Power Plants

Power stations or power plants provide electric power to a community, industry or other entity. These plants are typically connected to an electrical grid. Most power stations will have more than one generator to supply enough power.

Burning Fuel Sources

Power plants require some type of energy source to make the generator turn. The majority of the stations use a fossil fuel, such as coal, natural gas, or even oil. Newer plants may opt for a cleaner source of fuel, including solar, wind, geothermal, wave, and nuclear power.

Thermal power stations take the thermal energy provided and transforms it into rotational energy to power the generator. Many of these stations produce steam. Combined cycle plants are common and are found to be more efficient than a single cycle. Exhaust gases generate steam for the boiler as well as a steam turbine. The top and bottom cycles operate more efficiently together than what either could alone.

Waste Products

Power plants produce waste in the effort to generate electricity. The types of waste products vary, depending on the source used to turn the generator. With combustion turbine plants, the waste products include carbon dioxide, ash, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide.

Other plants use waste products to provide the fuel, these are called biomass-fueled power stations. The waste used may come from municipal solid waste, sugar cane, methane in landfills, and other forms.

Separate communities, such as hospitals, industrial plants, and office buildings may use internal combustion reciprocating engines as a backup source if power goes out. These engines use natural gas, diesel oil, and other products for energy sources.

Plants create their own waste heat energy as a result of the useful energy produced. The waste energy is equal to or above the amount of useful energy that is created. Cooling towers are responsible for releasing the waste heat into the atmosphere when the water evaporates.

Some power stations store energy for later use. Thermal energy, battery storage, and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are three examples.

Storage for Power Plants

Depending on the type of power station, there is a need for maintenance of several kinds of storage containers. Staff must monitor the tanks and equipment, perform specific inspections, log temperatures and pressures, and even start and stop the generators as needed.

Procedures are in place to ensure energy sources and waste sources are managed to protect the plant as well as the surrounding environment. This is a highly regulated industry with specific requirements for equipment to ensure safety of those who work in the plants as well as those who live and travel around them.

Great River Industries work with power plant companies to provide adequate storage facilities that meet or exceed federal, state and local requirements. Our team is trained in the industry regulations and protocols to ensure we develop the storage containers to meet compliance and to maintain these facilities for long-term use. We provide inspections and maintenance to ensure little to no downtime with such an important product being developed. Our goal is to exceed the standards for the industry and provide first-rate service for each of our customers.