News

• Assessment of EPA’s Utility MACT Proposal
  January 31, 2012
  An informative document in Q&A format that explains a) why Utility MACT is less vulnerable to legal challenge than CSAPR; and b) why so much less coal capacity is going to be retired than some of the earlier projections. See also, The Utility MACT; Is Now a Fact blog post. 
  
  
• Mcilvaine Publishes Gold Dust Newsletter; features November Hot Topic Hour Presentation
  December 21, 2011
  
  
• McIlvaine Company Hot Topic Webinar Nov 10th at 10AM/CST
  November 10, 2011
  Thursday November 10, 2011 at 10:00am CST  With the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) set in motion for January 1st, 2012, NeuCo will discuss the implications of recent and emerging air emissions regulations (including CSAPR and the Boiler MACT) on the power industry, what it means for your plant and differences from past emissions regulations.  We'll also highlight how BoilerOpt® can improve overall unit performance, reduce NOx, and increase boiler reliability which results in fewer adverse consequences associated with low-NOx operations, including less slagging, water wall corrosion, ammonia slip and air heater fouling.
  
  
• CSAPR Webcast
  November 3, 2011
  With the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) set in motion for January 1st, 2012, NeuCo will discuss CSAPR's implication on the power industry, what it means for your plant and how it's different from past emissions regulations.  We'll also highlight how BoilerOpt® can improve overall unit performance, reduce NOx, and increase boiler reliability which results in fewer adverse consequences associated with low-NOx operations, including less slagging, water wall corrosion, ammonia slip and air heater fouling. Listen On-Demand here; http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/5672/35703
  
  
• Tradeshow Calendar Complete for 2011
  September 20, 2011
  Thank you to all who participated in our 2011 conference and tradeshow events.  Your continued support and committment is is what keeps us motivated to put on a great show.  Stay tuned for 2012 tradeshow details and we'll see you on the exhibit floor!
  
  
• Tradeshow Calendar in Full Swing for August
  August 5, 2011
  
  
• NETL Releases Fact Sheet Covering NeuCo
  June 1, 2011
  NeuCo's second round Clean Coal Power Initiative project officially concluded with the publishing of NeuCo’s final technical report by the DOE. Titled “Mercury Specie and Multi-Pollutant Control”, this four-year, $15.5 million cost-sharing project demonstrated the ability to affect and optimize mercury speciation and multi-pollutant control using non-intrusive advanced sensor and optimization technologies to minimize emissions, maximize efficiency and manage by-products at the NRG Limestone Plant in Jewett, TX. The Limestone plant is currently operating with all optimization systems in place on Unit 2.
  
  
• NeuCo and CPS Energy Host Successful Plant Optimization Tour
  May 25, 2011
  CPS Energy’s JK Spruce plant served as host for the recent Plant Optimization Tour held May 25-26, 2011; in San Antonio, TX.  Attendees received a comprehensive overview of the JK Spruce implementation procedures and benefits achieved to date.  NeuCo featured a dedicated session highlighting our open loop optimizers, MaintenanceOpt® & PerformanceOpt®-- and how they work in the field.   JK Spruce has been running CombustionOpt® on Unit 1 since early 2002 and recently completed the implementation of SootOpt®. With the combination of the two optimizers, Spruce has been able to reduce NOx, improve heat rate and increase unit reliability.  To receive copies of the presentations, please email info@neuco.net.
  
  
• NeuCo Featured in Power Engineering Magazine
  May 17, 2011
  The Boiler Optimization Journey talks about the evolution of power plant optimization software over the past 15 years, from neural network-based systems that advised operators how to bias fuel and air in the furnace to reduce NOx emissions, to integrated closed-loop combustion and sootblowing systems that use hybrid AI technologies, solve a broad range of challenges, and provide enhanced benchmarking, analytics and transparency. The article provides examples of several power producers who have helped to advance these boiler optimization systems and drive new applications.
  
