Review of Electrical Power Systems Essentials

This is the book I wish I had read after graduating from college.  Being a Mechanical Engineer and not an Electrical Engineer, this book helps to answer many of the questions on what happens to electricity after being generated.  Mechanical Engineering does a great job explaining energy generation systems, but does very little to go into the details of the how the grid works and operates to provide that electricity we need and want when we flip a switch. 

By far my favorite chapter was 5.  I actually skipped right to this chapter because it was the main draw to reading this book and understanding electricity delivery.  This chapter is named "Power System Control", and covers how resources are brought online by the system operator, and controls that are in place to alert the system operator when these needs arise.

By monitoring voltage and current levels the system operator  can keep the electricity within the exacting tolerances needed.  They also have mechanisms for voltage and frequency control that are not thought about in our day to day lives.  

If you are looking to better understand electrical distribution systems, this is the book for you!  

Non-experts: typical heat rate values to keep in mind

Last week a friend asked me about typical heat rate values for combined cycle plants in Mexico... after quick reflection, I realized that despite my long time in the industry and focus on thermal performance, I had forgotten what typical heat rates look like for our most common plants...

Here's a refresher (table below).  Definitively keep in mind these are off-the-cuff.

These are not precise values at all, especially if you convert them from %Eff to Heat Rate units, you'd see they're not exact.  However, they are ballpark values easy to remember.   Next time someone asks me I might've forgotten these values but I'll share my microblog post with them.