IPE Montreal Branch Model Boiler Project 2020

We appreciate the moments when community and industry are able to come together. When friends, neighbours and coworkers spend time together and build fun new things.

Please enjoy the attached presentation from the IPE Montreal. Their softened water model boiler project incorporates a steam boiler, copper heat exhanger and a power plant with working lights.

Congratulations to IPE Montreal for their wonderful team project!

ABSA Information Bulletins

Please be advised the following information bulletins are issued and posted on the ABSA website.

1. IB20-015 - ABSA COVID-19 Measures and Written Examinations
2. IB20-014 (VA20-007) Variance to Power Engineers Regulation Section 18(1) – third class examinations

To subscribe to ABSA email updates please follow this link:
absa.ca/subscriptions/subscribe-to-einfo/

AB-538 Integrity Management Requirements for Mechanical Refrigeration Systems Containing Ammonia

Please be advised that the new requirements document AB-538 Integrity Management Requirements for Mechanical Refrigeration Systems Containing Ammonia has been published on the ABSA website. Links below to it and the enabling Information Bulletin.

A notice regarding COVID-19

To all our respected colleauges,

Due to high risk of transmission of coronavirus please be advised that the Edmonton branch of IPE is suspending branch meetings untill further notice. We are continually assessing the situation and following the Alberta Health Services recomendations.

Please ensure that you have the most current and accurate information by visiting the Alberta Health Services website.

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/topics/Page16944.aspx

Accurate information and due diligence will help reduce the impact of coronavirus.

Be informed, be diligent, be safe.

February 2020 - No meeting this month

Unfortunately, due to time restraints, we were not able to coordinate a meeting for this month.

We look forward to seeing everyone again in March.

Stay tuned for more details.

Mr. John Mclay, P.Eng, PE

We have some sad news to share with the group. Mr. John Mclay, P.Eng, PE has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Mr. McLay worked as a professional engineer and also a First Class power engineer. John was a very active member with the Alberta IPE until recently.

From the family of John McLay:

January Heating Plant Tour

Location: University of Alberta District Heating Plant
116 Streets & 85 Ave,
Edmonton, AB (South of the Jubilee Auditorium)

Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Time: 6:30 PM. Please plan to arrive on time.

Parking: Parking on the west side of the heating plant and pay parking in K Zone along the roadway on the north side of the plant. The Heating Plant is easily accessible via the Capital line LRT stopping at the Health Sciences Jubilee Station. There is no free parking at the University.

Personal Protection: Safety glasses Hard hats if you have them Long pants and long sleeve shirts Proper shoes or boots (no open toes)

For many years the University of Alberta provided a home for the Institute of Power Engineers and is well known by past and present members.

For the January tour, we will be visiting the University of Alberta heating plant. The plant consists of (2) - 2800 kPa gas fired and (3) - 6200 kPa gas and oil-fired power boilers, (1) - 13.3 Mw backpressure steam turbo-generator, (1) - 26.4 MW condensing steam turbo-generator with Air Cooled Condenser, (3) - 1.5 Mw diesel generators, (5) - air compressors and (3) - desiccant air-dryers, demineralizer trains and polisher plant. Closed looped chilled water systems and related plant auxiliaries.

The U of A district heating plant is well known for its one of a kind underground service corridor that extends an excess of 12 km serving the North Campus, Cross Cancer Institute, Walter C Makenzie Health Center, and the Royal Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

Anyone with interest is welcome to attend, including students. RSVP please if you are interested as the space is limited.

If you are not familiar with the area, navigating the University and finding parking can be a challenge. Please plan ahead to arrive on time.

We look forward to seeing everyone for our first tour of 2020.

December Dinner Party

Location: Radisson Hotel Edmonton South
4440 Gateway Blvd
Edmonton, AB

Date: Saturday December 7, 2019
Time: 5:30 PM cocktails; 6:00 PM dinner
Parking: Please register your vehicle with the front desk. Topside parking for full size vehicles, underground small vehicles only.

