AEP Employees Win EPRI Technology Transfer Awards

AEP employees Michael Crichton (left) and James Bateman (right) receive EPRI Technology Transfer awards from Tom Alley, EPRI vice president, Generation.

A total of nine AEP employees received prestigious Technology Transfer Awards from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Feb. 7 for their achievements in research and development (R&D).

Presented annually, EPRI’s Technology Transfer Awards recognize power system leaders and innovators who have helped their companies deliver safe, affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible electricity via the application of R&D in the utility industry.

The following AEP employees received Technology Transfer Awards:

Dean Bell, Michael Finneran, Ryan Forbes, Thomas Hart, Amanda Torgerson and Wayne Whipple for evaluating performance of a fixed structure concept for control of mercury emissions. The AEP team took on the challenge to design, install, and construct the commercial system and completed numerous tests.

In the project, AEP and FirstEnergy field-tested the EPRI-patented sorbent polymer composite (SPC) technology for mercury control, validating earlier laboratory and pilot testing and demonstrating the soundness of the concept. SPC provides utilities with a viable option for mercury and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission control at plants equipped with a wet scrubber.

From left, AEP employees Michael Finneran, Wayne Whipple, Dean Bell and Thomas Hart receive awards from Tom Alley.

James Bateman, Michael Carothers and Michael Crichton for applying the guidance contained in EPRI research of the Welding Method 6 — alternative weld repair methods for advanced steel alloy components in power plants. Developed as part of a multi-national research project, the welding methods preserve the integrity of the material while reducing outage times. AEP represents the very first industry-detailed application of Welding Method 6. In this project, AEP used the alternative weld repair method in 14 repairs of reheater tubing.

“The 2016 Technology Transfer Award winners have taken EPRI R&D to new levels in order to shape a sustainable energy system,” said Arshad Mansoor, senior vice president of R&D at EPRI. “Working in a collaborative environment, their advancements benefit their utility and the entire industry because we all have a stake in power system transformation.”