systems competitively priced -Qualifies for LEED and Made in America funding

Utility Plant Solutions is now a proud rep for VAF Filtration Systems. VAF filters provide state-of-the-art automatic self-cleaning at competitive pricing!https://www.vafusa.com