Good morning everyone. Ok for our next meeting we are pleased to announce our annual holiday dinner meeting at the Radisson Edmonton South. On the very popular buffet menu is seafood, prime rib and turkey, including all the trimmings. We keep coming back here because the food is so good.

Please brave the cold to join us on Saturday December 7th for an evening of delightful company, food and drinks. Cost per person is for Adults $52 and Seniors $46 (wisdom does have its rewards). This includes all taxes and gratuity. The only thing not included is drinks which are extra.

RSVP please if you are planning to attend as the space is limited. Donations for the Edmonton Food Bank are also welcome.

November Branch Meeting and Guest Speaker

Location: NAIT Main Campus, Building C, (Room TBA)
10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM
Parking: $5 NAIT Student Parking Lot C, 10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB
PPE : None required

This month we have a special guest visiting. They are preparing a special presentation for us, talking about industrial compression. Many of us are familiar with air compressors used around the shop or in home renovations or perhaps you have seen large electric units used for instrument air supply in a plant. What’s interesting about industrial compression is there can be almost no limit to how large or powerful some of these units can get. We will look at some examples and learn a bit about what makes them tick.

In addition, we will be holding a general meeting to discuss branch business and there is lots to talk about this month. On the table will be membership awards, recognizing outstanding members of the branch, as well as branch committee nominations for the coming year, and an update from the IPE Ontario Chief Power Engineers Education Conference held recently in Toronto.

Anyone with interest is welcome to attend, including students and non-members. Please let me know with a short email if you plan to attend.

October Heating Plant Tour and General Branch Meeting

Location: Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital
9401 86 Ave, Fort Saskatchewan, AB

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM
Parking: Please use the main parking lot
Admission: Admission is $10 per person
PPE : Safety glasses and ear plugs are required

Hello everyone, we are back from summer vacation and ready for another school year. For October, we will be visiting the Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital and mechanical area. This building was completed in 2012 and replaced the former Fort Saskatchewan Health Centre. This modern facility includes high voltage air handling and modular steam generation as well as a cafeteria, child health clinic and respiratory rehabilitation.

Anyone with interest is welcome to attend, including students. RSVP please if you are planning to attend as the space is limited to 16 visitors. Also for security and you are getting used to this by now, we will be sending a list of visitors’ names to the hospital supervisor.

We look forward to seeing you all again Tuesday October 15th.

Genesee Unit 2 to Celebrate 30 Years of Reliable Service

In October 2019, Genesee Unit 2 (G2), the first of three coal-fired units at the Genesee Generating Station, will celebrate 30 years of producing reliable electricity for Albertans. As it was known back then, Edmonton Power first proposed to construct a coal plant in the Genesee area in 1977 and the project was approved by the regulator in 1980.

Construction began in 1982 and by 1984 the powerhouse was completed before construction ceased later that same year due to regulatory constraints, which would delay the completion of the project for 18 months. At peak construction, approximately 800 workers were involved in the $880-million project. Originally scheduled to begin operations in 1987, the 430 MW G2 unit officially began producing power for the grid on October 1, 1989 and continues to supply an important source of baseload power to Alberta.

During a planned maintenance outage in 2020, G2 will receive a new Low-Pressure Rotor to further improve the unit’s efficiency as part of the GPS program. The benefits of this upgrade will carry forward as the unit is proposed to be modified to enable operation with 100% natural gas and allow G2 to continue operating past the legislated phase out of emissions from coalfired generation by 2030. Genesee currently uses both gas and coal (“co-fire”) up to 250 megawatts (MW) and has used natural gas as a supplement to coal since 2017.

Genesee Unit 2. Photo and article courtesy of Capital Power.

