ABB awards subsea Goliat Field installation job to Aker Solutions

Shell's earnings in 2010 were US$18.6bn compared to $9.8bn in2009

National Oilwell Varco brought in $440 million income in Q4 2010

Gazprom appoints French firm to help develop 3 billion barrel field

Client RWE Dea Nile is first to call force majeure and stop drilling

Demonstrating once again that the Bearing Specialists Association (BSA) is “the forum to enhance networking and knowledge sharing to promote the sale of bearings through authorized distributors,” the association welcomed 14 percent more attendees from a record number of companies to its 2011 Winter Meeting Jan. 16 to 18 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla.

A full agenda of committee meetings allows attendees to experience committee work without obligation to join one, to see how participation can influence the direction of the industry, and to learn how committee participation can benefit them personally and improve their company's position in the marketplace. Although increasing numbers of industry leaders have leveraged this advantage of BSA’s Fall and Winter Meetings, the January 2011 event enjoyed the registration of more attendees representing more companies than ever before.

In addition to the aforementioned advantages of Winter Meeting attendance, BSA added even more value with a presentation by John Dunlop, Senior Project Engineer with the American Wind Energy Association, who shared important information about the role of bearing products in wind energy. BSA’s Information Technology and Supply Chain Committee also enjoyed a presentation on “Apple in Your Business” by Matthew Bookspan of BlackTip IT Services.

BSA distributor members and participating manufacturers will next meet at the association’s 2011 Annual Convention, “Growing Together: 45 Years Strong,” April 29-May 2 at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Lost Pines (Austin), Texas. To learn more, visit the convention website at www.bsaconventions.org.

Bruce Power Inc., a nuclear power generation plant, was fined $80,000 this month for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) after a worker was injured doing routine maintenance on a crane, according to the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

On Oct. 9, 2008, the vault area of the company's Tiverton plant was under construction. A crew from a company called Black and McDonald was working on this construction project. While Black and McDonald workers were doing repairs, a Bruce Power electrician was on an overhead catwalk doing routine maintenance on a crane. The electrician dropped the crane's electrical panel, which fell over six meters to hit a Black and McDonald worker on the head. The Black and McDonald worker sustained minor head injuries.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the area under the overhead catwalk did not have signs posted to warn workers of the dangers overhead.

Bruce Power pleaded guilty to failing, as a constructor, to ensure that the work area was protected by signs to warn workers of the overhead danger.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Robert Gay. In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
www.labour.gov.on.ca/english

FLIR Systems Canada unveils three distinct, all-new product lines that dramatically alter the thermal imaging market by expanding options for every budget and application.

FLIR i3
The FLIR i3 is the industry’s first ever, sub-$1,300 point-and-shoot infrared camera, making the big picture of thermal imaging a realistic and affordable upgrade from single-spot infrared thermometers or “temperature guns” with numerical readouts. The fully-automatic FLIR i3 is easy to use out of the box and offers 60 x 60 pixel resolution suitable for everyday, general diagnostic work.

FLIR E-Series
FLIR’s bold new E-series is a four-model range of compact thermal imagers (E30, E40, E50, E60) that transforms infrared diagnostics by introducing a mix of powerful thermal imaging capabilities such as 76,800 pixels (320 × 240) IR resolution, <0.05˚C thermal sensitivity, 4x digital zoom, and 60Hz refresh rate as well as industry-first innovations such as Wi-Fi connectivity to personal devices such as iPads or iPhones, 3MP digital camera, and a wide, 3.5” full-view touchscreen with intuitive interface.

FLIR T620 & T640
The all-new FLIR T620 and T640 lead the industry by setting a new standard for premium, high performance thermal imaging, productivity-oriented ergonomic design, and a comprehensive feature-set. Add an industry-best 307,200 pixel (640 x 480) infrared resolution, thermal sensitivity to <0.04°C. FLIR’s best-in-class T620 and T640 tackle the performance demands of industrial, plant, utility, HVAC, and building-related professionals with premium capabilities.

All new FLIR thermal imagers are available now at FLIR-authorised distributors.

FLIR designs, manufactures, and supports thermal imaging systems and subsystems for industrial, scientific, government, commercial, and firefighting applications. With a nearly 50-year history of infrared innovation, +100,000 systems in use worldwide, and

Johnson Controls announced a new offering to help reduce energy consumption in central chilled water plants in buildings by up to 60 percent. Integral to achieving these savings is new system-level automation software, Johnson Controls Central Plant Optimization 10 (CPO 10) and Central Plant Optimization 30 (CPO 30), which enables persistent peak performance and energy savings in central plants in both new construction and existing buildings.

Depending on climate, region and equipment configurations, a central chilled water plant can consume more than 30 percent of the power required to run a building. To achieve peak efficiency performance, a facility’s central plant equipment and independent components can now be designed and operated as a single integrated system with Johnson Controls Central Plant Optimization software.

“Building owners and operators have the biggest opportunity to realize savings where the facility consumes the most energy—the central chilled water plant,” said Joseph Walicki, vice-president and general manager, Systems, North America, Johnson Controls. “A holistic approach to plant design and operations is necessary to drive efficiencies that minimize operating costs, reduce environmental impact and lead to a better return on investment.”

Traditionally, energy efficiency in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry has been driven by the capabilities of individual components. Central Plant Optimization offers a holistic system approach with the potential to achieve and sustain ongoing savings throughout the entire lifecycle of an HVAC system.

Both CPO 10 and CPO 30 feature innovative control technologies that are designed to provide system performance improvements based on real-time building loads. When incorporated with a modern building automation system and efficient HVAC equipment, CPO software solutions can help a chilled water plant system achieve maximum energy savings.