First Full-scale Installation of SPX's Patented Air2Air(TM) Cooling
Technology Will Reduce Power Plant's Annual Water Consumption by up to 20
Percent
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SPX Corporation (NYSE:
SPW) today announced that its cooling technologies business has completed
the installation of its breakthrough water-saving technology for wet cooled
power plants. SPX's patented Air2Air(TM) water recovery system enables
power plants to recover much of the water evaporated in a standard cooling
tower and, in doing so, reduce their annual water consumption by as much as
20 percent. The first full-scale installation of the new cooling tower cell
is now online at Public Service of New Mexico's (PNM) San Juan Generating
Station.
SPX (Exhibitor Booth #2001) issued the announcement on the opening day
of POWER-GEN International 2007, the world's largest power generation
event, taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana.
"The Marley Air2Air(TM) water recovery system is the most advanced
water- saving solution available for wet cooled power plants, and it
reduces water consumption while maintaining overall steam turbine
efficiency," said Tom Dendy, Director of Global Marketing & Development at
SPX Thermal Equipment & Services. "The typical 500-megawatt, coal plant in
the U.S. uses roughly 30,000 tons of water each day. A cooling tower fitted
with SPX's Air2Air(TM) technology can reclaim up to 10,000 tons of water
each day, or enough to provide 6,000 households with water. On an even
broader scale, we believe our technology can make a significant
contribution to global water conservation efforts."
As the seventh-largest coal-fired generating station in the western
United States, San Juan is PNM's primary power generation source, serving
58 percent of PNM's customers. The plant's newly enhanced cooling system
uses the evaporation of water to dissipate the heat from power plants'
steam condensers. By evaporating a portion of the circulating water flow
through the cooling tower, the remaining water is cooled. SPX's Air2Air
technology then recovers a portion of the evaporated water, condenses it,
and retains it in the tower system.
"In addition to reducing water consumption and treatment costs,
coal-fired power plants that utilize SPX's Air2Air water recovery system
can achieve greater overall productivity, and even replace more costly
means of generating pure water," added Dendy. "Recovered water can be
returned directly to the tower basin, or even piped away as a pure water
stream for boiler make-up or other plant uses."
The full-scale water conservation installation at the San Juan
Generating Station is being funded in part by a three-year research grant
from the U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory
(DOE/NETL) -- which estimates that U.S. power plant cooling towers
evaporate three billion gallons of water each day.
The performance of the tower and water recovery system at San Juan is
being monitored remotely with a wireless satellite monitoring and
collection system supplied by SPX Flash Technologies. Utilizing the latest
in wireless detector technology, design engineers from SPX Cooling
Technologies can continuously monitor the performance and operation of the
unit and provide live feedback and operating recommendations to plant
operators in New Mexico.
"With the cooperation of PNM and SPX Flash, we are able to closely
monitor and validate the performance of the water recovery system," said
Glenn Brenneke, Vice President of Research & Development for SPX Thermal
Equipment & Services. "This will enable us to collect a complete set of
operating data to assess the system over a full range of plant and weather
conditions."
SPX's relationship with PNM dates back to 1975, when the company
undertook installation of a wet/dry tower at the San Juan station to
address the issue of water availability. Completed in 1978, the tower began
commercial operation in 1979. Testing in 1980 found the tower exceeded
design requirements in both thermal performance and water conservation.
SPX Corporation is a Fortune 500 multi-industry manufacturing leader.
The company offers highly-specialized engineered solutions to solve
critical problems for customers.
SPX is focused on providing solutions that support the expansion of
global infrastructure, with particular emphasis on the growing worldwide
demand for energy and power. Its innovative product portfolio, containing
many environmentally friendly products, includes cooling systems for all
types of power plants throughout the world; custom engineered pumps, valves
and mixers that assist a variety of flow processes including oil and gas
exploration, distribution and refinement; handheld diagnostic tools that
aid in vehicle maintenance and repair, and power transformers that regulate
voltage for electrical transmission and distribution by utility companies.
SPX is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and employs over
14,000 people worldwide in over 20 countries. Visit http://www.spx.com.
Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, and are subject to the safe harbor created thereby.
Please refer to our public filings for a discussion of certain important
factors that relate to forward-looking statements contained in this press
release. The words "believe," "expect," and similar expressions identify
forward-looking statements. Although the company believes that the
expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it
can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.
SOURCE SPX Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.spx.com/
CONTACT:
Jeremy W. Smeltser (Investors),
+1-704-752-4478, investor@spx.com, or Jennifer H. Epstein
(Media), +1-704-752-7403, jennifer.epstein@spx.com, both of SPX
Corporation
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