Heritage Steam Events – Summer 2019

Our friends at the Heritage Boilers Association of Alberta (HBAA) have shared with us a bit of what’s on their radar for July and August. More info and events are posted on their website at www.hbaa.ca

Summer Steam Events

July 13-14: Pioneer Acres in Irricana

Training event. Their Case 65 will be operating and available for training or building hours. To come out for training or building hours, you must sign up with Pioneer Acres. Send an email to info@pioneeracres.ab.ca (no phone calls, please).

July 13-14: Alberta Prairie Railway in Big Valley

Alberta Prairie Railway will be hosting its annual Live Steam Show.

August 9-11: Pioneer Acres in Irricana

Pioneer Acres Annual Show. All boilers operating with some opportunity for practical experience, but their show is a very busy time.

Please take the opportunity to attend one of these events if you are interested.

June Special Tour

Location: Alberta Railway Museum
24215 34 Street NW, Edmonton

Date: Saturday, June 22, 2019
Time: 11:00am
Parking: Parking on site
Admission: Admission is $10 per person
PPE : None required.

We are pleased to announce a second event for June and have arranged a special guided tour at the Alberta Railway Museum. Please join us on Saturday, June 22 to learn more about Alberta’s industrial history. There are two large steam locomotives on site, one in excellent condition and another which is being restored.

The Alberta Railway Museum is operated by the Alberta Pioneer Railway Association and is a rustic outdoor display of railway equipment and buildings. The museum replicates a small terminal with station, water tank and shops. The main emphasis is on cars and locomotives from the Canadian National Railways and Northern Alberta Railways.

Members, students and non-members are welcome to attend. RSVP please if you are able to attend as we are looking at a minimum group size of 10 visitors.

June Family BBQ

Location: William Hawrelak Park, Picnic Site #1
9330 Groat Road NW, Edmonton, AB

Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Time: 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM

So, for June we have a couple events we’d like to host before everyone goes away for their summer vacations. Coming up in two weeks we have our annual family BBQ, Tuesday, June the 11th, 5:30pm at Hawrelak Park Site #1. Please bring your family out for some great company and conversation. This year we are honored to be sponsored again by our friend, the Barb-e-Que Doctor, Mr. Ed Hnytka.

Thanks again to Mr. Ed Hnytka, PE for hosting this event again this year as it’s always enjoyable to watch him setup all his barbeques and put something different in each one.

Please dress for all four seasons as outdoor events in June can be exciting. Also consider bringing a donation for the Edmonton Food Bank.

Please let me know with a short reply to this email if you plan to attend and how many are coming with you.

Edmonton Branch Meeting

Location: NAIT Main Campus, Building C, Room C-111
10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM

Parking: $5 NAIT Student Parking Lot C, 10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB
PPE required: None required

This month we will be hosting a branch meeting at NAIT and opening some time to the continuing education discussion. We will go over the branch news and then have some conversation about what continuing education means for power engineers in Alberta which has been an interesting topic at recent meetings.

Please join us for some good company and discussion surrounding where we see this side of the profession headed in the coming year. There will be different perspectives to hear from members of the group which is always interesting.

For our NAIT meetings, anyone with interest is welcome to attend and coffee and snacks will be provided. Please let me know with a short email if you plan to attend the branch meeting Tuesday May the 21st.

We are also looking forward to two more events before we break for summer holidays. June 11th is a Tuesday and our annual family barbeque will be in the afternoon at Hawrelak Park. Then also in June we will have a special tour on Saturday June 22nd and will be paying a visit to the Alberta Railroad Museum.

April Meeting and Plant Tour

Location: Royal Alberta Museum
9810 103a Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB, T5J 0G2

Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM

Directions: The new Royal Alberta Museum is located at 9810 103a Ave NW. Access from the north via 97 Street or from the south by way of Jasper Avenue and 97st. Please note the museum has moved and is several blocks east of the previous location.

Parking: Public parking is available in close proximity to the Royal Alberta Museum. The museum is also located near transit and includes pedway access via the Churchill LRT station. It is recommended to consider your travel plan prior to the event.

