Courtesy MOHR The readout from MOHR Test and Measurement LLC's instrumentation system for spent-fuel pools. Courtesy Westinghouse The layout of Westinghouse's instrumentation system for spent-fuel pools. After the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-plant accident, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an order for nuclear facilities to install reliable, extended-range instrumentation for spent-fuel-pool levels that meets new disaster standards. Last July, the first device was installed, says the device's designer.Two companies recently announced the successful release of a measurement system that meets the new NRC standards, but Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC, Monroeville, Pa., installed the first device in a live
Image Courtesy Environmental Defense Fund and Google Maps Methane leaks from natural-gas lines, such as these shown on a map of New York City's Staten Island (right), add to greenhouse gases. A cooperative effort between the Environmental Defense Fund and Google Earth Outreach aims to help utilities find them. Related Links: Environmental Defense Fund natural gas leak project EPA overview on greenhouse gases Rapid and accurate detection of methane leaks is being offered to natural-gas utility companies following a successful pilot project led by the Environmental Defense Fund, in partnership with Google Earth Outreach.The program uses Google Street View cars
Attempting to bring electric water heaters into the current era, civil engineer-turned-inventor Jerry Callahan says he has created a novel water heater that eliminates traditional modes of failure while increasing energy efficiency—and it has Wi-Fi.Instead of using traditional heating elements, Callahan’s tankless heater, called the Model 1 by Heatworks, uses an ohmic heating process in which electric current is passed through water between 19 graphite electrodes.Until the invention of this device, the ohmic method could not be used to attain the precise water-temperature control needed for domestic or commercial hot-water systems. Callahan claims the Model 1’s microprocessor achieves control by
Image Courtesy of Softree Softree Optimal ingests laser scanning, soil composition and the cost of cutting and filling dirt in various topographies and soil types to compute the path of least resistance (shown in red) for infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and pipelines. Related Links: VIDEO: SoftreeOptimal in Five Minutes A new corridor-based, infrastructure-alignment software product aims to automate optimal vertical alignment work by using topography data to compute the path of least resistance.Developed in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, Softree Optimal, created by Softree Technical Systems Inc., Vancouver, B.C., finds the lowest-cost vertical alignment for infrastructure
The latest in a series of reports about concerns over construction defects in the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge suspension span involves cracked welds in the girders that form the span’s roadway. Others that have emerged include suspect foundation concrete, rusted tendons in the skyway that connects the suspension span to Oakland, broken anchor rods, and corrosion on the main cable. Many of the issues were first reported by The Sacramento Bee.As a “fracture critical” structure, in which some vital structural elements lack redundancy or backup, the bridge would seem to be a perfect candidate for an installed system for structural
Courtesy of BP Drone weighs 13.5 lbs and can stay aloft for three hours. Related Links: FAA Appeals Drone Ruling as Use Soars FAA Drone Information Page The Federal Aviation Administration’s recent approval of BP’s flights of a commercial unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or drone, over northern Alaska, which began on June 8, is a step toward legalizing commercial UAS flights elsewhere in the nation. Until now, legal commercial use of UAS over land has been restricted to the military, law enforcement and scientists engaged in research and development.FAA spokesman Les Dorr says the agency is talking to commercial industries
Related Links: 3D Hubs global 3D printer network Recent conversations with Autodesk’s technologists, a tour of Autodesk’s “Pier 9” workshop on the San Francisco waterfront and an encounter with Carl Bass, Autodesk president and CEO, builds an appreciation for the company’s deepening interest in 3D printing.The workshop is a 27,000 sq ft, two-story structure housing 115 people on a pier near Autodesk’s San Francisco offices at the foot of Market Street. It opened last fall and has been equipped with offices, presentation spaces, a test kitchen, a Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor and a series of workspaces separately equipped for
ENR FutureTech is a growing event that showcases some of the most cutting edge thinking and practices regarding technology in construction practices. Now, the event is opening up to more ideas from you.The technology editors of ENR are issuing a call for presentations for the next ENR FutureTech event, slated for Dec. 11 at the Georgia Tech Conference Center in Atlanta.The entry form is here.Past year's presentations can be viewed here.If you have any questions, please send an email to: enr_web_editors@mcgraw-hill.com.
Energy-efficient buildings are not living up to their promise. The problem is serious, yet somewhat puzzling. Efficient building technologies are becoming more and more available; government regulations and company policies are supporting a drive for energy efficiency more than ever and building energy performance targets remain low. Yet when high-performance buildings are delivered they are not matching expectationsThe reasons for the performance deficit can be attributed to multiple issues. Building system and envelope modeling may be inadequate, possibly hampered by incomplete application of the tools—probably because they are not calibrated to actual operating conditions. Contractors may understand each building system
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