  
• NEW: NeuCo Releases Winter/Spring 2011 OPTions Newsletter
  March 17, 2011
  It's all about maintaining relationships in this six-page special edition issue featuring the recent announcement of our next Plant Optimization Tour at CPS Energy JK Spruce Station (pg 4) and a customer spotlight piece featuring Deseret Bonanza (pg 5).  Other highlights include Results from the CCPI Round 2 project at NRG Limestone (pg 1);  Peter Spinney’s perspective on the power industry’s increased focus on heat rate and how optimization can help (pg 3);  Ray Johnson’s take on the Winter trade show circuit and the industry’s shifting priorities and concerns (pg 6); and a product spotlight featuring a new PDA mobile alert function (pg 6).
  
  
• NeuCo CEO Featured on Industry Today Podcast
  December 13, 2010
  Industrial Info Resources interviewed NeuCo’s Peter Kirk as part of this week's "Industry Today" webcast. During the webcast, Peter Kirk discusses NeuCo’s boiler, unit performance and equipment health optimization software, how it is used by customers, the benefits they receive, and the future direction of the technology within the power generation industry.  Read the press release or go directly to the Optimization Standard webcast to learn more about NeuCo’s offering and what makes it unique.  To read the press release, click here.
  
  
• NeuCo-Xcel Harrington Plant Optimization Tour Webcast Goes Live
  November 30, 2010
  Recorded live from the NeuCo and Xcel Energy-hosted Plant Optimization Tour at the  Harrington power plant in Amarillo, Texas on November 18, this webcast provides an opportunity for those who did not attend the live event to hear firsthand how Boiler Optimization technology gets applied in the field and the type of benefits to expect. To listen, click http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/24209
  
  
• WEBCAST: Optimizing Combustion and Heat Transfer at Xcel Harrington Station
  November 17, 2010
  Recorded live from the NeuCo-hosted Harrington Power Plant Optimization Tour in Amarillo, Texas, this webcast is a great opportunity to hear firsthand how Boiler Optimization technology gets applied in the field and the type of benefits to expect. Harrington’s Anthony Perez discusses the plant’s use of BoilerOpt to reduce NOx
  emissions, minimize unnecessary sootblowing and increase unit reliability, both at base load and while ramping to accommodate wind generation. He discusses and fields questions about the project justification, objectives, constraints, implementation procedures and benefits at three 350 MW CE T-fired generating units.  Listen On-Demand http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/24209
  
  
• Highlights from the recent Xcel Harrington Plant Optimization Tour.
  November 16, 2010
  A summary of the recent Plant Optimization Tour at Xcel's Harrington station in Amarillo, TX which focused on their 3-unit BoilerOpt project. This was a great event - many thanks to the Harrington team for being such excellent hosts! For photos and videos check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/neuco/sets/72157625426727162/
  
  
• The Next Plant Optimization Tour
  August 1, 2010
  If you aren't familiar with NeuCo's Plant Optimization Tours, they've become a very successful way for customers and others interested in optimization technology to see our optimizers in action and interact with plant users and NeuCo technical experts. It's really an accelerated way to get up to speed on the technology and how it works in the field. We're in the process of narrowing down a few showcase sites for our next Plant Optimization Tour.  Please take a moment to fill out this short survey so we're able to tailor upcoming tours to your needs: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BW75NX5 If you're interested in attending a future tour or would like details about past events, visit http://www.neuco.net/plant_tours/default.cfm. 
  
  
• NeuCo's Boston Office Moves to Goverment Center Area of the City
  July 29, 2010
  NeuCo’s Boston Headquarters is moving to the Government Center area of the city on August 2, 2010.  The new office will be close to public transportation, Quincy Market, and the North End.   Employees are excited to explore a new neighborhood, as the Boston headquarters has been located in the Back Bay for more than 10 years.  This move was preceded by relocations of the company's Ohio Customer Center and Austin, Texas office.   According to NeuCo's President & CEO Peter Kirk: "NeuCo’s new offices in Ohio, Texas and now Boston are a great reflection of who we are as a company and are more visitor friendly. We look forward to any of our customers and partners coming to see us."  To see updated contact information, visit the Contact Us page on the website.
  
  
• NeuCo & AmerenUE featured in July Issse of Power Engineering
  July 19, 2010
  NeuCo and its customer, AmerenUE, were recently honored with the lead feature article in Power Engineering Magazine’s July issue. “AmerenUE: Still Pushing the Optimization Envelope” examines the utility’s proactive emissions reduction efforts and use of optimization software across its four coal plants over the past decade. It also details AmerenUE’s more recent BoilerOpt efforts at its Meramec plant’s four generating units, which resulted in benefits such as reduced NOx emissions, sootblowing counts and tube ruptures, improved exit gas and steam temperatures, and restored capacity.
  