PPE: Safety glasses, hearing protection and long shirts and pants are required for this tour.

Hello everyone, well we have some exciting plans to share with you for this month. We have been invited to visit the brand new Royal Alberta Museum downtown and have a guided tour of their heating and cooling plant. We will have a branch meeting to talk about what’s new and upcoming for the IPE Edmonton branch followed by a tour of the museum mechanical area.

The Royal Alberta Museum rests on Treaty Six territory and the homeland of the Métis. We look forward to seeing the inside of this beautiful new facility and also the opportunity to have a rare look inside the utility and mechanical area.

RSVP please if you are able to attend as the group size is limited. Members and student members are welcome to attend. If your classmates haven’t completed their student membership, please let me know and we can work on that together.

March Building Tour

Location: Gateway Mechanical Services
14605 118 Avenue, Edmonton

Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM

For our March tour we are looking forward to visiting Gateway Mechanical Services.

Gateway Refrigeration was founded in Edmonton in 1968 and recently celebrated their 50th anniversary. The founders had a vision to legitimize the refrigeration trade and provide a personal level of service to their customers. Now with a fleet of over 250 vehicles, Gateway Mechanical Services is a leader in the commercial and industrial air conditioning, heating and refrigeration industry.

Members and student members are invited to join us for this tour. RSVP please if you are interested as the group is limited to 16 visitors. Coffee and snacks will be provided.

THE PRESSURE NEWS Vol 23, Issue 3 (Sept 2018)

Alberta Chief Power Engineers Education Conference

February General Meeting and Guest Speaker

Location: NAIT Main Campus, Building C, Room C-111
10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM

Parking:
$5 NAIT Student Parking Lot C, 10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

PPE: None required

This month we have a special guest visiting with us from Alberta Occupational Health and Safety. They have prepared a special presentation for us, talking about the 2018 regulation updates. If you missed our earlier communication from August, there is some more info here:

NEW Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code: http://www.qp.alberta.ca/ohscode.cfm

In addition, we will be holding a general meeting to discuss branch business and there is lots to talk about this month. On the table will be continuing education / continuous improvement for power engineers, the recent update from the Alberta Pressure Equipment Sub Council (PESC) and results of the Edmonton Branch executive elections for 2019.

Students and non-members are welcome to attend our general meetings and coffee and snacks will be provided. Please let me know with a short email if you plan to attend.

An Update from the Pressure Equipment Sub Council

We are honored to have senior IPE members serve as board members on the Pressure Equipment Sub Council.

Recently one of our members, Mr. Henry Hau, PE, was elected as Chairman of the PESC and this is very exciting news. His first meeting as Chair will be on March 14th, 2019.

In addition, we have some attachments to share regarding the last meeting of the PESC from October 2018. There is a lot of information here, including the meeting minutes from the PESC meetings and also the detailed incident report from the Fernie, BC arena accident from 2017. The Fernie accident happened at a time when many power engineering groups across Canada were busy discussing supervision of refrigeration plants and several of the attached documents are in reference to Fernie.

You can view all the attachments at the link below:

NEW PESC update for January 2019

January Branch Meeting Postponed

Our building tour that was scheduled to happen on the 15th of January has been postponed due to some overlying circumstances. We are working with the building administration on a new meeting time and we appreciate their willingness to accommodate us.

December Dinner Party (CORRECTION)

OK I have a correction to share for the dinner event on Saturday. Ed said I’m allowed one mistake per month, but I apologize for pouring confusion on this.

The cost for the dinner will be as follows. As we are a rather large group, the gratuity is already included in the price.

• For adults: $47.15 per person, including gratuity. Payable to the restaurant
• For seniors: $41.25 per person, including gratuity. Payable to the restaurant
• The branch will cover the cost for drinks.

In our example, Elisha and I are planning to bring $50 cash each for the dinner and that’s all.

It is advisable to bring cash as we did the credit card thing last year and it was a bit of a process for the waitress.

Please let me know if you can make it out on Saturday evening for our annual December dinner.

Please plan to join us for an evening of delightful company, food and drinks. On the very popular holiday menu is prime rib, turkey and seafood, and comes with all the trimmings. Cost per person is for Adults $39.95 ($47.15 with gratuity) and for Seniors, wisdom does have its rewards, $34.95 plus gratuity ($41.25 per person).

Recently you may have heard us talking about out our tour of the Provincial Archives of Alberta and some very old things we discovered there. We are planning to have a copy of the Alberta Boiler Act of 1906 at the dinner party for you to look at and we are very excited to share that with you.

RSVP please if you are planning to attend as the space is limited. Donations for the Edmonton Food Bank are also welcome.

----------------------------------------

Location: Radisson Hotel Edmonton South
4440 Gateway Blvd, Edmonton, AB T6H 5C2

Date: Saturday December 8, 2018
Time: 5:30 PM cocktails; 6:00 PM dinner

Parking:
Please register your vehicle with the front desk. Topside parking for full size vehicles, underground small vehicles only.

The Alberta Institute of Power Engineers is pleased to announce our annual December dinner party at the Radisson Edmonton South. This year we will meet on December the 8th, yes, a Saturday night at the Radisson Hotel Edmonton South 4440 Gateway Blvd. Dinner will be at 6pm with drinks before, starting at 5:30.

Please plan to join us for an evening of delightful company, food and drinks. On the very popular holiday menu is prime rib, turkey and seafood, and comes with all the trimmings. Cost per person is for Adults $39.95 ($47.15 with gratuity) and for Seniors, wisdom does have its rewards, $34.95 plus gratuity ($41.25 per person).

The organization will be paying for the dinner portion of the evening so please, bring cash or a cheque made out to the Alberta Institute of Power Engineers. If you would like to order from the bar, those costs will be in addition and payable to the restaurant.

Recently you may have heard us talking about out our tour of the Provincial Archives of Alberta and some very old things we discovered there. We are planning to have a copy of the Alberta Boiler Act of 1906 at the dinner party for you to look at and we are very excited to share that with you.

RSVP please if you are planning to attend as the space is limited. Donations for the Edmonton Food Bank are also welcome.

November Guest Speaker and General Branch Meeting

Location: NAIT Main Campus, Building C, Room C-111
10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

Date: Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Time: 6:30 PM

Parking:
$5 NAIT Student Parking Lot C, 10828 118 Avenue, Edmonton, AB

PPE Required: None required

This month we have a special guest speaker Mr. John McLay, PE visiting with us to talk about Critical Operations Planning and Operational Responsibility in Shutdowns, Turnarounds and Outages. Please plan to attend this presentation at NAIT on Tuesday the 20th of November at 6:30pm.

Mr. John McLay is an accomplished construction and maintenance planner with over 45 years working in heavy industry. He has been involved in excess of 250 plant turnarounds and is an internationally recognized trainer, author, and consultant.

Mr. McLay has been a member of the IPE Edmonton branch since 1980. In recognition of this, any student registered with the IPE or any new students who fill out a branch membership form at the meeting will receive a free copy of John’s book Practical Management for Plant Turnarounds.

For our NAIT meetings, anyone with interest is welcome to attend and coffee and snacks will be provided. Please let me know with a short email if you plan to attend.

Alberta Chief Power Engineers Education Conference

Delta Edmonton South Conference Centre

November 6-7, 2018

We would like to let everyone know about an important event this month in Edmonton.

The 4th Alberta Chief Power Engineers Education Conference is being held at the Delta Hotels by Marriott, Edmonton South Conference Centre again this year on November 7, with the hospitality suite on November 6.