  
• Press Release: Peter J. Kirk Appointed President & CEO of NeuCo
  February 22, 2010
  NeuCo, Inc. has announced that Curt Lefebvre is stepping down as President and Chief Executive Officer of NeuCo, and Peter J. Kirk, formerly NeuCo's Executive Vice President of Sales, has been named his successor. Lefebvre will remain involved in the company as a shareholder and advisor.
  
  
• 2011 EPRI Heat Rate Improvement Conference
  January 25, 2010
  EPRI Heat Rate Conference:
  January 25-27, 2011 in St Petersburg, Florida
  “Boiler Optimization and Advanced Instrumentation for Heat Rate & Reliability Improvements”
  Speaker: Ray Johnson
  
  
• Boiler Optimization Webcast featuring Xcel Tolk Station
  October 15, 2009
  Hear David Head, Controls Technician at Xcel’s Tolk Station Unit 2, discuss how using NeuCo's Boiler Optimization systems (Combustion and Sootblowing) have helped the plant improve temperatures, sprays and boiler efficiency; reduce NOx emissions in response to CAIR while adhering to CO limits; and adjust to changing dispatch profiles due to wind power. This webcast was recorded in front of a live audience at recent Tolk Plant Optimization Tour, in Muleshoe, TX on October 7th and 8th, 2009.
  
  
• Taean Plant Chooses NeuCo’s CombustionOpt
  September 9, 2009
  NeuCo was selected by Korea Western Power Co., Ltd. to install CombustionOpt systems at Units 5 and 6 of the Taean Thermal Power Plant. NeuCo worked closely with its agent AID Corporation and the Korean Electric Power Research Institute (KEPRI) to secure this deal. It follows a KEPRI-sponsored test project in which NeuCo successfully implemented combustion optimization software at Korea South-East Power Company’s Samcheonpo Power Plant.  Click here to view the original press release on AID's website.
  
  
• Beyond Coal: Benefits for Oil & Gas Units
  July 1, 2009
  While optimization has been successful at mainly coal-fired units, this excerpt from an older OPTions Newsletter (Fall 2008) highlights Mirant Canal and JEA Northside's reduced NOx and improved heat rate results, both of which are oil-fired & natural gas units.
  
  
• NeuCo featured in Power Engineering Magazine- May 2009 issue
  May 1, 2009
  
  
• NeuCo featured on EnergyCentral.com
  March 23, 2009
  This article describes and quantifies boiler optimization’s ability to manage power generation operating and financial tradeoffs in a manner responsive to uncertain fuel, NOx allowance and carbon markets.  Written by Peter Spinney, NeuCo, Inc.
  
  
• Results of Nation’s First Completed Clean Coal Power Initiative Project (CCPI) Announced
  December 19, 2008
  NeuCo, in conjunction with Dynegy Midwest Generation and the Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) installed five optimization software modules at the Baldwin Energy Complex in Baldwin, IL.  The $19.1 million CCPI project was a cost-shared effort between NeuCo & the DOE.  The initiative's objective was to improve coal-based generation's emissions profile, fuel efficiency, equipment reliability and plant asset life. Over the course of this four-year project, NeuCo has installed and refined five real-time, closed loop process optimizers that address combustion, sootblowing and SCR operations, overall unit thermal performance and plant-wide economic optimization at all three Baldwin units- two cyclones and one T-fired boiler.  This installation represents the first time multiple optimization software modules of this breadth have been integrated into a computerized process network in a coal-fired power plant.
  
  
• Clean Coal Power Initiative Project Ends in Success
  December 19, 2008
  DOE Techline announces the successful conclusion of the CCPI 1 project at Baldwin.  "The successful conclusion of this CCPI project is a milestone on the road to cleaner power systems using coal," said acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Jim Slutz. "It illustrates anew that this abundant resource can be used to secure a reliable supply of electricity without sacrificing the Nation's economy or environment."  Click on the link above to read the full article.