The conference was developed in response to requests from Chief Power Engineers who are currently working within power plants, thermal liquid heating system facilities and heating plants as per the Safety Codes Act (ACT) and the Power Engineers Regulation (PER). This educational conference is designed to provide chiefs with additional education to help in their roles and responsibilities under the PER, help with understanding the need to be in compliance to the ACT and Regulation(s) along with other matters that relate to the duties of Chief Power Engineers.

There is a website for the event and you can find that here:

The Alberta Institute of Power Engineers is proud to be part of the Alberta Chief Power Engineers Education Conference in 2018. Please join us at our booth to review the valuable activities our nonprofit volunteer organization engages in.

JMC Consulting Ltd thru president and author Mr. John McLay is proud to sponsor the booth this year. Mr. John McLay will be hosting a training seminar titled Master Class: Shutdowns and Turnarounds, December 4-6, 2018 at the West Edmonton Mall Conference Centre.

October Special Tour

Location: Provincial Archives of Alberta
8555 Roper Road, south Edmonton (corner of 86 street and 51 Avenue)

Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Time: 6:30 PM

Directions:
8555 Roper Road, south Edmonton (corner of 86 street and 51 Avenue)
Please park in the main lot and enter through the front doors. Parking is free and plentiful.

If you missed the Legislature tour in January of 2017, here is a wonderful opportunity to see some amazing history of the Province of Alberta. With over a million photographs and ten thousand books on hand, plus maps and architectural drawings there’s certainly something for everyone to see.

We will also hold a special meeting to look at election nominations for the 2019 Edmonton Executive Committee. RSVP please if you are planning to attend as the space is limited. We look forward to seeing everyone.

THE PRESSURE NEWS Vol 23, Issue 3 (Sept 2018)

Please note that the September issue of the Pressure News has been issued.

Alberta Chief Power Engineers Education Conference

The 4th Alberta Chief Power Engineers Education Conference is well into the planning stages for 2018. The last 3 years have been very successful in bringing industry together, answering your questions and informing you about what’s happening around Alberta.... Read More

The 2018 conference will be held at the Delta Hotels by Marriott, Edmonton South Conference Centre again this year on November 7, with the hospitality suite on November 6. The hospitality suite is a great way to meet other people in industry and network.

Registration is now open! Click here for the event page and registration.

Links:
absa.ca/seminars/alberta-chief-power-engineer-education-conference cvent.com/events/alberta-chief-power-engineers-education-conference...

New Updates to Pressure Vessel Regulations in Alberta

This is to advise that the following Information Bulletins are issued:

• IB18-018 ALERT - Propane Tank Fire

  IB18-018-ALERT-Propane-Tank-Fire.pdf

• IB18-019 Authority Having Jurisdiction for the CSA B52 Mechanical Refrigeration Code

  IB18-019-Authority-Having-Jurisdiction-for-CSA-B52.pdf

September Tour and Meeting

Location: Edmonton Power Historical Foundation at Leduc West Antique Society
49517 Range Road 260, Calmar, AB, T0C 0V0

Date: Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Time: 6:30 PM

Directions
Located on the grounds of the Leduc West Antique Museum. Travel 5 miles west of Leduc on Highway 39. Go north on Range Road 260 (Cohne Dale Road) for about a mile and the museum will be on your right.

PPE: No personal protection equipment required for this tour.

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed your summer holidays. We are happy to announce the first of our Fall events and for September, we will be visiting the Edmonton Power Historical Foundation. EPHF is a non-profit society dedicated to preserving the history of electric power of the City of Edmonton and the Province of Alberta. A museum building and web site (ephf.ca) provide education and entertainment for current and future generations, by collecting, restoring and displaying vintage electric utility related devices, tools, instruments, equipment and documents.

We will also be holding a general meeting to update you on what we’ve been working on and some upcoming changes to the branch. Anyone with interest is welcome to attend, including students and nonmembers. RSVP please if you are planning to attend as the space is limited. Coffee and snacks will be provided by the branch.

We look forward to seeing everyone in just less than two weeks’ time!